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THE WORLD’S 
 
 SPIRITUAL CONQUEST 
 
 — OR ITS- 
 
 CONVERSION TO CHRIST. 
 
 A SUBJECT, THE CONSIDERATION OF WHICH IS NOT ONLY 
 TO ELEVATE THE STANDARD OF PIETY AND PROMOTE A 
 SPECIAL AND PERMANENT SPIRITUAL INTEREST, 
 
 BUT TO AROUSE ALL CHRISTIANS, WITHOUT 
 EXCEPTION OR DISTINCTION, TO A 
 
 SENSE OF DUTY, OBLIGATIONS, i 
 
 AND RESPONSIBILITY, AND INDUCE THEM, IF POSSIBLE, TO 
 MAKE, NOT A DIVIDED, BUT A UNITED EFFORT TO 
 OVERCOME THE POWERS OF DARKNESS, AND 
 THUS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO SUBDUE 
 THIS WORLD TO THE SAVIOR. 
 
 By R. B. GODFREY. 
 
 Minister of the Gospel, 
 
 FAIRPORT, KANSAS. 
 
 * 
 
 KANSAS CITY, MO.: 
 
 Press of Ramsey, Millett & Hudson. 
 1885. 
 
COPYRIGHT 
 
 BY R. B. GODFREY. 
 
 1885 
 
 “All Rights Reserved.’ 
 
"i H %Z 
 
 G S'4 w/ 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PREFACE. 5 
 
 INTRODUCTORY... 7 
 
 PART I. 
 
 ‘CHAPTER I.— Spiritual Possibilities Considered Nega¬ 
 tively—Pointing out the Obstacles to the Evangel¬ 
 izing Work as they Relate to Professing Christians 
 Themselves— A Want of Faith— A Want of Inclina¬ 
 tion— A Satanic Deception as to the Time of the 
 Triumph—The Lowness and Indefiniteness of Chris¬ 
 tian Aim. 8 
 
 'CHAPTER II.— Obstacles to the Work Continued—Spiritu¬ 
 al Ignorance—Unchristian Penuriousness—A Want of 
 Stability—Dissension—Impiety—Sectarian Gangrene. 35 
 
 CHAPTER III. —Possibilities Continued—The Positive Ev¬ 
 idence of its Possibility as Manifest from Parable, 
 Prophecy, and many other Sources.. 62 
 
 PART II. 
 
 CHAPTER I.—The Source, the Reasons for, and an Exem¬ 
 
 plification of the Obligation.. 87 
 
 CHAPTER II.—Christian Obligation Continued—Its Nat¬ 
 ure and Fulfillment... 110 
 
 ^CHAPTER III.—Christian Obligation Continued—What 
 
 is Necessary, and Obstacles to its Fulfillment... 130 
 
 (3) 
 
 a 
 
 703147 
 
4 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 / . 
 
 SECTION I.—Its Object..... 151 
 
 SECTION II.—Its Imperative Necessity... 170 
 
 SECTION III.—Its Utility. 175 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 CHAPTER 1.—A Proper Conviction on the Part of the 
 Impenitent—The Operation of the Holy Spirit in Con¬ 
 nection with the Word, to Deprive Satan of his 
 Advantage — Consistent Christian Conduct — Purity 
 
 and Uniformity of Conduct.*. 179 
 
 Proposition I. 190 
 
 Proposition II. 199 
 
 CHAPTER II.—Indispensabilities Continued—Christian 
 
 Unanimity. 213 
 
 Proposition III.. . 214 
 
 CHAPTER III.—Christian Unanimity Continued— Unchris¬ 
 tian Dissension a Satanic Stratagem to Defeat Christ’s 
 Cause, and thus Ruin Souls—The Object of Christian 
 Unanimity. 236. 
 
 PART V. 
 
 CHAPTER I.—The Import, Nature, Extent, Fearfulness, 
 and Certainty of the Accountability and Responsi¬ 
 bility. 265 
 
 CHAPTER II.—An Exhibition of Professed Christian 
 Character.. 284 
 
 CHAPTER III. —Who are the Most Accountable and Re¬ 
 sponsible for Spiritual Defeats.-. 295 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In presenting this volume to the public, its Author 
 would inform every one that book-writing was the last 
 work, in which he ever expected to engage. But the 
 subject of the present treatise was so impressed upon * 
 his mind, and so kept there by the Holy Spirit, he 
 found that the only way to relieve himself would be to 
 arrange and write upon the same. In doing so, how¬ 
 ever, it was not at all his intention ever to publish this 
 book himself. But in lecturing upon the subject, and 
 reading over to Christian brethren and friends its con¬ 
 tents, right away both the educated and the unedu¬ 
 cated, and the members of the different denominations, 
 began to urge its publication. This circumstance, in 
 connection with the fact that the work in which he is 
 engaged is a general one, and hence must be sustained 
 within itself, is one of the principal reasons for its 
 publication. 
 
 His only apology, therefore, for the publication of 
 
 the present volume is a deep interest in and an intense 
 
 desire for God’s glory, and the best good of infinitely 
 
 % 
 
 imperiled and perishing souls. And his prayer is that 
 
 God, the Holy Spirit, will so incline hearts to obtain, 
 
 6 
 
 / 
 
6 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 read, and reflect upon the contents of this book as not 
 only that the gospel principles it advocates may be 
 understood, adopted in faith, and embodied in practice, 
 but that by means of such an understanding, adoption, 
 and embodiment, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,, 
 may “ receive of the travail of his soul, and be satis¬ 
 fied ” not only in the speedy and utter overthrow of 
 the powers of darkness, but also in the ultimate, com¬ 
 plete, and glorious triumphs of Ijds kingdom through¬ 
 out the world. 
 
 R. B. Gr. 
 
 Kansas City, Mo., November, 1885. 
 
 
The World’s Spiritual Conquest, 
 or Its Conversion to Christ. 
 
 “ He came to seek and to save that which was 
 lost ” is the key-note of the whole scheme of redemp¬ 
 tion. In harmony with the same is the following: 
 “ Go ye, therefore, into all the world and teaph ” or 
 disciple “ all nations and preach the gospel to every 
 creature.” (Mat. xxviii, 19; Mark xvi, 15.) Th q theme 
 of this language is the world's spiritual conquest , or 
 its conversion to Christ. A more extensive, compli¬ 
 cated, important, profitable, and responsible work can 
 neither be conceived nor undertaken. It consists, in 
 brief, in the complete overthrow of the powers of 
 darkness and their removal from among men, at least 
 for one thousand years, and the conversion at some 
 time of every one capable of repentance and faith— 
 involving a great and mighty conflict, a grand battle, 
 tt a glorious victory ; implying spiritual possibilities^ in¬ 
 finite obligations , the infinite importance of the work, 
 what is indispensable to its accomplishment, and the 
 awful accountability and responsibility in relation to it. 
 
 7 
 
8 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 Spiritual possibilities considered negatively and pos¬ 
 itively. 1st. Pointing out the obstacles to the work 
 as they relate to professing Christians themselves. 
 2d. Bringing forward from both parable and proph¬ 
 ecy, as well as other sources, the positive evidence not 
 only of the possibility, but of the absolute certainty 
 of the ultimate accomplishment of the work. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SPIRITUAL POSSIBILITIES CONSIDERED NEGATIVELY.- 
 
 POINTING OUT THE OBSTACLES TO THE EVANGELIZING 
 WORK AS THEY RELATE TO PROFESSING CHRISTIANS 
 THEMSELVES.—A WANT OF FAITH.-A WANT OF INCLINA¬ 
 TION.-A SATANIC DECEPTION AS TO THE TIME OF THE 
 
 TRIUMPH.-THE LOWNESS AND INDEFINITENESS OF 
 
 CHRISTIAN AIM. 
 
 Now, no one of intelligence, who has given any 
 proper attention to the evangelizing work, can either 
 doubt or reasonably deny that there'are very numerous 
 and formidable obstacles to its accomplishment. But 
 perhaps about all may call in question the correctness 
 of the statement that the most and the greatest obstacles 
 to the work relate to professing Christians themselves. 
 How singular that this should be so ! How very 
 strange that the only means left in the world fof its 
 conversion to Christ should embrace the principal ob¬ 
 stacles to the accomplishment of the work! But 
 however strange—and in some respects improbable— 
 yet, after obtaining a knowledge of a few facts and ft 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 9 
 
 little reflection, doubtless nearly all—if not every one 
 —will admit that such is actually the case. And 
 here, omitting for the present those pertaining to the 
 impenitent, we will now note in detail some of the ob¬ 
 stacles to the evangelizing work as they relate to pro¬ 
 fessing Christians themselves. Among which we will 
 notice— 
 
 I. A want of faith. “ He that comes to God 
 must believe that he is, and the rewarder of those who 
 diligently seek him.” Said the Saviour : he “ did not 
 many mighty works there, because of their unbe¬ 
 lief.” Yes, doubtless “ unbelief” is one of the prin¬ 
 cipal reasons the “ mighty work ” of this world’s 
 conversion to Christ lias not long since been ac¬ 
 complished. Especially at the present time there 
 seems to be, in connection with the different denomi¬ 
 nations, quite a numerous class—among which are 
 many not only occupying high positions, but accepted 
 as authority in the realm of literature and theology— 
 that doubt and deny the possibility of this world’s 
 conversion to Christ at any time. Hot long since, 
 such were the published sentiments of the president 
 of one our oldest theological institutions. His chief 
 argument, however, was taken not from portions of 
 scripture relating to time and descriptive of gospel 
 triumphs, but from a parable which, as interpreted 
 by the Savior himself, relates to the end of the world 
 and is descriptive of the general judgment. And 
 such, too, is the baselessness, the irrelevancy, and the 
 futility of all arguments against either the possibility 
 or the positivity of the ultimate and complete tri¬ 
 umphs of Christ’s kingdom throughout the world. 
 And here I ask that theological professor and presi¬ 
 dent, and all others of his mind, whether, when the 
 
10 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 Savior said, “ Go ye into all the world and preach the 
 gospel to every creature,” his object in that command 
 was not the conversion of souls ? and ultimately, if 
 not immediately, just as much the conversion of 
 “ every rational creat ure ” as that of any “ rational crea¬ 
 ture ? ” If so, what more right has said president, or 
 anyone else, to either douht or deny the possibility or 
 the positivity of the conversion,at some time, of all the 
 impenitent, than he has of the conversion at any time 
 of any one of them? When the Savior points out to 
 his followers an object, and commands them to work 
 for it, has any one any right or reason to douht or deny 
 either the possibility or the absolute certainty of suc¬ 
 cess in that effort? Indeed, no one of good common- 
 sense will claim any such right; much less would 
 such doubts and denials he at all rational. And yet 
 it seems that some, even considered oracles in the¬ 
 ology, are so fooled by the Devil as to have the 
 effrontery to at least assume the right not only to 
 entertain such doubts themselves, but to express the 
 same to others; so that not only they themselves, but 
 others also, may douht and deny the possibility, and 
 even the probability, of success in the attainment of 
 objects by efforts even required by the Savior. Here, 
 doubtless, is one of the principal secrets of the great 
 disparity between the righteous and the wicked, not 
 only in the past, but especially of the present time. 
 And why? where Christians are getting only the one 
 to Christ, the Devil is securing the nine, nineteen, or 
 ninety-nine to an endless perdition. And, doubtless, 
 such, too, will continue to be the result so long a& 
 such doubts are entertained and expressed, for Chris¬ 
 tian interest, effort, and success are “ according to 
 their faith.” Certainly, in proportion to doubts of 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL‘CONQUEST. 11 
 
 success ill any undertaking is energy enervated, hopes 
 blighted, and courage destroyed. And hence, had 
 the Savior, when he said “ Go disciple all nations,” 
 at the same time suggested, like said theological pres¬ 
 ident, that there was no prospect of success in the 
 effort, could anything have been more disheart¬ 
 ening and disastrous to the result? I, for one, think 
 not. And thus, too, with respect to every one of in¬ 
 fluence who entertains and expresses such satanic and 
 nonsensical doubts. But the Savior has never in any 
 way even thus hinted, much less said any such thing'# 
 himself. Nor did he ever authorize said president, 
 or any one else, to do £ 0 . On the contrary, he said, 
 “ All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth ; 
 go ye, therefore, into all the world and teach,” or 
 disciple, “ all nations, and preach the gospel to every 
 creature.” “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto 
 the end of the world”; and “able to do exceeding- 
 abundantly above all ye ask or think.” Certainly 
 nothing could have been more assuring and encourag¬ 
 ing to both anticipation and toil than such language. 
 And hence, so far as the Scriptures are concerned, 
 away with all such satanic nonsense as doubts and 
 denials of either the possibility or the absolute cer¬ 
 tainty of this world’s spiritual conquest or conversion 
 to Christ at some future time. 
 
 And yet perhaps Satan may so magnify the ob¬ 
 stacles to the work as to cause doubts and denials, if 
 not from wrong scripture views, like those of said 
 theological president, at least from the number, the 
 magnitude, and insurmountability of those obstacles. 
 But, I ask, do obstacles always prevent the accom¬ 
 plishment of a good work ? If this were so, no good 
 would ever have been secured in the world ; for there 
 
12 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 are very many obstacles to every good work. There 
 are very many obstacles to the conversion of every sin¬ 
 ner. But do obstacles always prevent the conversion 
 of the impenitent? If this were so, no sinner would 
 ever have been converted. But vast numbers have 
 been converted, notwithstanding the almost innumer¬ 
 able and insurmountable obstacles to their conversion. 
 True, with respect to the evangelizing work, Christians 
 —like the children of Israel in the wilderness, with the 
 mountains on either hand, the Bed Sea before them, 
 *and the Egyptians in their rear—are surrounded with 
 almost innumerable obstacles. Yet, stepping forward 
 in the name of Israel’s God, Is there not every reason 
 to believe that every obstacle would be overcome and 
 every enemy of the Cross subdued, and very soon every 
 sinner in the wide world converted and brought into 
 subjection to the will of God? Doubtless there is. 
 And yet, perhaps, for want of proper spiritual in¬ 
 struction and experience, a large proportion of the 
 present professed followers of Christ may wholly dis¬ 
 believe in any such great and glorious result. 
 
 Indeed, practical if not theoretical Antinomianism 
 and infidelity seem at the present time to be the be¬ 
 setting sins of the Church. Antinomianism says that 
 Christian labor is of no consequence. Infidelity says 
 that God’s word is not true. And how frequently we 
 meet with both among professing Christians; for in 
 urging very many of them to do anything for Christ, 
 very likely the first thing you hear will be : “ It is of 
 no use.” That is, Christian labor is of no consequence; 
 it avails nothing. Then ask : “ Is Christian labor re¬ 
 quired ? Is it important and necessary ? ” “ Oh, yes,” 
 
 they will reply, “it is by means of Christian labor the 
 light shines, the saving influence is exerted, and the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 13 
 
 conquests of the Redeemer’s kingdom carried for¬ 
 ward.” But yet “ It is of no use.” And thus, per¬ 
 haps, in the same breath, they may affirm and deny 
 the same thing. And if this was all, if the conduct 
 would correspond with the affirmation instead of the 
 negation, and the work was thus accomplished, it 
 would make no difference. But you will find that 
 the conduct will generally, if not always, correspond 
 with the negation rather than the affirmation, thus 
 leaving the work undone and making a bad matter 
 very much worse. Then ask: “ Does God’s word mean 
 anything? Is it true?” And with great astonishment 
 they may stare at you and reply: “ Certainly, God’s 
 word means something, and is true.” Certainly “go” 
 means action, and “ do ” means work. Also it is true 
 that Christian labor will avail something; since they 
 do not fight as one beating the air. Hence it is not vain 
 to serve God, for “ they that wait on the Lord shall 
 renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings 
 as eagles; they shall walk and not faint, and run and 
 not be weary” ; inasmuch as their “ labor in the Lord 
 is not in vain.” “ But then—” Then what ? “ Why, 
 it is of no use for either me or such or such an one to do 
 anything; to speak, pray, or anything else.” Why not ? 
 “ Because we can not do it as well as others.” But 
 does God require you to do as well as others ? “ Oh, 
 
 no; he says to me, and to every one, go and do; and 
 I suppose he means to go and do as well as we can, 
 and he will bless.” “ But yet it is of no use for either 
 me or such or such an one to do anything.” But you do* 
 not intend to give to God the lie ? “ Oh, no, no; cer¬ 
 
 tainly not! ” 
 
 But have you not said that it is vain for you and 
 some others to serve God? “ Well, really, we did not 
 
It 4 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 intend to.” Then you do many things you do not 
 intend to? “Well, not exactly that.” Then what do 
 you mean? “Iieally, that is pertinent.” But can 
 one do any more than his own work? “Oh, no.” 
 Then can any one do your work and the work of 
 those you refer to ? “ Oh, no.” Can all the work he done 
 unless all its parts are done ? “ Oh, no.” Then, how 
 vcan all the work, and your work, and the work of those 
 you refer to be done, unless you and those persons do 
 the work ? “ Well, that is a puzzler.” Then ask what 
 .sort of persons they are—whether Antinomians or 
 infidels, or both—and if you can tell, you can do better 
 than I can. 
 
 Certainly they are a very peculiar class, and in a 
 very strange and peculiar condition. But what shall we 
 do with them? Throw them overboard and conclude 
 they are all Simon Maguses, having neither part 
 nor lot in the matter ; or, that they are in the Devil’s 
 net, and so blinded and bewildered and deceived with 
 respect to what they do believe or disbelieve as to 
 hardly know what they are or what they are doing ? 
 
 Doubtless many consider themselves good mis¬ 
 sionary Christians who, in fact, are very much more 
 Antinomian than missionary. Doubtless others con¬ 
 sider themselves sound in the faith who, in fact, ex¬ 
 hibit in both theory and practice very much more in¬ 
 fidelity than real belief. 
 
 Row, this semi-antinomianism and infidelity to¬ 
 gether constitute one of the greatest obstacles to this 
 world’s spiritual conquest. For— 
 
 1st. Rothing can be accomplished without work. 
 And here I ask, can anything be obtained without 
 labor? Can the farmer, or the merchant, or the me¬ 
 chanic, or any one else obtain anything without work? 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 15 
 
 Labor is indispensable to the accomplishment of 
 everything spiritual as well as temporal. Work, 
 therefore, and the most extensive, energetic, and per¬ 
 severing that can be conceived, is necessary to this 
 world’s conversion to Christ. But more of this in 
 another place. 
 
 2d. So far as it is doubted that work is necessary 
 or of any consequence, nothing is apt to be done at 
 all. This, doubtless, is why so many professing Chris¬ 
 tians can not be induced to do anything. Though 
 they profess to believe in works as well as faith, and 
 do actually, belong to what is called a missionary 
 denomination, yet, doubting both the necessity and 
 utility of Christian labor, they do nothing, and nothing 
 is accomplished. Hence, urge them to drill to prepare 
 themselves for the war, or to actually engage in the 
 battle, and very likely they will at once give to God 
 the lie, saying “It is of no use”—that is, labors in 
 the Lord are in vain; they that wait on the Lord shall 
 not renew their strength, etc. This, doubtless, is why 
 so little has been accomplished in the past, and is now 
 being done, and about the only reason the world long 
 before this has not been subdued to the Savior. 
 
 3d. So far as one doubts that he can succeed in 
 what he undertakes, he is more liable to fail than to 
 ** succeed ; because the doubt will tend to enervate the 
 whole action, preventing a proper determination, 
 energy, and perseverance. How this half believ¬ 
 ing, and thus trying to serve God at the halves, is 
 doubtless why what has been undertaken has been 
 only half done, leaving Satan in possession of the 
 held, where, had there been a proper faith, he would 
 have been overcome and a glorious victory obtained 
 for Christ. 
 
16 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 4th. Should there ,be no lack as to interest and 
 effort, without a proper faith there could be no success, 
 for “ without faith it is impossible to please God”; and 
 unless God is pleased his aid can not be obtained, and 
 without his aid there must be an utter failure. 
 
 But though a want of faith is one of the greatest 
 obstacles to this world’s spiritual subjugation, yet it is 
 not insurmountable, for every one is capable of believ¬ 
 ing and can be convinced. Besides, there is abundant 
 evidence not only that the work will actually be 
 accomplished at some future time, but that it could be 
 done even during the present generation of Christians. 
 
 II. Again, another great obstacle to the work is 
 a satanic deception as to the time of the triumph. It 
 is similar to that practiced upon the impenitent with 
 respect to conversion, which is never “ now ,” but 
 always at some “ more convenient season ”; the 
 thought constantly occurring, if not expressed, “ To¬ 
 morrow shall be as this day, and much more abun¬ 
 dantly.” And thus with respect to the world’s conver¬ 
 sion to Christ. Even those who believe in the 
 accomplishment of the work seem to suppose that it 
 is never “ now.” Hot during their time, not during 
 their generation ; but always at some indefinite future. 
 And the young being thus instructed when they come 
 upon the stage of action, they also take up the re¬ 
 frain, “ Hot during our time—not during our gen¬ 
 eration.” And thus one generation after another 
 has passed, and is passing, and doubtless, too, will con¬ 
 tinue to pass, until Christian instruction, faith, prac¬ 
 tice, and expectation are radically changed with re¬ 
 spect to the accomplishment of the work. 
 
 And here I ask, does not the scripture language, 
 “ Turn ye, turn ye,” “to-day, if ye will hear his 
 
THE WORLD’S* SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 17 
 
 voice “ now is the accepted time, now is the day of 
 salvation,”—equally apply to every sinner as to any 
 sinner ? If so, would not God have all the impen¬ 
 itent, everywhere, and at once, attend to their soul’s 
 salvation, and also with the firm belief that the 
 effort would he successful if put forth ? If so, would 
 he not have those whose duty it is to seek the salva¬ 
 tion of souls equally undertake, and also expect, the 
 conversion of every sinner as that of any sinner ? 
 Doubtless he would. And hence, since the two cases 
 are exactly parallel, doubting and denying the one 
 would be doubting and denying the other, and 
 both doubted and denied, would be virtually be¬ 
 lieving and contending that God’s word is nonsense 
 and of no consequence. Certainly no one but the 
 Devil’s dupe would hold to and teach such satanic 
 nonsense and delusions. May the time not be distant 
 when especially every Christian, as well as every sin¬ 
 ner, shall be delivered from such a satanic deception, 
 and no longer doubt the possibility of this world’s con¬ 
 version to Christ, even during the present generation 
 of Christians. 
 
 III. Another great obstacle to the work is a want 
 of inclination . All the impulses and propulses of 
 human nature are naturally opposed to it. As the 
 sparks fly upward, so all human inclinations are 
 prone to earth and its pleasures, rather than to heaven 
 and its enjoyments. ' Of this every Christian is con¬ 
 scious, not only from experience , but from observation. 
 What Christian is there who will not admit that his 
 inclinations are altogether too earthly? Every truly 
 converted person naturally mourns over the tend¬ 
 encies and earthliness of his nature. Such now is 
 
 the Christian’s own experience as to his own disinclina- 
 
 2 - 
 
18 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 tion to the spiritual warfare. The same is equally 
 evident from observation; for where the interest is, 
 there is the action; and where the action is, there is, 
 the interest; and where both interest and action are, 
 there is the inclination. Now, deciding by this rule, 
 and judging from appearances, can any doubt the 
 terrible disinclination to spiritual things? Observe 
 professing Christians from the beginning to the close 
 of the year ; what will be the interests and efforts of 
 very many of them? Scarcely anything will be seen 
 or heard except the world. The world will be first 
 and last, and nearly all the time, with a large propor¬ 
 tion of those pretending to be Christians. 
 
 But though such is the terrible disinclination to 
 the spiritual warfare, and such its alarming and crim¬ 
 inal indulgence on the part of even Christians, yet 
 the obstacle is not insurmountable, for the inclination 
 can be resisted and reversed, and thus the obstacle 
 overcome. 
 
 IV. Another great obstacle to the work is the 
 lowness and indefiniteness of Christian aim. To succeed 
 in anything, the aim must be definite—especially 
 to succeed in anything great and good; not only 
 must the aim be definite, but it must be high. Let 
 any one undertake anything with nothing in special 
 in view—will he succeed ? He will be as liable to do 
 one thing as another, or nothing at all. This is es¬ 
 pecially true with respect to thought. So far as 
 thought is indefinite, it is confused and misunderstood. 
 So, too, with respect to the expression of thought. So 
 far as thought is indefinitely expressed, it is still con¬ 
 fused and misunderstood. So, too, with respect to the 
 signification of language. So far as woi;ds are in¬ 
 definite in signification, thus far they are unintelligi- 
 
/ 
 
 * 
 
 % 
 
 THE WORLD’# SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 19 
 
 ble, deceptive, and worse than useless. The use of 
 fire-arms, however, furnishes one of the host illustra¬ 
 tions of the importance and necessity of a definite 
 aim.. Any one desiring to hit anything by means of 
 shooting must aim directly at it, or he is as liable to 
 hit one thing as another, or nothing at all. So with 
 respect to the accomplishment of every thing, spirit¬ 
 ual as well as temporal. There can not possibly be 
 any proper success without a definite aim. 
 
 But to a definite aim is indispensable: 1. A defi¬ 
 nite object to aim at. 2. A definite plan or arrange¬ 
 ment to hit or secure said object. 3. A definite inter¬ 
 est in what is undertaken. 4. A definite efibrt to 
 obtain the object proposed. Bor without each and all 
 of these, and especially the last, the whole is still indefi¬ 
 nite, and nothing at all accomplished. bTow, ,if these 
 elements are not necessary to a definite aim, and a 
 definite aim is not necessary to success, then nothing 
 is necessary to the accomplishment of anything. Ap¬ 
 plying, therefore, these principles to what is at pre¬ 
 sent going on in the world, how does the matter stand ? 
 
 1st. With respect to the powers of darkness , it is 
 thus : There is no indefiniteness at all in satanic at¬ 
 tempts to dishonor God and ruin souls. Satan’s aim, 
 in what he undertakes is perfectly definite, since it 
 embraces all the necessary elements—both object, plan, 
 interest, -and efforts. None can doubt this after a mo¬ 
 ment’s reflection upon the various satanic operations. 
 
 Take, for instance, the liquor traffic, one of the Dev¬ 
 il’s most prolific trades. 1. There are his distilleries 
 or swill-houses, where the blessings of God are con¬ 
 verted into awful curses. 2. There are his grog-shops of 
 whatever grade or name, or hog and slaughter pens, 
 where souls are butchered as well as bodies. 3. There 
 
20 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 are those engaged in the liquor traffic, by distilling, 
 wholesaling, retailing, drinking, and raising grain for 
 the distillery; or the Devil’s butchers, the worst mur¬ 
 derers—excepting, perhaps, the intention—-on top of 
 the earth, because engaged in destroying the soul for 
 time and eternity, as well as the property, the reputa¬ 
 tion, the health, the happiness, and the natural life of 
 the poor inebriate, and that of his family. 4. And, 
 finally, there is the liquor bugle, calling, “Pig, pig;” and 
 here they come from all parts and grades and employ¬ 
 ments, and even frequently from among professing 
 Christians—what a shame ! Some, sneaking like whip¬ 
 ped dogs, skulk into some cellar or behind some 
 screen and there take their portion; while others in 
 open daylight take their portion and brag, and swear, 
 and slaver, and stagger, and dreul, and wallow in the 
 mire with the swine; which with respect to temper¬ 
 ance, are the drunkard’s superiors. Is there not defi¬ 
 niteness and success in this branch of the Devil’s op¬ 
 erations ? If any doubt it, let them look around them, 
 and ask the past and present history of the liquor 
 traffic. And here we may exclaim, all honor to tem¬ 
 perance hotels and hotel-keepers, and temperance lect¬ 
 urers, and especially to those noble women who have 
 dared to attack the demon in his den ! May God bless 
 and prosper and succeed them in their every effort to 
 oppose, to overcome, and forever to banish from the 
 world the vile monsters—liquor traffic and imtemper- 
 ance* 
 
 And here, as a further illustration of this point, 
 could be mentioned other satanic operations , such, for 
 example, as the houses of ill fame—the different kinds 
 and places of sinful amusement; and especially the 
 propagation of false doctrines or erroneous sentiments 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 21 
 
 in the name or unaer the cloak of Christianity. But 
 enough; from what has now been said, and especially 
 from what is known of the Devil and his operations, 
 none can doubt the definiteness of his aim in all he 
 undertakes for dishonor, death, and eternal ruin. 
 
 2d. Again : With respect to worldly things , it is 
 thus. Is there apt, even on the part of professing 
 Christians, to be any indefiniteness in their aim for 
 the things of this world ? Do they not generally, if 
 not always, have a definite object in view, and a definite 
 plan formed to secure said object, and a definite interest 
 in the same ? And is the definite and special effort apt 
 to be lacking? And if one plan will not do, is there 
 any hesitancy in devising and adopting another, and 
 another if necessary, until the object is secured ? This 
 is especially true on the part of the impenitent, on 
 account of which the Savior said: “ The children of 
 
 this world are, in their generation, iviser than the 
 children of light.” (Luke xvi, 8.) A terrible indict¬ 
 ment ! But so it is. 
 
 How, how is it with respect to professing Christians , 
 or “the children of light”? Is there apt to be much 
 definiteness in their aim for the cause of Christ, God’s 
 glory, and the salvation of souls ? How is it with 
 respect to object f Are they apt to have a definite 
 object in view in what they undertake spiritually? 
 Hone can doubt that this is so respecting worldly 
 things. Every one engaged in secular business has a 
 definite object in view, and, if desired, can define or 
 tell what it is Suppose, however, professing Chris¬ 
 tians be interrogated upon this point, what do you 
 think they would say? Would not the most of them 
 be in doubt what to answer at all ? And the rest 
 naturally reply that they are “ knocking along,” as 
 
22 THE WORLD 5 ® SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 m 
 
 the saying is—-that is, striking here and there with 
 nothing in special in view—trying to know and to do a 
 little in various ways, hoping and supposing that all 
 will be right in the end—that is, that the mark will be 
 hit, whether it is Seen and aimed at or not. 
 
 Indeed, in the aims and efforts of many professing 
 Christians there seems to be a terrible vagueness and 
 looseness. They are apt to have no definite object in 
 view in what is undertaken for their own church, 
 their own person, their own family, and friends, and 
 neighbors, and neighborhood, much less for other 
 neighborhoods and the world at larged 
 
 How, how many professing Christians dp you 
 think have in view this world’s spiritual conquest as 
 the grand ultimatum , or mark at which they are aim¬ 
 ing in all their spiritual aspirations ? Doubtless many 
 can say that such an ultimatum has not ever been 
 urged upon their attention, much less have such a 
 definite object in view; much less a definite plan 
 formed to secure said object; much less a definite in¬ 
 terest in the same ; much less putting forth a definite 
 effort to obtain such a result; much less devising and 
 adopting new plans to this end, and thus endeavoring, 
 in every way possible, to conquer this world spirit¬ 
 ually. 
 
 How, # this awful vagueness and looseness concern¬ 
 ing spiritual things is heart-sickening. But very few 
 seem to have any definite aim in regard to the matter; 
 all things left at loose ends spiritually, if not tempor¬ 
 ally, and at the same time an idea that it is just as 
 well, and that all will be right in the end notwith¬ 
 standing—a suggestion of the Devil, and a more 
 false and inconsistent notion there could not pos¬ 
 sibly b«. 
 
THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST* 23 1 
 
 How very deeply and painfully will a true child] 
 of grace, when viewing Zion’s desolations and Chris- ’ 
 tian operations, be impressed with these thoughts, and 
 especially in beholding their apathy and listening to 
 their replies when preached to or questioned concern¬ 
 ing such things. 
 
 Perhaps in a community there may be living a 
 number of professing Christians, as well as many of 
 the impenitent, having their ceiled houses and every 
 convenience and^ comfort for the body and this life, 
 but where there is no meeting-house or special ar¬ 
 rangement for God’s worship and the salvation of 
 souls ; or, if a meeting-house, perhaps in a dilapi¬ 
 dated condition—half finished, half lighted, half seated, 
 half cleaned, half warmed, destitute of convenience 
 and comfort, and more repulsive than attractive,; and, 
 as is frequently the case South and West, if not so 
 frequently North and East, the doors and windows 
 left wide open, letting swine and other animals have 
 as free access as the people; and if a stove at all, the 
 pipe thrust out through the side of the building, in¬ 
 stead of through the roof, where, when the wind is in 
 that direction, the smoke is driven back into the room, 
 filling the house, confusing the speaker, bewildering 
 the hearer—causing one to cough, another to cry, and 
 thus rendering useless the attempt to preach the gospel 
 or to serve God. Now, if others have not, your au¬ 
 thor has frequently met with meeting-houses in that 
 condition, and been nearly choked down and smoked 
 out before services closed. 
 
 Taking, therefore, that example as a general illus¬ 
 tration of Zion’s desolations and Christian operations, 
 we have a picture more or less visible, in one form or 
 another, in every part of Christendom. 
 
24 the world's spiritual conquest. 
 
 v> 
 
 Then ask professing Ciiristians why this is so. 
 Perhaps one response maybe, “ We don’t feel like it.” 
 Another response may be, “ "What is everybody’s 
 business is nobody’s business ”; that is, what is the 
 duty of all is attended to by none, each waiting for the 
 other and nothing done by either, except the cause of 
 Christ neglected and the Devil served. 
 
 How, I ask, am I not here stating facts which do 
 actually exist in the Church and among professing 
 Christians ? If so, what do they argue ? That Chris¬ 
 tian aim is high and definite, having for its object this 
 world’s spiritual conquest, or “the mark for the prize 
 of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” ? The op¬ 
 posite—that with respect to spiritual things, Christian 
 aim is low and groveling, having for its object the 
 mark for the prize of the low calling of the Devil in 
 worldliness; tending downward, instead of upward; 
 tending to God’s dishonor and the soul’s ruin, rather 
 than to God’s glory and the soul’s salvation. 
 
 Where the planning, interest, and efforts are, there 
 is the object; and where the object is, there is the aim. 
 How, deciding by this rule and judging from appear¬ 
 ances, where shall we locate a large proportion of 
 professing Christians? On the side of Christ and his 
 cause ? Or on the side of the world and the Devil’s 
 cause ? If anything is neglected, what is it—the cause 
 of Christ or the world ? If anything is lacking, what 
 is it—diligence in business, or fervency of spirit? What 
 duties are generally, if not always, the most promptly, 
 energetically, and faithfully discharged ? How, to see 
 how the matter stands—saying nothing of the impeni¬ 
 tent—let us contrast the relative position of both tem¬ 
 poral and spiritual things as exhibited from their 
 
 4 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 25 
 
 treatment and support by even professing Christians 
 themselves. 
 
 Take, for instance, those things relating exclusively 
 to the body and this life, such, for example, as agricult¬ 
 ural, mechanical, and commercial pursuits, especially 
 civil or political and educational interests, as well as 
 the practice of medicine and the law. Now, as viewed 
 in these different departments, what difference between 
 professing Christians and non-professors with respect 
 to interest and efforts f Of the two, do not professing 
 Christians sometimes possess and manifest a little 
 more interest in such things than do the impenitent ? 
 Are they not generally, if not always, the most 
 prompt, energetic, and faithful in the discharge of. 
 secular duties. I think, after a little close and careful 
 observation, any one will admit that professing Chris¬ 
 tians in general appear rather more worldly than 
 worldlings themselves. 
 
 But how is it in spiritual things f Certainly, says 
 one, professing Christians possess and manifest more 
 interest in such things than do the impenitent. This 
 may be so. But do they generally possess and man¬ 
 ifest as much interest in spiritual things as they do 
 in temporal or secular matters ? 
 
 1. If there is any hesitancy on their part, what 
 does it relate to—to money-making or to the cause of 
 Christ? If any urging is needed to get them to dis¬ 
 charge duty, wdiat does it relate to—to bodily matters 
 or to soul interests ? Bo ministers find any occasion 
 to urge professing Christians to be more worldly and 
 less spiritually minded, interested, and active ? Rather 
 is it not the reverse of this ? Is not a large propor¬ 
 tion of the time and strength of every faithful minis¬ 
 ter used up in trying to get professing Christians to 
 
26 THE WOELH’s SPIEITtJAL COHQtJE&T. 
 
 be less worldly and more spiritually minded? And 
 then is there not apt to be a failure in nine cases out 
 of ten ? Certainly, if any hesitancy is manifested, or 
 urging needed, all know that it does not relate to 
 money-making. Even professing Christians are suf¬ 
 ficiently prompt concerning such things without any 
 urging thereto. However paradoxical, unaccountable, 
 and strange, the hesitancy manifested and the urging 
 needed, even on the part of professing Christians, re¬ 
 late to the cause of Christ, or to soul interests, 
 the very least of which in value and duration far 
 surpasses any number of such worlds as this. 
 
 2. Is it not the same with respect to life and ac¬ 
 tivity? Where do we find the hum and buzz, the 
 early rising, the late retiring, the quick step, the 
 rapid walk, and flippant talk? Are they in spiritual 
 things ? If there is any lagging and dragging, accom¬ 
 panied by slow movement and speech, what do they 
 relate to—to bodily matters or to soul interests ? All 
 who have observed the conduct of professing Chris¬ 
 tians in their discharge of secular and spiritual duties 
 have long since decided that their deadness and dull¬ 
 ness, or sluggishness and inactivity, relate to the 
 cause of Christ rather than to the body and this life. 
 
 3. Is it not the same in regard to energy ? Energy 
 includes determination and perseverance in the midst 
 of trial, opposition, and disappointment. How, trials, 
 oppositions, and disappointments are as common to 
 secular things as to spiritual interests. But in what 
 do we find the most energy on the part of professing 
 Christians ? When the farmer, for instance, who is a 
 professing Christian and church-member, fails to se¬ 
 cure the harvest he desired, is he apt to conclude that 
 it if of no use to continue farming longer, and at once 
 
THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST, 
 
 27 
 
 dispose of his land and go into some other business, 
 or give up in despair ? Do we not find that profess¬ 
 ing Christians are as energetic, if not a little more 
 so, than are the impenitent ? Are they apt in money- 
 making to consult wind and tide, and to urge all sorts of 
 excuses against it—yielding to cold and heat, to burning 
 suns, to chilling frosts, rains, snows, and blows ? Every 
 one who has observed Christian conduct knows that in 
 secular matters it iff the reverse of this, but that in 
 spiritual things such is very apt to be the case. When 
 it comes to Christianity, almost. “ all, with one con¬ 
 sent, begin to make excuse.” They have the head¬ 
 ache, or backache, or some other ache or pain; in 
 fact, they seem to be all out of joint, soul and body 
 both. Also, wind and tide must be thrown in, the 
 thermometer must be consulted; and if it is a little too, 
 warm for comfort, why there is danger of sun-stroke, 
 and it will not do to attend to the cause of Christ; 
 or, if it is a little colder than is agreeable, especially 
 damp and rainy, why there is danger of disease and 
 death, and Christianity is out of the question. Yet 
 at the same time, when it comes to secular matters, 
 these * same delicate and diseased Christians will at 
 once right up, every joint in its socket, every muscle 
 in its place, all ready for pleasure or work; not even 
 considering the weather too inclement, too cold nor 
 too hot, too wet nor too dry to go shopping or vis¬ 
 iting, or to attend to any other worldly emoplyment 
 or secular amusement. What an awful inconsistency! 
 But thus.it is very frequently, and on the part of very 
 many calling themselves Christians. 
 
 How frequently too, professing Christians compare 
 themselves among themselves —which the apostle says 
 “ it not wise ”—and when one or a number fail to do 
 
2.8 THE world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 what is for the best* the rest follow their example; 
 and thus one after another “going with the multitude 
 to do evil/’ until all perhaps, like ignoble deserters turn 
 their backs on Christ, sacrificing spiritual soul and 
 eternal interests; subjecting themselves to severe 
 scourgings and afflictions, allowing the Devil to tri¬ 
 umph and God to be dishonored, and others to be 
 eternally ruined, who, by more energy would have 
 been saved; and, finally, every such spiritual sacrifice, 
 affliction, dishonor, and death wholly prevented by 
 more determination and perseverance. 
 
 How many churches, prayer and conference meet¬ 
 ings, Sabbath-schools, and other religious enterprises 
 have been commenced, and thus abandoned, and even, 
 too, by the very persons who had undertaken them; 
 not, however, from any necessity in the case, but just 
 because others lacked the interest, the activity, and the 
 constancy which was thought should be possessed and 
 manifested, when, at the same time these same persons 
 have not allowed any such thing to interfere in the 
 least with their secular interests and success. Oh, 
 what a shame and disgrace to the Church and to pro¬ 
 fessing Christians that such statements can be true ! 
 
 Especially, too, if the feelings are not just what 
 they should be, whatever spiritual interest may be sac¬ 
 rificed by so doing, Christian duty is very apt to be 
 neglected; and on the part of those who thus consult 
 and yield to their feelings, rather than to principle, 
 Christian duty is more frequently neglected than dis¬ 
 charged ; for it is seldom, if ever, that the emotional 
 nature is entirely in unison with. Christian duty. And 
 this, too, is equally true respecting worldly things. 
 It is seldom, if ever, that the emotional nature is en¬ 
 tirely in accord with any kind of work, secular or 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 29 
 
 religions ; if it was thus, work would be no cross nor 
 curse. But however crossing to the feelings to dis¬ 
 charge secular duties, it is seldom, if ever, that on 
 that account they are left undone, when perhaps on 
 that account every Christian duty may be neglected 
 and left undischarged. 
 
 What a vast amount of good very many have sac¬ 
 rificed upon their emotional nature ; when, at the same 
 time, they have not allowed that nature to interfere in 
 the least with their secular interests and success. Oh, 
 for shame ! for shame! on—what shall we call them? 
 such spiritual idiots and drones m Christ’s cause, 
 sacrificing upon their emotional nature, which is like 
 the changing and whistling wind, the substance for 
 the shadow, eternity for time, the soul for the body, 
 heaven, holiness, happiness, and an endless life for hell,' 
 destruction, and endless death and wretchedness. 
 What folly ! what folly! what folly ! that any pretend¬ 
 ing to be even rational should do so, much more those 
 professing to be Christians ! 
 
 4. Is it not the same with respect to faithfulness f 
 Faithfulness includes constancy and completion. Now, 
 are not professing Christians as constant in their at¬ 
 tendance upon what they have undertaken for them¬ 
 selves, and other trusts committed to their hands, as 
 are the impenitent? Are they not every day alike, 
 both early and late, about as regular as a good clock 
 in their attendance upon secular interests, and even fre¬ 
 quently carrying such things to an extreme; going 
 beyond strength and health to discharge secular du¬ 
 ties, and thus sometimes bringing on disease and 
 destroying life itself to attend to the world? Are 
 they apt one day to discharge secular duties and to 
 fulfill temporal obligations, and the next to fail in 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 both; injuring themselves, ruining others, and thus 
 preventing all confidence in and dependence upon 
 them ? Not so naturally, but so spiritually. Are not 
 many church-members more apt to neglect than to 
 discharge Christian duty? May they not one day 
 be very wide-awake, careful, prayerful, earnest, and 
 active, and the next very careless, prayerless, indiffer¬ 
 ent, and inactive, and thus frequently do much more 
 harm than good ? All know that this is so. 
 
 Again, are not professing Christians as apt to finish 
 what they undertake temporally as are the impenitent ? 
 Are we more apt among professing Christians than 
 the impenitent, to meet with half finished fabrics, and 
 buildings and garments and watches, and other such 
 things, which have been commenced and abandoned 
 before completion? I think all will admit that pro¬ 
 fessing Christians are as apt, if not a little more so, 
 to fully discharge secular duties than are the impen¬ 
 itent. 
 
 But is this so spiritually ? Are not many church- 
 members apt to leave a part of the duty undone, when 
 they undertake at all to discharge Christian duty ? 
 Thus all the time, both public and private, both per¬ 
 sonal and family, both week-day and Sabbath duties 
 are only partially discharged, when at the same time 
 and by the same persons-every secular duty and in¬ 
 terest is fully attended to. Bor shame! for shame! 
 on such stupidity and folly ! 
 
 5. Is it not the same with respect to support f Are 
 professing Christians apt to expend as profusely and 
 freely upon the soul and another life as they are upon 
 the body and this life ? Perhaps five cents for soul 
 interests, and fifty dollars or five hundred for fleshly 
 gratification; five dollars for the cause of Christ, and 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 31 
 
 five hundred, or five thousand, or five millions for food 
 and raiment and other such things, saying nothing of 
 the vanity gew-gaws, such as gold rings, bracelets, and 
 breastpins; especially of tobacco and snuff* and the 
 different intoxicating drinks used as a beverage. 
 
 Money enough for agricultural, mechanical, and 
 commercial pursuits—especially for medicine, the law, 
 and politics; a little less for educational purposes, 
 because education is the handmaid of Christianity; 
 scarcely any at all for the cause of Christ, because that 
 relates exclusively to soul interests, and is of infinite 
 importance. 
 
 All know that the regrets and grumbling about 
 cost and carriage, high prices and the frequent money 
 calls, relate generally, if not always, to the cause of 
 Christ or to soul interests, rather than to the body and 
 this life. 
 
 We seldom, if ever, hear professing Christians 
 complaining of what it costs to carry on their farming 
 operations or mechanical pursuits or commercial en¬ 
 terprises ; much less of medical charges, lawyers’ fees, 
 and political expenses; much less of the cost of living 
 and for amusement and-the gratification of their curi¬ 
 osity, and frequently false fancy, and sometimes per¬ 
 verted appetites. Mow very profusely and freely both 
 men and women will, without a whimper, expend 
 upon all such things, and even frequently large sums 
 upon what is worse than useless—as is always the case 
 with respect to all needless and unwholesome stimu¬ 
 lants and bodily adornments and sinful amusements; 
 but if anything happens to be needed and desired, and 
 especially requested for educational or spiritual pur¬ 
 poses, what a change; how the eye will flash and the 
 teeth grate and snap, and what a grumbling and snarl- 
 
32 THE WORLDS SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 ing about so many money calls, and so much needed 
 for this thing and that thing, etc. 
 
 What professions and employments are the best 
 sustained ? Behold the poverty among teachers and 
 preachers, and then decide. Farmers, and sailors, 
 and merchants, and mechanics, and lawyers, and 
 doctors, and politicians, and even tobacco and liquor 
 dealers can all be sustained; but teachers and preach¬ 
 ers must go a-begging, or abandon the work in which 
 they are engaged, and upon which is depending every ^ 
 thing really .valuable and important in both time and 
 eternity. 
 
 As an illustration of this point, now listen to the 
 sermon of a clown, preached in Virginia at a circus, 
 and reported in' one of our religious newspapers: 
 
 “It was in the evening, when the performance was 
 about to close; the clown stepped forward, and in a 
 solemn tone addressed the vast assemblage present, 
 among which were hundreds of professing Christians 
 of the different denominations—Methodists, Baptists, 
 Presbyterians, and Episcopalians—as follows: 4 My 
 friends, we have taken in about six hundred dollars 
 here to-day; more money, I venture to say, than any 
 minister of the gospel in this county will receive for a 
 whole year’s service. A large proportion of this 
 money 9 (mark!) ‘ was given by church-members; a 
 large proportion of this audience is made up of mem¬ 
 bers of the Church; and yet, when your preacher asks 
 you for money to aid in supporting the gospel, you say 
 you are too poor to give anything. Yet you come 
 here and pay dollars to hear me talk nonsense. I am 
 a fool because I am paid for it; I make my living by 
 it. You profess to be wise, and yet you support me 
 in my folly. But perhaps yoi~ say you did not come 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 33 
 
 to see the circus, blit the animals. Ah, now, this is 
 all an excuse. If you came simply to see the animals, 
 why did you not look at them and leave? why did 
 you stay to hear my nonsense? How, is not this a 
 pretty place for Christians to be in ? Do you not feel 
 ashamed of yourselves ? You ought to blush in such 
 a place as this.’ Soon afterwards an earnest discourse 
 was preached in the neighborhood; a stirring appeal 
 was made in behalf of missions, and the collection 
 amounted to four dollars and thirty-eight cents. Only 
 think! six hundred dollars for the circus, and four 
 dollars for the conversion of the world!” 
 
 Yes, only think! and of the woman, too, who, 
 
 with thirty-one hundred dollars’ worth of clothing 
 
 and jewelry on her person, in listening to a missionary 
 
 discourse, was moved to tears by the pathetic appeal 
 
 in behalf of the heathen; hut who, when the collection 
 
 w r as taken up, out of her princely wealth, placed upon 
 
 the plate the enormous sum of twenty-live cents. 
 
 Yes, only think! six hundred dollars in one day for a 
 
 circus, and thirty-one hundred dollars on the body of 
 
 one woman for a show, and only about four dollars 
 
 and twenty-five cents for the conversion and salvation 
 
 of a lost and perishing’'world. Yes, only think! and 
 
 of the hundreds, the thousands, the millions, and even 
 
 the billions of dollars expended every year by even 
 
 professing Christians on circuses, theaters, and other 
 
 places of sinful amusement, to gratify a distorted 
 
 and heathenish curiosity and to adorn the body and 
 
 make a show in the world; while billions of souls go 
 
 down to an endless perdition, to writhe eternally, for 
 
 want of the means of grace from the hands of the 
 
 same individuals. Yes, only think! and as you think, 
 
 inquire how long God shall be mraged, the Holy 
 8 — 
 
34 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 Spirit grieved, Christ dishonored, reason shamed, 
 humanity debased and destroyed, heaven depopu¬ 
 lated, hell glutted, and the Devil triumph over the 
 whole, on account of such idiotic and monstrous con¬ 
 duct on the part of so many pretending to be Chris¬ 
 tians. 
 
 Dear friends, what will this gospel-enlightened 
 land, as well as other parts of the world, soon come to 
 unless there is everywhere a mighty reformation in 
 the respects which have now been mentioned ? In¬ 
 deed, a large proportion of the professing Christians 
 of the present day seem to put the body and this life 
 first, educational interests second, and Christianity 
 nowhere—except underfoot. To such the world is 
 first and last, and nearly or quite all the time. There 
 are their promptness, and energy, and life, and activity, 
 and faithfulness, and support. And hence, the world 
 is their object, and there are their aim, interests, and 
 efforts. And this, too, is one of the greatest obstacles 
 to the world’s conversion to Christ, for so long as such 
 is the fact Christianity can not be exhibited in a proper 
 light; and until it is thus exhibited, the impenitent 
 can not be convinced of its importance and necessity; 
 and until they are thus convinced, they can not be in¬ 
 duced to embrace Christianity; and until they do this, 
 this world can not be subdued spiritually. 
 
 But though a want of faith, a want of inclination, 
 and the satanic deception as to the time of the tri¬ 
 umph, as well as the lowness and indefiniteness of 
 Christian aim, are some of the principal obstacles to 
 this world’s conversion to Christ, yet from this it does 
 not follow that the accomplishment of the work is 
 impossible. For they ought to be overcome, they can 
 be overcome, they must be overcome; and if. any- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 35 
 
 thing be certain, doubtless the time is not very distant 
 when they will be overcome, and thus the kingdoms 
 of this world be actually “ the kingdoms of our Lord 
 and his Christ.” 
 
 In my next this part of the subject will be con¬ 
 tinued, especially describing one of the most subtle, 
 malignant, and fatal spiritual diseases that can be con¬ 
 ceived, and with which nearly or quite every profess¬ 
 ing Christian either has been or is now infected, and 
 at the same time, perhaps, .without his knowledge. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 OBSTACLES TO THE WORK CONTINUED—SPIRITUAL IGNO¬ 
 RANCE-UNCHRISTIAN PENURIOUSNESS—A WANT OE 
 
 STABILITY-DISSENSION-IMPIETY -SECTARIAN 
 
 GANGRENE. 
 
 In the preceding chapter, having noted a want of 
 faith, a want of inclination, a satanic deception as to 
 the time of the triumph, and the lowness and indeti- 
 niteness of Christian aim, as some of the principal 
 obstacles to the evangelizing work, attention is again 
 invited— 
 
 V. To the want of spiritual knowledge as another 
 great obstacle to the accomplishment of the work. 
 Though there is a vast amount of spiritual information 
 in the world, yet very many seem very destitute of it. 
 Some seem to be in almost total spiritual ignorance, 
 while others, like Antinomians and other errorists, hav¬ 
 ing been wrongly instructed, are in a worse condition 
 than if they had obtained no knowledge at all. Eor 
 
36 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 those who have obtained scarcely any spiritual infor¬ 
 mation have done nothing, nor are they doing anything 
 of very much consequence either for or against the 
 work, while others, who have been wrongly instructed, 
 are an actual hinderance to it. Indeed, spiritual igno¬ 
 rance, arising from either a lack of teaching or wrong 
 instruction, is another principal obstacle to this 
 world's conversion to Christ. 
 
 VI. Another great obstacle to the work is a want 
 of benevolence , or unchristian penuriousness. Unholy 
 selfishness, the quintessence of sinfulness, is, doubt¬ 
 less, the mother of all evil. It even caused Satan to 
 become w T hat he is; for, coveting what belonged to God, 
 he tried to obtain it, in consequence of which he fell 
 from his high, holy, and happy condition, and became 
 an inhabitant of darkness and eternal despair. And 
 thus to unholy selfishness may be traced all the evils 
 common to sinful beings. It not only causes good to 
 be withheld from others, but induces to what tends to 
 their worst injury. All the different forms of dishon¬ 
 esty and crime, as well as envy, jealousy, strife, and 
 vain glory—especially unchristian penuriousness— 
 have their origin in unholy selfishness. But, omitting 
 here the other almost innumerable evils of unholy 
 selfishness, let us now inquire how unchristian 
 penuriousness is another principal obstacle to this 
 world’s conversion to Christ? 
 
 Unchristian penuriousness consists in withholding 
 what is necessary to the accomplishment of the work. 
 And here, after a moment’s reflection, every one of 
 intelligence must admit that a vast amount of treas¬ 
 ure of various kinds is actually needed to carry it 
 forward. “Ah,” says one, “this is wholly a theo¬ 
 retical matter,” so that nothing would be needed 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. ST 
 
 except to Hear and think a little upon the subject, 
 since the pocket is the most tender spot, and hence 
 very difficult indeed to reconcile one’s self to any 
 actual expenditure. This, doubtless, is very true. 
 But at the same time, those who thus think, feel, and 
 especially argue and practice, should at once doubt 
 their own piety; for, if the pocket be the most sensi¬ 
 tive part, there is no evidence at all of a change of 
 heart; because, to the truly converted, Christ and his 
 cause and the welfare of souls are the most sensitive 
 parts ; nor by such will anything be considered too 
 great nor too good to expend in Christ’s service and 
 in behalf of the perishing. 
 
 How, it is vain to undertake to avoid the convic¬ 
 tion either that a vast amount of treasure of various 
 kinds is actually needed towards the evangelizing 
 work, or that unchristian penuriousness is another 
 principal obstacle to its accomplishment, for both are 
 about as evident as they well can be. Certainly noth¬ 
 ing of much value can possibly be obtained without 
 the expenditure of more or less treasure, and the 
 amount needed is generally in proportion to the value 
 of what is sought. For instance, it costs more to 
 obtain gold than silver, and more to obtain silver than 
 copper; and thus the amount needed to obtain any¬ 
 thing is generally in proportion to the value of what 
 is sought. If, now, this law was immutable, it could 
 not be conceived how much treasure would be needed 
 to carry forward, especially the whole of the spiritual 
 warfare; for even the slightest spiritual interest, in 
 value and duration, far surpasses any number of such 
 worlds as this. The law, however, i3 not immutable, 
 for it must at least be varied as it relates to spiritual 
 things; because, if it could not, nothing spiritual could 
 
38 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 possibly be obtained. But though it is true that the 
 expense to the value of what is sought is variable, at 
 least as it relates to spiritual things, yet it is equally 
 true that a vast amount of treasure of various kinds 
 is actually needed in the evangelizing work. And 
 here I ask, can the work be accomplished without 
 buildings, and books, and the work of the ministry? 
 Certainly not. 
 
 1. Take, for instance, the building and book 
 items. What a vast amount of material, as well as 
 other things, is needed for the same. True, there is 
 material enough for all, but naturally in a crude or 
 unprepared state, requiring both the souls and bodies, 
 as well as the time, strength, and labors of vast num¬ 
 bers to get the material into a proper condition for 
 use ; and after that, requiring both the souls and bodies, 
 as well as the time, strength, and labors of vast numbers 
 more to get the material into buildings and books, and 
 to circulate the books after they are prepared, all of 
 which, again, requiring a vast amount of treasure of va¬ 
 rious kinds—money, food, raiment, and other such 
 things, to sustain those thus engaged—for every one 
 must live in some way, and while thus employed he 
 can not be plowing and sowing or obtaining the nec¬ 
 essaries of life from other sources and by other means. 
 
 2. Take, again, the work of the ministry , and re¬ 
 flect upon the law in regard to it, and we will find 
 that the same is evident as to the need of the vast 
 amount of treasure. And here I ask, can this world 
 be converted to Christ without the work of the min¬ 
 istry ? Certainly not; since “ it pleased God,” not by 
 foolish preaching, but “ by the foolishness of preach¬ 
 ing, to save them that believe ? Nor can the work 
 of the ministry be properly done without the entire 
 
THE WOHLD^S spiritual conquest. S9 
 
 consecration of both the souls and bodies, as well as 
 the time, strength, qualification, and labors of a part 
 belonging to the Church. And here it must be ad¬ 
 mitted not only that, according to scripture, there is 
 an absolute necessity for the work of the ministry, 
 but that it is actually the duty of a part belonging to 
 the Church to thus consecrate themselves, qualify 
 themselves, and engage in the work; for in one 
 place the Holy Spirit, through the apostle, inquires : 
 “ How shall they believe in him of whom they have 
 not heard ? and how shall they hear without a preacher ? 
 and how shall they preach except they be sent? ” All 
 of which is impossible without the work of the min¬ 
 istry, and that work sustained, too. And again, in 
 another place, in giving instructions through Paul to 
 Timothy as a general representative of ministers, the 
 Holy Spirit said : “ Be not entangled with the things 
 
 of this world; study to show thyself approved unto 
 God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, 
 rightly dividing the word of truth.” And here I ask, 
 “ how much knowledge a minister does actually need 
 to enable him not at all to be ashamed after attempt¬ 
 ing to preach a gospel sermon?” Is anything short 
 of infinite knowledge sufficient? I, for one, think 
 not; and hence that none but Christ, who possessed 
 such knowledge, could preach the gospel just as it 
 should be preached. Should an archangel descend 
 from heaven and attempt to preach a gospel sermon, 
 doubtless when he was through he w T ould blush at the 
 imperfections of his work. If so now with respect to 
 so high, holy, and perfect a being as an archangel, 
 how much more so in regard to so low, blind, and 
 ignorant a being as imperfect man. Indeed, in preach¬ 
 ing the gospel the very best qualifications possible are 
 
40 . the ,world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 almost infinitely short of what they should be ; much 
 more only .a partial preparation. The qualifications 
 of a minister should be as much superior to those of 
 a teacher, lawyer, statesman, or any other secular call¬ 
 ing, as the work of the ministry surpasses in magni¬ 
 tude, importance, and responsibility all other earthly 
 employments—the difference of which, is almost in¬ 
 finite. 
 
 Now, in secular callings it is expected that every 
 one prepare himself for the position to which he 
 aspires; and if it be known that he is not thus qualified, 
 he is not apt to secure the desired position. For 
 instance, no one is apt, knowingly, to employ a teacher 
 unprepared to teach; nor a lawyer unacquainted with 
 the law T ; nor a physician not familiar with medicine; 
 and so on with the other secular employments and 
 professions. When it comes to the body and this life, 
 those known to have expended the most towards a 
 preparation and to be the best prepared for the position 
 are generally sought for by every one; but when it 
 comes to the soul and another life, there may be an 
 impression that almost anything will do, and that the 
 less is known the better.» Now I am ashamed to own 
 it, but, if I mistake not, there are many professing 
 Christians of that opinion and who thus contend. 
 Yet how astonishing that any, so very rational with 
 respect to the body and this life, should be so idiotic 
 or awfully irrational in regard to the soul and another 
 life; but, through the device of Satan, such is fre¬ 
 quently the case, and on the part of verj T many. 
 Thank God, however, that such is not the fact with 
 respect to all! that many are too well informed and 
 rational to be of that opinion, and consider that the 
 minister can not be too well prepared for his work. 
 
THE WORLDS SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 41 
 
 And here I ask all such,-how it is possible for one to 
 consecrate himself, to qualify himself, and to engage 
 in the work of the ministry, according to the law of 
 the gospel—and even, too, as reason dictates—without 
 the expenditure of a large amount*of treasure? And 
 further, I ask how it is possible for one to property 
 engage in the work of the ministry unless he lives of 
 the gospel, as the Holy Spirit, through the apostle, says 
 he should f Doubtless all will admit that it is seldom, 
 if ever, that any one is called to the work of the 
 ministry ^ 7 ith sufficient in his possession to qualify 
 and sustain himself in the work after he is prepared; 
 and hence that nearly all, if not every minister, both in 
 their preparation for their work and after they are qual¬ 
 ified, actually need supply and support from those whose 
 duty it is not thus to consecrate themselves; hence 
 that not only a vast amount of treasure is actually 
 needed towards the work of the ministry, but that 
 said treasure is needed from the private members of 
 the Church; and hence that they should see to it that 
 seminaries of learning, and, finally, that everything 
 else is provided by means of which the minister, both 
 in his preparation for his work and after he is qual¬ 
 ified, can give himself up entirety to it. 
 
 Such, now, being some, if not all, of the different 
 items necessary to this world’s conversion to Christ, 
 certainty it must be admitted that a vast amount of 
 treasure of various kinds is actually needed towards 
 the work. Besides, there is a sufficient amount, pro¬ 
 vided it was consecrated and expended as required in 
 God’s -word. At least, the treasure is actually required 
 at the hands of Christians, for every one is commanded 
 to do as the “ Lord has prospered him.” Since, there¬ 
 fore, the measure of the prosperity is to determine the 
 
42 THE tVOELD’s SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 amount to be done, it is very important indeed that 
 every Christian understand what part of his prosperity 
 should be consecrated and expended in Christ’s service. 
 Admitting, now, that God has never required any 
 thing inconsistent, and that he did actually command 
 those belonging to the old dispensation to consecrate 
 and expend in his service a tithe, or tenth, of their 
 prosperity, it is evident that a tithe, or tenth, is little 
 enough for those belonging to the new dispensation to 
 consecrate and expend in Christ’s service. Admitting 
 this, suppose all Christians should bring all the tithes 
 into God’s store-house, would there be any lack of 
 meat in his house? Not in the least. Just let all the 
 tithes be brought into God’s store-house that should 
 be brought in, and that could be brought in, and there 
 would be no lack at all of men and means to carry 
 forward the evangelizing work. Then the soul fund, 
 the body fund, the building fund, the book fund, the 
 school fund, the church fund, the ministerial fund, the 
 missionary fund, the time fund, the strength fund, the 
 labor fund, and, finally, all other funds, would be all 
 sufficient. Yes, give us all the tithes, and every one 
 whose duty it is to preach the gospel could at once 
 give himself entirely to the work, not only in his 
 preparation for it, but after he was qualified. Bring 
 all the tithes into God’s store-house, and the Macedo¬ 
 nian cry, “ Come over and help us,” would never go 
 up in vain; for as soon as any spiritual door was open, 
 the field could at once, and would at once, be occupied 
 and properly cultivate* . Let all the tithes be brought 
 in, and what could not be done? Give us the men 
 and means that should be furnished, and could be fur¬ 
 nished, and all the walled cities, Anakims, giants, and, 
 finally, all other obstacles and spiritual foes, could 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 43 
 
 speedily be overcome and the spiritual Canaan very 
 soon subdued and in the hands of the saints of the 
 Most High. But the men and means are what is lack¬ 
 ing. The reason ? Because many pretending to be 
 Christians, coveting and withholding what belongs to 
 God, have become God robbers rather than God lovers 
 and servers and men-savers. Doubtless the language 
 “ Ye have robbed me, even this whole nation” is now 
 just as applicable to the entire Christian community 
 as it was to the whole Je.wish nation at the time it was 
 uttered. Doubtless hundreds, thousands, yea, even 
 millions or billions of dollars, as well as time, strength, 
 labor, and very many other kinds of treasure, which, 
 long ago, should have been in God’s store-house and 
 expended in his service, are now in the hands of pe¬ 
 nurious professing Christians and their unconverted 
 children and relatives, and even worse than “ wasted 
 in riotous living.” Yes, I repeat, coveting and with¬ 
 holding what belongs to God is one of the greatest 
 obstacles to this world’s conversion to Christ. Remove 
 the covetousness of penurious professing Christians, 
 and doubtless the men and means would at once be 
 forthcoming and the work very soon accomplished. 
 But no; covetous, penurious professing Christians 
 can not afford it—not even for Christ’s cause, God’s 
 glory, nor the salvation of souls; but they can afford 
 it to gratify the flesh, to make a show in the world, to 
 cultivate their vanity, and satisfy their fancy and 
 perverted appetites, and other such things, which are 
 far worse than useless. For shame! for shame! on 
 such hard-heartedness and folly! 
 
 VII. Another great obstacle to the work is un¬ 
 christian instability. The motto, though trite, “Be 
 sure you are right, and then go ahead” is a very good 
 
44 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 rule. But many professing Christians seem to be very 
 slow not only in adopting the rule, but especially in 
 carrying it out after it is adopted. Some take a very 
 improper course to ascertain what is right. They ap¬ 
 ply to this one, to that one, and to the other, and, 
 frequently, for a long time are “ tossed to and fro, 
 and carried about by every wind of doctrine”; and, 
 when they do anchor, perhaps right the reverse of 
 right, and then become very “ steadfast and immova¬ 
 ble in what is wrong,” after which abounding very 
 much more in the service of Satan than in the service 
 of the Savior. Others may be more stable in finding 
 out what is right, but very unstable in doing it after it 
 is found out. One day they may be very wide-awake, 
 careful, prayerful, earnest, and active; and the next 
 very indifferent and inactive, careless and prayerless, 
 and thus frequently abounding very much more in the 
 service of the Devil than in the service of Christ. In¬ 
 deed, at the present time there seem to be but very 
 few, if any, of the Enoch, the Elijah, and the apostle 
 stamp, their faces Zionward like a flint, “ steadfast, 
 immovable, always abounding in the work of the 
 Lord.” But though unchristian instability is another 
 principal obstacle to the world’s conversion to Christ— 
 since it leaves a discrepancy in Christianity, givingthe 
 lie to a Christian profession and to the holy Scriptures, 
 and thus nullifying Christian testimony and God’s 
 word—yet it is not insurmountable, because it is not 
 necessary that professing Christians be in such a con¬ 
 dition and take such a course. 
 
 VIII. Another great obstacle to the work is un¬ 
 christian dissension. There is altogether too much dis¬ 
 agreement, dislike, discord, and division among pro¬ 
 fessing Christians, the one biting and devouring 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 45 
 
 the other, and denying what the other affirms, and 
 pulling up what the other has planted ; and thus, by 
 mutual opposition and destruction, preventing any 
 great success on the part of either. It is said: “In 
 union there is strength; in divisions, weakness.” 
 Such, now, is the law of success, and just as true 
 with respect to Christianity as it is to political parties, 
 civil government, military operations, families, or any¬ 
 thing else. Let families disagree and divide up, and 
 political parties disagree and divide up, and civil gov¬ 
 ernment disagree and divide up, and an army disa¬ 
 gree, divide up, and tight each other as professing 
 Christians disagree, divide up, and quarrel among 
 themselves, and what would be the result? Union, 
 harmony, strength, and success? The opposite—dis¬ 
 cord, division, weakness, and defeat. Indeed, analogy 
 itself, saying nothing of reason and revelation, shows 
 the awful consequences of unchristian dissension. 
 Certainly there can not be to the world’s conversion 
 to Christ a greater obstacle than unchristian dissen¬ 
 sion. Yet it is not insurmountable, for, as will be 
 shown hereafter, it can be overcome. 
 
 IX. The greatest obstacle to the work and foun¬ 
 dation—and cause of all the rest—is a want of piety. 
 Very many professing Christians of the present time 
 seem to be entirely destitute of piety. Perhaps, like 
 the ten virgins, with respect to oil and wisdom, at least 
 one-half, if not more, of those now calling themselves 
 Christians are thus destitute. 
 
 1. Doubtless many are entirely deceived in regard 
 to their hopes. Having taken conviction for conver¬ 
 sion, and a change of feeling for a change of heart, like 
 Simon Magus, they are still “ in the gall of bitterness 
 and bonds of iniquity,” having neither piety nor part 
 
44 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 nor lot in the matter. Having thus deceived them¬ 
 selves and others, they have become members of some 
 denomination before they were fit for the kingdom of 
 God, either on earth or in heaven. 
 
 2. Others are not at all deceived with respect to 
 their hopes, for they well know that they never had 
 any piety, and that through sinister or selfish motives 
 they have persuaded others that they are Christians, 
 and have become members of some denomination, not, 
 however, for the purpose of serving God and saving 
 souls, but for their own gratification and aggrandize¬ 
 ment, or to secure selfish and worldly ends. 
 
 3. Others have some piety, but of such a degree 
 that they are more apt to run than to fight, and to 
 take up with a false doctrine and a false leader than 
 the true, and thus to pull lip what they themselves 
 and others have planted, rather than doing what can 
 be done to promote the spiritual harvest and conquest. 
 
 4. Others not only have the root of the matter in 
 them and a mind to work, but they have the nerve or 
 spiritual courage to stand up and face and oppose the 
 enemy in all his devices, and to fight the battles of the 
 living God until death; and are ready at any and all 
 times to join heart and hand with any and every one 
 who is at all disposed to do anything to promote God’s 
 glory and save souls. But, through treachery on the 
 one hand and desertion on the other, even such are 
 frequently overcome and have to yield, where, had 
 there been a proper faith, piety, and zeal on the part 
 of others, a glorious victory would have been obtained 
 for Christ, and very many plucked as brands from 
 eternal burnings. 
 
 Now, that such are some, if not all, of the obstacles 
 to this world’s spiritual conquest, and such, too, the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 47 
 
 actual composition and character of the spiritual army 
 that has entered the field to engage the enemy, is suf¬ 
 ficiently evident from the course pursued. And here, 
 lest Satan should get an advantage of us, let us now 
 not only try the spirits of the spiritual army that we 
 may know what manner of spirit it is of, but take a 
 general view of the Satanic net-work through which 
 it is passing, that we may discover its entanglements 
 and better understand its character and what is neces¬ 
 sary to its success. And here it must be admitted 
 that there is at present in the Christian community a 
 vast amount of disagreement, dislike, discord, and di¬ 
 vision, and a large number of different denominations. 
 And yet while it is true that there are some things in 
 which these different denominations agree, still it is 
 also true that there are many other things in which 
 they differ, by means of which Satan is constantly 
 playing into his own hands. 
 
 For instance, some are very formal and others very 
 informal in their methods of worship. Such-is es¬ 
 pecially the fact with respect to ritualists and Friends, 
 who in their methods of worship are about as wide 
 apart as the poles. For ritualists, holding almost ex¬ 
 clusively to the letter, are very formal in their meth¬ 
 ods of worship; while the Friends, holding almost 
 exclusively to the spirit, are very informal in theirs. 
 Again, Presbyterians are represented as very still and 
 stiff* in their sentiments and practice, while the Meth¬ 
 odists are represented as very noisy and limber in 
 theirs; and the Baptists, about equidistant between 
 the two, adopting more or less of both. And thus 
 each denomination has something peculiar to itself, by 
 means of which Satan has the advantage of all. For 
 let either one undertake anything in special for good, 
 
48 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 and what will be his suggestions ? If a ritualist: “ Ah, 
 have nothing to do with him, for he is nothing hut a 
 formal and hypocritical ritualist.” If a Friend : “ Ah, 
 have nothing to do with him, for he is nothing but an 
 informal and odd Quaker.” If a Presbyterian: “Ah, 
 have nothing to do with him, for he is nothing but a 
 still and stiff Presbyterian.” If a Methodist: “ Certainly 
 have nothing to do with him, for he is nothing but a 
 noisy and limber Methodist.” If a Baptist: “ Ah, he is 
 of no account; certainly have nothing to do with him, 
 for he is nothing but a close-communion and bigoted 
 Baptist.” If it is one laboring to arouse all Christians 
 to a proper sense of the Devil’s advantage, and get 
 them out of such a satanic condition: “ Ah, have 
 nothing to do with him, for he is either an idiot 
 or a £ crank,’ and not worthy of either the atten¬ 
 tion, confidence, or co-operation of any one. And 
 thus, by means of the different denominations 
 and their peculiarities, the Devil has a number 
 of teams—and many others in reserve, if needed— 
 to actually hitch on and pull back whenever either 
 denomination or any one else undertakes to start the 
 heavy load of Christianity up the rocky, muddy, and 
 steep hill of Zion. Indeed, it seems that, after 
 a little reflection, all will admit that Satan has at the 
 present time very much to do with both the breaking 
 and drilling of spiritual forces. At least, every one 
 knows, from both experience and observation, that 
 there is now a vast amount of balkiness and dis¬ 
 order about the forces that could never have come 
 from the spirit of Christ, for generally when one pulls 
 or fights, the others will fly back and oppose; and 
 thus, by mutual opposition and disorder, both fre¬ 
 quently pulling and fighting very much more for the 
 
49 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 Devil than for Christ, sometimes causing a terrible 
 spiritual defect, where, had there heen a proper spirit, 
 agreement, love, and harmony, there would have been 
 a glorious Christian triumph. 
 
 ISTow, to prejudice and to ruin some of the literati 
 or the learned, Satan may perhaps very adroitly sug¬ 
 gest to them, and get them to suggest the same to oth¬ 
 ers, that the present course of reasoning and illustra¬ 
 tion is very common and inelegant, and that if it was 
 more refined it would do much more good; that 
 is, he should add, among simply a refined class, which, 
 mind you, he will leave out. But Satan can not truth¬ 
 fully suggest that the present course of reasoning and 
 illustration is not better adapted to and better under¬ 
 stood by, and will not. do more good among, the un¬ 
 educated than what is more refined, for the unedu¬ 
 cated are not generally very familiar with what is very 
 fine. And here it should be distinctly understood and 
 remembered, too, that it is the uneducated masses 
 which every Christian, and especially every minister, 
 should strive to reach, and not simply the gratification 
 and benefit of the refined few, to the misunderstand¬ 
 ing, the disgust, and the utter ruin of the uneducated 
 and unrefined multitude. And hence a little more of 
 the same sort of reasoning and illustration. 
 
 And now let us look a little deeper into the 
 Christian community, and go down- deep into the 
 heart, whence are the issues of what has been seen in 
 the past, and is at present so manifest around us. 
 
 And here let us inquire whether the heart of sec¬ 
 tarianism. be right ? I answer it is, provided it be of 
 that “sect” which (in Acts xxviii, 22) is mentioned as 
 u everywhere spoken against.” “Well,” says one, 
 “then my sectarianism is right, for I believe my sect 
 
50 the world's spiritual conquest. 
 
 is everywhere spoken against, especially by other 
 sects.” Yes, hut that same person could he asked 
 whether his sect does not speak against all other 
 sects, and doubtless he would admit that it does. If, 
 therefore, speaking against was alone to determine 
 the character of the sectarianism, Satan himself could 
 claim the pre-eminence, for he can truthfully affirm 
 that all the different sects called evangelical are 
 more or less agreed in speaking against him and his 
 sect. Certainly, as the matter now stands, speaking 
 against can not alone determine the character of the 
 sectarianism, for all the different sects are more or 
 less addicted to, and also the subject of such speaking. 
 
 And, then, one may ask how it can be done? I 
 answer by Christ and his word alone. And here 
 allow me to state that I am very much ashamed of 
 that professing Christian who, in his aspirations for 
 truth and magnanimity of soul, can get no higher 
 than the bare name of his own denomination. 
 “Well,” says one, “then you will need to be ashamed 
 of more or less belonging to every denomination, 
 for there is not one entirely free from such characters.” 
 Now, this may be true, and at the same time, how¬ 
 ever, be no excuse for him nor any one else. Yes, it 
 may not only be true, but doubtless is true, that 
 there are in the different denominations very many 
 who, in their aspirations for truth and magnanimity 
 of soul, do actually get no higher than the bare name 
 of their own denomination, whatever that may be, 
 and whenever anything yi general or in special is un¬ 
 dertaken for good, at once inquire, “Is he of our de¬ 
 nomination? Is it for our special sect?” And if they 
 do not know that it is something peculiar exclu¬ 
 sively to their own denomination, and, above all, tend- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 51 
 
 ing to promote the special sentiments and interests of 
 their own peculiar sect, they refuse utterly to have 
 anything to do with the work, however great and good 
 it may he. I repeat, I am very much ashamed of 
 that Methodist, or Baptist, or Presbyterian, or mem¬ 
 ber of any other denomination called evangelical thus 
 burrowed up, sacked up, and tied in the Devil’s net; 
 and at the same time not knowing either where he is 
 or what he is doing, and that thus far he is serving 
 Satan the most effectually it can he done. 
 
 “Well,” says another, “then you will need to be 
 ashamed of more or less in this community, as well 
 as in every other; for quite a number of every denom¬ 
 ination, because they did not know that your work 
 was in perfect accord with their own sentiments and 
 selfish interests, have thus far refused to have any¬ 
 thing to do with it.” Yes, and doubtless the same 
 could be said of many others sick with the sectarian 
 gangrene. 
 
 X. And, finally, among the obstacles to the evang¬ 
 elizing work, as they relate to professing Christians 
 themselves, in my judgment, sectarian gangrene is one 
 of the greatest. Xow, any sectarianism that can not 
 -arise above a denominational name and inquire, “Is it 
 gospel ? Is it Christ ?” I say is of the Devil. I also 
 affirm that any one unwilling to look into a subject 
 sufficiently to ascertain whether it be gospel and of 
 Christ is sick with the sectarian gangrene, and is 
 naturally, and should be, the laughing-stock of the 
 whole of God’s rational creation, as well as the glee 
 of Satan himself. Por shame on any one in such a 
 ludicrous and horrible condition ! 
 
 In general, sectarian gangrene consists in a “ zeal ” 
 not “ according to knowledge,” which consists in a 
 
52 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 lack of the “wisdom of the serpent,” the harmlessness 
 of the dove, and the boldness of the lion—or wrong 
 views and feelings and improper actions; either feel¬ 
 ing wrong, thinking wrong, or doing too much or too 
 little. . 
 
 One symptom of the disease is a secret desire and 
 preference that others should not succeed in even what 
 is admitted to be right, and a delight at their failure* 
 and a regret at their success—which is generally mani¬ 
 fest in both word and deed. 
 
 hTow, a desire and a preference that one should 
 not succeed in what is wrong is perfectly proper on 
 the part of all. But a desire and a peference that one 
 should not succeed in even what is admitted to be 
 right, and any unwillingness thus far to affiliate 
 and co-operate with others, for fear that by so doing 
 they would be recognized and encouraged in error, is. 
 the zeal not “ according to knowledge.” 
 
 The disease manifests itself, both to the person in¬ 
 fected as well as to others, in various ways. For in¬ 
 stance, whenever a member of one denomination hears 
 of a proposed or actual interest on the part of either* 
 the first question which will naturally arise will be— 
 what denomination ? And if it happen to be known 
 that it is not the denomination to which the person 
 himself belongs, the next thought which will nat¬ 
 urally occur will generally include a regrdt that it is 
 not his own denomination, and a hope that if the 
 interest has not commenced it may not begin, or, if 
 it has commenced, that it may soon cease, so that 
 another denomination may not receive nor enjoy any 
 special and great blessing. 
 
 Now, almost any thing and every thing tending to 
 defeat the work, and thus either to prevent or to break 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 53 
 
 up the interest—such as bad weather, disturbance 
 among Christians, non-attendance of the people, mis¬ 
 representation of the preacher, and every such thing— 
 will be looked for, hoped for, and hailed with delight 
 by those either destitute of piety, backslidden, or 
 sick with sectarian gangrene. Such, too, generally 
 allow differences of opinion as to other things, and 
 even frequently a different method of worship, to keep 
 them away from the meeting, and thus prevent their 
 taking part in the spiritual interest. 
 
 1st. Some, though they admit that the special 
 spiritual effort is perfectly proper and also necessary 
 to the quickening of Christians, God’s glory, and the 
 salvation of souls, and also that their attending and 
 taking part in the meeting are both indispensable to 
 the getting up, keeping up, and carrying forward the 
 work, yet refuse utterly to do so for fear, as they say, 
 that affiliating and co-operating with the ministers and 
 members of other denominations, in even what they, 
 themselves admit to be right, would recognize and 
 encourage error. 9 
 
 Now, any entertaining, advocating, and practicing 
 such sentiments have thus far got the sectarian gan¬ 
 grene, because such sentiments and practice are both 
 perfectly absurd. For— 
 
 1. It is virtually assuming that it is wrong to have 
 anything at all to do with any one except those who 
 are absolutely holy. Because if co-operating with any 
 person in what is right would recognize and encourage 
 him in one thing that is wrong, it would also recognize 
 and encourage him in all his imperfections. It, there¬ 
 fore, the one co operated with was imperfect in the least, 
 by such co-operation wrong would be recognized and 
 encouraged. But it would not be right to recognize and 
 
54 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 encourage the least wrong, and hence, if the hypoth¬ 
 esis be correct, it would not he right to co-operate 
 with, any except those who are absolutely holy. But 
 this, you perceive, would make it wrong for any one 
 to have anything at all to do with even himself in 
 this life, much more any other sinful being—for no 
 sinful being can remain in this life in a perfectly holy 
 state. Any doubting this should be convinced by 
 believing what is said about Enoch and Elijah, who, 
 as soon as they attained to that degree of perfection, 
 were at once translated. According, therefore, to the 
 hypothesis, it would be wrong for one to have any¬ 
 thing at all to do with even himself in this life, much 
 more any other sinful being. But— 
 
 2. This would be more 'particular than Christ, and 
 virtually assuming that Christ himself does wrong , for 
 he actually affiliates and co-operates with every one, 
 so far as lie is right, whether he be absolutely holy or 
 not. This the parties holding to such sentiments 
 admit themselves. They admit that wherein they are 
 right, and others are right, the Savior does actually 
 co-operate and affiliate with them. 1STot doing so thcm- 
 selves, therefore, is more particular than Christ. Fur¬ 
 ther, if, as they suppose, it is wrong to do so, by so 
 doing the Savior himself does wrong. Accordingly— 
 
 3. If such sentiments and practice be correct, the 
 most effectual way to ruin the sinner would be to 
 labor for his salvation, for it would recognize and en¬ 
 courage him in his wickedness. It is singular that 
 the judgment of any should become so terribly warped 
 as to hold to and advocate such satanic nonsense. 
 But so it is. 
 
 2d. Others, more shallow in their principles, may 
 refuse to co-operate in a special spiritual interest be- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 55 
 
 cause they may happen to dislike the method of worship 
 of those engaged in the work, considering them either 
 too formal or too informal, too still or too noisy, and 
 that standing or kneeling in prayer is either right or 
 wrong. But what can be more irrational, inconsistent, 
 and absurd than for a professing Christian to allow 
 the gratification or the violation of a mere taste to in¬ 
 terfere with God’s glory, and especially the eternal 
 welfare of an immortal soul ? 
 
 8d. Others—and the class seems to be very numer¬ 
 ous—will refuse to aid in a special spiritual interest for 
 fear that another denomination may be successful, and 
 thereby they lose to themselves a part of the honor 
 of getting souls out of the fire, and especially their 
 membership with them after they are out, and thus 
 show a preference that souls should remain in the fire, 
 at least until they are ready to pull them out, though 
 it be admitted that on account of such preference very 
 many may be lost eternally. But I ask, what sort of 
 spirit, except the spirit of Satan, could prompt to such 
 a preference and selfishness, and especially induce to 
 such a course of action ? 
 
 4th. Others not only will refuse to aid in a special 
 spiritual interest themselves, but will keep away their 
 own children and others under their control, and thus 
 show a preference that even their own children as well 
 as others should perish eternally rather than that 
 they should be converted and perhaps join another 
 denomination. But I aga n ask, have not such per¬ 
 sons as many evil spirits as Mary Magdalene, if not as 
 many as the man among the tombs ? 
 
 5th. Says one, “ Not as many as the man among 
 the tombs, for there is another very numerous class 
 who appear much more like maniacs than any that 
 
56 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 have yet been mentioned ”; for they not only will refuse 
 to aid another denomination, and even sometimes their 
 own, in a special spiritual interest, but will work with 
 might and main either to prevent or to break up the 
 meeting. In their efforts they will generally resort to 
 every expedient they can think of, except the violation 
 of law, and even sometimes involve themselves in law 
 penalties to carry their points. They will frequently 
 call a council to consider the best methods of opposi¬ 
 tion, in which it will generally be decided that a part 
 attend the meeting so that all may be kept posted, and 
 a part stay away from the meeting and do what they 
 can to keep others away, lest there be too much en¬ 
 couragement from the attendance of the people. And 
 thus, in connection with the other powers of darkness, 
 they will proceed, all with one accord, if not in one 
 way and in one place, hoping and praying that some¬ 
 thing may arise—either that the weather may become 
 bad, or that a disturbance may occur, or that the vac¬ 
 illation of the congregation or that something else 
 may stop the work. To this end, therefore, they will 
 watch the clouds, and watch the weather, and watch 
 each other, and watch the people, and watch the in¬ 
 terest, and go to meeting, and stay away from meet¬ 
 ing, and criticise and oppose and laugh and jeer and 
 lie about the preacher, and thus do what they can 
 either to prevent or to break up the spiritual interest. 
 Such, however, in addition to their total depravity, 
 have got the sectarian gangrene in its most malignant 
 form, making them tenfold more the children of the 
 Devil than before they made any pretensions to Chris¬ 
 tianity. 
 
 o 
 
 Indeed, sectarian gangrene is one of the very 
 greatest obstacles to this world’s conversion to Christ 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 57 
 
 that could possibly exist; for nothing, through the 
 device of Satan, tends more to prevent a united effort 
 on the part of all Christians, nor to present them in a 
 more ludicrous, irrational, and debasing a light than 
 that same disease. And here, to illustrate, we will 
 now use a familiar example. Suppose, for instance, 
 that in this community, or in any other, a building 
 should take fire in which it was known that a num¬ 
 ber were slumbering unconscious of their situation 
 and danger. How would the people feel ? And what 
 would they naturally do ? Would they not, with one 
 accord, rush to the building and cry to the top of their 
 voices, resorting to every expedient imaginable, and 
 work unitedly and to the full extent of their ability 
 until those thus exposed were either rescued or there 
 was no hope of success ? Doubtless, to save the body 
 and this life, such would be the interest felt and 
 course pursued by every one. And here I ask, what 
 would be thought of the man or woman who, under 
 .such circumstances, should not thus feel and act? 
 Should any, not knowing to whom those thus exposed 
 were related, nor where they would live if saved, stop to 
 inquire ; or, if knowing, or after learning, that they 
 were not related to them in any way, nor liable to live 
 with them if saved, refuse utterly to aid others in sav¬ 
 ing them, and thus show a preference that they should 
 perish, I again ask, what should be thought of them ? 
 And how would others naturally feel towards them ? 
 Should they not be considered demons in human form, 
 or the vilest monsters imaginable ? And would not 
 every one naturally feel that they deserved the severest 
 execration and punishment that could be conceived ? 
 Now, if such should be the thoughts and feelings 
 towards those who, for no better reasons, should refuse 
 
58 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 to aid others in saving the body and this life, what 
 should he the thoughts and feelings towards those 
 who, for no better reasons than differences of opinion 
 in other respects, and a fear that those saved would 
 not join their own denomination, should refuse to aid 
 others in rescuing and saving perishing souls ? Should 
 not the thoughts and feelings towards such be as much 
 more severe as the soul and another life are, in value 
 and duration, superior to the body and this life ? 
 Doubtless they should. 
 
 Now, as to the body and this life, we all know 
 what would naturally be thought, felt, said, and 
 done in case either was in danger, and that the 
 oneness of interest and effort to rescue and save 
 them would naturally be all that could be de¬ 
 sired. But, though it be admitted that souls in 
 vast numbers are actually burning up in the flames of 
 hell, and liable at every moment to be consumed be* 
 yond recovery and eternally—and at the same time 
 slumbering, and to a very great extent unconscious of 
 their situation and danger—yet almost anything and 
 everything will be thought, felt, said, and done 
 except a special and united effort to arouse, rescue,, 
 and save them before it be too late. And here I ask, 
 would any urging be needed to induce to a special 
 and united effort to rescue and save a child or a 
 parent, or any one else, known to be slumbering in a 
 burning building? Nay, should any one attempt 
 it, would it not be impossible to stop such an effort ? 
 Doubtless it would. Yet at the same time, I ask, 
 would it be possible to induce all the members of the 
 different denominations—even called evangelical—to 
 make a special and united effort to rescue and save 
 the vast multitudes in an infinitely worse condition 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 59' 
 
 and danger than can possibly be conceived in regard 
 to the body and this life ? Probably there is nothing 
 much nearer to an impossibility than to induce all 
 professing Christians to take such a course. Bat I 
 again ask, what, except sectarian gangrene, or some¬ 
 thing worse, can induce so many pretending to be 
 Christians to he so watchful, interested, earnest, and 
 active, or consistent and rational, with respect to the 
 body and this life, hut at the same time so awfully 
 careless, prayerless, or indifferent and reckless in 
 regard to the soul and another life? What folly! 
 what folly! What terrible inconsistency and awful 
 irrationality! What stupidity, blindness, and mad¬ 
 ness!! that any pretending to be even rational — 
 much more professing to be Christians—should allow 
 wha.t is nonsense, and even worse than nonsense, to 
 prevent a proper interest in, and, above all, a special and 
 united effort to rescue and save the perishing millions 
 of earth. But, thus it is very frequently, and on the 
 part of very many calling themselves Christians; and 
 which, too, is doubtless the occasion of almost infinite 
 glee on the part of devils, and nearly sufficient to 
 draw tears of blood from the eyes of angels. True, 
 this is plain talk, and a terrible picture; but no one 
 can disprove it. 
 
 Now, since such are some, if not all, of the obstacles 
 to this world’s conversion to Christ, and since there 
 are the different denominations in existence on ac¬ 
 count of differences of opinion, and consequently a per¬ 
 fect unanimity in both faith and practice—however 
 desirable and right—can not at once be secured, the 
 next best thing is for Christians to love one another- 
 and work together so far as they do agree, and, when-- 
 
'60 THE world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 ever they come to a difference of opinion, with a*deep 
 sorrow each say to the other: “ Brother,sister,I regret 
 very much that there is any disagreement between us; 
 but, since we are both conscientious in our convic¬ 
 tions, we must now step aside from each other and 
 both attend to what we honestly consider to be duty; 
 yet, at the same time, praying for ourselves and for one 
 another that the Savior may enlighten us both, and 
 not suffer either one of us to remain in error, but that 
 we may both obtain the truth as it is in Christ—and 
 thus, as soon as possible, each and all agree perfectly.” 
 Whenever, therefore, one denomination desires and 
 proposes a special spiritual interest, it should at once 
 enter upon a council of war, and call upon all Chris¬ 
 tians, without exception or distinction, to join them 
 in the work; and thus each and all—laying aside for 
 the time every other difference, and all anxiety 
 and efforts for membership—-join heart and hand, and 
 with one accord work with might and main to get 
 -souls—as many and as fast as possible—out of the fire, 
 leaving their membership in either denomination an 
 after and minor consideration. 
 
 And here I will add that any objection to such a 
 course from those holding to the perfect safety of 
 proper believers is much more unreasonable than from 
 those who doubt their safety; for those holding to 
 the absolute safety of the truly converted believe that 
 they will be saved let them join wherever they may, 
 while those doubting their safety naturally fear that, 
 though they may be successful in their conversion, 
 yet in the end lose the avails of their labor, because 
 they believe that souls may get back into the lire and 
 burn up after they are out; and hence there is lesa 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 61 
 
 encouragement for such to work than for others.. 
 Consequently, it is much more irrational and mon¬ 
 strous for Baptists, Presbyterians, and all such, to ob¬ 
 ject to and refuse to co-operate in a special spiritual 
 interest than for Methodists and Freq-wills to do so, 
 because the latter do not hold to the absolute safety of 
 the truly converted. But, doubtless,- every one really 
 rational will admit Jhat any such objection or refusal 
 on the part of either is monstrous enough; and that 
 so far as any do so for no better reasons than those 
 which have been mentioned, in addition to all the other 
 defects enumerated, they have got the sectarian gan¬ 
 grene very bad; and that so far as any professing 
 Christian treats with indifference or opposes, and 
 thus tries either to discourage or to break up a proper 
 spiritual interest, in addition to his total depravity 
 and the sectarian gangrene in its most malignant form, 
 he doubtless possesses as many evil spirits as Mary 
 Magdalene, if not as many as the man among the 
 tombs. 
 
 Thus much upon the obstacles to the world’s con¬ 
 version to Christ as they relate to professing Chris¬ 
 tians themselves, all of which can be overcome, be¬ 
 cause a proper amount of piety is as possible as any 
 other Christian grace; and hence, though a want of 
 faith and piety are two of the greatest obstacles to the 
 work, since they are the foundation and cause of all 
 the rest, yet from this it does not follow that its ac¬ 
 complishment is impossible. 
 
 And may God grant that the time may not be dis¬ 
 tant when the Christian aim, the Christian inclina¬ 
 tion, the spiritual knowledge, the Christian stability y 
 unanimity, love, and benevolence, and, especially, the 
 
m 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 faith and piety shall, be all-sufficient, and the work: ac¬ 
 complished, and the whole world thus speedily sub¬ 
 dued to the Savior. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 POSSIBILITIES CONTINUED.-THE POSITIVE EVIDENCE OF ITS 
 
 POSSIBILITY AS MANIFEST .FROM PARABLE, PROPHECY, 
 
 AND MANY OTHER SOURCES. 
 
 Having now noticed some of the obstacles to the 
 world’s conversion to Christ, I again propose, by the 
 aid of the Holy Spirit, to dwell upon the positive evi¬ 
 dence of its possibility as manifest from parable , and 
 prophecy , and mayiy other sources. 
 
 How, that the accomplishment of the work is pos¬ 
 sible is evident— 
 
 1st. From the fact that it is possible to do what is 
 necessary to its accomplishment. Of course, if this 
 was not so, the work could not possibly be done. But 
 such is not the fact, because it is possible for every one 
 to do right. How, if all should do so, every one would 
 be subject to God’s will, and this world would actually 
 he subdued spiritually. Since, ^therefore, it is actu¬ 
 ally possible for every one to do right, it is conclu¬ 
 sively evident that the accomplishment of the work is 
 possible. 
 
 The question, therefore, is not now as to the mere 
 possibility of the accomplishment of the work, but 
 whether it be possible to induce every one to do right. 
 Why not ? Hoes any one know that it can not be 
 done ? Ho human being certainly. Hor is it reason- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 68 
 
 able to conclude that a thing can not be until it is 
 known to be impossible. Nor can anything be known 
 to be impossible until it has been properly tested. 
 Properly test the possibility of the accomplishment of 
 a work, and then, and not till then, can it be known 
 whether its accomplishment be possible or impossible. 
 Now, has it ever been properly tested whether or not 
 it be possible to induce every one to do right ? True, 
 all have not done so ; but from this it does not follow 
 that it can not bo done. Said the Holy Spirit through 
 the wise man, “Train up a child in the way he should 
 go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” 
 (Prov. xxii, 6.) Now, doubtless, to about every rule 
 there are more or less exceptions. But to the above 
 rule for training children, in my judgment, there are 
 none, because “ train up a child” in every respect “ as 
 he should go, and when he is old ” he will become a 
 true follower of Christ, and will not depart from it. 
 Granting this, and judging from appearances, it must 
 be admitted that there has always been a great defect 
 in the training of children ; for very many belonging 
 to even pious parents have taken a very improper 
 course, and come to a very bad end. 
 
 And here, going back to the beginning of time, 
 let us inquire who of the antediluvians, except good 
 old Enoch, is known to have done so ? Doubtless our 
 first parents were truly converted, but there seemed 
 to be a terrible defect in the training of their children. 
 Perhaps, however, no fault could be found with the 
 training of Abel, but there seemed to be a terrible de¬ 
 fect in the training of Cain, for the conduct of the 
 two children was very different—the one a martyr, the 
 other a murderer. 
 
 Now, let no careless, prayerless, and too indulgent 
 
64 
 
 THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 Christian parents suppose and contend that the differ¬ 
 ence in the conduct of Cain and Abel was wholly 
 caused from the difference in their dispositions, and 
 not from any defect in their training; and thus try to 
 excuse themselves from the accountability and the re¬ 
 sponsibility of the character and conduct of their own 
 children, and especially imply that it is impossible to 
 induce every one to do right; for though trite, yet 
 true, “As the twig is bent, the tree is inclined.” 
 
 And here it may be affirmed that doubtless every 
 disposition, however turbid, may be subdued and 
 properly molded, provided sufficient care and labor are 
 bestowed upon the child. But very few, however, of' 
 the antediluvians, and even others who have lived 
 since then, seem thus to have trained up all their own 
 children, and especially did all other things in their 
 power to induce all others to do right. 
 
 Indeed, who of the ancients, except Enoch and 
 Elijah, are known to have done so? Perhaps, now, 
 no fault could be found with Abraham as a child- 
 trainer and a Christian, but, from the history of Jacob 
 and Esau it seems that Isaac was quite defective; and 
 from the history of Jacob's twelve sons, it seems that 
 Jacob was more defective than his father Isaac ; and 
 thus, to a greater or less extent, of all the truly con¬ 
 verted in connection with the old dispensation, except 
 Enoch and Elijah. Thank God, however, for Enoch 
 and Elijah ! They were Christians of the right 
 stamp, soundly converted, entirely consecrated; care¬ 
 ful, prayerful, earnest, and active; their faces Zion¬ 
 ward like a flint, “steadfast, immovable, always 
 abounding in the work of the Lord.” If ever two 
 Christians tried to train up all their own children as 
 they should go, and especially did all other things in 
 
J 
 
 . • 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 65 
 
 their power to induce all others to do right, it was 
 Enoch and Elijah. And, doubtless, had all Christians 
 before the deluge been of the Enoch stamp, the world 
 during their time would have been subdued spirit¬ 
 ually. And had all Christians since the flood been of 
 the Elijah stamp, doubtless the world would have been 
 conquered spiritually during their time. And had all 
 Christians since the advent of Christ been of the 
 apostle stamp, doubtless the world would have been 
 converted to Christ during their time. But such has 
 not been the stamp of Christians, and, consequently, 
 the work has not yet been accomplished. 
 
 Indeed, I think all will admit that there have 
 always been great failures on the part of about every 
 professing Christian. But it should be distinctly un¬ 
 derstood and remembered, too, that failures do not 
 properly test the possibility of the accomplishment of 
 the work. And hence, admitting the failures, it is 
 granted that, as yet, the possibility of the accom¬ 
 plishment of the work has not been properly tested, 
 and hence, as yet, no one has a right to decide that it 
 can not be done. 
 
 And here changing the view: suppose, now, it 
 was known that every professing Christian, from the 
 first conversion until the present time, had actually 
 done all within his power to induce every one to do 
 right, and yet the work is a failure, would it be proper 
 from hence to conclude that it could never be done? 
 Hot until all we could do had been added to what 
 had already been done, and all the unborn genera¬ 
 tions coming after us could do had been added to what 
 we had done and all others had done. If in the end 
 any one should happen to know that during time 
 
 6— 
 
66 the world's spiritual conquest. 
 
 every professing Christian had actually done all within 
 his power to induce every one to do right, and yet the 
 work is a failure, perhaps it would be proper to decide 
 that its accomplishment is impossible, at least on the 
 part of Christians. But as it is, it can never be so 
 decided, because all Christians'have not taken such a 
 course. The only way, therefore, the impossibility of 
 the accomplishment of the work could ever be deter¬ 
 mined would be to receive a direct revelation from 
 Jesus Christ. If at any time the Savior should hap¬ 
 pen to reveal that the accomplishment of the work is 
 actually impossible, then, and not till then, will all 
 have a right to conclude that it can not be done. As 
 viewed negatively, therefore, no one, as yet, has a 
 right to decide that the world’s conversion to Christ is 
 impossible; much less as viewed positively. 
 
 2d. That the accomplishment of the w r ork is pos¬ 
 sible is further evident from the fact that the Savior 
 requires it to be done , and requires nothing impossible . If, 
 now, the language, “ Go ye, therefore, into all the 
 world and teach” (or disciple) “all nations, and preach 
 the gospel to every creature,” does not signify this 
 world’s conversion to Christ, it means nothing at all. 
 And here granting—as every one of proper intelligence 
 will—that such is the Savior’s language and that such 
 is its substance, it is admitted that he actually requires 
 the accomplishment of the work. How, is it reason¬ 
 able to suppose that Christ would command what is 
 impossible, and then punish his children for disobe¬ 
 dience ? Certainly no kind earthly parent would thus 
 treat his children; much less would the Savior, our 
 kind heavenly parent. Since, therefore, he actually 
 commands his professed followers to undertake this 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 67 
 
 -warla s spiritual subjugation, and will punisn those 
 who disobey him, it is evident that the accomplishment 
 of the work is possible. 
 
 8d. The same is evident from the fact that what 
 the Savior requires is for the best. Granting, now, that 
 it is for the best that every one at once become a 
 Christian, and that the Savior requires'every one thus 
 to become a Christian, it is admitted that what he 
 requires is for the best. Wow, is it reasonable to sup¬ 
 pose that every one can not be induced to do what he 
 is thoroughly or properly convinced is for his own 
 best good, in both time and eternity? True, all have 
 not done so; but from this it does not follow that it 
 can not be done. Doubtless every one, for some 
 reason, concludes that whatever he does, it is, at the 
 time, for the best; consequently, thoroughly or prop¬ 
 erly convince every one that it is for his own best 
 good, in both time and eternity, to at once become a 
 Christian, and, doubtless, he would do so, and this world 
 would immediately be conquered spiritually. Grant¬ 
 ing this, it is again admitted that the accomplishment 
 of the work is possible. The possibility and necessity 
 of said conviction, however, will be considered in an¬ 
 other place. 
 
 4th. That the accomplishment of the work is 
 possible is further evident from the fact that the 
 Savior would have his professed followers take hold 
 of what he requires with the intention and anticipation 
 of success. For if such be not his mind, his will 
 would be that there should be an utter failure in doing 
 what he requires; because, if one does not intend to 
 do what he undertakes, he is more liable to fail than 
 to succeed. Doubtless every one will admit that the 
 intention, at least, is necessary to success, and hence 
 
68 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 that without the intention there would be an utter 
 failure. 
 
 5th. That the accomplishment of the work is 
 possible is further evident from the fact that the 
 Savior has never done, nor would do, anything to 
 disappoint and dishearten his children in their obedi¬ 
 ence. And hence he has never required what is im¬ 
 possible; for if he had, every time they tried to obey 
 they would fail; and every time they failed they 
 would be disappointed; and every time they were 
 disappointed they would be disheartened, and so far 
 as they were disheartened they would refuse utterly 
 to obey. If, therefore, the Savior had required what 
 is impossible, he would have done what would have 
 tended to defeat the very object of his commands. 
 Certainly no rational person would have done so; 
 and hence, since the Savior is of infinite rationality, 
 he 'has never done so. And hence he has never 
 required what is impossible. And hence, since he 
 actually commands his professed followers to un¬ 
 dertake this world's spiritual conquest, and requires 
 nothing impossible, it is again evident that the 
 accomplishment of the work is possible. 
 
 6th. The same is evident from the success which 
 has always attended the work whenever and wher¬ 
 ever it has been properly undertaken and carried 
 forward. On the day of Pentecost about three thou¬ 
 sand were converted. And thus, by means of the 
 apostles, primitive Christians, the reformers, modern 
 missionaries, and others, great and mighty revolutions 
 and reformations have been brought about, and vast 
 numbers converted from among both the civilized 
 and the savage, changing ignorant, superstitious, and 
 degraded idolaters into God lovers and servers; civil- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 69 
 
 izing, enlightening, and christianizing cannibals, hot- 
 tentots, and savages. Indeed, whenever and wher¬ 
 ever God’s people have been properly agreed, loving, 
 consecrated, united, energetic, and active, there has 
 been scarcely any limitation to the power exerted and 
 the results which have followed. Certainly no one at 
 all acquainted with either ancient or modern mission¬ 
 ary operations, at home or abroad, in Europe or 
 America, in Asia or Africa, or the islands of the 
 sea, can doubt the utility and success of the evangel¬ 
 izing work. And here I ask, have we not every 
 reason to believe that even Christians of the present 
 generation could, if they would, under God, subdue 
 this world to the Savior? Suppose, now, all Chris¬ 
 tians in this community, and in every other, should 
 arise with one accord and unitedly, and, to the full 
 extent of their ability, inquire, as did the apostle, 
 “Lord”—not simply what wilt thou have me to hear 
 and to know —but, “ Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
 do?” And then, as soon as duty is ascertained, “ not 
 conferring with flesh and blood,” not the young look¬ 
 ing to the old or the old to the young, nor the 
 brother to the sister nor the sister to the brother, 
 but at once “go about the Master’s business,”—what 
 would be the result? Would not a great change im¬ 
 mediately occur, and converts, like numbers, increase 
 in a tenfold proportion, and in a short time a large 
 number be uonverted ? and these joining and swelling 
 the army, all together again trying in every way pos¬ 
 sible to lead all others to Christ, how long before vast 
 numbers more would be converted? And these in turn 
 joining and swelling the army again; and then, blended 
 heart and hand, unitedly and with one accord, and to 
 the full extent of their ability, their faces Zionward 
 
70 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 like a Hint, shoulder to shoulder, one solid phalanx 
 for Christ, “ steadfast, immovable, always abounding 
 in the work of the Lord 7 ’; and thus, as is possible, 
 all together again endeavoring in every way in their 
 power to lead all others to Christ, at that rate the 
 army constantly increasing, yea, also agreeing, loving, 
 united, energetic, and active,—how long before every 
 enemy of the Cross would be subdued, and every 
 power of darkness overcome, and every sinner in the 
 wide world converted, and Satan with his host over¬ 
 thrown, routed, and driven into an endless perdition? 
 Hot very long. Yes, I repeat, that doubtless Chris¬ 
 tians of the present generation could, if they would, 
 under God, very soon overcome and remove Satan 
 from this and every other part of the world, and thus 
 speedily reign spiritually with Christ in the midst of 
 the glorious triumphs of his kingdom. 
 
 But perhaps one may ask, “ Has not God the time 
 so fixed and other things so arranged that nothing 
 which can be done can in the least alter that time or 
 hasten such a result ? And, since it is not known that 
 said time is within the present generation of Chris¬ 
 tians, is there any evidence that said work could be 
 accomplished during said generation?” I answer, 
 God has no time nor anything else either arranged or 
 fixed according to that Antinomian notion. But in 
 this way: He has all things so arranged and fixed .as 
 to secure ends by the use of means; and has deter¬ 
 mined that the Christian army, enlisted, organized, 
 and left in the world, shall be one of the principal 
 means through which its spiritual subjugation is se¬ 
 cured ; and that whenever that army as a whole is 
 entirely willing to know and to do what God requires, 
 and does actually carry out in full the Savior’s instruc- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 U 
 
 tions, the time will have arrived for this world to be 
 converted to Christ. 
 
 Bat says another, “ This world can not be conquered 
 spiritually until Satan, the enemy of all righteousness-, 
 is overcome, captured, locked up, and goes out to de¬ 
 ceive the nations no more, at least for one thousand 
 years; and this the Christian army can not of itself do.” 1 
 No, nor anything else, simply of itself. Yet at the- 
 same time it is equally true that whenever that army 
 as a whole is entirely willing to know and to do what 
 God requires, and does actually carry out in full the 
 Savior’s instructions, it can get Christ to send forth 
 his angel to lay hold “ on the dragon, that old serpent, 
 which is the Devil and Satan,’’ and chain and lock him 
 up; for, according to his own word, God “is able to do 
 exceeding, abundantly above all that we can ask or 
 think,” that is, of course, “ all we ask or think” agree¬ 
 able to his will. Certainly the overthrow, capture, 
 and imprisonment of Satan is agreeable to God’s will, 
 for in Revelations, xx chapter, it is positively re¬ 
 vealed that at some time he will be thus overcome, 
 captured, and locked up. It is evident, therefore, that 
 God is not only abundantly able but infinitely willing 
 to do that for his children, but very much more. 
 Consequently, this world’s spiritual conquest is con¬ 
 tingent not upon any divine arrangement or fixed 
 time, or decrees to the contrary, nor any inability to 
 overcome and remove Satan, but upon the voluntary 
 knowledge and obedience of Christ’s professed follow¬ 
 ers. Yes, I repeat, that if this world be not subdued 
 spiritually during the present generation of Christians, 
 the failure will arise not from any divine arrange¬ 
 ment or fixed decrees with respect to time, or any 
 other thing, but, in my judgment,, from the reckless 
 
72 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 and willful disobedience of Christ’s professed followers. 
 JSTow, the above is a very plain, pointed, and quite se¬ 
 vere statement. But if anything be correct, it is cer¬ 
 tainly true ; for every one knowing anything about 
 spiritual successes understands perfectly that they are 
 in proportion to the devotion and faithfulness of pro¬ 
 fessing Christians. That in proportion as they desire 
 to know what is duty, and, to the utmost of their 
 ability, seek to find out and strive to discharge the 
 same, victory always perches upon the standard of 
 the Cross ; and that in proportion to their indifference 
 and inactivity or carelessness and prayerlessness as to 
 what is duty, and the discharge of the same, victory 
 always perches upon the standard of the enemy. And 
 hence, since their piety or impiety, devotion or indif¬ 
 ference, are just as they freely choose—because they 
 are voluntary agents—the victory is for or against 
 Christ, just as they prefer. If, therefore, professing 
 Christians prefer to take such a course as to defeat 
 Christ’s cause, the failure of the evangelizing work 
 will arise from their willful and reckless disobedience. 
 And here is suggested the all-important questions, not 
 only as to the amount of spiritual success 'possible on 
 the part of Christians of the present age, but their 
 awful accountability and responsibility as to the suc¬ 
 cess or defeat of Christ’s cause, and the consequent 
 salvation or destruction of souls on account of it. 
 And as the consideration of these two momentous 
 questions is continued, may God not only grant the 
 hearing ear and understanding heart, but so stir the 
 great deep of the Christian soul as that there may be 
 no satisfaction on their part until, with the apostle, 
 they can exclaim, “I am in a strait betwixt two, 
 having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 73 
 
 is far better” ; because conscious, as ne was, that they 
 “ have fought a good tight, finished their course, keep¬ 
 ing the faith,” their skirts clear from the blood of all 
 souls , and a wreath of victory and crown of righteous¬ 
 ness as great and glorious laid up for them as there 
 w4s for him. 
 
 7th. That the accomplishment of the work is 
 possible is further evident from both 'parable and 
 prophecy. 
 
 1. From parable . In Daniel ii, 34, 35, the king¬ 
 dom of Christ is represented as a stone cut out of the 
 mountain without hands, which* continued to enlarge 
 until it “ became a great mountain and filled the 
 whole earth.” So the kingdom of Christ set up in 
 this world, very small in its beginnings, is.to continue 
 to enlarge until it becomes a great mountain, filling 
 the whole earth, absorbing all other kingdoms and 
 standinsr forever. 
 
 O 
 
 Again : “ The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain 
 of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his 
 field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but 
 when it is grown, it becometh a tree, so that the birds 
 of the air come and^ lodge in the branches thereof.” 
 So the kingdom of Christ as planted in this world, 
 very small in its beginnings, is to spring up and branch 
 out into all nations; all the inhabitants of earth, at 
 some time, coming and lodging in the branches 
 thereof. 
 
 Again: “ The kingdom of heaven is like unto 
 leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures 
 of meal, till the whole was leavened.” So, both inter¬ 
 nally and externally , the kingdom of heaven, hid in the 
 heart , is to enlarge and spread until the whole being, 
 both soul and body, is leavened and transformed into 
 
74 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 the image of Christ. So, too, externally. The king¬ 
 dom of heaven put into this world is to enlarge and 
 spread until, at some time, every inhabitant of earth 
 capable of repentance and faith shall have his heart 
 leavened by the almighty power of the Holy Spirit, 
 and brought into subjection to the will of Gk>d. 
 (Mat. xiii, 31-33.) 
 
 2. The same is equally evident from prophecy. 
 Hot only as predicted in the overthrow, capture, and 
 imprisonment of Satan, the enemy of all righteous¬ 
 ness, but as indicated in the state of things to exist 
 during that time. 
 
 1.) In Rev. xx, 1-3, we read: “I saw an angel 
 come down from heaven, having the key of the bot¬ 
 tomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid 
 hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the 
 Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and 
 cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, 
 and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the 
 nations no more, till the thousand years should be 
 fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little 
 season.” Here we have a positive prediction of Satan’s 
 final and utter overthrow before the general judgment, 
 implying not only the possibility, but the absolute 
 certainty of this world’s spiritual conquest at some 
 future time; for the prince of the power of the air 
 being overcome, the other powers of darkness will 
 very soon subside: especially evident from the state¬ 
 ment, “That he should deceive'the nations no more, 
 till the thousand years should be fulfilled”; which 
 necessitates this world’s spiritual subjugation, because 
 without the entire overthrow of the powers of dark¬ 
 ness the deception of the nations could not wholly be 
 prevented. And here, as a further illustration of this 
 
THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 75 
 
 point, let us now trace briefly the attacks and defeats 
 of the old serpent, the Devil, from his first success 
 until his final overthrow before the general judgment. 
 
 Doubtless Satan’s object in the temptation and 
 seduction of our first parents was the utter and eternal 
 ruin of the human family. As soon, therefore, as he 
 succeeded, doubtless he concluded that his triumph 
 was complete and his object secure, and his joy was 
 unbounded. But it was of short duration, for very 
 soon, thundering from the eternal throne, he heard 
 these words ringing in his ears: “The seed of the 
 woman shall bruise the serpent’s head!” in which 
 prophecy he received a precursor not only of his pres¬ 
 ent defeat, but of his final overthrow before the general 
 judgment; and which, too, was doubtless very practi¬ 
 cally confirmed to his mind not only in the conversion 
 of Adam and Eve, but especially in the salvation of 
 Abel, their son, whom he induced Cain to slay. 
 
 Finding, therefore, that he was doomed to a defeat 
 in part of his object at least, doubtless he consoled 
 himself with the thought that he would have Cain 
 and his whole posterity in eternal torment, and all the 
 bodies of the human family in the grave. But how 
 terribly chagrined and disappointed, when one day, 
 to his utter astonishment, he beheld good old Enoch 
 going up directly into heaven, soul and body both, 
 without tasting death. 
 
 Defeated again, it seems he became desperate, and 
 determined to so enrage God with the wickedness of 
 man as to get him, by a single stroke, to depopulate 
 the earth, and thus grant to him, at one time at least, 
 all the souls and bodies in existence. He accordingly 
 induced the sons of God to look upon the daughters 
 of men, in view of getting them enamored and to 
 
76 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 intermarry, so that by the bad example, and especially 
 the improper training of impious mothers, he could so 
 corrupt the human family as to have “ every imagina¬ 
 tion of the thought of his heart only evil, and that 
 continually,” all of which he secured, and also the 
 decree of God to destroy the earth with a flood. But 
 how awfully disappointed when he found that he was 
 doomed to another terrible defeat; for there were good 
 old Noah and his family, that Satan himself could not 
 induce to take such a course as to get God to drown 
 them with the rest. 
 
 Thereupon it seems that the Devil was so enraged 
 that he determined either to prevent Christ’s advent 
 into the world, or to destroy him as a Savior in case 
 he should come. Unable to do the first, yet, by means 
 of idol worship and false suggestions, he so blinded 
 the mind and perverted the understanding as to Christ’s 
 real character and the object of his mission that when 
 he did come scarcely any one would believe that he 
 was the true Messiah. This prepared the w 7 ay for the 
 Savior’s betrayal and murder. 
 
 Satan first tried to take his life in infancy; at the 
 same time, to be sure of his prey, causing the death of 
 a large number of other children. But he was again 
 foiled, the Savior escaping out of his hand, 
 
 Then, either forgetting his own overthrow in 
 heaven or mistaking Christ’s character as divine, it 
 seems he decided to tempt him, as he did Adam and 
 Eve ; and thus, if possible, involve him in the trans¬ 
 gression of the race he had come to save. But he 
 was foiled at every point, and sustained one of the 
 worst defeats he had ever before realized. 
 
 Awfully enraged at his failure, he again fell back 
 upon his original plan to take Christ’s life. He ac- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST, 77 
 
 cordingly followed him from place to place, and finally 
 succeeded in getting him betrayed into the hands of 
 sinners, and tried and condemned, and crucified, and 
 his body put into a rocky tomb and fastened up and 
 sealed with the king’s signet, and guarded by a band 
 of soldiers, himself the captain of the band and the 
 chief watchman over the slumberer. But in the death 
 of Christ, right in the midst of his supposed most 
 successful triumph, Satan met with one of the very 
 worst defeats he could possibly have sustained ; for 
 the death of Christ entirely consummated one of the 
 grandest, most complicated, and glorious schemes it 
 was possible for infinite wisdom and goodness to de¬ 
 vise or omnipotent power to execute. And this, too* 
 it seems the Devil fully realized, when, on the resur¬ 
 rection morning, in connection with the Roman sol¬ 
 diers, he beheld, with great consternation, the angel 
 descend and roll back the stone, and the mighty con¬ 
 queror come forth and ascend on-high, “ Leading cap¬ 
 tivity captive and giving gifts to men.” 
 
 From the account, it seems that by the resurrection 
 of Jesus Christ the powers of darkness were so 
 frightened, bewildered, and benumbed that for forty 
 days and upwards they scarcely ventured forth upon 
 earth to see what was going on ; granting to the Sav¬ 
 ior ample time to collect and re-assure his few scat¬ 
 tered and disheartened followers, and start them 
 anew, vigorous and hopeful, in the great and glorious, 
 battle for this world’s spiritual conquest. But this 
 state of things did not continue very long, for on the 
 day of Pentecost, when the apostles and others came 
 forth filled with, the Holy Spirit, and declaring unto 
 the multitudes “ the wonderful works of God,” we find 
 that Satan had sufficiently recovered himself to be 
 
78 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 \ 
 
 present, and to suggest that, instead of the Spirit of 
 Christ, “ these men are full of new wine.” But he 
 was doomed to another terrible defeat, for by the coun¬ 
 ter-statement of the Holy Spirit through the apostle, 
 that “It is but the third hour of the day,” and hence 
 too early in the morning for men to be intoxicated, 
 the deception was discovered, and all understood that, 
 instead of the spirit of new wine, it was the Spirit of 
 Elijah’s God resting upon the apostles, and causing 
 -the people to cry out, “Men and brethren, what shall 
 we do ? ” And thus the powers of darkness, again 
 defeated, fell back, and the work rolled up and rolled 
 on, until “ the same day there were added unto them 
 about three thousand souls.” 
 
 I tell you, my friends, that was a glorious revival. 
 And if I understand God’s word, we learn of a more 
 glorious revival than that; when a nation, with its 
 scores, hundreds, thousands, and perhaps its millions, 
 shall be “born in a day.” “ But,” exclaimed Satan, 
 “three thousand in a day! At that rate I will very 
 soon be driven not only from Jerusalem, but from 
 every other part of the world. And such, too,” said 
 he, “will be the result so long as Christians remain 
 agreed, loving, and united, or of ‘one heart and one 
 soul.’ ” This would never do. Accordingly, he en¬ 
 tered upon a careful—not prayerful—consideration of 
 how he could defeat the work and sustain his own 
 position; and at once perceived that the best and 
 only way to do so would be to divide and scatter the 
 Church. He accordingly, therefore, first “ got up a 
 great persecution against the church which was at 
 Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad, except 
 the apostles.” His object, however, in scattering the 
 Church, and at the same time retaining the apostles, 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST, 
 
 79 
 
 at first sight seems a little complicated. But no 
 doubt he did it supposing that the leaders without 
 forces could do nothing, and the forces without lead¬ 
 ers could do nothing. But how terribly chagrined 
 and disappointed when—unlike modern Christians— 
 he found that each of the leaders retained and each of 
 the forces scattered was a host within himself, “ one 
 chasing a thousand and two putting ten thousand to 
 flight 55 ; for, wherever they were or wherever they 
 went, they would, as faithful witnesses, testify of and 
 for Christ; and thus by means of their preaching, 
 and especially their practice, converts and churches 
 were multiplied all over the land. This, now, was 
 wholly unexpected by Satan, and, in his estimation, 
 making 1 a had matter verv much worse. But what 
 should he do? Of course not get disheartened, though 
 defeated at every point. Unable to obtain all he 
 wanted, he was just as determined as ever to get all he 
 could. 
 
 But what next ? Recalling to mind the disastrous 
 consequences of social, civil, and military discord, he 
 finally decided on unchristian dissension as his next 
 expedient. Succeeding in that, he perceived that, by 
 means of unchristian dissension combined with per¬ 
 secution, he would, for a long time, be able to hold 
 his position, in spite of almighty power: Yes, Ire- 
 peat, by means of unchristian dissension, combined 
 with persecution—and mostly, too, among professing 
 Christians themselves—Satan not only in the past held 
 his position, but is doing it now in this community, 
 and all over the world, in spite of almighty power. 
 Dear friends, understood or misunderstood, believed 
 or disbelieved, nothing can be more true and evident 
 than that right here I am now attacking the DeviFs 
 
80 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 chief fortress and the center of his force, for nothing 
 in his hand tends more to infidelity, spiritual weak¬ 
 ness and defeat, God’s dishonor, and the ruin of souls, 
 than unchristian dissension and unholy persecution 
 among professing Christians themselves—certainly 
 than which there is nothing more diametrically op¬ 
 posed to Christ’s spirit, teachings, and example; and 
 hence in violation of gospel law and opposed to the 
 principles of Christianity. 
 
 And certainly everything of that character consti¬ 
 tutes said fortress and center; and hence remove every 
 such thing, and that fortress is demolished and that 
 center broken, and the Devil quite easily overcome in 
 every respect, and the world speedily subdued to 
 Christ. But with that fortress and center maintained, 
 the entire overthrow of the powers of darkness and the 
 world’s conversion to Christ are both impossible. 
 Thank God, however, the Devil is doomed to a terri¬ 
 ble defeat in that respect, as well as in every other, for 
 doubtless the time is not very distant when—in this 
 community and in every other—there will be a class 
 of Christians too pious and wise to allow the Devil to 
 have such an advantage of them; and who, too, with 
 one accord, unitedly, and to the full extent of their 
 abilitv, will ar se and resist and under God overcome 
 the powers of darkness in every form, and thus subdue 
 this world to the Savior. 
 
 Indeed, nothing can be more evident from .the 
 Scriptures than that the time is fast approaching 
 when Satan will actually be overcome, captured, im¬ 
 prisoned, locked up, and go out to “ deceive the 
 nations no more at least for one thousand years. 
 Certainly, during that time the cause of Christ will 
 have a chance to extend from pole to pole, and for 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 81 
 
 every inhabitant of earth capable of repentance and 
 faith to become soundly converted, agreed, loving J 
 and united, because there will be no spirit operating 
 upon the hearts of men except the Holy Spirit, which 
 can lead and will lead all Christians and all sinners 
 into all truth. 
 
 2.) Again, and finally, let us now note some of the 
 prophecies which show conclusively and positively 
 that at some future time such a great and glorious 
 state of things, shall actually exist throughout the 
 world. (Isa. ii, 2-6; xi, 6-10. Jer. xxxi, 31-35. Zech. 
 ix, 9,10.) 
 
 How, if I mistake not, by some the above proph¬ 
 ecies are considered simply as metaphorical or figura¬ 
 tive, and representing nothing as literal and special, 
 but merely a general state of blessing in connection 
 with the Messianic reign. I regard said notion, how¬ 
 ever, as a satanic suggestion and device, to keep out of 
 sight the awfully humiliating, certain, and utter over¬ 
 throw to which the Devil is doomed, and the filial, 
 certain, and complete triumph of the Redeemer’s 
 kingdom. 
 
 How, perhaps some parts of said prophecies are 
 metaphorical, while others are literal; but in each 
 and every instance, whether figurative or literal, 
 representing a special and glorious result. 
 
 For instance, the language “ And it shall come to 
 pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord’s 
 house shall be established in the top of the mountains, 
 and shall be exalted above the hills,” represents the 
 exaltation, superiority, final and complete triumph of 
 the Redeemer’s kingdom, as expressed in Daniel, where 
 it is said of the little “ stone ” that it “ became a great 
 mountain and filled the whole earth.” 
 
62 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 i But the language “ and all nations shall flow unto 
 it,’’ I take to be literal. Not “all nations” in general, 
 but each and every one of every nation in special shall 
 actually at some time “flow unto the mountain of the 
 Lord’s house” and become reconciled to his will. 
 
 Also the language “ And they shall beat their 
 swords into plowshares, and their spears into prun- 
 ing-hooks ; nation shall not lift up sword against na¬ 
 tion, neither shall they learn war any more,” I take to 
 be equally literal; for how absurd that Christ’s king¬ 
 dom shall so triumph as that the nations shall not 
 light each other in general, but do so in special. 
 Again, how false that the nations shall fight and de¬ 
 stroy each other in general or in special, and at the 
 same time discontinue a knowledge of military tactics. 
 Again, how inconsistent that swords, spears, cannon, 
 and other such engines for human destruction, can be 
 used in their present form for any except the purposes 
 for which they were constructed. Again, how very 
 absurd the notion that when swords, spears, cannon, 
 and other such implements become useless, men pos¬ 
 sessing the wisdom of the serpent w T ill throw them 
 aside into heaps and allow such a vast amount of the 
 best metal to corrode and waste unemployed, and at 
 the same time continue the trouble and expense of 
 working difficult mines to obtain their needed ore. 
 Then, how very false the theory that said language sig¬ 
 nifies anything at all, unless it means just what it says, 
 and the time does actually come when “ nation shall 
 not lift up sword against nation, neither learn war any 
 more,” and when swords, spears, cannon, and other 
 .such engines are actually molded into plowshares, 
 pruning-hooks, and other useful implements for man’s 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 83 
 
 preservation and life, rather than his destruction and 
 •death. 
 
 The language, however, that “ The wolf also shall 
 dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down 
 with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the 
 fatling together, and a little child shall lead them; 
 and the cow and bear shall feed, their young ones 
 shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw 
 like the ox ; and the sucking child shall play on the 
 hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his 
 hand on the cockatrice’s den; they shall not hurt 
 nor destroy in all my holy mountain,” is where Satan 
 seems to befog the minds of so many respecting the 
 literalness of the above prophecies. But though I 
 assert nothing positively—since I know of nothing pos¬ 
 itively revealed on the subject—yet I can see no diffi¬ 
 culty at all nor inconsistency in understanding said 
 language as perfectly literal, for, to my mind, none but 
 a literal interpretation will make out the entireness of 
 Satan’s overthrow and the completeness of Christ’s 
 triumph; because no other interpretation will repre¬ 
 sent the state of perfect peace that everywhere existed 
 before Satan’s success. Wlien God created this world 
 he pronounced it “ very good.” There was no dis¬ 
 order of any kind, neither sinfulness, voraciousness, 
 nor ferocity. All was peaceful, tranquil, and harmo¬ 
 nious. And this state of things continued, too, until 
 our first parents sinned; after which there was an 
 utter derangement and disorder, that has continued 
 from that time until the present, and will continue, 
 too, until the cause of Christ triumphs and the powers 
 of darkness are utterly overthrown. 
 
 There is not the slightest intimation that the beasts 
 and reptiles in the Garden of Eden lived on nothing, 
 
84 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 much less that they had any disposition to bite and 
 devour one another. There, doubtless, if there was 
 any, lions did actually “ eat straw like the ox,” and 
 all other irrational animals lived on vegetable food, 
 as did Adam and Eve. Flesh-eating was the result 
 of sin, arising from Satan’s success. Why not, there¬ 
 fore, conclude that he shall be overcome in this 
 respect as well as in every other, and that at some 
 time all beasts and reptiles will again live on vegeta¬ 
 ble food, as they did at first, the lion actually eating 
 straw like the ox ? None ; but such a conclusion will 
 entirely overthrow the powers of darkness and give 
 to Christ a perfect victory. And I, for one, hold to 
 that kind of a triumph for the cause of Christ; and 
 hence that the language where the wild beasts and 
 poisonous reptiles are represented as losing their 
 voraciousness and ferocity should be considered and 
 interpreted as literal and special, rather than as fig¬ 
 urative and general. Consequently, that it is more 
 proper to conclude that the time will certainly come 
 when there shall be a perfect peace among even irra¬ 
 tional animals, rather than that Satan shall always 
 reign in war and bloodshed among that class of be¬ 
 ings. 
 
 Indeed, if nothing else, the language “for the 
 earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as 
 the waters cover the sea,” must signify this world’s 
 conversion to Christ, because, if metaphorical, the 
 figure must be equal to the representation. . Since, 
 therefore, the representation is that the knowledge of 
 the Lord shall fill the earth as the waters cover the 
 sea—and every part of the sea is covered with water— 
 it follows that at some time every part of the earth 
 -ha 1 1 actually be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 85 
 
 and in the sense, too, of conversion ; that is, at some 
 time every one in the world capable of repentance and 
 faith shall have obtained an experimental “ knowledge 
 of the Lord.” 
 
 Now, that this will be so is farther evident not 
 only from the fact that the laws of God are to be “put 
 into the inward parts and written in the heart,” but 
 especially from the fact that the time is coming when 
 there shall be no occasion at all for “ the neighbor to 
 say to the neighbor, nor the brother to the brother, 
 Know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the 
 least of them even unto the greatest of them, saith 
 the Lord”; his kingdom having extended “ from sea 
 even to sea, and from the river to the ends of the 
 earth.” Now, this state of things can never exist un¬ 
 til the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord in 
 the sense of conversion; for until then there will be 
 an occasion to say to the neighbor, to the brother, 
 and, finally, to every one unconverted, “ Know the 
 Lord.” Since, therefore, according to scripture, the 
 time is coming when there shall be no suel^ occasion, 
 nothing can be more evident than that at some time 
 all capable of repentance and faith shall know the 
 Lord experimentally, and the world be actually con¬ 
 verted to Christ. 
 
 Indeed, since the most and the greatest obstacles 
 to the work relate to professing Christians themselves, 
 all of which can be* overcome; and since the Savior 
 requires the work to be done, and requires nothing 
 impossible; and since great and glorious successes have 
 always attended the work whenever and wherever it 
 has been properly undertaken and carried forward; 
 and especially since, in both parable and prophecy, it 
 is positively revealed that at some time such a delight- 
 
86 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 ful state of things shall actually exist—the little- 
 “ ‘ stone ’ becoming a great mountain and filling the 
 whole earth ”; the grain of mustard seed springing 
 up and branching out unto all nations; the “ leaven’" 
 leavening the whole lump—“all nations flowing unto 
 the mountain of the Lord’s house,” “ beating their 
 swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning- 
 hooks; nation not lifting up sword against nation, 
 neither learning war any more ” ; “ the knowledge of 
 the Lord filling the earth as the waters cover the 
 sea ” ; “ all knowing him experimentally from the least 
 to the greatest”; his kingdom extending from sea 
 even to sea, and from the river to the ends of the 
 earth—I ask, can anything be more evident, from both 
 reason and revelation , than that this world’s spiritual 
 conquest, or conversion to Christ, is not only possible, 
 but will actually exist at some future time. I, for one^ 
 think not. And may God grant, for his Son’s sake, 
 that that time may be hastened, and all the inhabitants 
 of earth be thus brought speedily in perfect subjection 
 to his loving and holy will. Amen. 
 
 1 
 
 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 87 
 
 PART II. 
 
 The infinite obligation to undertake the work as a 
 whole, and to do all within the power to accomplish it, 
 in which Socinianism is briefly but conclusively re¬ 
 futed, and much other plain, pointed, and indispens¬ 
 able information brought forward as to the nature and 
 fulfillment of the obligation. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE SOURCE, THE REASONS FOR, AND AN EXEMPLIFICATION 
 
 OF THE OBLIGATION. 
 
 Having, now, upon the world’s conversion to 
 Christ, established its possibility, I again propose, by 
 the aid of the Holy Spirit, to dwell upon the infinite 
 obligation to undertake the work as a whole, and to do 
 all within the power to accomplish it. “ He that saitli 
 he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even 
 as he walked.” (I John ii, 6.) Certainly the Savior 
 has done and is doing all within his power to bring 
 all in subjection to himself, and thus convert the world. 
 And, according to the above, every one of his pro¬ 
 fessed followers ought, in all his conduct, thus to 
 imitate his example. In general and in special the 
 obligation arises— 
 
 First .From the fact that no valid objection can be 
 urged against the work. Now, perhaps it may be 
 needless to state that, if any such objection could be 
 urged against the work, there would be no obligation 
 
88 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 whatever to undertake it. But no such objection can 
 be urged against it— 
 
 1st. On the ground that it has not been enjoined. 
 For if in the language “ Go ye, therefore, into all the 
 world and teach” (or disciple) “all nations,and preach 
 the gospel to every creature,” the Savior has not made 
 it the duty of every Christian to do all within his 
 power to secure the conversion of every sinner in the 
 world by a proper use or diffusion of the gospel, he 
 has said nothing at all. IT or is his language to be 
 understood as enjoining what is impossible. And 
 hence it is not to be understood as requiring any , 
 much less every , professing Christian to travel into all 
 parts of the world, and to labor personally with every 
 sinner in it; but that, beginning at home, he has made 
 it the duty of every Christian to do all within his 
 power to secure the conversion of as many of the 
 impenitent as possible, and thus each and all Christians 
 together to do all within their power to secure the 
 conversion of every sinner in the world by a proper use 
 or diffusion of the gospel. How, that such is the sub¬ 
 stance of the above language is as evident as words 
 can make it. It is evident— 
 
 1. From what is to be done. “ Go ye, therefore.” 
 How, what is meant by the word “ go ” ? Does it signify 
 inattention or speechless ignorance ? Can one go by do¬ 
 ing nothing or by saying nothing? Togo, must notone 
 necessarily act in one way or another ? Doubtless many 
 are not aware of the number and variety of different 
 significations in which that term is used. Perhaps 
 some may suppose that traveling is the only act 
 included in the "word, and that the Savior meant 
 nothing else when he said, “ Go ye, therefore.” But 
 such an impression is very erroneous; evident not 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST, 89 
 
 only from the signification of the term, but from 
 the fact that, if such were the case, the Savior would 
 be requiring what is impossible. Traveling, doubtless, 
 is one act included in the word, as well as very 
 many others. Whatever act is necessary to get the 
 gospel clearly and distinctly before the mind of every 
 rational creature in the world is what is included in 
 the term “ go.” After looking up the definition of 
 the word, it seemed to me that no other term could 
 have been selected which so fully expresses the ener¬ 
 getic and persevering activity which the Savior 
 requires of his children in this world. And I think, 
 too, that such will be the conviction of everyone who 
 will take the trouble to look up the definition of the 
 word as contained in Webster’s Unabridged Diction¬ 
 ary. In the edition in which I first looked it up, over 
 two whole columns were devoted to the definition of 
 that term. The first definitions which Mr. Webster 
 mentioned were these: “ To move, to pass, to pro¬ 
 ceed.” Then he said, “ It is opposed to resting.” 
 Then he mentioned some examples. He said, “ The 
 mill goes by water or by steam. The clock goes fast 
 or slow.” How we know that neither a mill nor a 
 clock in going has motion like a man in traveling; 
 still they both go, sometimes faster, sometimes slower. 
 From this it is evident that whatever is in motion is 
 going, and whatever is not in motion is not going. 
 And hence, when one is thinking the mind is going; 
 and when one is talking the tongue is going; and thus, 
 perhaps, nearly all the powers of both mind and body 
 may be going at the same time. The mind may be 
 thinking, the tongue talking, the eye seeing, the ear 
 hearing, and the hands and feet moving. When one 
 is thus active he is generally trying to accomplish 
 
90 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 something. It is also evident that whatever any one 
 is doing in the Lord’s vineyard, whether it be study¬ 
 ing, teaching, preaching, traveling, or any thing else 
 that is right, he is, to a certain extent, fulfilling the 
 requirement of the Savior as contained in the word 
 u go ” ; and that whenever any one is doing all within 
 his power to ascertain and discharge Christian duty, 
 and thus glorify God and save souls, he is obeying the 
 Savior as fully as it can be done by such imperfect 
 beings. Then, to go is “ to move, to pass, to proceed ” ; 
 to act, to keep acting; to try, to keep trying; in short, 
 to do all within one’s power to accomplish what is 
 required. 
 
 2. Who are to do this ? “ Go ye , therefore.” How, 
 who are included in the word “ ye ”? Are all or only 
 a part of professing Christians ? “ Only a part,” say 
 
 some, “ because,” say they, “ no part of the work con¬ 
 tained in the Savior’s last command is binding upon 
 all Christians, because all are not to baptize.” But 
 from the fact that one is not to do everything, does it 
 follow that he is not to do anything ? How, every one 
 who has read them knows that the Savior’s last in¬ 
 structions contain different kinds of work; for instance, 
 the work of discipling, baptizing, instructing, etc. 
 How, from the fact that one is not to baptize, docs it 
 follow that he is not to do anything at all to secure 
 the conversion of a sinner, nor to instruct him after 
 he is converted ? When the Savior says “ Go ye,” if 
 I understand him, he means all Christians as much as 
 one , and one as much as another. This is especially 
 evident from one of the most startling and immutable 
 laws of our being, that of constant and necessary ac¬ 
 tion. It is as impossible fora Christian to live and 
 not to act as it is to live and not to breathe. And 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 91 
 
 hence inaction is action. Inaction in what is right is 
 action in what is wrong. Inaction in the service of 
 Christ is action in the service? of Satan. Certainly 
 there is no neutral ground; that is, a position in which 
 a professing Christian is doing nothing at all, neither 
 serving the Savior nor Satan. However much one may 
 desires to occupy such :a position,, realizing that his 
 service,.at, best is very imperfect, still there is no such 
 ground to occupy. Whether he will or not, go he 
 must,/necessarily and constantly, either in the service 
 of the Savior or the service of Satan. At the instant, 
 therefore, a Christian discontinues the service of Christ, 
 he begins the service of the Devil. There is no alter¬ 
 native. How, would the Savior have any of his pro¬ 
 fessed followers go in the service of Satan ? If not, 
 he would have them all go in his service, and included 
 all when he said “ Go ye,/therefore.” 
 
 3. This is further evident from the extent and the 
 difficulty of the field to be cultivated. The field is 
 the world, every part of it, or every part at least wher¬ 
 ever there is a soul to be saved or lost. “ Go ye, there¬ 
 fore, into all the world.” A very large and difficult 
 field. How, the larger and the more difficult the field 
 to be cultivated, the more laborers are needed to cul¬ 
 tivate it. And here I ask, are all Christians together 
 too many laborers to cultivate such a field? Should 
 the present number do all within their power to ac¬ 
 complish what needs to be done, would they succeed ? 
 Doubtless the present number of professing Christians 
 is much too small to accomplish what needs to be 
 done, much less could the work be done by a smaller 
 number. Then the present number must be included 
 in the work, and many more be needed to accom¬ 
 plish it. 
 
92 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 4. This is further evident from the nature and the 
 amount of work to be done. The nature of the work 
 is indicated by the term teach. “Go ye, therefore, 
 and teach all nations.” Now, what is meant by the 
 word “ teach” ? The original word, which in the 
 first part of the Savior’s last command is translated 
 teach, is a different term from the one translated 
 teach in the last part of his last instructions. The 
 original word in the last part of the Savior’s last com¬ 
 mand properly signifies, to teach or instruct, but in 
 the first part of his last instructions the original word 
 properly signifies to disciple or make disciples. Why 
 King James’s translators did not thus render the 
 term into their version of the Scriptures is perhaps 
 best known to themselves; but, as Pengilly observes, 
 “ Since disciples are to be made by teaching, perhaps 
 no violence was done to the original by rendering the 
 term teach 99 though doubtless the duty would have 
 been better understood had the, term been translated 
 “to disciple” or “make disciples.” But however 
 this may be, let it be distinctly understood, and re¬ 
 membered too, that the work everywhere to be done 
 consists in making disciples or securing the conversion 
 of sinners. Are not ail Christians to engage in that 
 work? The amount of work is indicated by the ex¬ 
 pressions “Go” “into all the world,” disciple “all 
 nations, and preach the gospel to every creature.” 
 These expressions taken together show that all is to 
 be done that can be done to make a disciple of every 
 rational creature in the world. A vast amount of 
 work. . Certainly all Christians together are none too 
 many laborers to perform such a task. Besides, every 
 Christian should be reminded that, whether he 
 will or not, he must necessarily and constantly either 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. * 93 
 
 help or hinder the work. For, as has already been 
 shown, every professing Christian must necessarily 
 and constantly go in one way or another, either right 
 or wrong, either in the service of Christ or in the serv¬ 
 ice of Satan, and hence must necessarily and con- 
 * stantly exert either a good or an evil influence. Now, 
 if the influence he good, it tends to God’s glory 
 and the soul’s salvation; but if it he evil, it tends 
 to God’s dishonor and the soul’s ruin. And one 
 kind of influence or another every professing 
 Christian must necessarily and constantly exert, and 
 hence must necessarily and constantly either help 
 or hinder the evangelizing work. Now, would the 
 Savior have any of his professed followers a hinder- 
 ance to such a work? If not, he would have 
 them all a help to it, and included all in it when he 
 said, “ Go ye, therefore.” 
 
 5. This is further evident from the ivay it is to be 
 done. It is to he done by a proper use or diffusion of 
 the gospel. Now, to use or diffuse the gospel properly 
 is to preach it properly. And here I ask, are not all 
 Christians included in the work of preaching? But, 
 understand me, I am not' here using the term preach 
 in its special sense—as applied to the work of the 
 ministry—but in its more extensive or general sense,, 
 as applied in Acts, where, in speaking of primi¬ 
 tive Christians, it says “they went everywhere preach¬ 
 ing the word.” And here I ask whether in that 
 sense it is not the duty of all Christians to preach ? I 
 believe some suppose not—from a very wrong idea of 
 the work of preaching. Some seem to suppose that 
 preaching consists simply in standing up and pro- 
 claiming the gospel publicly, and hence that no one 
 has a right to preach except ministers or public speak- 
 
V4. THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 • ers. Such a supposition, however, is very erroneous, 
 because preaching does not consist simply in standing 
 up and proclaiming the gospel publicly, hut it con¬ 
 sists: 1. In imparting gospel instruction publicly or 
 privately. For instance, Peter, on the day of Pente¬ 
 cost, preached the gospel publicly—that is, he ' 
 imparted gospel instruction publicly; but Philip, 
 you remember, preached to the eunuch privately— 
 that is, he imparted gospel instruction to the eunuch 
 privately. 2. This is done by presenting and confirm¬ 
 ing the gospel, and persuading the sinner. This is 
 what Peter did on the day of Pentecost. He first pre¬ 
 sented and confirmed the gospel, until the people 
 were pricked to the heart and led to cry out, “Men 
 and brethren, what shall we do?” then he persuaded 
 them; he said, “ Kepent and be baptized every one of 
 you, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” 
 
 3. This is done by either precept or example . How, to 
 preach by precept is to present and confirm the gospel, 
 and persuade the sinner either by the word of mouth 
 or by the pen. Whenever any one presents and con¬ 
 firms the gospel and persuades the sinner by the word 
 of mouth, he preaches by precept; and in this way 
 very much preaching is done, both publicly and pri¬ 
 vately. Again, whenever any one presents and con¬ 
 firms the gospel and persuades the sinner by the pen, 
 he preaches by precept; and in this wsl y very much 
 preaching is done by means of religious literature 
 such as books, Bibles, tracts, papers, etc. Further, to 
 preach by example is to live out the gospel in the daily 
 conduct—a very powerful way of preaching, and 
 frequently done by persons in very humble circum¬ 
 stances. It is said “actions speak louder than 
 words.” This is especially true in preaching the gos- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 95 
 
 pel. It will do but very little, if any, good at all to 
 preach by -precept unless one practice what he 
 preaches. 
 
 Now, such being the general sense in which 
 preaching is to be done, is it not in that sense the 
 duty of all Christians to preach ? Is it not the duty 
 of all Christians, both male and female, to impart 
 gospel instruction to the impenitent, in general and 
 in special, and thus try to lead them to the Savior ? 
 Is it not the duty of church-members, both male and 
 female, to engage in Sabbath-school teaching, and 
 there impart gospel instruction to youth ? Is it not 
 the duty of all parents, both male and female, both 
 saint and sinner, to impart gospel instruction to their 
 children, and thus “ train them up in the nurture and 
 admonition of the Lord ” ? If so, certainly it is the 
 duty of all Christians to preach. Primitive Christians 
 all preached. “ At that time there was a great perse¬ 
 cution against the church which was at Jerusalem, 
 and they were all scattered abroad, except the apostles. 
 Therefore, they that were scattered abroad went 
 everywhere preaching the word.” Who “ went 
 everywhere preaching the word” ? Not the apostles, 
 for they were not scattered abroad; but the members 
 of the primitive church, both male and female, 
 “ went everywhere preaching the word.” Then the 
 members of the primitive church all preached. And 
 this is what, in a proper or improper sense, every 
 professing Christian has been doing from that time 
 until the present; because it is impossible for a Chris¬ 
 tian to' live and not to preach in one way or another; 
 because his every act, word, or deed either affirms or 
 denies the teachings of the gospel. Said the Holy 
 Spirit, through the anostle, “ Ye are living epistles, 
 
96 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 known and read of all men.” From this it seems that 
 Christian character and conduct are living monu¬ 
 ments of either the truthfulness or falsity of the gos¬ 
 pel. If they he correct, they tend to confirm the 
 teachings of the gospel; hut if incorrect, they tend 
 to deny those teachings; and one or the other they 
 must he, necessarily and constantly; and hence 
 every professing Christian must necessarily and con¬ 
 stantly preach that the gospel is either true or false. 
 Consequently, they are all not only included in the 
 work of preaching, but should he very careful what 
 kind of doctrine they preach. 
 
 6. The same is evident from what is to be preached. 
 It is the gospel; nothing but the gospel, there being 
 no other sword of the Spirit with which to slay the 
 sinner. Then, we are not to preach our own precon¬ 
 ceived notions—that is, notions which have not 
 been revealed; nor are we to u teach for doctrines 
 the commandments of men ”—that is, doctrines not 
 contained in God’s word; nor are we to preach per¬ 
 versions of the gospel, such, for example, as Anti- 
 nomianism, anniliilationism, Unitarianism, Univers- 
 alism, Jesuitism, ritualism, and a thousand and one 
 other isms and errors, too numerous here to mention. 
 Nor are we to preach ourselves in any way, but 
 Christ and him crucified. FTor are we to preach his¬ 
 tory, science or philosophy, except the history, science, 
 or philosophy as contained in God’s word. There 
 is history enough, science enough, and philosophy 
 enough for any one to preach. It is the gospel, 
 nothing but the gospel—the first, the last, the begin¬ 
 ning, the middle, and the end; nothing but the gospel. 
 Eiianggelion : that is the original word used to repre¬ 
 sent the gospel. It is composed of the two words 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 97 
 
 '§ 
 
 eu and anggellon. The term eu properly signifies well 
 or good; anggellon , message. The two put together 
 properly signify good message, good news, glad 
 tidings of great joy. Such is the gospel. Sometimes 
 the word is used to represent the history and teach¬ 
 ings of Christ as contained in the four evangelists, 
 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Then, again, it is 
 used to represent the history and teachings of Christ 
 as contained in the whole New Testament. And 
 hence what is to be preached, whether a passage be 
 taken from the Old Testament or the New, is the 
 good news, or the history and teachings of Christ as 
 contained in the New Testament. 
 
 Now, it has been shown that the word “go,” as it 
 relates to the Savior’s last command, properly signi¬ 
 fies to do all within one’s power to accomplish what 
 is required; that every professing Christian is to do 
 this; that this is everywhere to be done; that what is 
 everywhere to be done is to do all that can be done to 
 make a disciple of every rational creature in the world; 
 and that this is to be done by a proper use or diffusion 
 of the gospel. Need anything more be said to show 
 that, in the first part of the Savior’s last instructions, 
 he has actually made it the duty of every professing 
 Christian to do all within his power to secure the con¬ 
 version of every sinner in the world by a proper use 
 or diffusion of the gospel ? If not, then the ultimatum 
 of every Christian desire, interest, and effort should be 
 this world’s spiritual conquest, or conversion to Christ. 
 
 2d. No valid objection can he urged against the 
 work on the ground that its accomplishment is im¬ 
 possible ; for, as has already been shown, if the accom¬ 
 plishment of the work be not possible, then nothing 
 is possible. 
 
98 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 3d. No valid objection can be urged against the 
 work on the ground of its lack of authority, it having 
 come from the highest authority; it having come from 
 Jesus Christ,the incarnate God; it having come from 
 God himself, because Christ is God. 44 But no,” says 
 the Arian or Unitarian, 44 the work has not come froiri 
 the highest authority, for Christ is not God.” I say 
 that doctrine is a vile falsehood and from the bottom¬ 
 less pit. A worse doctrine can not be preached than 
 to deny Christ’s divinity; for: 1. It saps the very foun¬ 
 dation of the Christian’s hope. Take the God out of 
 Christ, and he is not a sufficient Savior. 2. It is an 
 awful impeachment of the character not only of Christ, 
 but of both the Father and the Holy Spirit, because it 
 virtually charges all of them with the grossest false¬ 
 hood, thus invalidating not only Christ’s authority, 
 but all that he has ever done, said, or suffered. 3. It 
 is a thrust directly at Christ’s authority and our in¬ 
 finite obligation to obey him, for if Christ be not God, 
 he had no right to issue such instructions or lay such 
 a command upon his followers; because those instruc¬ 
 tions and that command include the whole world and 
 every creature in it. And had the Savior no such 
 right, of course there is no obligation whatever to obey 
 him. But is this so ? Now, what I am about to say 
 may perhaps appear to be a digression from the point 
 under consideration. In some respects it is, in other# 
 it is not. It is said for the purpose of refutation, in¬ 
 struction, and illustration. It is said not only to refute 
 that abominable theory which denies Christ’s divinity, 
 and to furnish the common people with some plain 
 arguments with which to refute the same, but at the 
 same time to illustrate Christ’s authority and our in- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 93 
 
 ■finite obligation to obey him. To this end, therefore, 
 let us now— 
 
 1. Take a general, view of the character of God. 
 Let us view him as he existed before any other being 
 was created. Let our minds, in our thoughts, go back 
 to that point in eternity where no being at all existed 
 except God himself. Now, there must have been such 
 a point in eternity because all beings, except God, 
 must have been created. And hence there must have 
 been a point at which the first being was created; and, 
 back of that, there must have been innumerable ages 
 in which no being at all existed, except God himself. 
 For a moment reflect upon the character of God as he 
 then existed. There he was, all alone in the midst of 
 his infinite fullness, surrounded with light unapproach¬ 
 able. Imagination- may take wings and soar to its 
 utmost stretch, and then it can hardly approximate 
 toward the slightest conception of the greatness and 
 glory of God as he then existed. 
 
 FTow, let our minds, in our thoughts, go back to 
 that point in eternity where God first came into ex¬ 
 istence. Can we conceive of any such thing? Can 
 we conceive of a sufficient cause to produce such an 
 effect as an all-wise, all-powerful, infinite, and eternal 
 God? We can not. But letting our minds, in our 
 thoughts, go back down through the numberless ages 
 of eternity to that point where eternity never began, 
 then, and not till then, may we catch a glimpse of 
 God’s self-existence. Self-existent, of a spiritual es¬ 
 sence, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, immuta¬ 
 ble; infinite in wisdom, goodness, holiness, justice, 
 and mercy. Such God has revealed himself to be in 
 both his works and his word. In his word, especial¬ 
 ly, has he revealed of what the Godhead is composed. 
 
100 THE world’s SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 JNot of gold, or silver, or precious stones; but of three 
 persons—the leather, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, 
 How, there are in the Scriptures very many passages 
 which prove conclusively the doctrine of the trinity. 
 Time and space, however, will not admit of mention¬ 
 ing but one or two. And here, aside from all that 
 is said about interpolation, take, for instance: 1. The 
 
 language “ There are three who bear record in heaven ” 
 ■—the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit—and 
 “ these three are one.” Three what bear record in 
 heaven? Three names bear record? Do names bear 
 record? Ho. But the three persons designated by the 
 three names “ bear record.” And “ these three are one.” 
 Three what are one ? Three different names a single 
 name ? Impossible. But the three persons represented 
 by the three names a are one.” One in what sense? 
 And here those who deny Christ’s divinity will 
 sneeringly inquire : “ Can one be three ? Can three be 
 one ? ” Implying by such questions that three can not 
 be one in any sense, and hence that what the Holy 
 Spirit says is false; for, if three can not be one in any 
 sense, what the Holy Spirit says can not be true, be¬ 
 cause he positively declares that three are one. Said 
 he, “These three are one” But three can be one 
 in some sense, because the word “ one” is used in differ¬ 
 ent senses. And here allow me to state that the 
 whole theory of those who deny Christ’s divinity 
 rests upon an ambiguity; the ambiguity of the word 
 “ one ”—Father, Begotten, and Son. An ambiguous 
 word is one used in different senses. Such are the 
 words just mentioned. For instance, when the terms 
 Father, Begotten, and Son are applied to the God¬ 
 head, they are used in a very different sense than 
 when they are applied to natural parents and children. 
 
 i 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 101\ 
 
 Again: The word “ one ” is used in two different senses 
 —in a numerical sense and a relative sense. For in¬ 
 stance, I say “ There is one book.!’ In that case I use 
 the word “one” in a numerical sense, and mean but a 
 single thing. But in Romans xv, 6, we read : “ That 
 ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God.” 
 What is meant? That their different minds and 
 mouths should be numerically one? Ho. But that, 
 as their different minds and mouths related to Chris- 
 tianity, they should all agree and “speak the same 
 thing.” In that case the word “one” is used in a relative 
 sense, the sense in which it is always used when ap¬ 
 plied to the Godhead, And “these three are one”; 
 that is, as the three persons in the Godhead relate to 
 existence, essence, and perfections, they are one. They 
 are all one in existence. They are all self-existent/ 
 They are all one in essence. They are all of a spirit¬ 
 ual essence. They are all one in perfections. They 
 are all omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, immuta¬ 
 ble; infinite in wisdom, goodness, holiness, justice, 
 and mercy. With respect, therefore to existence, 
 essence, and perfections, the three persons in the God¬ 
 head are one. That is, they are equal, there is no 
 difference between them. 2. At the baptism of Christ 
 we have a positive and conclusive evidence of three 
 distinct persons in the Godhead. It amounted to 
 absolute certainty; for one was heard and the other 
 two were seen : 1.) There was the Father, speaking 
 
 from heaven and saying “Thou art my well-beloved 
 Son, in whom I am well pleased.' 2.) There was the 
 Holy Spirit, “in a bodily shape like a dove,” descend¬ 
 ing and resting upon Christ 3.) There stood the 
 Savior before them. Could there, at the baptism of 
 Christ, have been stronger evidence of anything than 
 
102 THE WORLD*8 SPIRITUAL CONQUE8T. 
 
 three distinct persons in the Godhead? Should you: 
 or I hear one person talking and behold two others 
 before us, could we possibly doubt the existence of 
 three distinct persons? We could not any more than 
 we could doubt our own existence. Such at the bap¬ 
 tism of Christ was the positive and conclusive evi¬ 
 dence of three distinct persons in the Godhead. Yet 
 some dare deny it. But, believed or disbelieved, God, 
 at different times and in various ways, has clearly, 
 distinctly, and positively revealed that there are three- 
 distinct versons in the Godhead, and that Jesus 
 Christ is one of those persons. 
 
 2. Take a special view of God’s character as re¬ 
 vealed in Christ. 
 
 1.) In the Scriptures all the perfections of God are 
 attributed to Christ. 
 
 (1.) Perhaps, however, his self-existence is rather 
 more inferential than positive. That is, it is to be 
 inferred more from indirect than from direct state¬ 
 ments ; though this language is very direct: “ Jesus 
 made an high-priest after the order Melchisedec, 
 without father, without mother, without descent; 
 having neither beginning of days nor end of life.” If 
 such now was the order of Jesus Christ, he must 
 have been self-existent. 
 
 (2.) His pre-existent state is evident from this lan¬ 
 guage : a And now, O Father, glorify thou me , with, 
 thine own self, with the glory which 1 had with thee 
 before the world was.” From this it seems not only 
 that Christ existed before the world, but that he shared 
 the glory of the Father during the numberless ages 
 of eternity in which no being at all existed, except 
 God himself. 
 
 (3.) That Christ is omnipresent is evident from this 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 103 
 
 language : “ For where two or three are gathered to¬ 
 
 gether in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” 
 Here the Savior virtually affirms not only that he is 
 omnipresent, but that he is infinite ; for his language 
 may thus be interpreted. “ For where,” or wherever, 
 or anywhere and everywhere, and at anytime, “ two 
 or three are gathered together in my name,” whether 
 in Europe or America, Asia or Africa, or the islands 
 of the sea, “ there am I in the midst of them,” and 
 at the same moment. Now, since the term “ where ” 
 implies every place, is it not just as proper to say any¬ 
 where and everywhere as to say “ where ”? And since 
 every place includes a time, is it not just as proper to 
 say at any time as anywhere and everywhere ? If so, 
 the Savior’s language is properly interpreted as above. 
 Now, we know that on every Sabbath-day there are a 
 vast number of different assemblies gathered together • 
 in Christ’s name. Which, now, is the most reasonable 
 to conclude, that he is in only one of these assemblies 
 and none of the rest, or that he passes with lightning 
 speed from the one to the other, staying but a very 
 short time in either ? or that he is in every one of 
 these different assemblies and at the same moment ? 
 Every really sensible, and especially pious person will 
 admit, from what he says, that Christ is always and 
 everywhere in the midst of all the different assemblies 
 gathered together in his name. But a finite being 
 can not be in two different places at the same time. 
 From Christ’s language, however, it seems he can be 
 in any number of different places at the same moment. 
 According, therefore, to Christ’s own word, he is not 
 only omnipresent but infinite. 
 
 (4.) That Christ is omniscient is evident from 
 this language : “ He perceived their thoughts ”; 
 
104 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 “ lie needed not that any should teach him, for he 
 knew what was in man.” None hut an omniscient 
 being could possess such knowledge. Jesus Christ 
 possessed it, therefore he is omnifieient. 
 
 (5.) That Christ is self-existent , omnipotent , and in¬ 
 finite in wisdom and goodness is evident from this lan¬ 
 guage: “All things by him were created, and without 
 him was not anything made which has been made.” If, 
 now, Christ is the creator of all things, he was not 
 created, unless he created himself. Further, omnipo¬ 
 tent power, infinite wisdom and goodness are attri¬ 
 butes very prominent throughout God’s works. Since, 
 therefore, Christ is the creator of “ all things,” he 
 must possess those attributes, and hence is not only 
 self-existent and omnipotent, but infinite in wisdom 
 and goodness. 
 
 (6.) That Christ is immutable is evident from his 
 whole life upon earth, as well as from his sufferings 
 and death. No other being was ever so severely tried 
 as was Jesus Christ; yet his conduct was miform. 
 He never deviated in the slightest degree from the 
 path of rectitude. “ Tempted in all points like as 
 we are, yet without sin.* Truly, he is the same 
 “yesterday, to-day, and forever.” Indeed, nothing 
 can be more evident from the holy Scriptures than 
 that Christ did actually possess all the divine attrib¬ 
 utes ; and hence is as really God as that ther^ any 
 God in the universe. 
 
 2.) He is frequently called God; he is called “ the 
 wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting 
 Father, the Prince of peace.” “In the beginning 
 was the Word, and the Word was with God, 
 and the Word was God, and the Word was made 
 flesh and dwelt among men.” “ Great is the my*- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 105 
 
 % 
 
 tery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh—seen 
 of- angels, believed on the world, and received up 
 into glory.” Yes, to the Apostle Paul the incarnate 
 God was a great mystery, notwithstanding his inspi¬ 
 ration. He did not pretend to comprehend, much 
 less to explain his whole character. Hot so, however, 
 those who deny his divinity. They know, they know, 
 they say, that he was not God. Some say that he was 
 a superangelic being; others that he was a mere 
 man, but a very good man. Yes, they pretend to 
 know it all, and a little more ; very much more than 
 the apostle, though he was inspired of God. 
 
 But let no one be duped and led astray by such 
 arrogant pretensions and plain contradictions, for, 
 notwithstanding the slanderous and abominable mis¬ 
 representations of Christ’s defamers, in the Scriptures 
 God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, 
 all represent Jesus Christ as God. 
 
 3.) And finally, the miracles of Christ are a positive 
 and conclusive evidence of his divinity. He turned 
 water into wine ; lie restored sight to thy blind; he 
 healed the sick; he cleansed lepers; he pardoned sin. 
 By the power of his word he calmed the raging sea; he 
 said, “ ‘ Peace, be still,’ and there was a great calm.” 
 By the power of his word he raised the dead ; lie said, 
 “ Lazarus, come forth,” and the dead arose. By the 
 power of his word he created this vast and incompre¬ 
 hensible universe : “ He spake, and it was done. He 
 
 commanded, and it stood fast.” Thus, by the almighty 
 power of his word, did Christ Jesus create these heav¬ 
 ens and earth and all things therein. “ He spake as 
 never man spake.” “ He spake, and light shone round 
 his head.” “ He spake as one having authority, and 
 not as the scribes.” Ills words were words of al- 
 
106 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 mighty power, infinite wisdom, goodness, holiness,, 
 justice, and mercy. Said he, “Go ye, therefore, into 
 all the world and teach” (or disciple) “all nations, and 
 preach the gospel to every creature.” low, should 
 not his authority be respected much more than that of 
 any other ? For instance, when the military chieftain 
 commands, is not his authority respected? Is there 
 apt to he any hesitancy in going where he sends, and 
 doing what he bids, though it be before the cannon’s 
 mouth and to the grave ? How much more should the 
 army of the living God, the followers of the Lamb, 
 listen when he speaks, and go where he sends, and do 
 what he bids, though it be “ through floods and flames,” 
 and to the uttermost parts of the earth, and to the 
 stake and a martyr’s grave. “ Go ye, therefore.” 
 
 4th. Ho valid objection can be urged against the 
 evangelizing work on the ground of any defect in the 
 motive which prompted it, for there was none of the 
 despot about Christ. His instructions and commands, 
 were not at all prompted by a selfish, cruel, or relent¬ 
 less disposition. His nature is love, and all his motives 
 and requirements correspond with the same. 
 
 5th. Much less can any valid objection be urged 
 against the nature of the work itself, for it is love, like 
 its author ; its essence the purest; its object love. The 
 object of the evangelizing work is the same as that of 
 Christ in coming into the world, which, he said, was 
 “ not to destroy life, but to save it.” He does not say 
 to his followers, “go” take the cannon and the sword 
 and shoot and behead all in rebellion against me. But 
 rather, “ Go ye, therefore, and preach ” the good news, 
 or “ the gospel, to every creature.” In short, the Sav¬ 
 ior’s last command is another embodiment of this law: 
 “ All things whatsoever ye would that others should. 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 107 
 
 do to you, do ye even so to them.” Now, what would 
 professing Christians naturally have done to them? 
 Would they not naturally have all done that can be 
 done to promote their present and eternal good ? If 
 so, what is their duty to others ? Is it not to do all 
 within their power to secure their present and eternal 
 good ? 
 
 Second. The obligation arises from the Christian’S' 
 relationships. 
 
 1st. His relationship to Christ. The Christian is- 
 so related to Christ as to be dependent upon him for 
 everything—for life, both natural and spiritual, and 
 all the comforts and blessings of life. And hence the 
 infinite obligation to obey him, not only in all things,, 
 but especially in regard to seeking the temporal and 
 eternal welfare of others. 
 
 2d. His relationship to the world. The Christian^ 
 is so related to the world that his every act, right or 
 wrong, like the pebble dropped into the ocean, will 
 start an influence for good or for harm that shall roll 
 on not only through time, but until it strikes the- 
 nether shores of a boundless eternity. Since, there¬ 
 fore, no one can live to himself nor die to himself, the 
 obligation upon the Christian is infinite, not only to* 
 abstain from everything injurious to others, but to do- 
 all within his power to promote their present and 
 eternal good. 
 
 Third. And finally, the obligation arises from the 
 duty to imitate Christ’s example. The Savior is our 
 great exemplar. He not only established the law, but- 
 he fulfilled it to the very letter.! Not only does he say 
 to his followers, “ Go, and do all within your power to- 
 promote the present and eternal good of others,” but 
 
108 THE world’s SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 lie has done and is still doing the very same thing. 
 As Dr. Watts expresses it— 
 
 “ My dear Redeemer and my Lord, 
 
 I read my duty in thy word; 
 
 But in thy life the law appears, 
 
 Drawn out in living characters.” 
 
 And here I ask, what more could the Savior do 
 than he has already done for a lost and perishing 
 world. Laying aside the robes of his glory, he vacated 
 the central seat upon the great white throne. Stoop¬ 
 ing from heaven to earth, he took upon himself not 
 the form of holy angels, hut the form of sinful flesh, 
 “ and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled 
 himself unto death,” even the ignominious death of the 
 cross. Though he was rich, possessing the cattle upon 
 a thousand hills, and all the gold and silver, and, 
 finally, all things both in heaven and in earth, yet he 
 became so poor as not to claim a spot,of earth large 
 enough on which to lay his aching head, that we 
 through his extreme poverty might become rich! 
 While on earth he denied himself of ease, “ going 
 about everywhere doing good.” 
 
 “ Cold mountains and the midnight air 
 Witnessed the fervor of his prayer; 
 
 The desert his temptation knew, 
 
 His conflict, and his victory, too.” 
 
 We all remember his agony in the garden, where 
 “ his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling 
 down to the ground” ; and how he was betrayed into 
 the hands of sinners; and how, exercising upon his 
 almighty power a counter-omnipotence, “ as a lamb 
 led to the slaughter,” he suffered himself to be 
 
THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 109* 
 
 dragged into that mock tribunal, there to listen to the 
 awfully false and insulting accusations heaped upon 
 him, and “ as a sheep dumb before his shearers” “ he 
 opened not his mouth ” ; aud how he submitted to the 
 unjust condemnation, and was derided, and blindfolded,, 
 and buffeted, and spit upon, and crushed beneath the 
 heavy cross upon his shoulder, and, finally, dragged 
 to Calvary and stretched upon the rugged wood, and 
 his tender hands and feet pierced,, mangled, and torn 
 by rough spikes, and his side by the spear; and, sus¬ 
 pended between the heavens and the earth, in great 
 agony, not only asking for water to cool his parched 
 lips and slake his burning thirst, and, instead, receiv¬ 
 ing vinegar mingled with gall, but crying out, “Eloi,, 
 Eloi, lama sabachthani ? ”•—My God, my God, why hast 
 thou forsaken me ? And gave up the ghost. Such, 
 dear friends, was the infinite condescension, the humil¬ 
 iation, the poverty, the toils, the sufferings, and the 
 death of Jesus Christ for a lost and perishing world. 
 What more could infinite wisdom and goodness devise,, 
 or omnipotent power execute, to rescue and save every 
 perishing soul ? “ Go thou, and do likewise.” “ He 
 
 that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to 
 walk, even as he walked.” And may the time not be 
 distant when such shall actually be the fact on the part 
 of every one of Christ’s professed followers, and thus, 
 very soon, the Savior, through them as an instrument 
 in his hands, be the conqueror of the world. 
 
110 
 
 THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 vUHRISTIAN OBLIGATION CONTINUED.—ITS NATURE ANE 
 
 FULFILLMENT. 
 
 Having now, upon the world’s conversion to Christ, 
 established its possibility and the infinite obligation 
 to undertake the work as a whole, and to do all within 
 the power to accomplish it, I again propose, by the 
 aid of the Holy Spirit, to continue this part of the 
 -subject, discoursing more particularly upon the nature 
 of the obligation as to its contents , and what is con¬ 
 sistent and inconsistent with it. In special, what it ex¬ 
 cludes. 
 
 1st. Christian obligation admits of no narrow¬ 
 ness. The Savior would not have his children spiritual 
 dwarfs; that is, narrow, contracted, selfish, and par¬ 
 tial in their attempts to save souls. In their every 
 effort to please and glorify God and save the perish¬ 
 ing, he would have them entirely unselfish, impartial, 
 and thorough. He would have their spiritual vision, 
 hearts, and labors so enlarged as to embrace the whole 
 human family, and their every act, word, or deed con¬ 
 template the final and complete triumphs of his king¬ 
 dom throughout the world. If ever the Savior looks 
 down with pity upon and is disgusted with and 
 ashamed of his children, it is, doubtless, whenever 
 and so far as they allow their desires, aims, and 
 efforts to save souls to be influenced and biased by 
 selfishness, caste, and clannishness. 
 
 2d. Certainly, Christian obligation admits of no 
 unholy selfishness. For unholy selfishness is the quin- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. Ill 
 
 tessenee of sinfulness. And hence, whenever and so 
 far as a professing Christian indulges in unholy self¬ 
 ishness, thus far he is more like a sinner than a 
 Christian. Besides, self is not another. But the gos¬ 
 pel is to be preached to others. The light is to so shine 
 that others may see; and hence, so far as a professing 
 Christian, in seeking the good of others, indulges in 
 unholy selfishness, thus far he is acting in direct vio¬ 
 lation of gospel law and in opposition to God’s will. 
 The most effectual way, therefore, to be blessed is to 
 do all that can he done, not simply to benefit one’s 
 iself, hut to bless others. 
 
 3d. Much less does Christian obligation admit of 
 caste and clannishness. Caste and clannishness are relics 
 of barbarism. And hence, whenever and so far as a 
 professing Christian indulges in. either, thus far he is 
 more like a barbarian than a Christian. Caste and 
 clannishness consist in respecting men’s persons on ac¬ 
 count of the accidents of life; such, for example, as 
 those of birth, color, education, and position in so¬ 
 ciety. For instance, preferring to others those of our 
 own nation, our own color, our own education, our 
 own wealth, our own position, etc.; having respect 
 to relationships, to the color of the skin, to a 
 “gold ring,” to a pretty face, to a fine dress, to a full 
 purse, to a cultivated mind, and to what is considered 
 and represented as a high position in society. Doubt¬ 
 less all will admit that in Christian efforts to save 
 souls there is apt to be far too much of the scribe and 
 Pharisee, and very much too little of the good 
 Samaritan. Yet, at the same time, it must be admit¬ 
 ted that human nature is such it is very difficult in¬ 
 deed to divest the mind of all prejudice, and entirely 
 keep out of the mind and heart such unhallowed #le- 
 
112 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 merits, and thus wholly prevent the desires, aims, and 
 efforts in saving souls from being influenced and 
 biased by such selfish, sinful, and barbarous prin¬ 
 ciples. The reason of this is because unholy selfish¬ 
 ness, caste, and clannishness are about as natural to 
 sinful beings as their own existence. It is about as 
 natural for a sinner to prefer some to others as it is 
 to breathe; but spiritually that is not right. For we 
 do not read : “ Go ye, therefore, into this or that part 
 of the world, preach simply to this or that tribe, clan, 
 or nation; to this or that color, to this or that indi¬ 
 vidual, to man in this or that condition or position.” 
 But what saith it: “ Go ye, therefore, into all the 
 world and teach ” (or disciple) “ all nations, and preach 
 the gospel to every creature.” And hence all caste 
 and clannishness, as well as unholy selfishness, are 
 diametrically opposed to the spirit and teachings of 
 Christianity, and in violation of gospel law, and dis¬ 
 pleasing to Jesus Christ. Consequently, every such 
 thing can not be too carefully avoided in undertaking 
 this world’s conversion to Christ. 
 
 4th. Christian obligation admits of no spiritual 
 indifference or inactivity. Spiritual indifference consists 
 in a want of spiritual interest. A want of spiritual 
 interest is exemplified by spiritual stupidity, inat¬ 
 tention, and a want of spiritual sympathy. And 
 hence, whenever and so far as a professing Christian 
 indulges in spiritual indifference, he cares nothing 
 for the interests of Zion, God’s glory, nor the salva¬ 
 tion of souls. To him it makes no difference whether 
 the cause of Christ is upheld or overthrown, whether 
 God is honored or dishonored, whether the soul is 
 lost or saved. An awful indifference! And from 
 what the Savior said to the Laodicean church, it 
 
/ 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 1 IB 
 
 seems that spiritual indifference is one of the very 
 worst diseases with which a church or a professing 
 Christian can he infected; for, said he, “I would that 
 ye were either cold or hot, but because ye are luke¬ 
 warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out 
 of my mouth. 5 ’ If, therefore, either a church or a 
 professing Christian wishes to nauseate -Christ’s in¬ 
 finite soul and become a stench in his nostrils, and 
 finally be vomited forth as a loathsome and disgusting 
 object, let him indulge*in lukewarmness or spiritual 
 indifference. Indeed, preferable to Christ is a state of 
 open rebellion, to a -stupid, listless, and hypocritical 
 indifference. Spiritual inaction consists in unchris¬ 
 tian neglect and sinful activity. One can not pos¬ 
 sibly refuse or neglect to obey Christ and not at the 
 same time submit to and obey Satan, his worst ene¬ 
 my ; for, as has already been shown, nothing can be more 
 evident than that inaction in the service of the one is 
 action in the service of the other. Now, what can be 
 more displeasing to the Savior than for one pretend¬ 
 ing to be a friend and follower of his and yet at the same 
 time submit to and serve his worst enemy ? Such, how¬ 
 ever, is the unavoidable result of spiritual indiffer¬ 
 ence and inactivity; and hence both can not be too 
 carefully avoided.C Besides, spiritual indifference and 
 inaction are directly opposed to spiritual life and activ¬ 
 ity., But Christ’s command implies the highest and 
 most glowing spiritual life, and includes the most ener¬ 
 getic and persevering activity; and hence all spiritual 
 indifference and inaction are not only in Violation of 
 gospel law, hut displeasing to Jesus Christ. And 
 hence, too, whenever and so far as a professing Chris¬ 
 tian possesses and manifests more interest in temporal 
 
 than spiritual things, he is indulging in spiritual indif- 
 8 - 
 
114 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 ference and inactivity and living in violation of gospel 
 law. And hence, too, whenever and so far as a pro¬ 
 fessing Christian refuses or neglects to discharge both 
 public and private spiritual duties, forsaking the closet, 
 neglecting the family, and refusing to attend and take 
 part in religious meetings, and “ to give of his sub¬ 
 stance as the Lord has prospered him”—and thus to 
 expend a portion of his time, strength, and property 
 in Christ’s service—thus far he is indulging in spiritual 
 indifference and inactivity and living in opposition to 
 God’s will. And here it must be admitted that at the 
 present time especially there seems to be in the world 
 very much more theoretical than practical Christian¬ 
 ity. If, however, in this community, or in any other, 
 there are any professing Christians of the selfish caste, 
 and clannish stamp, possessing and manifesting more 
 interest in temporal than spiritual things, and thus in- 
 dulgingin spiritual indifference and inactivity, may the 
 time not be distant when here and everywhere else 
 every such clog to Zion’s wheels shall be removed, and 
 “ the word have free course, run and be glorified,” the 
 evangelizing work unimpeded, and the vast multi¬ 
 tudes now spiritually dead, imperiled, and perishing 
 rescued as brands from eternal burnings. Thus much 
 as to what Christian obligation excludes. 
 
 We will now attend to what it includes, and what 
 is consistent and inconsistent with it. And here we 
 Will state that in order to the fulfillment of Christian 
 Obligation in general, it includes a proper realization 
 of the importance of a correct understanding not only 
 of what duty is, but that it has been discharged. In 
 special— 
 
 ’ 1st. It is very important that every Christian 
 understand ivhat there is for him to do toward the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 115 
 
 evangelizing work, for without this knowledge it is 
 impossible for him to know that he has done all 
 within his power; because to know that one has done 
 all within his power before knowing what there is for 
 him to do would be knowing what is not known, 
 which, you perceive, would be a contradiction. 
 
 2d. It is equally important that every Christian 
 understand that he has actually done all icithin his power 
 towards the work; for without this knowledge it is 
 impossible to know that, in this respect, he has obeyed 
 Christ. Obedience to Christ consists in doing what 
 he requires. Since, therefore, as has already been 
 shown, he actually commands his professed followers 
 to do all within their power to conquer this world 
 spiritually, no one can know that, in this respect, he 
 has obeyed Christ until he knows that he has actually 
 done all he can possibly do towards the evangelizing 
 work. 
 
 3d. It is equally important that every Christian 
 understand that, in this respect, as well as in every 
 other, he has actually obeyed Christ; for without that 
 knowledge it is impossible to know whether he is in 
 a position for good or harm, and to be blessed or 
 punished. How, the position for blessing or punish¬ 
 ment arises from the position for either good or harm. 
 The Savior can not consistently bless one in a posi¬ 
 tion for harm; and hence a position for harm is a 
 position for punishment instead of blessing. Again, 
 the position for good or harm arises from obedience 
 or disobedience to Christ. Since, now, the Savior 
 requires nothing only what is for the best, and will 
 bless those who obey him and will punish those who 
 do not, it follows that whenever and so far as a pro¬ 
 fessing Christian obeys Christ, he is doing what is for 
 
116 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 the best and is in a position for good, and to be 
 blessed; but whenever and so far as he fails to do so, 
 he is in a position for harm, and to be punished. An 
 awful position! A worse position can not possibly 
 be occupied than that of disobedience to Christ. 
 For— - 
 
 1. It is God-dishonoring. Every professing Chris¬ 
 tian pretends, at least, to be a true representative of 
 God’s will to man. Since, now, God is a benevolent 
 being, and prefers the best good of his creatures, noth¬ 
 ing properly represents his loving and holy will except 
 what tends to the greatest good to the largest num¬ 
 ber. And hence, - since the evangelizing work has 
 that tendency in the highest degree, so far as profess¬ 
 ing Christians engage in that work, thus far and'no 
 farther do they properly represent God’s will to man. 
 And hence, whenever and so far as they fail to do so,, 
 they are not only doing what is for the worst and an 
 injury to all, but their conduct implies that God is a 
 malevolent being, and prefers the injury of his creat¬ 
 ures to their good. This, now, is terribly God¬ 
 dishonoring, since it is an awful calumny upon his 
 character and misrepresentation of his loving and 
 holy will. 
 
 2. This, again, is very Christian-afflictive. For 
 the Savior will not very long suffer, without severe 
 punishment, one of his children thus to malign, mis¬ 
 represent, and dishonor God among men. Sooner or 
 later the severe rod of affliction will rest upon all 
 such; for, said he, “ That servant which knew his 
 Lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did ac¬ 
 cording to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.. 
 But he who knew not, and did commit things worthy 
 of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes.” From, 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 117 
 
 this it seems that whether a Christian understand or 
 misunderstand what is duty, so far as he disobeys 
 Christ he must be punished. And we all know that 
 when the Savior strikes it is not in vain, but that his 
 every blow is apt to be terribly severe. Probably 
 nothing is more true and evident than the scripture 
 where it says, “Many are the afflictions of the right¬ 
 eous.” But if it be equally true, which it is, that 
 “when a man’s ways please the Lord, he will cause 
 ■even his enemies to be at peace with him,” it follows 
 that when the righteous are afflicted, it must be be¬ 
 cause of disobedience, or because their ways do not 
 -entirely please the Lord. Doubtless to the single 
 cause of disobedience may be referred all the afflic¬ 
 tions of the righteous from the first conversion until 
 the present time, not even excepting the persecutions 
 of the Middle Ages. Then, to disobey Christ and thus 
 to occupy a position for harm, instead of good, is not 
 only terribly God-dishonoring, but awfully Christian- 
 afflictive. 
 
 3. And the worst of all, it is soul-ruining. Yot to 
 do all within one’s power to save souls, and thus con¬ 
 quer this world spiritually, is to act in opposition to 
 both, standing in one’s own light and the light of oth¬ 
 ers, and, instead of enlightening the world and saving 
 the perishing, intensifying the spiritual darkness and 
 gloom in which man is naturally enshrouded. Said 
 the Savior, “ Ye are the light of the world. If, there¬ 
 fore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is 
 that darkness.” And again : “ Ye are the salt of the 
 earth. But if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith 
 shall it be salted ? It is thenceforth good for nothing 
 but to be cast out and trodden underfoot of men.” 
 That is, worse than useless. Every professing Chris- 
 
118 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 tian out of the path of duty is like a voluntary floating' 
 light-house out of the proper channel, which, instead 
 of guiding aright the storm-hound and danger-envi¬ 
 roned mariner, leading him to certain destruction by 
 deceiving and drawing him on to the very shoals or 
 reefs it was designed to point out and enable him to 
 avoid. If the impenitent would neither look up to nor 
 follow a professing Christian only so far as he is right, 
 the case would be very different. But such is not the 
 fact; for, from the vast multitudes of idolaters and the 
 very many droves which frequently herd after error- 
 ists, it seems that the impenitent are more apt to look 
 up to and to follow a professing Christian when he is 
 wrong than when he is right. 
 
 Indeed, nothing is probably more true and evi¬ 
 dent than that man is naturally a religious being, 
 and more apt to take up with a false religion 
 than a true one. And- hence, whenever and so far 
 as a professing Christian happens to get wrong, 
 it seems that then his influence is much more potent 
 for harm than it is for good when he is right. If any 
 doubt this, let them not only read and reflect upon the 
 history of paganism, but carefully note and consider 
 the influence and results of Roman Catholicism, one of 
 the most false, arrogant, deceptive, corrupt, and ruin¬ 
 ous spiritual delusions that ever blighted and cursed a 
 fallen world, sin itself not excepted. Doubtless vast 
 numbers, if not a large proportion of the human fam¬ 
 ily, have been led astray and eternally ruined by means 
 of individuals assuming the Christian name, and then, 
 instead of living consistent with their profession, have 
 stepped aside into a forbidden path, and thus occupied 
 a position for harm instead of good, and to be punished 
 instead of blessed. Such a position, therefore, is one of 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 119 r 
 
 the very worst that can possibly be occupied in this 
 world. And hence the infinite obligation as well as ther 
 infinite importance not only that we thoroughly un¬ 
 derstand the position we do really occupy as professing 
 Christians, but that we do all within our power to save 
 souls, and thus carefully avoid such a God-dishonoring, 
 Christian-afflictive, and soul-ruining position as that 
 for harm. For, again, nothing can be more evident 
 than that by so doing is the only possible way to avoid 
 such an awful position, because so far as one fails to 
 do so he disobeys Christ, and so far as he thus dis¬ 
 obeys such is his actual position; besides, a position 
 for harm instead of good not only deprives one’s self 
 as well as others of vast and invaluable blessings, but 
 it tends to defeat the very object of the atonement, 
 and thus to render worse than useless all that Christ 
 has ever done, said, or suffered for a lost world. FTow, 
 this thought and fact of themselves should be suffi¬ 
 cient to make every Christian very anxious not only 
 to understand what there is for him to do towards the 
 evangelizing work, but very earnest and active in try¬ 
 ing to find out what is duty and to discharge the same. 
 
 But to understand anything, of course requires more 
 or less attention and investigation. And hence, if 
 there be a realization that even proper attention has 
 not been given to the subject, much less is there a con¬ 
 sciousness that it has been properly investigated; much 
 less that what is duty is properly understood ; much 
 less that it has been discharged ; much less that Christ 
 has been obeyed ; much less whether one is in a posi¬ 
 tion for either good or harm, and to be blessed or 
 punished. What an awful doubt! Can there pos¬ 
 sibly be a worse doubt than to doubt that one prop¬ 
 erly understands what is for the best in relation to 
 
120 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 God’s glory, an immortal soul, and especially an end¬ 
 less state of existence ? Doubtless the response of 
 every really sensible person is, a worse doubt there can 
 not possibly be. And yet is not such the doubt of 
 every professing Christian so far as he is conscious 
 that he has not properly inquired, much less under¬ 
 stood, what there is for him to do towards this world’s 
 conversion to Christ? 
 
 low, who and how many professing Christians do 
 you think.have given proper attention to this subject? 
 and do actually understand what there is for them to 
 do towards the work? and especially that they have 
 done all within their power to accomplish it ? And 
 thus in the past have obeyed and are now obeying 
 Christ; and have thus occupied and are now occupy¬ 
 ing a position for good instead of harm, and to be 
 blessed instead of punished? Says one, “Such is not 
 my consciousness” ; says another, “ Such is not mine.” 
 And if a response could be obtained from all professing 
 Christians, would each and every one exclaim, “Such 
 is not my consciousness ” ! That is, every professing 
 Christian conscious that he has not given proper at¬ 
 tention to one of the most important or momentous 
 questions that could possibly occupy the human mind, 
 and consequently more liable to misunderstand than 
 to have a proper knowledge of it, and to have dis¬ 
 obeyed Christthantohavedoneasherequires; andthus 
 in the past have occupied, and now occupying, a posi¬ 
 tion for harm instead of good; impeding the evan¬ 
 gelizing work, dishonoring God, and ruining souls, 
 rather than doing what can be done to overcome the 
 powers of darkness, and thus save a perishing world. 
 What an awful consciousness! And perhaps, to a 
 greater or less extent, such may be the consciousness 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 121 
 
 of every professing Christian. Now, whether this be 
 so or not is known only to God and to those who best 
 understand the throbbings of their own spiritual pul¬ 
 sations. But a consciousness that one has very much 
 desired to know, and tried to find out, what is duty 
 and discharge the same, is a very different realization 
 than that, perhaps, after all, duty may neither be fully 
 understood nor discharged, for such may be the trying 
 apprehension of the very best Christian. Those who 
 have desired the most to know and tried the hardest 
 to find out what is duty, and to discharge the same, 
 may have failed to a certain extent, and be more or 
 less conscious of their failure. But those who are 
 thus anxious, active, and apprehensive, you will find, 
 will always be very much pained with any realization 
 of spiritual ignorance and short-comings, and con¬ 
 stantly redoubling their diligence in seeking spiritual 
 lifrht and life, and to become more active and efficient 
 in Christ’s service. 
 
 What, however, should be thought of the man or 
 woman who, professing to be Christians and more or 
 less conscious of spiritual ignorance and short-com¬ 
 ings, yet at the same time can hear, read, and reflect 
 upon this subject with perfect indifference ? Is such 
 spiritual apathy at all possible on the part of one in 
 whose heart there is the slightest spark of piety ? I, 
 for one, think not. And hence, show me a person thus 
 spiritually indifferent, and I believe that I can show 
 you a Simon Magus, or one who has never had any 
 experimental knowledge of Christianity. Every truly 
 converted person considers everything in relation to 
 God’s glory and the salvation of souls of infinite 
 importance, and is naturally very anxious about what 
 he ought to be and to do in Christ’s service ; and very 
 
122 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 earnest and active in trying to find out what is duty y 
 and to discharge the same. And hence, if any one is 
 
 not thus solicitous, interested, earnest, and active, 
 
 •% 
 
 there is no evidence at all that he is a Christian. For 
 said the Savior, “ Ye are my friends, if ye do whatso¬ 
 ever I have commanded you.” Since, now, the Savior 
 requires every professing Christian to do all within 
 his power to subdue this world spiritually, so far as 
 he fails to do so, thus far he disobeys Christ, and 
 shows that he is no friend of his. And, of course, if 
 not a friend of Christ, not a Christian at all. Again 
 said he—and his language is very radical and severe— 
 “ He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his com¬ 
 mandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 
 So far, therefore, as one fails to do all within his power 
 to conquer this world spiritually, and thus disobeys 
 Christ, it is more evident that he is a liar and that the 
 truth is not in him than that he is a truthful person 
 and a Christian. If any, therefore, are not very solicit¬ 
 ous, interested, earnest, and active about this world’s 
 conversion to Christ, they should not deceive them¬ 
 selves with the thought that they are Christians at 
 all; for nothing can be more evident from the Sav¬ 
 ior’s language than that every truly converted per¬ 
 son will thus live in perfect harmony with his com¬ 
 mands and the welfare of souls. And here, with the; 
 poet, every one should inquire : 
 
 “ Am I a soldier of the Cross, 
 
 A follower of the Lamb ? 
 
 And shall I fear to own his cause, 
 
 Or blush to speak his name ? 
 
 ‘ Must I be carried to the skies 
 On flowery beds of ease ; 
 
 While others fought to win the prize, 
 
 And sailed through bloody seas? 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 12& 
 
 0 
 
 “ Are there no foes for me to face— 
 
 Must I not stem the flood? 
 
 Is this vile world a friend to grace— 
 
 To help me on to God ? 
 
 “ Sure, I must fight if I would reign.” 
 
 Yes, all must fight if they would reign. And here 
 we may exclaim, away with the “flowery beds of* 
 ease” and give us the “ bloody seas” Christians ; for 
 no others possess the spirit of Christ, nor are any 
 others of any account in this or in any other com¬ 
 munity; nor will any except such ever succeed in 
 subduing this world to the Savior. 
 
 “ All very well,” says one, “but it is much more 
 easy to preach than to practice.” Very true. And 
 yet, suppose the Savior had thus argued and re¬ 
 mained in the heavens what would have become of 
 a lost and perishing world ? Had Christ felt, argued, 
 and acted like many professing Christians with 
 respect to the evangelizing work, every soul would 
 have perished eternally. Plain talk, but true. And 
 here I ask, how many professing Christians of the 
 present time have any proper idea of the real bone 
 and sinew of spiritual life ? The prevailing notion 
 now entertained seems to be simply to get religion 
 and get to heaven. The ideal of the interval between 
 conversion and death seems at present to be made up 
 mostly, if not entirely, of “ flowery beds of ease,” 
 cushioned pews, or sliding-downhill up to heaven. 
 The object for which Christ came, was crucified, es¬ 
 tablished the Church, and left his children in the 
 world, seems to be almost wholly out of sight. Chris¬ 
 tian obligation, duty, and labor, and the necessity and 
 utility of Christian work, seem to be but little under- 
 
124 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 i 
 
 stood and less realized. The solicitude and efforts of 
 many professing Christians seem to be simply for 
 ease, the adornment of the body, and to make a show 
 in the world. And now what I am about to say I 
 will admit is quite close and cutting, and perhaps by 
 some may be considered rather too severe; but let no 
 one suppose that I have become his enemy because I 
 tell him the truth. 
 
 4th. Having noticed the source and some of the 
 reasons for Christian obligation, we will still continue 
 the consideration of its nature, and again inquire 
 what is necessary to its fulfillment ? Condescension, 
 humiliation, self-denial, poverty, toils, persecution, 
 ignominy, suffering, and perhaps death itself, may be 
 necessary. “ If so,” says one, “ I pray thee, have me 
 excused.” Yes, doubtless, many can say that. But 
 at the same time they do not wish to be excused from 
 conversion, church membership, cushioned pews, 
 “flowery beds of ease,” religious finery, frivolity, and 
 glorification j much less from heaven at last. And 
 here I ask, how any one can expect to die the death of 
 the righteous unless he lives his life? “ What,” says 
 another, “you do not now propose to throw profess¬ 
 ing Christians into the gospel scales and w T eigh them 
 by the side of Christ, that infinite and holy one?” 
 Nothing less, dear friend; for, at last, w T hen weighed 
 before God’s flaming bar for the deeds done in the 
 body, nothing less than Christ will be in the opposite 
 scale; nor will any one be accepted only so far as his 
 character and conduct correspond with those of the 
 Savior. “ Well,” says another. “ say nothing about— 
 
 1. Christian condescension , especially .the conde¬ 
 scension mentioned in the Scriptures, for it reads, 
 4 Condescend to men of low estate/” How, if it had 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 125 
 
 read differently, if it had read “ Condescend to men of 
 high estate,” doubtless it would have been much more 
 agreeable to very many even pretending to be Chris¬ 
 tians. But agreeable or disagreeable, it reads as it 
 reads; and such, too, is alone the condescension all 
 must submit to to imitate Christ’s example and ful¬ 
 fill Christian obligation. Now, if I mistake not, there 
 is in the Christian community a class who not only 
 consider themselves, but are considered by others, of 
 high estate. Such, however, generally think and talk 
 very much about the high-minded, the upper circles, 
 \he first, second, and third families ; and are very care¬ 
 ful to observe not only the customs, but especially the 
 style of said families, and to see to it that all who 
 flock together are of the same feather; and are fre¬ 
 quently heard to say, “We do not associate with such 
 or such a family or individual, because they lack style, 
 or wealth, or education,” or something else of that 
 kind. Now, it is to be deeply regretted that there 
 are any of that character and conduct among pro¬ 
 fessing Christians, but it is too true to be denied. And 
 even those considered and represented as the second 
 or middle class, like the middle of the loaf, seem to- 
 be constantly aspiring to those considered and repre¬ 
 sented as the upper-crust—though sometimes badly 
 scorched. A loaf of bread quickly baked, the upper 
 and under crust badly scorched and the middle thor¬ 
 oughly done, is doubtless one of the best illustrations 
 of the different classes of society. Now take it either 
 way, as it relates even to professing Christians, and 
 you will find that those denominated the upper-crust 
 are generally, if not always, badly scorched; at least, 
 they generally appear very crusty, brittle, and bitter 
 whenever desired to condescend to any in their owa 
 
126 
 
 THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 estimation lower than themselves. And even those 
 called the middle class, though'the better of the two, 
 are yet not always what they should be; for a part of 
 them seem to be unwilling to condescend to any of 
 either state, high or low, while the rest, for the most 
 part, are willing to and do generally condescend to 
 men of high estate, but seldom, if ever, to men of low 
 estate; and thus, too, oil the part of about every pro¬ 
 fessing Christian, whether of the one class or of the 
 other. “ Wnat,” says another, shocked by such 
 statements, “does the preacher mean that I am to 
 make a companion of and associate with those poor, 
 penniless, old-fashioned, ignorant, awkward, and per¬ 
 haps dissolute creatures everywhere to be found ?” 
 Now, let no one be too hasty in his conclusions, for 
 doubtless in even caskets of corruption are to be found 
 jewels of unlimited value. Suppose, for instance, that 
 a professing Christian of any class, high or low, should 
 happen to know that in a mass of awful corruption 
 there was an invaluable jewel, which, if obtained, 
 would make him a millionaire, and which, too, could 
 alone be obtained by his own personal efforts, do you 
 think there would be any hesitancy in doing all within 
 his power to secure such a prize, though in doing so 
 every stroke of the pick or spade should start a stench 
 almost intolerable? Doubtless, to obtain a large 
 amount of this world’s goods such would be the inter¬ 
 est felt and course pursued by nearly, or quite, every 
 professing Christian, young or old, male or female; 
 but when it comes to the precious immortal and inval¬ 
 uable soul—hands off*! Though it be in the midst of 
 thieves, “ all covered o’er with sinful gore,” wallowing 
 in its blood and corruption, and constantly exposed 
 to endless death, yet it is either too mean or too poor, 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 127 
 
 or both, to be noticed by the unchristian priests and 
 Levites passing on either side. For shame on such 
 hard-heartedness, haughtiness, and folly! Dear 
 friends, where can we now find the good Samaritans, 
 always ready and willing to “condescend to men of 
 low estate,” and thus do what they can to raise from 
 the sinful gutter the dissolute, the licentious, the in¬ 
 temperate—and even, too, the poor, though in other 
 respects respectable? Right or wrong, in my judg¬ 
 ment they are few and scattering. And here let the 
 heady, high-minded inquire: “ What great difference, 
 after all, between men with respect to purity and sig¬ 
 nificance',? Is not every one, in a state of nature, 
 about the same ? Is not every man naturally fallen 
 and totally depraved? And the heart of everyone, 
 without a radical change ‘ deceitful above all things 
 and desperately wicked ? ’” True, the corruption in 
 one may come out rather more than it does in another, 
 but yet is it not naturally in the heart? If so, why 
 should one feel himself so much above and superior 
 to another ? Was it any superiority or purity in man 
 that drew the Savior from skies ? Rather, was it not 
 the reverse of this? Was it not man’s lowness, cor¬ 
 ruption, and awful exposure that caused him to de¬ 
 scend to earth? Yes Jesus Christ, the infiuite and 
 eternal one, could lay aside the robes of his glory and 
 “condescend to men of low estate,” stooping from 
 heaven to earth to pick up from the sinful gutter 
 such unworthy, corrupt, degraded, and insignificant 
 or miserable creatures as sinful men. Yet some of 
 his professed followers can not so much as soil their 
 kid gloves, much less silk dresses, especially fine 
 broadcloth; much less deny themselves of any case, 
 wealth, finery, frivolity, or grandeur to save a lost and 
 
128 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 perishing soul. No, they lack wealth, or education, 
 or especially style, or are somewhat too dissolute to 
 be noticed by such line, fashionable, well-educated, 
 wealthy, rich-dressed, and especially stylish profess¬ 
 ing Christians. No, they would not be seen to look 
 at, much less to bow to, much less to shake hands 
 and associate with, such low, miserable creatures ; no, 
 not even sufficiently to talk to and pray with them. 
 No, no; they are altogether too exalted, too superior, 
 too knowing, and especially too line and stylish to 
 have anything to do with beings no lower, nor per¬ 
 haps as low as themselves, before their professed con¬ 
 version. Not so, however, the Savior, the all-wise, 
 the all-powerful, and the infinite King of the universe; 
 he could stoop, he could condescend to men of very 
 low estate to save and give to them an immortal 
 crown. For shame on any of his professed friends 
 who to the utmost of their ability are not willing 
 thus to condescend. But in condescending to men of 
 low estate, it is not meant that one is to so conde¬ 
 scend as to adopt their bad habits and imitate their 
 sinful practices, but to possess and manifest such a 
 deep interest in their eternal welfare as to show to 
 them that he greatly longs for their salvation. And 
 this, too, can be done without either injuring or low¬ 
 ering one’s self in the estimation of either God or 
 man. 
 
 Indeed, much of what has now been said is very 
 plain and quite severe, but I think all will admit that 
 at the present time especially there is great occasion 
 for just such statements. And in accord with the 
 same is the following extract from a discourse of 
 Robert Hall. In speaking of martyrs, he said: “ The 
 example of these holy persons should be a reproof to 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 129 
 
 the lukewarmness of many professing Christians. 
 Can we suppose that Christianity was in primitive 
 times at the same low state as at present? Were 
 these martyrs to return again and see the general- 
 state of religion, and the practice of some ” (and very 
 many now, we can add) 44 in attending the theater, 
 where the name of God and the sanctity of religion 
 are sported with ; were they to see the rapacity of the 
 rich, or the venom of party spirit which prevails, 
 they would inquire : 4 Where are the traces of martyr¬ 
 dom? Are these the successors of those who believe 
 
 > 
 
 the world must be renounced, and that the kingdom 
 of heaven must be taken with violence ? ’ You 
 reason upon the lawfulness of amusements until 
 you retain all but your religion. They astonished 
 the world by their sufferings; you by the portentous 
 magnitude of your vices. They sought the favor of 
 divine Providence, and took nothing by violence but 
 the kingdom of God; you let go immortality to se¬ 
 cure wealth, and leave large legacies to your children 
 or friends, at the expense of lifting up your eyes in 
 torment in a future world. Would not these be the 
 sentiments of primitive Christians ? What remains, 
 then, but that we examine our steps ? Though we do 
 not now 4 reach so high as they did,’ yet 4 we may reach 
 even higher.’ Martyrdom may be considered as the 
 expression of those principles which are, in their 
 spirit, obligatory and common to all Christians. If 
 we are under the influence of the world, that spirit 
 will lead us to renounce Christianity, if it he not 
 done already ; and if we have not renounced the love 
 of the world, it is evident that our feet will never 
 stand in that blessed place where they sing the song 
 of Moses and the Lamb. Let us not be slothful, but 
 
 9 - 
 
130 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 followers of them who, through faith and patience, 
 are now inheriting the promises. Let us kindle our 
 dying lamps at their heavenly fires. Jesus Christ, the 
 great protomartyr, says, ‘ If one will be my disciple, 
 let him come after me.’ As we expect eternal hap¬ 
 piness, let us seek it in this way, for he has led the 
 path.” Oh, for the time to come when such shall be 
 the fact, and when, in imitating Christ, not only with 
 respect to condescension, but in other respects, there 
 shall he a mighty reformation throughout the world; 
 and when the impenitent will be constrained to say : 
 “ See not only how those brethren agree, love, and 
 harmonize, but how they sympathize and work to¬ 
 gether; and especially how they long and work for 
 the conversion and salvation of every sinner—high or 
 low, rich or poor, bond or free, learned or ignorant.” 
 For when that time shall have arrived, the victory 
 will soon be ours, and Jesus Christ be the conqueror 
 of the world. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 CHRISTIAN OBLIGATION CONTINUED.-WHAT IS NECESSARY, 
 
 AND OBSTACLES TO ITS FULFILLMENT. 
 
 Having now, upon Christian obligation, noticed 
 partially its contents and what is necessary to its ful¬ 
 fillment, I again propose, by the aid of the Holy 
 Spirit, to continue this part of the subject, dwelling 
 more particularly upon what is necessary, and obstacles 
 to its fulfillment. 
 
 2. Another thing necessary to the fulfillment of 
 Christian obligation is self-denial; denying one’s self 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 131 
 
 not only of wealth and becoming poor, but of ease , 
 going about everywhere doing good.” 
 
 1.) “ Indeed,” says one, “ say nothing about deny¬ 
 
 ing one’s self of ivealth and becoming poor, for that 
 matter is more easily thought and talked about than 
 practiced, and hence the less is said about it the better.” 
 True, such may be the sentiments of many, but, at 
 the same time, is it wise thus to treat a subject? Why 
 be mealy-mouthed about a matter? Why not look 
 facts square in the face, and think, talk, and act about 
 them just as they really are ? Some, from their con¬ 
 duct, seem to suppose that Christ’s instructions and 
 commands are meaningless, and all that is necessary 
 is simply to think and talk a little about them, and, 
 at the same time, think and talk of just about nothing. 
 That is, for instance, when the Savior says, “He that 
 saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, 
 oven as he walked,” he does not mean it all, especially 
 with respect to giving up all of one’s wealth. Is this 
 ■so ? When the Savior says to his professed followers 
 that they “ ought to walk even as he walked,” does he 
 not mean that they should do so with respect to giving 
 up wealth, as well as in every other respect, so far as 
 possible? Doubtless he does; and believed or dis¬ 
 believed, done or not done, when summoned into his 
 presence to give an account for the deeds done in the 
 body, and to be judged according to those deeds, every 
 one w T ill find that such is verily the fact. “ Weighed 
 .again,” says another, “ and found wanting,” for but 
 very few, if any, have condescended as did Christ, 
 much less given up all their wealth, as he did, and 
 become poor that others through their poverty might 
 become rich. Yes, the dear Savior could give up all 
 
132 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 of his almost infinite amount of wealth that others 
 through his extreme poverty might become rich, while 
 many of his professed followers can make others very 
 poor to become rich themselves, and also make their 
 unconverted children or relatives wealthy; and still 
 others can scarcely give up even a tithe, or tenth, of 
 their wealth, as small as it is, that others through even 
 that slight self-denial might become rich. What a 
 terrible contrast! But so it is. Perhaps, now, some 
 may think that the present course of reasoning is upon 
 an improper extreme, and object to such infinite con¬ 
 trasts; but, at the same time, they must admit that it 
 is not beyond what Christ actually did, and requires 
 his children to do, and that no other comparisons better 
 represent the infinite difference between him and those 
 who fail to imitate his example. And here it may be 
 noted that there are two different ways in giving up 
 all of one’s wealth. One is to entirely put it out of 
 one’s own hands into the hands of another. Another 
 is to give it all to Christ in such a way as to realize 
 that nothing belongs to us, and then hold property 
 simply as a steward. Like, for instance, two pious and 
 wealthy brothers: Once, when called upon for a con¬ 
 tribution to a meeting-house, they quietly remarked 
 to each other: “True, we have some of the Lord’s 
 money, and it is not a question at all as to the duty of 
 giving, but where shall we give it?” Then they said 
 to the one who had called upon them, “ State your 
 case.” He did so; after which they said, firmly but 
 kindly, “We have more urgent calls.” And, of course,, 
 the one who had called upon them could not reason¬ 
 ably urge his plea any further, because it was evident 
 that those brothers were not only holding their prop- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 133 
 
 ♦ 
 
 erty as stewards for God, but had determined to so 
 dispose of it as to secure to others the largest amount 
 of riches. That was perfectly right. 
 
 Now, it would not be proper, nor a zeal according 
 to knowledge, for one engaged in secular business to 
 give up all his property and entirely put it oat of his 
 possession, because a portion, at least, of this world’s 
 goods is needed by such as a means of usefulness. 
 The farmer, for instance, could do nothing without his 
 farm and utensils ; nor the merchant without his store 
 and merchandise; nor the manufacturer without his 
 factory and material; nor the mechanic without his 
 shop and tools; and so on of what is needed in con¬ 
 nection with the other kinds of secular employment. 
 But though farms, stores, merchandise, factories, 
 material, shops, tools, and other things needed in 
 lawful secular business should be retained by those thus 
 employed, yet they should be held, considered, and 
 used simply as the Lord’s property; and every penny 
 arising from their use, except what is needed to sus¬ 
 tain those thus engaged, should be expended in Christ’s 
 service and in behalf of souls. Now, how many pro¬ 
 fessing Christians do you think have thus held and 
 used and are now holding and using all their prop¬ 
 erty? In my judgment, if there are any at all, they 
 are very few and scattering. Perhaps, however, 
 many may say that they have never had riches like 
 Christ to give up and become poor as he did. This 
 may be true. But who and how many can say that 
 they have actually remained poor that others through 
 their poverty might become rich ? Doubtless, if no 
 one else, every true minister of the gospel can say that. 
 And here let us now try Christians by the least possi¬ 
 ble weight upon this point, and see how many can be 
 
134 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 ¥ 
 
 weighed and not found wanting in giving up even & 
 tithe, or tenth, of their riches, that others through 
 even such slight self-denial might be blessed and 
 saved. Are there many of even that class ? Not 
 many. How very singular that in this respect there 
 should be such a great disparity between Christ and 
 his professed followers. But so it is. 
 
 2.) Another thing indispensable to the fulfillment 
 of Christian obligation is denying one’s self of ease , 
 and going “ about everywhere doing good ” ; and, if 
 need be, submit to persecution or opposition and abuse,, 
 and, perhaps, death itself in his “ labors of love.” Now,, 
 professing Christians, as well as others, are much ad¬ 
 dicted to going “ about.” As we pass around we fre¬ 
 quently meet with them, going from place to place y 
 from house to house. But the all-important question 
 is, what are they doing as they go ? Not always what 
 is good. Observe their appearance and listen to their 
 conversation. Frequently nothing can be seen but 
 haughtiness, fashion, and show; nor anything heard ex¬ 
 cept about money-making, the fashions, politics, gos¬ 
 siping, evil speaking, frivolity, and nonsense. “Ah,” 
 says one, “ such persons, in the Scriptures, are repre¬ 
 sented as ‘ busybodies.’ ” Yes, and they are “ bodies ” 
 very “ busy,” too, about what is bad; and, at the same 
 time, perhaps, members of some one of the different 
 denominations. Others seem to be a very quiet sort 
 of “ bodies,” gliding about from place to place, havings 
 scarcely anything to say or to do anywhere or> about 
 anything. And hence, so far as good is concerned, are 
 a spiritual blank, not only to themselves,?but espe¬ 
 cially to others. And it must be admitted that gener¬ 
 ally, if not always, the world is much better off’ with¬ 
 out them; for, if one is not doing good as he goes 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 135 
 
 about, he is actually doing harm, because, with re¬ 
 spect to action, right or wrong, the life of no one can 
 possibly be a blank. And here, as I have before stated 
 I will again repeat, inaction is action. Inaction in 
 what is right is action in what is wrong. Inaction in 
 the service of Christ is action in the service of Satan. 
 Consequently, every one, as he goes about, must nec¬ 
 essarily and constantly do either good or harm. Hot 
 doing good is doing harm; and hence the life of no 
 one can possibly be a blank. Ye are my witnesses, 
 saith tbe Lord.” How, for a witness to be of any ac¬ 
 count, he not only must testify, but must testify right. 
 Hot testifying at all implies that nothing is known to 
 testify. And not knowing anything to testify, further 
 impliQS that nothing can be known to testify. And 
 hence not testifying positively for a thing is at least 
 negative testimony against that thing, for it implies that 
 there was‘ nothing to be testified ; which again implies 
 that all testimony is false. And hence not testifying 
 positively for Christ is at least negative testimony 
 against him. However much, therefore, one may pro¬ 
 fess to be a wfitness for Christ, so far as he fails to tes¬ 
 tify positively for him, thus far he is proving himself 
 to be a witness.for Satan, because thus far hrs testi¬ 
 mony is against rather than in Christ’s favor; and 
 certainly so far as he thus testifies, he is Satan’s wit¬ 
 ness. Indeed, there is no neutral^ ground; that is, a 
 position in which a professing Christian is doing 
 nothing at all, neither testifying for nor against 
 Christ, because not testifying for Christ is testimony 
 against him, and doing harm instead of good. It is, 
 therefore, again evident that every professing Chris¬ 
 tian must necessarily and constantly do either good 
 or harm wherever he is or wherever he goes. Doubt- 
 
.136 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 less this point is too little understood and realized. 
 .To obviate this difficulty, therefore, let us now attend 
 to the different parts of the Church, or the spiritual 
 army, and inquire as to its condition and what is nec¬ 
 essary to its success. 
 
 1. For instance, take ministers. Who are they? 
 They are a class of officials in the Church, or 
 spiritual army, occupying the place next to Christ, 
 one of the highest and most responsible positions 
 that can he conceived. Now, ministers, like others, 
 go about very much. But how do they go ? Simply 
 as an officer. Nor from the time they are put into 
 that position until they are relieved from it can they 
 go in another way. They are generally looked up to, 
 considered, and treated as such. And hence, in going 
 about they can not be too careful to have their every 
 act accord perfectly with the high, holy, and awfully 
 responsible position which they occupy. Again: 
 An officer is expected to understand the instructions 
 and will of his superior. And here, after a few re¬ 
 marks upon the character of God’s word, I propose 
 to point out a satanic secret which I think but very 
 few have in mind. God’s word contains no non¬ 
 sense. Every part of it possesses an almost infinite 
 meaning. Whether figurative or literal, it always 
 represents an entity, and one, too, generally—if not 
 always—incomprehensible. Every doctrine*it con¬ 
 tains is inexhaustible, and every character it men¬ 
 tions has an actual representative. Certainly God’s 
 word contains no myths; that is, everything it con¬ 
 tains, whether of doctrine or of character, is an 
 entity and has a real existence. Consequently, all 
 that is there said about Satan, the old Serpent, tlffi 
 Devil, represents a real being, though, like other spir- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 137 
 
 itual beings, to the natural eye invisible; yet of great 
 intelligence, and going about as an awful deceiver 
 and a most malignant hater and opposer of all good. 
 
 Now, these statements have been made to disabuse 
 the mind of the adroit suggestions and deceptions 
 which Satan, concerning himself, has succeeded in 
 practicing upon it. Many seem to suppose that 
 though Satan is a real being and intelligent, etc., yet 
 at a great distance from them; and hence that if 
 beset by any evil suggestion or temptation, it arises 
 not from Satan, but either from their own evil nature 
 or from some other human being. This thought 
 brings us to the secret we would disclose. It is this : 
 that doubtless every propensity of human nature, 
 good or bad, and every disadvantage to human beings 
 that has ever been discovered, have been carefully 
 noted by Satan, and are being used to the utmost of 
 his ability to involve the whole human race in the 
 same ruin to which he himself is eternally doomed. 
 Here, doubtless, is the secret of the great disorder in 
 the Church, or the spiritual army. In its going about 
 there is a vast amount of evil doing, as well, true, as 
 some good doing. 
 
 ^ Now, I do not wish to be too severe, much less to 
 misrepresent; but, if I mistake not, said disorder 
 arises to a very great extent, if not entirely, from a 
 great defect in the character and conduct of many 
 ministers. But in making this statement, let no one 
 misunderstand me; for though it be true that “like 
 priest, like people,” yet doubtless it is equally true 
 that like people, like priest. That is, , disorders sel¬ 
 dom, if ever, exist alone. If not co-ordinate, they 
 are at least reciprocal. If they exist at all, therefore, 
 ©very one is more or less guilty. Some may originate 
 
138 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 and others aid and abet; and I believe those who aid 
 or abet an evil are considered as guilty and treated as 
 severely as those who originate that evil. And thus, 
 by inevitable fate, the whole spiritual army is driven 
 on pell-mell, in order or out of order, to one point— 
 God’s flaming bar; where Adam can not say that 
 Eve w T as wholly guilty, nor Eve that the Serpent was 
 wholly guilty, but where Adam, Eve, and the Ser¬ 
 pent will all find that wherein and so far as they have 
 either originated or encouraged evil they must sutler 
 the consequences of their crime. And hence every 
 one can, if he will, easily perceive how infinitely im¬ 
 portant it is that every part of the spiritual army 
 see to it that it neither originate nor aid or abet dis¬ 
 order and evil. 
 
 The reason, however, that the great disorder 
 everywhere apparent in the spiritual army arises to a 
 very great extent from a defect in the character and 
 conduct of ministers is because the laity in the 
 Church, or privates in the army, naturally look up to 
 their leaders as qualified for their position and famil¬ 
 iar with the instructions of their superior; and not 
 only knowing how, but disposed to lead them into all 
 truth. Right here, now, is where we discover the 
 departure from the correct path, and find the great 
 defect in the minister. For in following a minister 
 that is wrong, all go wrong. But how came the min¬ 
 ister to be wrong? In regard to this, now, all may 
 be more or less guilty. In the first place, the Church 
 may have been wrong. It may have been too, care¬ 
 less, prayerless, and selfish in the'matter. It may 
 have laid its hands too hastily upon an individual; 
 or, after setting him apart to the work of the minis¬ 
 try, it may have withheld from him the means neces- 
 
THE WORLDS SPIRITUAL CONQUEST, 1 
 
 sary to his qualification. Ia the second place, all this 
 may have arisen from a lack of instruction by minis¬ 
 ters. And thus both laity and minister become more 
 or less accountable and responsible for the great dis¬ 
 order and all its terrible consequences. 
 
 Dear friends, whatever it may be to you, to me 
 there is nothing more awful, solemn, and important 
 than the matter we are now considering. For, in my 
 judgment, there is nothing concerning which Chris¬ 
 tians should be more watchful and prayerful, for 
 
 probably there is no point at which Satan is more 
 
 * 
 
 earnest and active, because, doubtless, he understands 
 as fully as a finite being can that any defect in the 
 character and conduct of ministers will produce a 
 corresponding disorder and disaster throughout the 
 spiritual army, and be to him one of the most effectual 
 aids possible in his work of dishonor and death. 
 
 Here, doubtless, we come to the principal secret 
 and the main cause of the great disorder among the 
 leaders themselves. Satan is constantly playing 
 tricks. If possible, now, he will have the attention 
 in two opposite directions at the same time, and thus 
 confuse the whole scene. Accordingly he will push 
 one class of professing Christians to the extreme of 
 no ministerial education at all, inducing them to be¬ 
 lieve in the immediate inspiration of what has already 
 been inspired. Another class he will push to the ex¬ 
 treme of either an improper training or attaching too 
 much importance to the education itself and too 
 little importance to piety, a special call to the minis¬ 
 try, and the operation of the Holy Spirit in connec¬ 
 tion with the education. And thus the Devil in the 
 past has stalked abroad, and is now running to and 
 fro throughout the spiritual army cutting up all 
 
140 THE world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 sorts of antics with the leaders themselves, throwing 
 both laity and leaders into an awful confusion and 
 having a general dance and jubilee over the whole. 
 
 Indeed, how long before the whole of Christ’s 
 professed followers will wake lip to Satan’s devices, 
 and arise with one accord and resist and under God 
 overcome his deceptive power, and go about nowhere 
 doing harm, but everywhere doing good ? Hot until 
 they become more spiritually wise, devoted,, watchful, 
 prayerful, earnest, and active. And now, after a little 
 instruction to the different classes in the Church, I 
 must leave this part of the subject. 
 
 And 1st to ministers. And— 
 
 1. To ministerial teachers , or that part of minis¬ 
 ters whose duty it is to aid other ministers in a prep¬ 
 aration for their work. How, these ministerial 
 teachers go about as do others. But is there a class 
 who should be more careful about what they do as 
 they go? I, for one, think not; for right here is 
 where about every spiritual error and 'evil will be 
 either originated and perpetuated or discovered 
 and corrected. And hence the iniinite importance 
 of the whole Church especially remembering min¬ 
 isterial teachers at a throne of grace, that they 
 may not be left even to embrace, much less to in¬ 
 culcate error. And as well as for the whole Church 
 thus to be very solicitous for them, they should, 
 too, “ take very earnest heed ” to themselves. And 
 to do this, I assert positively that even no minister, 
 much less a teacher of ministers, has any right 
 to accept of anything as spiritually true until he 
 knows from his own actual investigation that it is 
 such; or, in other words, there should be no unnec¬ 
 essary guess-work about what a minister believes and 
 
/ 
 
 ' 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 141 
 
 does. If ever there was a class who “ ought always, 
 to he prepared to give a reason, ” and a good reason 
 too, for all he believes and does, it is ministers, and es¬ 
 pecially teachers of ministers. As Sir William Hamil¬ 
 ton suggests in regard to the study of philosophy, 
 should every minister, and especially instructor of 
 ministers, begin his whole religious belief with a 
 -^practical doubt ”; not, however, to end in doubt, but 
 to end in one of the most searching and thorough in¬ 
 vestigations possible, and an actual knowledge of 
 what is positively correct or incorrect in all he holds 
 to, inculcates, or practices. And here I venture that 
 there is not one out of a thousand of even these minis¬ 
 terial instructors who in the whole of his religious belief 
 and practice has been thus scrupulously exact with 
 himself, with his fellow-men, #nd with his God. Oh, 
 for the good time to come when there shall be in this 
 respect, as well as in many others, a radical and 
 thorough change ; for in my humble judgment, when 
 that time does come, all spiritual disorders and evils 
 will very soon disappear. 
 
 2. Another class in the Church to be mentioned 
 are ministerial students. ISTow, ministerial students 
 should be just as careful about what they receive from 
 their instructors as teachers are about what they im¬ 
 part to their pupils, for ministerial students may possi¬ 
 bly become instructors of ministers; or, if not, they will 
 go out into the wide world where every one will 
 naturally look up to them as the proper leaders of 
 Israel, well qualified for their position and disposed to 
 guide aright. If, therefore, they happen to be care¬ 
 less and prayerless about the instructions received, 
 they may possibly embrace error and go astray them¬ 
 selves, and lead all others astray; and thus, instead of 
 
142. THE world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 doing good as they go about, do a vast amount 
 of harm. 
 
 3. Especially should that class called pastors be 
 very careful what they do as they go about, for their po¬ 
 sition is very peculiar, responsible, and trying. Indeed, 
 all under-shepherds should be proper ensamples to 
 their flocks. Ministerial teachers , in studiousness, 
 thoroughness, and chaste deportment, especially in 
 piety and zeal for Christ, should thus he proper en- 
 samples to the flocks of students around them. 
 Evangelists , in their piety, zeal, determination, and 
 perseverance, especially in their unwavering faith, 
 love, wisdom, harmlessness, fearlessness, and concilia¬ 
 tory demeanor, should thus be proper ensamples to 
 the flocks of churches with which they come in con¬ 
 tact. Pastors especially, in going out and in among 
 the people of their charge, should, by a kind, concilia¬ 
 tory, impartial, and correct deportment, be very care¬ 
 ful thus to present a pattern of good works and to 
 hold up a standard of piety and devotion which would 
 constrain all to say, “There is indeed a reality in the 
 religion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I need it and 
 must have it.” 
 
 « 
 
 4. And finally, another class in the Church to 
 be mentioned is the laity , or the privates in the spirit¬ 
 ual army. They especially should be of the right 
 stamp; strictly a volunteer, soundly converted, per¬ 
 fectly loyal, and ready for every good word and work. 
 No one should be admitted to the ranks of the 
 righteous until he thoroughly understands not only 
 what he is and what he ought to be, but especially 
 that there is a vast amount of work to be done, and 
 that to the utmost of his ability he will be expected to 
 .aid in its accomplishment. I have no sympathy at 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 14S 
 
 all with that theory which includes, for any Christian, 
 any indolence, cowardice, or inactivity. The duty is 
 the same to improve the one talent as to improve the 
 two or the five. And even women are commanded to 
 have their adornment “ not of the embroidery of the 
 hair, but of good works.’* There is, therefore, work 
 for all, and every one is required to do his part. Oon- 
 -sequently, that theory which exempts one Christian 
 from work any more than another is very false. 
 Indeed, as soon as any one is received into the Christian 
 ranks, he should he informed, if he does not know, 
 that there is a special work for him to do, and that, 
 like any raw recruit, he is naturally unacquainted with 
 the weapons and the exercises of the spiritual warfare, 
 and that he is expected to enter at once upon a course 
 of instruction and drilling for his especial work. 
 Nor should there be, on his part, any fearful ness, 
 unwillingness, or hesitancy in doing so. At the same 
 time, it is equally true that both the teacher and the 
 taught can not be too careful and prayerful about the 
 instructions imparted and received. Nor should any¬ 
 thing be accepted as correct only what is actually 
 known to be perfectly in accord with Christ’s spirit, 
 teachings, and example. 
 
 Doubtless there has always been a great defect in 
 both of these respects. In the first place, since the 
 time of the apostles there has always been too much 
 carelessness about the instructions imparted and 
 received. In the second place, there is at the present 
 time not only a great defect in the teaching, but espe¬ 
 cially in the drilling of the spiritual forces. There 
 are, now, a number of things which conspire to pro¬ 
 duce and perpetuate these disorders. 
 
 1. One is a great defect in the character and train- 
 
144 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 ing of the instructors and drillers themselves. E"ot 
 having been properly taught and trained themselves, 
 they are not prepared to instruct and drill others. 
 
 2. Another is a great defect in the character and 
 training of the spiritual forces. And here come up: 
 
 1. ) The older members of the Church, who should be 
 the stanch veterans of the Cross, or the efficient 
 “fathers and mothers in Israel.” But not hav¬ 
 ing been properly instructed and trained as children, 
 they are unprepared to instruct and drill as parents. 
 
 2. ) This defect, again, goes back to the one who has 
 charge of both the parents and the children.. And 
 thus the driller and the drilled, the parent and the 
 child, grow up—or rather come up—very much alike, 
 without much knowledge, exercise, or efficiency on 
 the part of either. 3.) These defects, again, go back to 
 the instructors of the drillers. 4.) Their defects, again, 
 go back to the reciprocal tendency of all defects. And 
 thus, in regard to spiritual instruction and its applica¬ 
 tion in practice, great defects have arisen and are now 
 arising from the reciprocal tendency of all defects. 
 The great need of the hour, therefore, is not so much 
 the establishment of professorships for spiritual ethics, 
 as the establishment of professorships for spiritual 
 exercises. By spiritual ethics is meant all the instruc¬ 
 tions of a pure Christianity ; by spiritual exercises is 
 meant the application of those instructions in the 
 practice of Christians. Certainly, I think, all will 
 admit that the great need of the present time is not a 
 knowledge of, but an application of the spiritual 
 ethics. It is to be hoped, therefore, that the time is 
 not distant not only when all will insist upon a more 
 searching investigation and thorough understanding" 
 of all parts of the spiritual ethics, but when wealthy 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 145 
 
 Christians will begin to establish in our institutions of 
 learning professorships for spiritual exercises Indeed, 
 but very few theological and other instructors, as well 
 as their pupils, seem to properly understand the 
 drilling of the spiritual forces. For instance, bring 
 the most of them into a Sabbath-school, or prayer and 
 conference meeting, which are among the principal 
 and most important exercises or drills of the Church. 
 You will observe that the beginning of the exercise, 
 whatever it is, will be apt to be very drj^ and formal, 
 and the continuance and the end much worse than the 
 beginning. Is it any wonder, therefore, that under 
 such leadership such spiritual exercises frequently, if 
 not always, prove a bane rather than a blessing. Cer¬ 
 tainly there should be a radical change in this respect. 
 And hence, again, the importance of establishing in 
 our institutions of learning professorships for spiritual 
 exercises. 
 
 5.) Spiritual children , like natural, are very defect¬ 
 ive; and hence the infinite importance of the older 
 members of the Church being properly and thoroughly 
 prepared to instruct and train them up in the nurture 
 and admonition of the Lord. They lack instruction, 
 they lack knowledge, they lack experience, they lack 
 courage, they lack almost everything, except existence 
 and the powers for development. How, passing by the 
 most of their defects, let us, for instance— 
 
 (1.) Take a lack of inclination and strength, two of 
 the young convert’s greatest defects. Every part of 
 Christianity is naturally‘cross-grained to sinful nature. 
 The k whole natural being of the Christian, therefore, 
 is opposed to it. And hence, with the apostle, every 
 convert can exclaim, “ I discover a law in my mem¬ 
 bers warring against that of my mind.” Indeed, the 
 10 - 
 
146 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 Christian life is a warfare. It is, therefore, very diffi¬ 
 cult for the young convert to go forward. But his 
 every effort to do so will increase the growth and 
 strength of the new man, withering and weakening 
 the old; showing that if a proper course be pursued 
 with the spiritual child, he or she will soon become a 
 strong man or' woman in Christ, and a stanch veteran 
 of the Cross. And that course is proper instruction 
 and drilling. Every child grows by exercise. Every 
 muscle enlarges and' strengthens by use. Every con¬ 
 vert, therefore, develops and becomes strong and vig¬ 
 orous by means of spiritual activity. And hence, let 
 the spiritual child be properly instructed and drilled, 
 and in a short time he will become a strong, brave, 
 determined, and successful warrior in the service of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord 
 of lords. 
 
 (2.) Take, again, spiritual cowardice , another great 
 defect not only at the present time of about every old 
 one, but especially of every young convert. How, 
 whenever and wherever there is much of a man-fear¬ 
 ing or man-pleasing spirit, it “ brings a snare” from 
 which it is about impossible to extricate the Christian 
 to make anything of him. Because, while he is thus 
 scared to death at nothing, he will do scarcely any¬ 
 thing but jump at his shadow, and skulk and run. 
 Like, for instance, a volunteer offering himself for 
 military service. He is enrolled, equipped, and placed 
 in the ranks, and then ordered to shoulder arms, pre¬ 
 sent arms, rest arms, forward march ; but at once cries 
 out, “Captain, I don’t know how; these soldiers will 
 see me and laugh at me ” ; and thereupon throws down 
 his arms and runs. I ask, what would be thought of 
 him ? Again, bring a regiment of such soldiers upon the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 147 
 
 ~battle-field, and let the enemy rest arms, and point the 
 finger and begin to laugh, and thereupon that regi¬ 
 ment throw down their arms and run; I again ask, 
 what would be thought of such soldiers? Would 
 they not naturally be the laughing-stock of all time 
 and of the whole world ? Now, how singular that such 
 should ever have been the debasing cowardice of a 
 large proportion of the spiritual soldiery! But so it 
 is, and especially at the present time. Bo any doubt 
 it? If they do, let them urge professing Christians 
 to deny themselves of ease and of other fleshly gratifi¬ 
 cations, and work for Christ; to speak, pray, publicly 
 and privately, and do other things spiritually; and 
 thus, as faithful witnesses, testify of and for the Sav¬ 
 ior, and thus always abound in every good word and 
 work. Will they do it? Not all of them, certainly. 
 
 “ Well,” says one, “ I am nothing but a poor, weak 
 brother anyhow; and others think I am excusable, if 
 the preacher don’t.” “ Yes,” says a sister, “ my Church 
 don’t believe in women taking part. He needn’t 
 think I am going to do anything. He can’t convince 
 me.” And thus, when urged right up to the work, 
 very many will at once skulk and run; falling back 
 upon one subterfuge or another—that they are either 
 too young or too old, or too feeble, or have not thus 
 been taught, or don’t believe in it, or don’t know how, 
 or can’t, or won’t, or some one will see them or bear 
 them, or especially—and terrible indeed—point the 
 finger of scorn and laugh at them. Alas, alas! for 
 such nonsensical idiocy and debasing cowardice. But 
 note, all such statements are for the Bevil and against 
 Christ, and simply an excuse for either abject ignor¬ 
 ance, or debasing cowardice, or Satanic hypocrisy. 
 
148 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 Dear friends, is not a mighty reformation needed right- 
 in the Church, as well as in the world? What would 
 the present generation of professing Christians do> 
 should the “ perilous times ” come upon them through 
 which others have gone to a martyr’s grave? Would 
 not many be like the seed growing on stony ground,, 
 which was soon withered and disappeared? Scorch 
 the present generation of professing Christians with 
 the flames of persecution, as were the prophets, the 
 apostles, primitive Christians, and very many others 
 who have gone to the stake, and doubtless there would 
 be a mighty falling-off in these latter days. 
 
 Oh, for the good time to come when all will stand 
 up for Jesus; every excuse for Christ and against 
 Satan; all Christians saying they must do. this and. 
 that and the other thing because it is for the Savior 
 listening to and obeying his commands; doing by oth¬ 
 ers as they would have others do by them, and thus* 
 live consistent with their profession and imitate 
 Christ's example; indulging in no narrowness, much 
 less unholy selfishness, much less caste and clannish¬ 
 ness, much less spiritual indifference and inactivity: de¬ 
 siring to know and trying to the utmost of the ability 
 to ascertain and to discharge Christian duty, and thus- 
 abstaining from all appearance of evil; glorifying God 
 and thus walking worthy of the high vocation where¬ 
 with they are called; condescending to men of low 
 estate, as did the Savior, the King of kings and Lord of 
 lords; denying themselves of wealth, of ease, and espec¬ 
 ially of every nonsensical and frivolous thing, for the 
 sake of Christ and souls; fearing nothing nor anyone* 
 nor any number, except God and to do wrong; when 
 two duties come in competition, always neglecting the 
 
THE WORLD’8 SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 149 
 
 temporal to discharge the spiritual, and thus, all the 
 time, everywhere, and under all circumstances, “seek¬ 
 ing first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” 
 .assured that if it he done, the first shall he granted, 
 and all other necessary things, in both time and eter¬ 
 nity, shall be added; always disregarding and resisting 
 every suggestion and temptation to take such a course 
 as to make a false impression upon the minds of the 
 impenitent, and thus render worse than useless the 
 death of Christ, the preaching of the gospel, the oper¬ 
 ation of the Holy Spirit, and Christian labor; doing 
 all things with an eye single to God’s glory; their in¬ 
 fluence as the good salt of the earth, their “ light as a 
 -city on a hill, that can not be hid ”; all alive and afire 
 with the love of Christ and of souls—“going about” 
 through heat and cold, through floods and flames, at 
 home and. abroad, in public, in private, “everywhere 
 doing good,” knowing that by so doing is the only 
 possible way to imitate Christ’s example, to fulfill 
 Christian obligation, to glorify God and overcome the 
 powers of darkness, and save the souls of the perish¬ 
 ing, and conquer this world spiritually. 
 
 Doubtless, in what has now been said upon this part 
 of the subject, every one will perceive a standard of 
 piety and devotion not at the present time very much 
 insisted upon, much less adopted and carried out in 
 practice. Yet it is the standard of the Bible, and could 
 be and should be adopted; and the only standard, too, 
 that will ever succeed in this world’s conversion to 
 Christ. Are we, therefore, ready to hear the word of 
 command, to adopt the standard, and go forth from 
 conquering to conquer ? If so, as did the Apostle 
 James, let us “show our faith by our works,” for faith 
 
150 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 without works, like a body that is dead, is a soulless 
 faith, aud will be very much worse than nothing when 
 one is called to an account for the deeds done in the 
 body. 
 
I 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 151 
 
 PAET III. 
 
 The infinite importance of the evangelizing work, 
 (Rom. x, 14.) Having now, upon the world’s conver¬ 
 sion to Christ, established its possibility and infinite obli¬ 
 gation , I again propose, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, 
 to dwell upon its infinite importance. As much higher 
 as heaven is higher than earth is the evangelizing 
 work above all other kinds of employment. Any 
 one with any proper view of God’s immensity, the 
 vastness of the universe in which he lives, the magni¬ 
 tude of the plan of redemption, the unlimited value 
 and infinite peril of the soul and what is necessary to 
 its rescue and salvation, has but a very slight concep¬ 
 tion of the infinite importance of the evangelizing 
 work. And here I will state that the importance of 
 a work arises from its object , its necessity , and its 
 utility. A work the object of which is of no conse¬ 
 quence is unimportant. An unnecessary work could 
 just as well be dispensed with. A work having no 
 tendency to secure the object proposed is a waste of 
 time and strength and worse than useless. Hot so, 
 however, the evangelizing work. 
 
 SECTIOH I. 
 
 ITS OBJECT. 
 
 The evangelizing work, viewed with respect to 
 its object , is at once perceived to be the conception of 
 an all-wise, all-powerful, and an infinitely kind and 
 merciful Being, for its incomprehensible complication, 
 
152 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST, 
 
 its unlimited proportions and infinite results—extend¬ 
 ing not only to the utmost limit of time, but through¬ 
 out a boundless eternity—could never have occurred to 
 a finite mind. And here, omitting for the present its 
 infinite complications and unlimited proportions, 
 let us— 
 
 1st. Consider what great and glorious results it 
 contemplates as it relates even to time. The great 
 Sovereign of the universe, beholding this fair world 
 deranged and defaced by the foul hand of sin, would 
 again restore it to its original order and beauty. “ Go 
 ye, therefore,” said he, “ disciple all nations and preach 
 the gospel to every creature.” Now, all nations dis- 
 cipled through the preaching of the gospel, would not 
 this earth be a delightsome land, a heaven below? 
 Nothing less as it relates to time is contemplated in 
 the evangelizing work. 
 
 Then a large proportion of sin’s direful effects would 
 at once cease. Then all the different forms of idolatry, 
 licentiousness, intemperance, profanity, dishonesty, 
 crime, war, bloodshed, poverty, wretchedness, and 
 woe would at once disappear. 
 
 Then no missionaries nor missionary organizations 
 w r ould be needed. Then rapine, adultry, and forni¬ 
 cation would be unknown. Then the houses of ill- 
 fame, now filled with licentiousness, discord, and 
 crime, would be changed into peaceful dwellings, and 
 inhabited by loving husbands and wives and healthy 
 children. Then drunkenness and gluttony, distilling, 
 wholesaling, retailing, and drinking ardent spirits— 
 and their attendant diseases; degradation, poverty, 
 crime, and wretchedness,—would at once cease. Then 
 none with bloated faces, red eyes and noses, covered 
 with rags and dirt, would go staggering through the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 153 
 
 streets and wallowing in the mire with the swine. 
 Then every one would have too much respect for him¬ 
 self, for his Maker, and for his fellow-men, to engage 
 in the liquor traffic by either distilling, whole¬ 
 saling, retailing, drinking, or raising grain for the 
 distillery. If no one would raise the grain for nor 
 sell it to the distillery, no liquor could be distilled. 
 If none was distilled, it could neither be wholesaled, 
 retailed, nor drank. If all were subject to God’s will, 
 no one would engage in such a nefarious, unprinci¬ 
 pled, degrading, and ruinous business. If no one 
 would engage in such a mean and murderous business, 
 of course all its attendant evils would at once disap¬ 
 pear Then no drunken husbands, from drinking 
 dens, would go home to beat and abuse, to starve and 
 freeze a helpless wife and children. Then no broken¬ 
 hearted and enfeebled wives would go moaning in 
 sadness over besotted, degraded, diseased, drunken, 
 and brutal husbands. Then the children of poor in¬ 
 ebriates, half-clad, bareheaded, and barefooted, would 
 not starve nor freeze, nor die in ignorance and degra¬ 
 dation for want of the necessaries of life. In short, 
 if all were subject to God’s will, every one would be 
 strictly temperate—that is, abstaining totally not 
 only from drunkenness and gluttony, but from tobacco 
 and everything else injurious. 
 
 Then Sabbath-breaking would be unknown. All 
 the hunting, fishing, gambling, drinking, sailing, 
 riding, visiting, and feasting on the Sabbath would at 
 once be given up. Then the servant-girls now kept 
 at home to prepare sumptuous feasts for church-mem¬ 
 bers would be permitted to go to meeting as do 
 others, and thus attend to their soul’s interests and 
 keep the Sabbath-day as required in God’s word. 
 
154 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 Then none would be shocked nor pained by ob¬ 
 scene talk nor profane oaths, belching forth from cor¬ 
 rupt hearts and polluted mouths. 
 
 Then swindling and defrauding or cheating, and 
 all other forms of dishonesty, as well as lying, steal¬ 
 ing, robbing, murdering, and all such crimes would 
 be unknown. 
 
 What a delightful state of things if such were the 
 case. Nothing but good-will, virtue, and happiness 
 among men; no injuring each other in either char¬ 
 acter, person, or property; needing no bars, bolts, 
 locks, gibbets, state-prisons, nor any such things to 
 intimidate and restrain the lawless. All the doors 
 and windows left wide open in the midst of hot, 
 sultry nights; nothing at all intruding, except the 
 cool, refreshing breeze, and all this, too, within the 
 populous city. Every costly, precious thing within 
 the reach of every hand ; none, however, touching 
 aught except his own. “ No man looking upon his 
 own things, but every man also on the things of 
 others.” “No man seeking his own, but every man 
 another’s wealth.” However paradoxical and im¬ 
 probable tiiat, in this world of selfishness and crime, 
 one man should love and seek to make another rich, 
 yet such would actually be the fact were all subject 
 to God’s will. 
 
 Such, now, being some, if not all, of the glorious 
 results contemplated in the evangelizing work as it re¬ 
 lates even to time, can its importance in that respect 
 be estimated ? 
 
 2d. Much less can it be estimated as it relates to 
 eternity. All temporal advantages, however great and 
 glorious, are as nothing and but for a moment when con¬ 
 trasted with those of eternity. As much longer as eter- 
 
THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 155 
 
 nity is than time, and as much more durable as anoth¬ 
 er world is than this, does even the slightest eternal ad¬ 
 vantage surpass in grandeur, magnitude, and impor¬ 
 tance the whole of temporal blessings. Viewed as it 
 relates to eternity, the evangelizing work includes 
 every conceivable advantage. 
 
 From what a vast amount of suffering it proposes 
 to rescue the soul! Now, the sufferings of even one 
 soul throughout eternity will amount to very much 
 more than all the sufferings of the whole human fam¬ 
 ily from man’s creation to the world’s destruction, 
 multiplied any number of times. Nor does the 
 evangelizing work propose simply to prevent the 
 eternal sufferings of only one soul, but the endless 
 wretchedness of vast multitudes exposed to and sus¬ 
 ceptible of eternal burnings. 
 
 If, therefore, the object of the work was simply to 
 prevent suffering, any one can easily perceive that its 
 importance is far beyond computation. Its object, 
 however, is not merely to prevent such a vast amount 
 of suffering, but it includes all the possessions and 
 attractions of an heavenly and an endless develop¬ 
 ment in knowledge, power, and happiness in a state 
 of perfect holiness. From the one it proposes to de¬ 
 liver souls, putting them in possession of the other. 
 What the Savior by the atonement has made possible 
 the evangelizing work proposes to make actual. By 
 the atonement the Savior has made it possible for 
 the sinner to be saved. The evangelizing work pro¬ 
 poses, under God, to get the sinner to accept of salva¬ 
 tion and be saved. 
 
 In short, since the first, the highest, or principal 
 object of the work is God’s glory through the soul’s 
 salvation, its importance appears the most conspic- 
 
156 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 nous wlien viewed as it relates to the soul’s condition 
 .and value and danger. 
 
 1. The soul’s condition. Like the condemned cul¬ 
 prit awaiting execution in a prison from which escape 
 is impossible, is every sinner naturally exposed to 
 God’s wrath and eternal ruin. “ Sin is the trans¬ 
 gression of the law,” and 66 all have sinned and come 
 short of God’s glory.” Hence every one is naturally 
 condemned not only at the bar of God, but at the bar 
 of his own conscience. Continuance, therefore, in this 
 life is only a short respite or opportunity for repent¬ 
 ance and pardon before execution, and whether the 
 opportunity be improved or misiinproved, either par¬ 
 don upon repentance or execution in case of obsti¬ 
 nacy is as certain as the sinner’s own existence. 
 
 True, the impenitent can escape this life, but it is 
 equally true that without repentance they can not 
 possibly avoid eternal punishment. The object, there¬ 
 fore, of the evangelizing work is to get the condemned 
 sinner awaiting execution to repent and obtain pardon 
 before he is executed. Consequently, the importance 
 of the work is equal to repentance and pardon, which 
 together are equal to the soul’s value and its redemp¬ 
 tion. If, therefore, any one can estimate the value of 
 the soul and the value of its redemption, he can esti¬ 
 mate the importance of the evangelizing work, and 
 not otherwise, for the one is equal to the sum of the 
 other two. 
 
 2. The value of the soul arises from its nature , 
 susceptibilities , duration , and destiny. 
 
 The soul—what is it? and echo asks—what? Ho 
 one at all acquainted with the nature of things and 
 his own ignorance will attempt to describe the nature 
 of *the soul. All we do know or can know about the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 157 
 
 soul is from revelation and its phenomena or man¬ 
 ifestations. From these it is evident that the soul 
 consists in a combination of powers, the nature and 
 extent of which are far beyond either finite concep¬ 
 tion or human comprehension. 
 
 But though the soul in many respects is incompre¬ 
 hensible, yet enough is known about it to understand 
 that it is endowed with very great and wonderful sus¬ 
 ceptibilities. Now, it is these susceptibilities which 
 make the. soul so very valuable, and so very important 
 that it should be saved. 
 
 And here, passing over some of the more abstract 
 or metaphysical parts of the question, let us now for a 
 moment carefully reflect upon a very practical, yet at 
 the same time—to the impenitent, at least—dread re¬ 
 ality, the terrible consciousness of which the soul is 
 susceptible, and which is the basis and evidence of all 
 its other faculties. 
 
 Nothing can be more evident to the mind than its 
 own consciousness and what that consciousness reveals 
 or makes known. Every one knows that he can think 
 and reason and understand, and remember and reflect, 
 and love and hate, and W'ill and distinguish between 
 right and wrong, and enjoy pleasure and suffer pain, 
 and develop indefinitely. 
 
 Now, putting the transparent, the universal, and 
 the immutable law of an endless development with the 
 other powers of the soul, what a wonderful being we 
 have. “ What a mystery to man is man ! ” 
 
 Now, that the soul is susceptible of eternal develop¬ 
 ment may be as evident to the mind as its own ex¬ 
 istence. All know that the infant possesses all the 
 powers of the man in an embryo state, and that as soon 
 as born into the world those powers begin to develop,. 
 
158 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 the child progressing in physical stature and strength 
 and mental acquirements; that soon it can creep, then 
 walk, then talk, lisping the names of parents, learning 
 its A, B, C’s, spelling, reading, writing, and pursuing 
 the higher branches of knowledge. And thus, too, 
 Christians are represented as developing spiritually, 
 growing up from spiritual childhood to strong men 
 and women in Christ Jesus. 
 
 Indeed, nothing should arouse Christians more in be¬ 
 half of the impenitent, nor the impenitent more in their 
 own behalf, than this same law of endless development 
 of which the soul is susceptible. Annihilate the power 
 of development of which the soul is capable, and 
 then, perhaps, the amount of knowledge or guilt, 
 and the consequent enjoyment or suffering to which 
 the soul may attain during its existence, could quite 
 easily he determined. But as it is, it can not he done; 
 because the soul, being of endless duration, will de¬ 
 velop eternally in a state either of knowledge, power, 
 and happiness, or of sin, guilt, and wretchedness. 
 
 Such is our destiny. “ As the tree falls, north or 
 south, so it lies.” So the soul, in whatever condition 
 when it leaves the body, happy or miserable, in that 
 condition it must remain forever and ever. Oh, what 
 
 X ' 
 
 terrible opposites! What infinite extremes ! Still in 
 the one condition or the other; there is no avoiding 
 it. God’s word for it: eternally fixed, barred, bolted, 
 and locked either in the dark and gloomy vaults 
 and fiery caverns of hell, constantly increasing in sin, 
 guilt, and wretchedness, “where there is weeping 
 and wailing and gnashing of teeth, and where the 
 fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not ” ; or in a 
 state of bliss and inexpressible enjoyment, constantly 
 increasing in knowledge, power, and happiness, the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST, 159 
 
 cup ever enlarging and always running over, ever 
 -approaching the Godhead, but never arriving there; 
 forever basking in the sunlight of God’s countenance, 
 sharing his smiles and his glory, and taking large 
 draughts of his inexhaustible love in the midst of 
 holiness, surrounded with all the possessions, the at¬ 
 tractions, and the mansions of an heavenly inherit¬ 
 ance. 
 
 Now, the soul being of such a nature, and en¬ 
 dowed with such wonderful powers and susceptible 
 of such a vast amount of sin, guilt, and wretched¬ 
 ness, as well as knowledge, power, and happiness—and 
 eternally destined to either the one condition or the 
 other—can its value and the importance of its salva¬ 
 tion he estimated ? Count and comprehend the num¬ 
 berless ages, days, hours, and seconds of eternity, 
 then, and not till then, count and comprehend the 
 inestimable, the infinite, and the eternal value of an 
 immortal soul, and the importance of its rescue and 
 salvation. 
 
 3. Besides the impenitent are in infinite peril. Like 
 one slumbering in a burning building, unconscious of 
 his situation and danger, is every sinner naturally in¬ 
 sensible to his real condition, and liable at every mo¬ 
 ment to be consumed eternally. The flames of hell 
 are kindled around the sinner’s soul. Hence, when 
 one is converted he is represented as a “ brand” 
 plucked from the burnings.^ Asa “brand ”—that is, 
 something partially consumed. 
 
 All the evils within and without the sinner are the 
 effects of sin, and the flames destined eternally to 
 consume both soul and body forever increasing in 
 .severity, unless extinguished by the blood of Christ. 
 
160 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 All the uneasiness and wretchedness of a dis¬ 
 eased mind or body—and frequently they are terribly 
 severe—are hut a very slight foretaste of what is to 
 he endured hereafter, unless sin be repented of and 
 pardoned in this life. 
 
 “ Oh, what horrors hang around the second death,” 
 and what terrible dangers await the impenitent sinner! 
 Still he is slumbering in the arms of carnal security, 
 unconscious of his dreadful condition and danger. 
 Can there possibly be greater insensibility than is nat¬ 
 ural to the impenitent ? Alas! they are really “ dead in 
 trespasses and in sins.” Alive in one sense, but dead in 
 another; dead spiritually. How else can we account 
 for their spiritual apathy and sinful recklessness ? 
 
 True, like the leaf, at times they for a moment may 
 shake and tremble when the lightnings flash, the 
 thunders roll, and the tempest rages around them, but 
 as soon as all is over, like the senseless leaf, they settle 
 down again into a motionless quiet, seeming neither 
 to realize, nor at all to reflect upon their infinite peril. 
 “Eyes have they, but they see not-; ears, but they 
 hear not; neither do they understand.” They are 
 utterly destitute of a proper spiritual consciousness. 
 True, when death, from disease or from some other 
 danger, stares them in the face, they may think and 
 pray a little, and, perhaps, make a few good promises; 
 but as soon as the danger is past, all is again forgotten. 
 God’s bounties, entreaties, and judgments they alike 
 treat with indifference and contempt. The Holy Spirit 
 they grieve by resisting his wooings and strivings. 
 God’s bounties they worse than waste in riotous living, 
 and all his reproofs and judgments they set at naught, 
 and plunge themselves deeper and deeper into vice 
 
I 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 161r 
 
 and immorality, perhaps licentiousness and intem¬ 
 perance; or, if not into such flagrant, outbreaking 
 sins, into secret faults equally vile in God’s sight. 
 
 Thus they spend their days and nights, week after 
 week, month after month, year after year, perfectly 
 regardless of their danger and the awful consequences 
 of such a course of conduct. 
 
 Thus, in the past, a large proportion of the human 
 family has lived and died, and is now writhing and 
 will continue to writhe eternally in burnings, gnaw¬ 
 ings, and anguish. 
 
 If the sinner perceived his condition and danger 
 as they really are, would he, could he, for a moment 
 remain in such a state of perfect indifference? I 
 venture to affirm that, doubtless, before to-morrow 
 morning, every impenitent sinner in the world would 
 be soundly converted if he fully realized his awful 
 situation and danger. But, “ Ho danger, no danger,” 
 he says, because he perceives it not. 
 
 But can there possibly be any greater dangers 
 than naturally surround the impenitent? Bangers 
 from within and without; dangers from the elements 
 above and earth beneath; dangers upon the landf 
 and the sea; dangers from fire; dangers from water ; 
 especially from accident, the sword, famine, and 
 pestilence. 
 
 Life, indeed, is but a feeble light. How easily it 
 can be destroyed. Like the flickering blaze of a con 
 sumed candle the slightest breath can put out; like 
 a scorched and brittle thread the slightest weight 
 can break. 
 
 Besides, it is constantly unwinding. Who can 
 
 begin to conceive the velocity or swiftness with which 
 
 this life is unwinding, either up to a blissful heaven 
 n- 
 
162 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 or down to a burning hell ? Swifter than the whizzing 
 and humming spindles in a cotton-mill; swifter 
 than a cannon hall shot from a five-hundred-pounder; 
 swifter than thought; swifter than electricity upon 
 the telegraph wires; swifter than the lightning’s flash, 
 —is every one whirling through time to a boundless 
 eternity. 
 
 Every moment that passes snaps and takes a por¬ 
 tion of life’s fiber, leaving one moment less to live. 
 Hence one begins to die as soon as he begins to live, 
 because every expiring moment takes a part of this 
 life, hurrying one on and putting him nearer his 
 eternal destiny. 
 
 The body, too, is a very frail tenement. How 
 easily it can be destroyed. Like the bubble destroyed 
 i>y a touch. Were it not for the constant, watch- 
 care of an immortal mind, and the ever-wakeful 
 vigilance and preservation of an omnipotent God, the 
 body would very soon die and decay. How very 
 suddenly and by what a slight injury it is sometimes 
 destroyed. 
 
 Besides, the body contains within itself the 
 elements of dissolution. Planted deep in its vitals 
 are the seeds of death, ripening every hour. Nor 
 does any one know the moment they will bloom into 
 death, when soul and body must separate, the one 
 conveyed away to the dark and silent tomb, becoming 
 the food of worms; the other summoned into the 
 presence and before the flaming bar of a just God to 
 give a strict and impartial account for the deeds done 
 in the body, and, if unprepared to meet God, to be 
 consigned to a state of endless and indescribable 
 wretchedness. 
 
 The impenitent, too, are exposed not only to 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 163 
 
 natural death, but to eternal suffering. Let no one 
 deny this and contend that there is no such state as 
 that of eternal suffering; for if there be no eternal suf¬ 
 fering, there is no eternal happiness, because— 
 
 1 . From the source , the duration , and the nature 
 of the moral law, the one is as evident as the other. 
 
 1. ) The moral law grows out of the relation intel¬ 
 ligent beings sustain to God; hence it is as endless in 
 its duration as that relation. If, therefore, that rela¬ 
 tion continues eternally, so will the law ; and all who 
 are rational believe in the endless duration of that 
 relation. 
 
 2. ) All such, too, believe in the endless duration 
 of the reward and the penalty attached to the law, for 
 a law without a reward and a penalty is no law. 
 
 3. ) How, since the penalty must be the opposite of 
 the reward—and the reward is heaven, or eternal 
 happiness—the penalty must IzS hell, or eternal suffer¬ 
 ing. If, therefore, there he no hell or eternal suffer¬ 
 ing, there is no heaven or eternal happiness. To 
 deny, therefore, that there is such a state as that of 
 eternal suffering is virtually denying the existence 
 of a law, a law-giver, and everything else. Hence to 
 contend, as some do, that there is no such state as that 
 of eternal suffering is virtually contending that there 
 is no God, no law, no heaven, no hell, nor anything 
 else in existence. The one conclusion is as consistent 
 as the other. 
 
 2. But a state of eternal suffering is not only evi¬ 
 dent from the source, the duration^ and the nature of 
 the moral law, hut it is equally evident from the 
 object and the nature of the atonement. 
 
 1.) The object of the atonement is salvation; hut 
 
164 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 salvation from what ? “ From our sins/' say some, 
 
 without explaining in what sense we are to be saved 
 from our sins. “ To save us from our sins,” you per¬ 
 ceive, is a very vague expression without a full 
 explanation—the kind of expressions selected by those 
 who deny such a state as that of eternal suffering. 
 
 ISTow, there are but two possible senses in which we 
 can be saved from our sins. We must be saved either 
 from sinning or from the consequences of sin. If the 
 object of the atonement was to save entirely from sin¬ 
 ning, it failed in its object, for “ all have sinned.” If 
 from anything, therefore, it must have been to save 
 from the effects of sin, either in this life or in that which 
 is to com,e . If the object of the atonement was to save 
 entirely from the effects of sin in this life, it again 
 failed in its object, for all to a greater or less extent 
 are subject to those effects, even the very best Chris¬ 
 tians as well as the impenitent. If, therefore, the 
 object of the atonement was not to save entirely from 
 sinning, nor from the effects of sin in this life, if from 
 anything it must have been to save from the conse¬ 
 quences of sin in another state of existence. The 
 effects of sin, therefore, must extend into another life. 
 
 This, too, is admitted by a class called Restoration- 
 ists. But they deny that those effects are endless, and 
 contend that at some point in eternity all will have 
 suffered all they deserve, and be restored to a state of 
 perfect happiness. . According, therefore, to their 
 theory, the atonement was neither necessary, nor to 
 save from anything*because all are to suffer all they 
 deserve. 
 
 Such, however, is the conclusion of all who deny 
 such a state as that of eternal suffering, except those 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 1G5 
 
 who contend that the atonement was to save all, than 
 which a more subtle, deceptive, and destructive delu¬ 
 sion could not have been framed. 
 
 But finally such is the substance of the whole 
 theory of those who deny such a state as that of eter¬ 
 nal suffering; for it is, within itself, a contradiction, 
 denying what it affirms, representing God’s word as a 
 lie and Christ as a liar, and that certain doctrines are 
 correct, which, in fact, have not the slightest founda¬ 
 tion in truth. But enough. 
 
 2.) Note again, that the nature of the atonement 
 is a conclusive evidence of future and eternal suffer¬ 
 ing. The atonement consisted in the shedding of 
 blood, innocent suffering, and death. Now, if there 
 had been any other way possible by which God could 
 have been just and save the sinner, it is more reason¬ 
 able to conclude that he would have preferred that 
 way than that he would have allowed or even 1 en¬ 
 couraged innocent suffering. Or, in other words, if 
 any length of time or degree of suffering would have 
 satisfied the law and relieved the sinner from eternal 
 suffering, it is more reasonable to suppose that God 
 would have subjected the whole human family to that 
 length of time or degree of suffering than that he 
 would have sent his Son into the world to sutler and 
 die as he did. But since Christ has come and suffered 
 
 t 
 
 and died, thus making the atonement, it is evident 
 that there was no other way possible by which the 
 sinner could have been saved. 
 
 Hence that without the atonement every sinner 
 must have suffered eternally. 
 
 Hence that the object of the atonement was to 
 save from eternal suffering. 
 
166 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 Hence that there is such a state as that of eternal 
 suffering 1 , and every sinner is naturally exposed to it. 
 
 Again : The impenitent are not only thus exposed, 
 hut if they happen to die unprepared to meet God 
 they must suffer eternally, for the Savior says they 
 shall. Said he/ “And these ” (that is, those unpre¬ 
 pared to meet God when summoned into his presence) 
 “ shall go away into punishment eternal.” (Mat. xxv, 
 46.) True, in the old scripture version it reads, “ ever¬ 
 lasting punishment,” but in the original it reads 
 u eis kolasin aionion” ; eis, into; kolasin , punishment; 
 aionion,' eternal—into punishment eternal. 
 
 According, therefore, to Christ’s own word, there 
 is not only such a state as that of eternal suffering, 
 but those who happen to die unprepared to meet God 
 must suffer eternally. 
 
 Then the sinner’s eternal destiny, for good or ill, is 
 suspended upon every moment of this life. He can 
 not be both, nor can he be neither, and hence he must 
 be the one or the other at every moment. That is, 
 the sinner can not be both penitent and impenitent at 
 the same time, nor can he be neither penitent., nor 
 impenitent; hence he must be the one or the other at 
 every moment. 
 
 How, at every moment the sinner remains impen¬ 
 itent he is exposed to a state of eternal suffering, but 
 at the moment he repents and obtains pardon he is 
 relieved from such a state, and adopted as a son or 
 daughter into God’s family, and “made heir and joint 
 heir with Jesus Christ to an heavenly inheritance.” 
 
 Certal nly it is of infinite importance that the sinner 
 be relieved from such a state of awful exposure and 
 his eternal good secure to him at every moment. 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 167 
 
 Since, therefore, the object of the evangelizing work ia 
 to rescue the sinner from the one, putting him in pos¬ 
 session of the other, its importance must be infinite. 
 
 Again : The sinner is not only thus exposed, but 
 it is perfectly uncertain when , where , or how he will be 
 called from this life into another. 
 
 Who knows when ? In what year ? In w T hat 
 month of the year ? In what week of the month ? 
 In what day of the week? In what hour of the day? 
 
 In what minute of the hour? In what second of the 
 
 » —> 4 
 
 minute? Soon, very soon, the last tick of the clock 
 will come in the case of every one. But when ? The 
 Savior replies, “ In such an hour as ye think not v 
 therefore be ye also ready.” 
 
 Who knows where ? At home or abroad ? On 
 the land or the sea ? Among friends or foes ? Ho 
 one knows. 
 
 Who knows how f And we may ask legion, for 
 the different ways in which this life may be destroyed 
 are almost innumerable. 
 
 Besides, it is not only perfectly uncertain when, 
 where, or how the sinner will be summoned into the 
 presence of God, but he is liable at every moment to 
 die, and to be eternally fixed in a state of indescribable 
 wretchedness. Talk not of security and safety where 
 there is none. Ho greater dangers can possibly be 
 conceived than naturally surround the impenitent. 
 Suspended from eternity in time by the brittle thread 
 of life, they hang dangling between heaven and hell, 
 that thread liable at every moment to be severed and 
 they precipitated into the dark and fathomless abyss 
 of eternal despair. Life, indeed, is but a brittle thread 
 and feeble light; how easily it can be destroyed. Be- 
 
(168 THE WORLD S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 sides, it is constantly unwinding. Every moment 
 that passes takes a portion of this life, leaving one 
 moment less to live, lienee as soon as the ball of 
 Lite is received, it begins to unwind, and whizes with 
 lightning speed to its end. • 
 
 Is there no danger of sudden death ? Ask the 
 vast numbers who in the midst of apparent health 
 have instantly expired. 
 
 Is there no danger of death from violence ? Ask 
 the billions who have thus been killed; very many 
 by quarreling and fighting, by highway robbers and 
 midnight assassins, by wild beasts and poisonous rep¬ 
 tiles, and vast numbers more by wars, even in our 
 own favored land, as well as in other parts of the 
 world. 
 
 Is there no danger of death from tornadoes f Ask 
 the vast numbers who have been blown out of exist¬ 
 ence. 
 
 Is there no danger of death from lightning f Ask 
 the thousands who have been instantly struck dead 
 in their tracks. 
 
 Is there no danger of death from accident f Ask 
 the vast multitudes who in various ways have thus 
 •been killed; in traveling upon land or water, by 
 falling in walking, by horses running away, vehicles 
 overturning, boats upsetting, collisions on railroads, 
 
 . vessels taking fire, springing aleak, wrecking, strand¬ 
 ing, foundering, sinking, and the very many who 
 accidentally fall overboard. Is there no danger of 
 the ax glancing, the tree falling, the horse kicking, 
 i or being accidentally crushed by machinery, or shot, 
 or drowned? 
 
 Is there no danger of death from fire f Ask the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 169 
 
 millions who in the past, and of late at Boston, Chi¬ 
 cago, and other parts of the West and of the world, 
 have unexpectedly been burned up alive. 
 
 Is there no danger of death from famine f Ask the 
 multitudes who have starved and frozen to death. 
 
 Is there no danger of death from disease f Ask the 
 large proportion of the human family that has been 
 swept from the earth by the cholera, raging fevers, 
 and very many other fatal and destructive epidemics. 
 
 “ True,” says one, “ danger enough to others, but 
 not to me.” How does he know ? Talk of the safety 
 of an impenitent sinner! Talk as w T ell of the safety 
 of one in a burning building, unconscious of his situ¬ 
 ation and danger. Every impenitent person in health 
 even, and by his own quiet fireside, is in about as much 
 danger as the soldier upon the battle-field in the midst 
 of the fiercest action, the balls and shells whizzing in 
 every direction. The very air we breathe, the water 
 we drink, the food we eat, are fraught with death. 
 
 The shafts of death are Hying thick and fast around 
 the sinner, liable at every moment to penetrate life’s 
 vitals, withering the body, and launching the immortal 
 spirit into another world and an endless perdition. If 
 protected and preserved at all, protected and preserved 
 alone by an almighty shield and infinite mercy. But 
 that mercy slighted will soon be withdrawn; then 
 the impenitent are ruined, soul and body, for time and 
 eternity. Such is the object of the evangelizing work, 
 and such are some of the great and glorious results it 
 contemplates as it relates to both.time and eternity; 
 and such the condition, value, and danger of the soul; 
 and such its nature, susceptibilities, duration, and 
 destiny; and such its infinite peril, insensibility, ex¬ 
 posure, and liability. Yes— 
 
170 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 Hear, 0 heavens! and give ear, O earth! the 
 object of the evangelizing work is the subjugation, the 
 rescue, and the salvation of vast multitudes already 
 smoking and blazing in sin, from eternal burnings. 
 Hence it is of infinite importance, and should be car¬ 
 ried forward with the utmost dispatch and the most 
 vigorous energy. “ Go ye, therefore.” 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 ITS IMPERATIVE NECESSITY. 
 
 Again: Viewed with respect to its necessity 
 nothing can be conceived to be more imperative nor 
 of greater importance. Now, it would seem that 
 beings endowed with reason would not become so 
 awfully irrational as to suppose that when God uses 
 language signifying action, he means inaction ; or, if 
 action be required, it is of no consequence; yet such 
 is the strange anomaly among even professing Chris¬ 
 tians. For though God says, “ Go ye, therefore, into 
 all the world and teach ” (or disciple) “all nations,” yet 
 some seem to suppose that either action is not required, 
 or, if it be required, it is of no consequence. But not¬ 
 withstanding Antinomianism and all other isms to the 
 contrary, the evangelizing work is of the most imper¬ 
 ative necessity. 
 
 And here, with the apostle, let us inquire “ How” 
 the impenitent “ can believe in him of whom they 
 have not heard ? and how they can hear without a 
 preacher”? Or, in other words, how a single sinner 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 171 
 
 * 
 
 can be converted and saved without the use of Chris¬ 
 tian or human instrumentality ? 
 
 Now, not stopping to dwell upon this question ab¬ 
 stractly, let us at once inquire whether any such con¬ 
 version has ever occurred? Review the past, look 
 over the world, read history, search the records and 
 the Scriptures; can such a conversion he found ? In¬ 
 deed, very many were converted before Christ’s advent 
 into the world, and since then vast numbers have been 
 converted; but how was their conversion secured ? 
 In vain review the past, in vain look over the world, 
 in vain read history, in vain search the records and the 
 Scriptures; except, perhaps, Adam and Eve, I chal¬ 
 lenge the whole to produce a conversion which 
 was wholly secured without the use of Christian or 
 human instrumentality ? Aside from Adam and Eve, 
 such a conversion can not he found within the annals 
 of time. 
 
 I believe, however, Antinomians contend that the 
 Apostle Paul was such an example. They seem to 
 suppose that no instrumentality at all was used in his 
 conversion. That he believed in him of whom he had 
 not even heard, and that he actually heard without a 
 preacher, than which nothing can be more absurd. 
 But the apostle had'frequently heard of Christ before 
 his conversion; the gospel had frequently been 
 presented and confirmed to his mind, and he had been 
 urged to embrace and obey it, not only by the word 
 of mouth, but by the holy lives and sometimes suffer¬ 
 ings and death of those he was persecuting. The 
 apostle, therefore, was not one whose conversion was 
 wholly secured without the use of Christian or human 
 instrumentality. His faith, like all others had come 
 
172 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 “ by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” That 
 is, his faith had come by means of hearing the gospel 
 preached—that is, the preaching of the gospel had 
 been a means of preparing his heart to receive that 
 faith wdiich afterwards was bestowed upon him in 
 such.a miraculous manner. Hence when he said, 
 “ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by 
 the word of God,” he spoke from experience, for his 
 faith had come in that way; nor can we conceive how 
 else it could have come. 
 
 “ But,” asks one, “ are not all things possible with 
 God ? ” But returning the question, are all things 
 possible with God ? Can God do what is inconsistent? 
 Can God begin the existence of a being and have that 
 being self-existent? Can God act in direct opposition 
 to his own purposes? Can God deny himself? Can 
 God lie? Certainly there are some things which Gcd 
 himself can not do. In short, God can do what is con¬ 
 sistent, but he can not do what is inconsistent. 
 
 How, it would not be consistent for God to convert 
 a sinner without the use of Christian or human instru¬ 
 mentality, because he has purposed to use such 
 instrumentality in the sinner’s conversion. 
 
 From what we know of the conversion of souls, 
 it is evident that God has purposed to convert them by 
 the use of means, and that one means he has purposed 
 to use in their conversion is the preaching of the gos¬ 
 pel ; for we read, “ It pleased God,” not by foolish 
 preaching, but “by the foolishness of preaching to 
 save them that believe.” Since, now, the gospel can 
 not be preached without Christian or human instru¬ 
 mentality, it is evident that God has purposed to use 
 such instrumentality in the sinner’s conversion. If, 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 173 
 
 therefore, he could be converted without the 'use of 
 such means, lie could be converted in direct opposi¬ 
 tion to God’s own purpose, which is impossible. 
 
 “But,” says another, 44 4 it is not by might, nor by 
 power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.’ 4 Paul may 
 plant and Apollos water, but it is God that giveth the 
 increase.’ ” All true in one sense, but not in another. 
 That scripture language is frequently quoted to show 
 that if there be any spiritual increase it is all of God, 
 and that Christian labor is of no consequence. Just 
 as Satan would have it. He would have it all faith 
 and no works, or all works and no faith. To him it 
 makes no difference which, for in either case he has 
 the ascendency. 
 
 For instance, like a man ascending a swift current 
 in a boat with the two oars, faith and works. One 
 calls out to him: 44 Sir, all you need to do is to use 
 the oar of faith.” He applies the oar of faith ; 
 around the boat goes one way, and down the stream. 
 Another calls out to him : 44 Sir, all you need to do 
 
 is to use the oar of works.” He applies the oar of 
 works; around the boat goes the other way, and 
 down the stream. A third calls out to him : 44 Sir, 
 use both oars.” He applies both oars, and the boat 
 moves forward. So 44 faith without works is dead,” 
 and works without faith are dead; but put faith 
 and works together, and something is accomplished. 
 Said the Apostle James, 44 1 will show you my faith 
 by my works.” That, and no other, is the right kind 
 of faith; for a do-nothing faith is like a body without 
 a soul—it is dead, dead, dead ! 
 
 How a soulless faith will never do, because the 
 planting and watering are as indispensable as the 
 
174 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 power of God, and the power of God as the planting 
 and watering. Both are indispensable, for the one 
 without the other will accomplish nothing. It is so 
 naturally. Unless the farmer plow and plant, he will 
 receive nothing; nor will he receive anything unless 
 God raises up the seed. So spiritually. Unless Chris¬ 
 tians labor, none will he converted; nor will any be 
 converted unless God attend and bless the labor. 
 
 Would a single sinner ever have been converted 
 had nothing been done to secure his conversion? 
 Since the fall of man vast numbers have been con¬ 
 verted. But how was their conversion secured? On 
 the day of Pentecost, “ about three thousand were 
 converted and added to the Church.” But had not 
 Peter and others been there to preach to, pray for, 
 and labor with the people, would a single soul have 
 been converted? There is not the slightest evidence 
 that a day of Pentecost would ever have occurred, 
 much less that any one would have been con¬ 
 verted on that day, had no one been there to preach 
 to, pray for, and labor with the people. So, too, with 
 respect to all the conversions which occurred during 
 the time of the apostles and primitive Christians, and 
 which occurred during the great Reformation of the 
 sixteenth century; and, finally, which have occurred 
 since the fall of man. 
 
 Had not Judson nor any other missionary gone to 
 Burmah, and there preached to, prayed for, and labored 
 with the people, would a single Burmese have been 
 converted ? Hot a single Burmese, Assamese, Siamese, 
 Chinese, Caren, nor any other heathen would ever 
 have been converted had no missionaries gone among 
 them preaching, praying, and laboring. It is the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 175 
 
 height of folly to suppose a single soul would ever 
 have been converted had nothing been done to secure 
 his conversion. 
 
 The necessity, therefore, of the evangelizing work 
 arises from an established law or an established order 
 of sequence between the result of doing and not doing. 
 The result of doing is not merit, but salvation; the 
 result of not doing is eternal ruin. 
 
 True, the very best and the most extensive Chris¬ 
 tian labor possesses no merit at all, nor is it in the 
 least effective for good, only so far as God makes it 
 such. Still it seems that God uses worms to tunnel 
 through mountains, and the foolish and weak things 
 of the world to confound the wise and mighty. So, 
 though Christian labor is within itself perfectly im¬ 
 potent or useless, yet it seems that God has deter¬ 
 mined that it shall be one of the principal means in 
 his hands for the sinner’s conversion and this world’s 
 spiritual conquest. Without it, therefore, the work 
 can not be accomplished. Consequently, the result of 
 doing is not merit, but salvation; the result of not 
 doing is eternal ruin. Such is the law and such the im¬ 
 perative necessity and infinite importance of the evan¬ 
 gelizing work. 
 
 section in. 
 
 ITS UTILITY. 
 
 And finally, viewed with respect to its utility , 
 nothing can be conceived to be more important; and 
 here neither time nor patience will admit of scarcely 
 beginning to recount the innumerable advantages and 
 
176 . THE world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 unlimited successes which have attended, are now ar. 
 atending, and will continue to attend the evangelizing 
 work. 
 
 As it relates even to time, no one of intelligence 
 will attempt nor pretend to fully delineate all the ad¬ 
 vantages and successes which have arisen, are now 
 arising, and will continue to arise from the work. 
 The whole of civilization and enlightenment, as well 
 as Christianization, everything really valuable in civil 
 government, the arts and sciences, and the different 
 discoveries and inventions of the day, have come di¬ 
 rectly or indirectly from Christianity and the evan¬ 
 gelizing work. 
 
 The work, however, as it relates to another life, is 
 where especially it attains its majority and infinitude. 
 Eternity alone can disclose the unlimited advantages 
 and infinite importance of the evangelizing work. 
 
 Again, viewed in its tendencies, there is noth¬ 
 ing to compare with it. No branch of industry tends 
 more to good nor to secure the object proposed than 
 does the evangelizing work. Millions upon billions 
 have been converted through its instrumentality. 
 Whenever and wherever it has been properly under¬ 
 taken and carried forward, whether among the civil¬ 
 ized or the savage, there has been no lack of success. 
 
 If any doubt it, let them carefully read and reflect 
 upon the results of the work on Water Street and at 
 the Five Points in New York city, and among the 
 outcasts of England, as well as other dark and deso¬ 
 late portions of the earth—especially among the 
 heathen, where a few years ago there was not a single 
 convert, much less Christian church, but where 
 churches can now be counted by the thousand and 
 converts by the million. 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 177 
 
 Doubt the utility of the evangelizing work! Much 
 more doubt the utility of every other thing. Let 
 doubters carefully read and reflect upon the past and 
 present history of the heathen world, whether can¬ 
 nibal, savage, or hottentot, and then see if they can 
 doubt. 
 
 If anything is lacking in the work, certainly it is 
 not success , but men and means to carry it on. Yes, 
 I repeat, men and means to carry it forward. That 
 is what is lacking in this community and in every 
 other. Give us, therefore, the men and means that 
 should be furnished and could be furnished by the 
 cold-hearted, selfish, penurious, indifferent, and inact¬ 
 ive professing Christians, and doubtless the work 
 would very soon be accomplished. 
 
 How frequently we hear the Macedonian cry, 
 “ Come over and help us.” How often we read and 
 hear appeals from both missionaries and others for 
 men and means to carry forward the work where it 
 has already been commenced. What does this argue ? 
 That the evangelizing work is lacking in utility? 
 The opposite. That it is of the very greatest utility, 
 tending more to good and to secure the object pro¬ 
 posed than all other kinds of labor put together. 
 
 Such, now, being the high object, the imperative 
 necessity, and the great utility of the evangelizing 
 work, is there any means by which its importance can 
 be estimated ? Hot in the judgment of those who 
 are rational. 
 
 Rouse ye, rouse ye, therefore, Christian heralds! 
 On to the conflict and to the conquest! never flinching 
 nor flagging in the battle until King Immanuel, the 
 great head of the Church and captain of our salvation, 
 
178 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 either says, “ Enough, come up higher,” or the whole 
 world is brought into subjection to his mild scepter. 
 
 IsTow, are there any so spiritually blind and dead as 
 not to perceive, understand, and realize that the evan¬ 
 gelizing work is indeed of infinite importance? If 
 so, such should very carefully and prayerfully inquire 
 “Am I in the least converted and a child of grace? 
 Or am I 6 still in the gall of bitterness and bonds of 
 iniquity, having no part or lot in the matter,’ with the 
 judgments of God hanging over me?” Certainly, 
 converted or unconverted, we all know that a terrible 
 woe is pronounced upon those who are “ at ease 
 in Zion.” 
 
 May God, therefore, grant for his Son’s sake, and 
 for the sake of the perishing millions of earth, that 
 all may carefully and prayerfully reflect upon what has 
 now been said, and, especially, clearly perceive, fully 
 understand, and properly realize not only that the 
 evangelizing w T ork is of infinite importance, hut that 
 such is indeed their perception, understanding, and 
 consciousness, by not suffering themselves to fail in 
 acting accordingly. 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 179 
 
 PART IY. 
 
 Indispensabilities, in which everything incompati¬ 
 ble Yvith the spirit, teachings, and example of Christ 
 is disapproved, thus cutting up, root and branch, the 
 whole of Christian inconsistency. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 A PROPER CONVICTION ON THE PART OF THE IMPENITENT— 
 THE OPERATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONNECTION 
 WITH THE WORD—TO DEPRIVE SATAN OF HIS AD¬ 
 VANTAGE—CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN CONDUCT—PURITY 
 AND UNIFORMITY OF CONDUCT. 
 
 Having now, upon the world’s conversion to Christ, 
 •established its possibility, its infinite obligation, and 
 its infinite importance, we again propose, by the aid of 
 the Ploly Spirit, to dwell upon ( how the work must be 
 done or what is indispensable to its accomplishment. 
 
 And here it is stated that, in the judgment of your 
 author, the sum total of indispensabilities is a proper 
 conviction on the part of the impenitent. Ho one is 
 apt to apply to a physician for a remedy except those 
 realizing their need of one. So, unless the impenitent 
 are convinced of their need of a Savior, they will 
 never apply to him for salvation, nor become recon¬ 
 ciled to his will; and until they thus become recon¬ 
 ciled this world can not be subdued spiritually. Hor 
 will the impenitent ever realize their need of a Savior 
 until thoroughly convinced of their lost condition and 
 
180 THE world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 danger , and the reality , 'possibility, and necessity of a. 
 change of heart. 
 
 Now, ascertaining what is necessary to such a con¬ 
 viction, we have obtained the key to the sinner’s con¬ 
 version and this world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 1st. One thing indispensable to such a conviction 
 is the operation of the Holy Spirit in connection with 
 u the ivord.” But in admitting this, we should not 
 forget that there is a Satanic spirit as well as Holy 
 Spirit, and that both are operating upon the hearts of 
 men—the one enlightening, the other deceiving—and 
 that both work by the' use of means. The Holy 
 Spirit'works by means of “the word,” his two-edged 
 sword, wielded through the truly converted. Satan 
 works by means of his lies, wielded through his 
 friends, whether fallen spirits, professed Christians, 
 or non-professors. 
 
 Thus the powers of light and darkness are both; 
 warring for the soul—the one to save, the other to- 
 destroy. 
 
 The Holy Spirit is all the time trying to convince 
 the sinner that there is a great difference between him 
 and a Christian, and that without repentance and a 
 radical change^of heart he must be forever lost. 
 
 Satan is all the time trying to convince the sinner 
 that there is no difference between him and a Chris¬ 
 tian, and that repentance and a change of heart are of 
 no consequence. 
 
 In the word, the Holy Spirit clearly and distinctly 
 points out to the sinner what he is and what he must 
 be in order to be saved, and then, in confirmation of 
 the same, holds up to his view the character and con¬ 
 duct of those truly converted and living consistent 
 with their profession. 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 181 
 
 But Satan denies the whole, and in confirmation 
 of the same, holds up to the sinner’s view the character 
 and conduct of those professing to be Christians but liv¬ 
 ing very inconsistent with their profession. And here, 
 unfortunately, Satan frequently has the advantage, 
 for frequently more professing Christians are living 
 inconsistent with their profession than consistent 
 with it. A lamentable fact! But so it is. 
 
 Now, this Satanic advantage secured through im¬ 
 proper Christian conduct is doubtless one of the 
 greatest obstacles to the sinner’s conversion and this 
 world’s spiritual conquest. Remove that obstacle, 
 therefore, and nearly every sinner is accessible, and the 
 world can quite easily be converted to Christ. But 
 with that obstacle in the way, it is about impossible to 
 get at the sinner or to evangelize the world. Conse¬ 
 quently-— 
 
 2d. Another thing indispensable to the accom¬ 
 plishment of the work is to deprive Satan of his advan¬ 
 tage. Let Satan obtain no plausible argument against 
 Christianity from the conduct of its professed friends, 
 and the right arm of his power is quite paralyzed. 
 
 It is improper Christian conduct which, in Satan’s 
 hands, is so very prolific for evil, for the influence of one 
 professing Christian on the side of Satan tends n*ore to 
 ■dishonor God and to ruin souls than the influence of one 
 hundred of the impenitent. Doubtless the Savior had 
 in view this same fact when he commanded his follow¬ 
 ers to “abstain from every appearance of evil.” He 
 perceived that Satan would take advantage not only of 
 actual transgressions, but of even apparent impro¬ 
 prieties. Hence, also, his requirement to entire 
 consecration, non-conformity to the world, and sep¬ 
 aration from sinners. “ I beseech you, therefore, 
 
182 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your 
 bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,, 
 which is your reasonable service. And be not con¬ 
 formed to this world, but be ye transformed, that ye 
 may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and 
 perfect will of God.” “ Come out from among them, 
 be ye separate, saith the Lord; have no fellowship 
 with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather 
 ' reprove them,” and thus “walk worthy of the high 
 vocation wherewith ye are called, glorifying God with 
 your body and spirit, which are his.” “ He that saith 
 he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even 
 as he walked.” 
 
 Doubtless all these requirements were given in 
 view of the dishonoring and ruinous tendency of dis¬ 
 orderly Christian conduct. 
 
 One reason why such conduct is so dishonoring 
 and ruinous in its tendency is because, with respect to 
 Christianity, the impenitent reason more from the 
 concrete than from the abstract —that is, they judge 
 Christianity more from its externals or representatives 
 than from its nature. They look at the outer, not the 
 inner man. They look at the external expression, not 
 at the nature of the subject treated of. And hence 
 apparently discrepant scripture language and im¬ 
 proper Christian conduct have, through the device of 
 Satan, great weight in the sinner’s mind. 
 
 Perhaps, now, some may object to this course of 
 reasoning, and contend that we have no right thus to 
 shift the responsibility from sinners to Christians,, 
 because, say they, the impenitent are not under the 
 necessity of thus judging of Christianity. But 
 if the following language be correct, there is a 
 greater necessity for this than many are apt to 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 183 
 
 suppose. Excepting the italics — said the Holy 
 Spirit, through the apostle, a The natural man 
 receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they 
 are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them,, 
 because they are spiritually discerned.” From this, it 
 seems that the sinner can not understand the nature 
 of spiritual things until after his conversion, and that 
 until then he must necessarily judge of Christianity 
 from its externals or representatives, rather than from 
 its nature. 
 
 This thought suggests what, in the sinner’s mind, 
 will produce the greatest amount of conviction. 
 It suggests— 
 
 1. The great importance and necessity of a pure 
 version and correct interpretation of the Scriptures. 
 Of course, the more pure and correct scripture ver¬ 
 sions and interpretations, the less liable are they to 
 objection. 
 
 2. The great importance and necessity of a 
 deeply pious and thoroughly educated ministry. Of 
 course, the more pious and the better educated the 
 ministry, the more pure and correct will be scripture 
 versions and interpretations. 
 
 3. The great importance and necessity of correct 
 Christian conduct. That is, conduct in conformity 
 with Christ’s spirit, teachings, and example, and a 
 Christian profession. 
 
 How, if there could be no possible objection to 
 either scripture versions, interpretations, or Christian 
 conduct, it would be next to an impossibility for any 
 sinner to avoid the deep conviction which each would 
 naturally produce upon his mind. But on account 
 of the ambiguity of language and the imperfections of 
 human nature, perhaps all objection to either can not 
 
184 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 very well be avoided, though doubtless so much could 
 be avoided as not to prevent the good impressions 
 which each, by the Holy Spirit, would naturally pro¬ 
 duce upon the sinful mind. And this is all that I am 
 contending for. I am not contending that absolute 
 Christian perfection in any respect is indispensable to 
 the sinner’s conversion and this world’s spiritual con¬ 
 quest, but that the sinner’s prejudice for or against 
 Christianity seems to be in proportion to the perfection 
 or imperfection with which it is treated by its pro¬ 
 fessed friends; and hence that every professing Chris¬ 
 tian should strive after the greatest amount of perfec¬ 
 tion possible in every respect, and that so far as he 
 either does this or does not do it, his conduct is either 
 a means of good or a means of harm. 
 
 It is not only a knowledge of the gospel, but a belief 
 of it that is so necessary to the sinner’s conviction. 
 Certainly a knowledge of the gospel is indispensable, 
 for, without a knowledge of the gospel, it can have no 
 possible influence; nor without a correct scripture 
 version and interpretation can the sinner obtain any 
 proper knowledge of the gospel. Hence those who 
 translate or interpret the Scriptures should strive after 
 everything and reject nothing which tends in the least 
 degree to throw light upon them. 
 
 How, no doubt, all this will be easily understood 
 and readily admitted. Also that a belief of the gospel 
 is as necessary as a knowledge of it, for what is not 
 believed will not be accepted, and what is not accepted 
 will be rejected, and what is rejected can be of no 
 possible advantage. 
 
 What, however, seems not so easily understood 
 and readily admitted is ivhat is so necessary to the sin¬ 
 ner’s belief. Evidence of some kind is indispensable, 
 
1 " 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 185 
 
 and the right kind of evidence—that is, a peculiar 
 kind, a kind of evidence arising from the percep¬ 
 tion and knowledge of effects rather than the nature 
 of causes. 
 
 Christianity is the cause of quite a number and 
 variety of different effects. Pardon of sin, a change 
 of heart, a holy life, love to God and to man, a deep 
 interest in the welfare of others ; in short, the glory 
 of God and the salvation of souls are some of the 
 effects of Christianity. These are what it advocates 
 and what its friends claim for it and themselves. 
 
 Now, since the sinner knows nothing nor can 
 know anything of the nature of Christianity until 
 after his conversion, what is so necessary to his belief 
 in it is the perception and knowledge of these effects; 
 and so far as the sinner perceives and understands 
 that such are the effects of Christianity, he believes 
 in it, and no farther. 
 
 Consequently, the all-important question now 
 arises, how can these effects be made to appear ? Is 
 there any means or medium except Christian con¬ 
 duct? For instance, a radical change of heart is one 
 of the effects, and one of the fundamental doctrines of 
 Christianity, without which no sinner can be saved. 
 Now, how can the sinner be convinced that the heart 
 has been changed ? Is there any way except through 
 the conduct? Certainly not, and thus the impenitent 
 reason. Say they, now if the heart has been changed 
 the conduct will be very different. If it is not, they 
 naturally conclude that there is no change of heart; 
 that a change of heart is neither real, possible, nor 
 necessary, and that Christianity is a delusion. 
 
 Let no one suppose that the sinner believes all 
 that is said. He decides by another rule. He de- 
 
1S6 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 cides by the conduct, and not by the profession. It 
 is the rule of Christ he adopts—that is, that “ by their 
 fruits ye shall know them/ 5 and not by w T hat they 
 say about themselves, nor by what others say 
 about them. If the fruit or conduct correspond 
 ■with the profession, the impenitent decide certainly 
 that the heart has been changed, and not otherwise; 
 and thus they judge of Christianity in general. It is 
 from its effects or fruits they decide, and not from 
 its nature. 
 
 Since, now, such is the fact; since the impenitent 
 judge of Christianity from its effects or fruits, and 
 since these are alone manifest through Christian con¬ 
 duct, is it not perfectly plain that Christian conduct is 
 the key either to the sinner’s conviction and conver¬ 
 sion, or to his prejudice and ruin ? Certainly it is. 
 And hence— 
 
 3d. Another thing indispensable to the sinner’s 
 conviction and the world’s spiritual conquest is con¬ 
 sistent Christian conduct. But here let it be distinctly 
 * understood and remembered, too, that Christian con¬ 
 duct is considered simply as a means to an end, or 
 the medium through which the Holy Spirit w T orks 
 for the sinner’s conversion. Also by Christian con¬ 
 duct is meant the whole treatment of Christianity by 
 its professed friends, including the preaching of the 
 gospel by precept as well as by example, especially 
 by example as w r ell as by precept. 
 
 For instance, the preaching of the gospel by tho 
 word of mouth, or by the pen,ffs a part of Christian 
 conduct, and a very important part, too. How, sup¬ 
 pose a false doctrine be preached, as in the case of the 
 heathen, infidels, and errorists. What is the result? 
 Are not the people deceived, led astray, and dc- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 187 
 
 stroyed? Thus, in the past, vast numbers have been 
 destroyed, are now being destroyed, and doubtless for 
 a time to come will continue to be eternally ruined. 
 But let the gospel be preached in its purity, then are 
 the people enlightened, sinners convicted and con¬ 
 verted, and this world’s spiritual conquest advanced. 
 And it seems that in proportion alone to the purity or 
 the impurity of Christian conduct, sinners are either 
 convicted and converted or prejudiced and ruined. 
 “ As it is written, the name of God is blasphemed 
 among the Gentiles through you.” (Rom. ii, 24.) 
 Here is a reference to the profession and the conduct 
 of the Jews. They professed to be the righteous, the 
 light of the world, a guide to the blind, but lived very 
 inconsistent with their profession, on account of which 
 “ the name of God was blasphemed among the Gen¬ 
 tiles”; and thus it is with Christian conduct in gen¬ 
 eral. In proportion to its consistency is God honored 
 and souls saved, and in proportion to its inconsistency 
 is God dishonored and souls ruined. As Christ said: 
 “ He that is for me is not against me,” but “ he that 
 gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.” Conse¬ 
 quently, can anything be more evident than that 
 consistent Christian conduct is indispensable to the 
 sinner’s conversion and this world’s spiritual con¬ 
 quest ? That is, as before observed, conduct in con¬ 
 formity with Christ’s spirit, teachings, and example, 
 and a Christian profession. 
 
 How, the Savior’s requirements to entire consecra¬ 
 tion, non-conformity to the world, separation from 
 sinners, and total abstinence from everything injuri¬ 
 ous have already been mentioned. Let us, therefore, 
 for a moment, now, reflect upon Christ’s example. 
 How did he live? His conduct was perfectly con- 
 
188 
 
 THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 sistent with his profession. He professed to be God 
 manifest in the flesh. By his works he showed that 
 he was. He professed to he perfectly pure and holy. 
 Such was his life . “Tempted in all points like as 
 we are, yet without sin” He professed to be deeply 
 interested in the welfare of others. JSTone at all ac¬ 
 quainted with his history and what he has done can 
 possibly doubt it. Such was Christ’s conduct, and 
 such should be the life of every Christian. The con¬ 
 duct should be perfectly consistent with the profes¬ 
 sion ; it is indispensable to show that one is a Christian 
 and that a change of heart is real, possible, and nec¬ 
 essary. 
 
 Suppose Christ had done nothing to show that he 
 - was God, nothing to show that he was holy, nothing 
 to show that he was deeply interested in the welfare 
 of others; would any one have believed him? Most 
 certainly not. So if Christians live like sinners, how 
 can the impenitent be convinced that a Christian is 
 any different from a sinner, and that a change of 
 heart is either real, possible, or necessary? 
 
 A conviction of the reality of a change of heart is 
 indispensable to a conviction of its possibility and 
 necessity. For what is not known to be real is not 
 apt to be considered possible, and what is not believed 
 to be possible certainly could not be considered neces¬ 
 sary; and hence a conviction of the reality of a 
 change of heart is indispensable to a conviction of its 
 possibility and necessity. 
 
 To the impenitent, the new birth seems to be the 
 great marvel or mystery of Christianity; for, when 
 mentioned to them, like Nicodemus, they generally in¬ 
 quire, “ How can these things be ? ” There seems to be 
 .a constant query in the mind of every sinner whether 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 189‘ 
 
 tnere be any such thing as a radical cnange of hearty 
 and whether any one has ever received any such 
 change, and whether there is indeed any essential dif¬ 
 ference between a Christian and a sinner ? Settle these 
 points in the sinner’s mind, and he can not avoid the 
 conviction that a change of heart is real, possible, and 
 necessary, and that, without it, he must eternally 
 perish. 
 
 Now, how can the impenitent be convinced of this ? 
 How can they be convinced that any one has ever re¬ 
 ceived a radical change of heart, and that there i& 
 indeed an essential difference between a Christian 
 and a sinner. Is there any way except by Christians, 
 living very different from sinners ? 
 
 Let a Christian live like a sinner; let him indulge 
 in what sinners indulge; let him partake of sinful 
 pleasure; let him indulge in intemperauce or licen¬ 
 tiousness ; let him attend balls or dance, or drink or 
 gamble, or play croquet, dice, or cards, and do other 
 things that sinners do, and which are wrong,—and 
 what will the impenitent think of him ? Can they be 
 convinced that his heart has been radically changed 
 and that he is very different from a sinner ? You can as- 
 easily convince them that light is darkness, and dark¬ 
 ness light. 
 
 Listen to their reasoning and conclusion in regard 
 to such. They say: “ There is one who professes to- 
 be a Christian and to be very different from a sinner.” 
 Then they will ask : “ Wherein is he different ? True, 
 he says that his heart is changed, and that he hates 
 sin and loves holiness. But,” say they, “ he lives like 
 a sinner. He partakes of what sinners partake and 
 does what sinners do. Why?” they will ask. “Be¬ 
 cause he dislikes sin and is different from a sinner t 
 
190 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 No,” say they; “because he loves sin and is like a 
 sinner, and hence, if he is a Christian, the sinner is a * 
 Christian; if he is saved, the sinner will be saved. 
 And such, too, is his religion. It is a delusion. There 
 is nothing in a change of heart, nor is Christianity of 
 any consequence.” Thus the impenitent reason and 
 conclude when and where and so far as Christians 
 live like sinners. 
 
 But let a Christian live like a Christian; let mm 
 abstain totally from sinful pleasure; let him attend no 
 balls, nor drink, nor dance, nor gamble, nor play cro¬ 
 quet, nor dice, nor cards, nor do other things that 
 sinners do, and which are w T rong; in short, let* a 
 Christian live as near like the Savior as possible,— 
 and w r hat will the impenitent think of him ? Can they 
 avoid the conviction that such a person is very differ¬ 
 ent from themselves? Certainly they must perceive 
 that his conduct is very different, and perceiving this, 
 can they avoid the conviction that the difference is 
 not simply in the conduct, but in the heart—its 
 source—and that, without a radical change, they are 
 not Christians, and must be lost? Thus the impeni¬ 
 tent reason and conclude when and where and so far 
 as Christians live like Christians. 
 
 PROPOSITION I. 
 
 In proportion , therefore, to the purity or impurity 
 of Christian conduct is it consistent or inconsistent , 
 and a means of either saving or ruining the impenitent. 
 
 Certainly in proportion to its purity or impurity 
 is Christian conduct consistent or inconsistent. For— 
 
 1. Since consistency consists in agreement , so far 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 191 
 
 as Christian conduct agrees or disagrees with script¬ 
 ure requirements and a Christian profession is it con¬ 
 sistent or inconsistent; 
 
 2. Since the Scriptures require purity of heart 
 and conduct, and since Christians profess both, so far 
 as their conduct is pure or impure it agrees or disa¬ 
 grees with scripture requirements and a Christian 
 profession. Hence, in proportion to its purity or im¬ 
 purity is Christian conduct consistent or inconsistent. 
 
 3. In proportion to its consistency or inconsist¬ 
 ency is Christian conduct a means of either saving or 
 ruining the impenitent; for, as before stated, what is 
 so necessary to the sinner’s conviction is his belief in 
 the reality , possibility , and necessity of a change of 
 heart, and this he can not believe only so far as Chris¬ 
 tian conduct is consistent. Because— 
 
 1. ) Like the stream from a concealed fountain, 
 the conduct is the only direct or practical test by 
 which the condition of the heart can be known. 
 Certainly the heart is a coneealed fountain, and noth¬ 
 ing can be known of it except from the conduct or 
 its manifestations. 
 
 2. ) The condition of a concealed fountain must be 
 inferred from the character of the stream. If, there¬ 
 fore, the stream be pure, it is believed that the fountain 
 is pure; but if the stream be impure, it is believed 
 that the fountain is corrupt; and just in proportion 
 as the stream is perceived to be pure or impure is it 
 believed that the fountain is pure or corrupt. So long 
 and so far as it is perceived that a corrupt stream 
 issues from a concealed fountain, all that may be said 
 about the fountain’s purity will go for nothing in the 
 estimation of those who are rational. 
 
 So with respect to the heart. Since it is a con- 
 
192 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 cealed fountain, and nothing can be known of it 
 except from its manifestations, its actual condition as 
 pure or corrupt must "be inferred from the conduct. 
 If, therefore, the conduct be pure, it is believed that 
 the heart is pure; but if the conduct be impure, it is 
 believed that the heart is corrupt; and just in propor¬ 
 tion as the conduct is perceived to be pure or impure 
 is it believed that the heart is pure or corrupt; and 
 hence, so long and so far as it is perceived that the 
 conduct is impure, all that may be said about the 
 heart’s purity will go for nothing in the estimation of 
 the impenitent. 
 
 Can any amount of reasoning convince a rational 
 mind that a concealed fountain is pure, so long and so 
 far as it is perceived that the stream issuing from it is 
 corrupt? Certainly not. Much less can the impeni¬ 
 tent be convinced that the heart has been changed and 
 is pure, so long and so far as it is perceived that 
 Christian conduct is corrupt. 
 
 Again: Can any amount of reasoning convince a 
 rational mind that a concealed fountain is corrupt, so 
 long and so far as it is perceived that the stream issuing 
 fro hi it is pure ? Most certainly not. Much less can 
 the impenitent avoid the conviction that the heart has 
 been changed and is pure, so long and so far as they 
 perceive that Christian conduct is pure. In propor¬ 
 tion alone, therefore, as Christian conduct is perceived 
 to be pure, is it believed that the heart is pure, and 
 that a change of heart is real, possible, and necessary. 
 
 But between the lowest and the highest degrees 
 of purity there is a very wide contrast or difference. 
 
 1. There is a degree of purity which is absolute ; 
 that is, not containing the slightest impurity. 
 
 2. There is a degree of impurity so slight that it 
 
THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 193 
 
 can not be detected by the ordinary means of percep¬ 
 tion. For instance, it is known that as soon as the 
 stream leaves the fountain it begins to take up sed¬ 
 iment or filth, and continues so to do until it reaches 
 the ocean. But though the stream at a short dis¬ 
 tance from the fountain may contain some slight im¬ 
 purity, still it may be so slight as not to be detected 
 by the ordinary means of perception; such, for 
 instance, as the eye, taste, or smell. Now, water in 
 which neither the eye, taste, nor smell can detect any 
 impurity is considered and represented as sufficiently 
 pure for all practical purposes, nor will it nauseate 
 the most delicate stomach. So, though Christian con¬ 
 duct is not, can not, nor is required to be absolutely 
 perfect, still, if its imperfection be so slight as not to 
 be detected by the ordinary means of perception, it is 
 sufficiently correct for all practical purposes, nor will 
 it injure the most fastidious of the impenitent. 
 
 Sufficient is it, therefore, if Christian conduct be 
 thus pure ; for : 1.) The impenitent are not apt to 
 use any special means to discover its impurity. And 
 2.) If its impurity be not perceived, it can have no 
 evil influence. 
 
 3. But again, so far alone as Christian conduct is 
 thus pure is it a means of convicting the impenitent 
 and proving the reality, possibility, and necessity of a 
 change of heart; for so far as Christian conduct is 
 perceived to be impure it is discrepant or contra¬ 
 dictory, and certainly the impenitent can not be con¬ 
 vinced by contradictions. Since the Scriptures teach 
 and Christians profess purity of heart, and since the 
 conduct is the only direct or practical test by which 
 the condition of the heart can be known, and since 
 the condition of the heart must be inferred from the 
 
194 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 character of the conduct, it follows that so far as the 
 conduct is perceived to he impure it shows the heart 
 impure, and that a change of heart is not real, deny¬ 
 ing scripture statements and a Christian profession. 
 In proportion alone, therefore, as Christian conduct 
 is perceived to he pure does it confirm scripture state¬ 
 ments and a Christian profession, and proves to the 
 impenitent that a change of heart is real, possible, 
 and necessary. 
 
 4. In proportion alone as Christian conduct is 
 perceived to be pure or impure is the distinction be¬ 
 tween Christians and sinners made to appear or to 
 disappear, and the impenitent induced to believe that 
 there is or is not an essential difference between a 
 Christian and a sinner. 
 
 So far as two things appear to be just alike , no 
 one can doubt their resemblance. Hence if issuing 
 from two concealed fountains are two streams just 
 alike, no one can be convinced that there is any differ¬ 
 ence between either the streams or the fountains. So, 
 since “ out of the heart are the issues of life,” so far as 
 Christian conduct appears to be just, like that of a 
 sinner, no one can be convinced that there is any 
 difference between them. 
 
 Again : So far as two things appear to be different 
 no one can doubt their dissimilarity. Hence if issu- 
 ing from two concealed fountains are two streams— 
 the one pure and the other corrupt—since the nature 
 of the fountain must be inferred from the character 
 of the stream, it follows that no one can doubt the 
 dissimilarity of the streams, and that one fountain is 
 pure and the other corrupt. So, since the heart is a 
 concealed fountain, and its actual condition must be 
 inferred from the conduct, so far as Christian conduct 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 195 
 
 is perceived to be different from that of a sinner, no 
 one can doubt that thus far a Christian is very different 
 from a sinner. And since the distinction appears from 
 the difference in the conduct, and since sinful conduct 
 is impure, it follows that so far as Christian conduct 
 is perceived to be pure or impure it agrees or disa¬ 
 grees with that of a sinner, and the distinction 
 between Christians and sinners is made to appear or to 
 disappear, and the impenitent induced to believe that 
 there is or is not an essential difference between a 
 Christian and a sinner. 
 
 Now, since the impenitent can not believe in a 
 change of heart only so far as they perceive this dis¬ 
 tinction between Christians and sinners, and since they 
 can not believe in any such difference only so far as 
 they believe in a change of heart, let us now, as a 
 further illustration of this point, for a moment reflect 
 upon a satanic device by means of which Christians 
 are led astray, God dishonored, and souls ruined. 
 
 There is a class of sins sugar-coated by Satan, and" 
 hence by many styled innocent sinful pleasures, and 
 necessary to Christian cheerfulness and usefulness. 
 Accordingly we frequently hear the votaries of sinful 
 pleasures, both within and without the Church, advo¬ 
 cating the necessity and utility of that class of sins— 
 such, for instance, as attending theaters and halls, and 
 dancing, and croquet, and card-playing, and novel¬ 
 reading, and white-lying, and Sabbath visiting and 
 feasting, and wine-drinking, and jesting or foolish 
 talking, and attending very closely and carefully to 
 the fashions of the day; in short participating very 
 freely and largely in the fineries, fooleries, fopperies, 
 or frivolities of this vain world. 
 
 Let no one he startled at this announcement, for 
 
196 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 nothing of the above at all consistent with Christian 
 conduct is to he rejected. Satan, however, would fain 
 persuade church-members that Christian sobriety and 
 consistency are sins, and that participating freely and 
 largely in sinful pleasures, styled innocent, is indis¬ 
 pensable to Christian cheerfulness and usefulness.. 
 However paradoxical and absurd that any kind of" sin¬ 
 ful pleasure should be styled innocent, and, especially,, 
 necessary to Christian cheerfulness and usefulness,, 
 yet so it is. 
 
 But is there any such sinful pleasure or necessity ? 
 There is not. I challenge the whole world to point 
 to a sinful pleasure that is at all innocent. What I 
 sinful pleasure innocent ? “ Sin is the transgression 
 
 of the law.” How, what violation of God’s law is at 
 all innocent ? There can not possibly be any such 
 thing. Hor can a pleasure in which sinners delight 
 be at all holy, for the carnal mind, being enmity 
 against God and his law, can not enjoy what is holy. 
 Since, therefore, the impenitent indulge in and very 
 much enjoy the pleasures above mentioned, it is evi¬ 
 dent that they are neither holy nor at all innocent, 
 for that which is unholy can not possibly be at all 
 innocent. 
 
 Much less can it be shown to be at all necessary 
 for Christians to indulge in any such pleasures to be 
 cheerful and useful. But it can very easily be shown 
 that wherein and so far as they do thus indulge, their 
 conduct is inconsistent, dishonors God, and ruins 
 souls. For with respect to such things, the impeni¬ 
 tent reason thus : he that is guilty in the least is 
 guilty of all. And hence give the sinner an inch , and he 
 will take an ell. It is not the quantity but the quality 
 of Christian conduct which is so very prolific for 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 197 
 
 -either good or harm, because if it be perceived to be 
 inconsistent in the least, the impenitent will indulge 
 in any quantity of such conduct. Consequently, in 
 proportion, as professing Christians indulge in any 
 kind of sinful pleasure will the impenitent indulge 
 in any quantity of vice and immorality. 
 
 If, therefore, professing Christians attend theaters, 
 the impenitent are encouraged to build and keep up 
 not only theaters, but grog-shops and houses of ill- 
 fame, and to become play-actors, and to participate 
 in all the vices of such institutions. 
 
 If professing Christians indulge in parlor dancing, 
 the impenitent are encouraged not only to appoint 
 and to attend balls and dance and drink, but to worse 
 than waste their precious time, strength, and health. 
 
 If professing Christians indulge in what is called 
 white-lying, the impenitent will indulge in black- 
 lying. 
 
 If professing Christians indulge in novel-reading, 
 the impenitent will not only write, publish, and flood 
 the world with such trash, but they will write, pub¬ 
 lish, read, and circulate obscene books and practice 
 their vices. 
 
 If professing Christians indulge in croquet and 
 card-playing, the impenitent in addition to both will 
 indulge in billiards, nine-pins, gambling, and black- 
 legging. 
 
 If professing Christians indulge in Sabbath visiting 
 and feasting, the impenitent will indulge in Sabbath 
 carousing, riding, horse-racing, hunting, fishing, gam¬ 
 bling, drinking, and swearing. 
 
 If professing. Christians indulge in wine-drinking 
 ao a beverage, the impenitent will drink whisky, rum, 
 gin, and brandy, and get drunk and wallow in the 
 
198 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 mire with the swine, and degrade, impoverish, starve, 
 freeze, and torture a helpless wife and children, and fill 
 a drunkard’s grave. 
 
 If professing Christians indulge in jesting or fool¬ 
 ish talking, the impenitent will point the finger of 
 scorn, deride the Bible, ridicule Christianity, and per¬ 
 haps blaspheme the very name of God, “as it is writ¬ 
 ten, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gen¬ 
 tiles” (or the impenitent) “through you,” or on 
 account of improper Christian conduct. In propor¬ 
 tion, therefore, as professing Christians indulge in any 
 kind of frivolity or sinful pleasure are the impenitent 
 encouraged to indulge in any quantity of such conduct 
 and to worse than waste their substance in riotous 
 living, and to destroy both soul and body for time and 
 eternity. 
 
 Doubtless millions of the impenitent have in the 
 past thus been destroyed, are now being destroyed, 
 and perhaps for a time to come will continue to be 
 eternally ruined by means of such sinful indulgence 
 on the part of even professing Christians. 
 
 Dear friends, it is an awfully fearful and a terribly 
 God-dishonoring and soul-ruining thing for one to 
 profess to be a Christian and then not to live consist¬ 
 ent with that profession, because—believed or dis¬ 
 believed, so it is m every deed—-just in proportion as 
 Christian conduct is perceived to be impure or incon¬ 
 sistent is it, in Satan’s hands, a powerful engine for 
 dishonoring God and ruining souls. Consequently, 
 in proportion alone as Christian conduct is perceived 
 to be pure or consistent is it, in God’s hands, a pow¬ 
 erful instrumentality for saving the impenitent. 
 
 In proportion alone, therefore, as professing Chris¬ 
 tians do actually obey Christ, “ presenting their 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 199 
 
 bodies,” not a dead, but “ a living sacrifice, holy, 
 acceptable unto God,” and “ not conformed to this 
 world, but transformed,” and separate from sinners, 
 having nothing at all to do with the “ unfruitful works 
 of darkness,” actually abstaining from “every appear¬ 
 ance of evil ”—I say, in proportion alone as professing 
 Christians are thus consecrated, obedient, non-con- 
 formed to the world, and separate from sinners, actual¬ 
 ly abstaining from everything injurious, is their con¬ 
 duct consistent and a means, in God’s hands, of saving 
 the souls of the perishing and conquering this world 
 spiritually. In proportion, therefore, to the purity or 
 the impurity of Christian conduct is it not only con-, 
 sistent or inconsistent, but a powerful instrumentality 
 
 for either'saving or ruining the impenitent. 
 
 ✓ 
 
 PKOPOSITIOISr II. 
 
 Christian conduct is consistent or inconsistent, and 
 a means of either saving or ruining the impenitent, in 
 proport ion to its uniformity , or so far as it is always pure. 
 
 Certainly, since uniformity consists in sameness, 
 and since Christian conduct is consistent or incon¬ 
 sistent in proportion to its purity or impurity, therefore 
 Christian conduct is consistent so far as it is always 
 the same or pure, and hence consistent or inconsistent 
 in proportion to its uniformity. 
 
 Again : Since Christian conduct is a means for 
 either good or harm in proportion to its consistency 
 or inconsistency, and consistent or inconsistent in pro¬ 
 portion to its uniformity, therefore Christian conduct 
 is a means of either saving or ruining the impenitent 
 
200 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 in proportion to its uniformity, or so far as it is 
 always pure. 
 
 Indeed, it will not do to live like a saint one day 
 and like a sinner the next, for, in that case, Christian 
 conduct is still discrepant or contradictory, affirming 
 what it denies and denying what it affirms, and thus, 
 instead of proving the genuineness and importance of 
 Christianity, implying that Christians are hypocrites, 
 and that Christianity consists in hypocrisy. 
 
 The conduct either affirms or denies what is pro¬ 
 fessed, and hence whatever a professing Christian does 
 proves him to he either a Christian or a hypocrite, and 
 that Christianity is either true or false. For instance, 
 if one professing to he temperate be found intoxicated, 
 he will not be believed ; and so, with respect to truth¬ 
 fulness and honesty, if one professing to be truthful 
 and honefet be detected in telling falsehoods and cheat¬ 
 ing his neighbors, he will at once be put down as a 
 liar and a scoundrel, notwithstanding his professions. 
 And thus, if professing Christians live consistent with 
 their profession they will be believed, but if not, they 
 will at once he put down as liars and hypocrites; and 
 the impenitent, not understanding the nature of Chris¬ 
 tianity, will naturally judge it by the improper 
 Christian conduct, and conclude that Christianity 
 itself is a lie and consists in hypocrisy. 
 
 It is no hasty nor easy task to produce good im¬ 
 pressions upon the sinful mind, for good impressions 
 are not native to the soil. Everything in the sinful 
 heart is naturally opposed to good impressions, and 
 Satan, the enemy of all righteousness, is much more 
 opposed than the sinner himself. Consequently, it is 
 indeed very difficult to produce such impressions upon 
 such a mind. But yet it can be done, provided a 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 201 
 
 proper coarse be pursued; and that course is for 
 Christians always to live like Christians. 
 
 Certainly all will admit that it is much more easy 
 to produce evil than good impressions upon the sinful 
 mind, since evil is its element and good impressions 
 not at all natural. But still such impressions can be 
 produced upon such a mind, because a rational mind 
 can not avoid some kind of impression respecting 
 every subject with which it comes in contact. Noth¬ 
 ing short of the non-existence of the one or the other 
 —either the mind, the subject, or the connection of 
 the two—can prevent the impression. If all exist, 
 the mind, the subject, and the connection, the impres¬ 
 sion, good or bad, must follow necessarily. Conse¬ 
 quently, since the impenitent are rational, they must 
 
 necessarilv receive and entertain some kind of im- 
 «/ 
 
 pression respecting Christianity every time that sub¬ 
 ject is brought in contact with their minds. 
 
 Again : Whenever a rational mind perceives that 
 two things are essentially the same, it can not avoid 
 the conviction that they are alike; nor can such 
 a mind avoid the conviction that two things are not 
 alike so far as it perceives that they are essentially 
 different. 
 
 Again : A rational mind naturally infers the nature 
 of the cause from the character of the effect . Hence, 
 if such a mind perceive that the effect from a certain 
 cause be good, it can not avoid the conviction that the 
 cause itself is good. So, too, with respect to a radical 
 change in the nature of the effect. If a rational mind 
 perceive that the effect from a certain cause has been 
 radically changed, it can not avoid the conviction that 
 the cause itself has been radically changed, unless it 
 be believed that the same cause can produce two dif- 
 
202 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 fereiit effects, in which case the continued repetition 
 of the same effect would he necessary to establish be¬ 
 yond a doubt the character of the cause. 
 
 Now, since the impenitent are rational, whenever 
 they perceive that scripture statements, a Christian 
 profession, and Christian conduct all agree, they can 
 not doubt their agreement; nor can they believe in 
 their agreement, only so far as they perceive that they 
 do thus actually agree. 
 
 Again : If hypocrisy was not possible, that is, if it 
 was not possible for one either to profess or to appear 
 to be what.he is not, nor for a professing Christian to 
 live in two different ways, the impenitent would nat¬ 
 urally, if not necessarily, infer the condition of the 
 heart and the nature of Christianity from the charac¬ 
 ter of Christian conduct. But such is not the fact, 
 because it is possible for one to profess to be what he 
 is not, and for a professing Christian to live in two 
 different ways. The impenitent, knowing this, are 
 naturally in doubt whether Christians and Chris¬ 
 tianity be what they are represented. But yet, when¬ 
 ever the impenitent perceive that scripture statements, 
 a Christian profession, and Christian conduct all agree, 
 they receive a good impression, and every time that 
 perception is repeated that impression is increased 
 and deepened. And hence we can conceive that, if 
 Christian conduct was always perceived to be correct, 
 the time vould come when the sinner’s doubts con¬ 
 cerning Christians and Christianity would be removed 
 by means of the mere repetition and perception of 
 such conduct. 
 
 B lit as before stated I again repeat, it is much 
 more easy to produce evil than good impressions ‘ 
 upon the sinful mind, since evil is its element and 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 208 
 
 good impressions are not at all natural. Conse¬ 
 quently, like the result of a single theft upon the* 
 character of one who for many years had lived an 
 honest and upright life, would perhaps a single im¬ 
 proper Christian act obliterate forever from the 
 sinful mind all the good impressions received from a 
 long life of rigid and consistent piety. 
 
 We all know that if one who for many years had 
 lived an honest and upright life should be indicted 
 and convicted of stealing a single dollar, his former 
 uprightness would at once he thrown aside, and 
 he would be put down, classed among, and considered 
 and treated as a thief. 
 
 So if a professing Christian, who for a long time 
 had lived like a Christian, should indulge in one im¬ 
 proper act, his former piety would at once be laid 
 aside, and he would, by the impenitent at least, if not 
 by the truly converted, be put down, classed among, 
 and considered and treated as a hypocrite. 
 
 Listen, now, to the comments of the impenitent 
 upon such characters. Say they: “ There is one 
 who professes to be a Christian and belongs to such 
 or such a church. A number of times in the past he 
 has made a great ado about religion. But look at 
 him now! There he goes ” (perhaps) “ reeling- 
 through the streets intoxicated ” ; or, if not intoxi¬ 
 cated, “ There he is in the yard, playing croquet”; or 
 “ at nine-pins/' or “ billiards,” or “at the card-table, 
 playing cards,” or “in the ball-room, dancing,” or 
 ' “looking on to see them dance.” Or, if neither in¬ 
 toxicated, nor playing croquet, nine-pins, billiards, 
 nor cards, nor dancing, nor looking on to see them 
 dance, “There he is all wrapped up in the world, 
 possessing and manifesting much more interest in 
 
204 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 tempora. than spiritual things, neglecting infinite and 
 eternal interests to attend to the baubles and shadows 
 of earth, and thus seeking first the world, and last 
 the world, and the world all the time.” Then they 
 will ask, “ Would this be so if Christians and Chris¬ 
 tianity are what they are represented ?” 
 
 The impenitent seem to suppose that if Christian¬ 
 ity be true, and the heart be changed, Christian con¬ 
 duct, like the stream from a concealed and pure fount¬ 
 ain, will always be correct. And so far as they per¬ 
 ceive that it is such do they believe Christians and in 
 Christianity. But so far as they perceive that it is 
 not such, they discredit both Christians and Chris¬ 
 tianity, and conclude that the whole is a delusion. 
 Hence the infinite importance of uniformity as well as 
 'purity of Christian conduct, for without both Chris¬ 
 tian conduct can not be consistent, nor can there be a 
 proper conviction on the part of the impenitent, inas¬ 
 much as they can not be convinced by contradictions. 
 In confirmation of which note the following: 
 
 1. An extract from an Indian address delivered 
 at a missionary meeting in Hew York city in 1826. 
 After giving an account of the introduction of the 
 Roman Catholic religion into his nation—except¬ 
 ing the italics—he said: “It is true we went to 
 church on the Sabbath-day, and then the minister 
 preached, but we did not understand one word he said. 
 We saw he kneeled down, and stood up, and went 
 through motions with his great dress on ; and when 
 church was out we all went to a place where they sold 
 rum and whisky, got drunk and went home drunk, 
 lie would tell us we must not get drunk ; but he would 
 drink himself and frolic and dance on the Sabbath. We 
 counted our beads and kept our crosses about our 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 205 
 
 necks or under otir pillows, and would sometimes pray 
 to the Virgin Mary. But we were all as we were be¬ 
 fore. It made no change on us, and I began to think 
 it was not as good as the religion of our fathers.” 
 
 Then he spoke of the “ Seneca prophet ” who came 
 to their nation and gave them quite good instruction. 
 But he adds : “ We all followed him until we saw he 
 
 went crooked and did not do himself what he taught us to 
 do , then we followed him no more, but returned to 
 oui old course. Then the war came on, and we all 
 went to drinking and fighting. When the war was 
 over we were a nation of drunkards, and so wicked 
 that the chiefs thought we must try and get up our 
 old religion of feasting and dancing. But while we 
 were trying to reform, God sent a colored man named 
 Stewart to us with the good Book. He began to talk, 
 and sing, and pray, but we thought it was all nothing, 
 and many made fun of him because he was a black 
 man. The white traders told us we ought to drive 
 him away, for the white people would not let a black 
 man preach to them.” How, mark what follows, and 
 behold one of the best illustrations not only of what I 
 have just said, but especially of the scripture where 
 Christians are called “ living epistles, known and read 
 of all men.” He continues : “ We, however, watched 
 his walk , and found he walked straight and did as he said. 
 At last the word took hold, and many began to listen 
 and believed it was right; and soon we began to pray, 
 and we found that it was of God. Then others came 
 and they told us the same thing. The work broke 
 out, and God has done great things for us. I was 
 among the first that took hold, and I found it was the 
 religion of the heart and from God. It made my soul 
 happy and does yet.” “ He that is not with me is 
 
206 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 against me, and he that gathereth not with me seat- 
 teretli abroad.” (Matt, xii, 30.) 
 
 * I 
 
 WOMEN AND DRESS. 
 
 [Williams’s “Through Norway.”] 
 
 2. “ It is a gross fallacy to assert that woman is sub¬ 
 ject to the despotic rule of the male sex. The fact is 
 exactly the reverse of this. But woman is the abject 
 slave of a crushing, grinding, pulverizing, morally 
 annihilating despotism—that of the obscure, name¬ 
 less, unknown humbugs, who, inspired by the demon 
 of ugliness, draw, paint, print, and publish those hid¬ 
 eous caricatures, those foul libels on the human form 
 divine, those pictorial atrocities which periodically 
 emerge from an unknown somewhere, and represent 
 the ‘Modes die Paris .’ The worship of this hideous fetish 
 is the principal source of female degradation. . . . 
 
 “ The steel-expanded skirts of one year, and the 
 bandaged legs of the next; the occipital chignon of 
 yesterday, and the frontal forelock of to-day; the in¬ 
 describable Proteus, that ever-changing, monstrous 
 or microscopic thing they call a bonnet; the multi¬ 
 tude of useless appendages that overpass the possibil¬ 
 ities of comprehension and change perpetually in 
 position, form, and color; that beautiful to-day and 
 hideous to-morrow, according to the mandates of an 
 invisible, unknown, and irresponsible millinery auto- 
 .erat,—all conspire to demonstrate that woman of the 
 present generation is so enslaved that to entrust her 
 with political suffrage would be simply to throw so 
 much additional power into the hands of the designing 
 demagogue, who would trade upon her instability of 
 judgment just as the dressmaker, the draper, the mil¬ 
 liner, the hairdresser, etc., trade upon her now by 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 207 
 
 fooling Tier into the adoption of these perpetual 
 changes of dress, merely for the purpose of compelling 
 her to he continually buying the new rubbish that 
 they designate ‘ the last thing out/ ‘ the newest 
 fashion/ 6 the latest novelty/ etc. 
 
 “ This groveling submission, this cringing, slavish, 
 and abject surrender of her own natural taste and in¬ 
 dependent judgment to the fetish of fashion, very 
 seriously weakens and degrades the whole character 
 of woman. Trilling and contemptible as it is in it¬ 
 self, it is no trifle in its demoralizing results. Char¬ 
 acter is not developed by great occasional events, but 
 by the continuous pressure of daily incidents and hab¬ 
 its, and this ever-present eagerness to bow and cringe 
 .and crawl under the yoke of fashion produces a per¬ 
 manent curvative of the spine of a woman’s soul. 
 
 “When women shall have so far emancipated them¬ 
 selves from this tyranny as to select their clothing ac¬ 
 cording to the dictates of common sense, convenience, 
 ■economy, good taste, and artistic elegance; when they 
 choose good, useful, and beautiful dresses, and wear 
 them out; when the fluctuations of their fashions 
 present no other changes than those damanded by 
 change of season, the variations of age, personal 
 peculiarities, the growth of taste, and improvements 
 of materials, then they may be credited with sufficient 
 stability of judgment and independence of character 
 to be entrusted with a share in the government of the 
 nation ; and what is far more important, they will be 
 respected by each other and by the opposite sex, and 
 thereby exercise the full force of that moral influence 
 which it is their special and highest prerogative to 
 wield.” 
 
208 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 UNCONSCIOUS INFLUENCE. 
 
 [From “The Standard.”] 
 
 8. “ Years ago in the capital of one of our States, a 
 company of bright, happy girls were sitting about a 
 cheerful fire at two o’clock at night, talking over the 
 party they had just attended at the Governor’s. . . . 
 How little they knew or thought at that time 
 of the shadows and sorrows that would cross 
 their bright pathways, or crush their hearts in the 
 near future! Not fifteen years ago ! So short a time, 
 and yet how many sad pages of history could each of 
 that group write from her own experience ! 
 
 ‘ We are scattered, we are scattered, 
 
 Though a happy band were we ; 
 
 Some lie beneath the grave-sod 
 And some are o’er the sea.’ 
 
 “ Well, they sat there and discussed the party, the 
 beauty of the young ladies, their pretty attire, the 
 deportment of the young gentlemen and all their 
 bright sayings, the brilliant Polish gentleman who 
 played so delightfully on a real Cremona violin; the 
 elegance of the entertainment, and the hostesses, the 
 daughters of the handsome Governor who had given 
 them so charming an evening. 
 
 “ One of the group never danced, and she had no¬ 
 ticed that evening that her friend and hostess, Blanche 
 Kermott, had also refused to dance, which seemed 
 strange to all, as she was generally ‘on the floor’ 
 all the evening at every party and sought for contin¬ 
 ually. So Nellie asked: 
 
 “ ‘ Blanche, why didn’t you dance to-night ? Are 
 you not well? I don’t think I ever attended a party 
 here before when you were not one of the dancers.’ 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 209 
 
 “‘Ho, I don’t believe you did,’ replied Blanche, 
 ‘ and I am perfectly well; but I’ll tell you why I did 
 not dance, and shall surprise you still more, no doubt, 
 when I say I hope I have danced for the last time.’ 
 
 “ 6 Why, Blanche Kermott, what has come over 
 you ?’ exclaimed two or three at once. 4 If you give 
 up dancing, what may we not expect ?’ 
 
 “ 4 You all know Mr. Carleton, and how attentive 
 he was to me all last summer,’ said Blanche, 4 and 
 now again this vacation, and you know what a model 
 young man he used to be! Why, last winter Mr. 
 Randall (the pastor) called him his right-hand man in 
 church, in prayer-meeting, and Sunday-school, and all 
 the college-boys used to say they could not get him to 
 do a thing that was out of the way or considered 
 questionable by any Christian. He would not smoke 
 or dance, play cards or drink, never attended any of 
 the club-parties, or drove out on Sunday, or dissipated 
 in any way. A year ago Will Green said 44 if he was 
 one of your pjious, sawney, meek kind of fellows, they 
 wouldn’t have cared; but when the handsomest, most 
 gentlemanly, and best-educated young man in the 
 city stood out against all these things, it made them 
 mad, and they had tried every way to break down his 
 strict principles, but had given it up long ago as a bad 
 job.’ ” And you know he smokes, and drinks, and 
 dances now, and people have wondered what influ¬ 
 ence had been strong enough to change him so, when 
 he had resisted for so long a time all the gibes, and 
 jeers, and unpleasant flings, as well as the persistent 
 requests of so many of his companions. And to¬ 
 night I have learned the secret of it all. 
 
 44 4 On our way to Governor C-’s he asked me if 
 
 I would dance with him in the first set, and I don’t 
 
 14 - 
 
210 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 know why I should have asked the question, but I 
 said, “ Mr. Carleton, what induced you to change 
 your principles so radically, when you used to be so 
 opposed to dancing ? ” And what do you suppose he 
 said ? He waited a minute, and, calling me by my 
 first name (which he has not done since that one sol¬ 
 emn evening when I told him “no”), and with the 
 saddest voice I ever heard, said : 
 
 “ 4 Blanche, ’twas all for love of you! I 'was 
 principled against it. I am yet. I know I have 
 done wrong, and have not only disobeyed that pre¬ 
 cept which used to be my constant motto, “ Abstain 
 from all appearance of evil,” and which still hangs in 
 my room, rebuking me every day, but have I am sure 
 wounded my Savior by my actions. I will tell you 
 how it all came about. When you told me last sum¬ 
 mer that you had great respect for me, but felt but 
 little acquainted, and could not respond to my feel¬ 
 ings, I determined that I must do something to meet 
 you more often, so that you might know me better. 
 At every party we attended you were always dancing, 
 and I never had an opportunity to converse with you, 
 and nearly always when I called I would find quite a 
 company of our circle at your house, and if there 
 were only eight persons there a dance was proposed ; 
 and so everywhere I went I was a sort of outsider, 
 and the dancers carried you off captive. When you 
 went back to school I went to a dancing-master, pri¬ 
 vately, and took lessons, and before long began to 
 dance at some of the parties. Then it was not hard, 
 after giving way in one particular, to begin to smoke 
 with some of the boys, and before long I even went 
 to one of their champagne suppers at the hotel, and 
 was carried home drunk. You know all the rest. 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 211 
 
 But, Blanche, I tell you honestly, the beginning of 
 my stepping aside was all for love of you. You may 
 •call me weak; I was weak; all men are weak, and 
 often very foolish when in love, for young ladies do 
 not realize what power they have over us. If they 
 •did, they would not encourage us to smoke, or invite 
 us to drink on Yew Year’s day, or tempt us in any 
 way to do wrong. They can so easily encourage and 
 inspire us to do right, and lead us up higher instead 
 of dragging us down.’ 
 
 “ 4 Why, girls, I never had such a rebuke in my 
 life. I had sometimes thought we were not doing 
 right as young Christians to dance and play cards, for 
 I did not think that the best people approve of it, 
 and as long as they were amusements which the most 
 vicious and depraved engaged in so constantly. My 
 conscience has once in a while troubled me when I 
 have read such texts as the one Mr. Carleton quoted, 
 or “ keep yourselves unspotted from the world,” and 
 others like them ; but it never occurred to me that 
 my doing wrong (if it was wrong) was influencing 
 others. Yet all unconsciously I had been the means 
 of his downfall. It seems dreadful to me; I could 
 hardly go to the party, and I don’t think you wonder 
 now that I did not dance. Doesn’t Paul say some¬ 
 thing like this, u Let no man put a stumbling-block 
 or an occasion to fail in his brother’s way,” and “ It is 
 good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any¬ 
 thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, 
 or is made weak.” Yow, these verses show that we 
 are responsible in some degree for the sins of others, 
 .and I was a stumbling-block in Mr. Carleton’s way, 
 and my dancing was the occasion of his falling. That 
 is perfectly plain to me, and I have determined never 
 
212 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 to dance again, and to try to be more careful of my 
 conduct in the future. 
 
 “ That little sermon was not lost, for all the group 
 promised from that time to abstain from all question¬ 
 able amusements, and strive to be more deserving the 
 name of Christian, that their unconscious influence 
 might do good rather than evil.” 
 
 INDIVIDUAL INFLUENCE. 
 
 BY WIBBIAM J. M’CUNK. 
 
 4. “ Some years since there lived in. the South a 
 
 wealthy young planter, who was greatly given to sports,, 
 of every character, high living, and money-making* 
 His most intimate associate in his various excursions,, 
 the one who most frequently enjoyed the hospitality 
 of his table and mingled in his mirth, was a young 
 clergyman, the pastor of a neighboring church. He 
 was intelligent and witty, an adept in the art of social 
 intercourse, and the indispensable friend of the gay 
 young planter. 
 
 “ One day the man of the world was taken sick,, 
 and, after a brief illness, was regarded by his physi¬ 
 cians as beyond hope, and given up to die. His wife, 
 in great anxiety, inquired if she should send for his 
 clerical friend, to talk and pray with him. < Ho, r 
 replied the sick man, ‘ don’t send for him. I enjoyed 
 his society when in the midst of health and frivolity, 
 but I don’t want to see him now. He mingled too- 
 freely in my pleasures for me to esteem his Christian 
 character. Call Tom, the hostler. Tom is only an 
 ignorant slave-boy, but I believe in his religion, and 
 the virtue of his prayers. Often have I overheard 
 him praying in the barn, and sometimes praying for 
 me. I have ridiculed his religion, but I never doubted 
 
THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 213 
 
 his sincerity of heart or purity of life. Tell Tom his 
 dying master wants him to come and pray for him.’ 
 And poor black Tom came tremblingly to the bed¬ 
 side of his master. In his simple, untutored way, 
 he told him of the love and sacrifice of Calvary. He 
 opened up to his fading sight the way of the Cross, 
 so familiar to his own feet, and prayed fervently that 
 he might be saved. 
 
 “ The incident illustrates an important truth, great¬ 
 ly disregarded, that every professing Christian is con¬ 
 stantly shedding influence for or against the cause of 
 religion. No one is so lowly in station as to be desti¬ 
 tute of influence or relieved from responsibility. It is 
 not at all probable that Tom, the slave-boy, ever had 
 the remotest thought that his life was impressing the 
 mind and conscience of his master. His only care 
 w T as to be faithful in the humble sphere he occupied. 
 It is the importance of consistency in all the little 
 things which make up the bulk of life, which so many 
 lose sight of. We do not commend that juniper-tree 
 style of religion that throws a shadow over everything 
 around it, yet it is an unhappy commentary on any 
 Christian life, that it has unfitted its possessor for 
 Christian duty at the bed of death /'—Michigan Chris¬ 
 tian Advocate . 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 INDISPENSABILITIES CONTINUED.—CHRISTIAN UNANIMITY. 
 
 Having, now, upon the world’s conversion to 
 Christ, established its possibility, its infinite obliga¬ 
 tion, its infinite importance, in my last I commenced 
 
214 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 three discourses upon how the work must be done, or 
 what is indispensable to its accomplishment, stating* 
 that one thing indispensable is, especially, gathering' 
 with rather than scattering from Christ, or a proper 
 conviction on the part of the impenitent, and then w T hat 
 is necessary to such a conviction; under this head 
 specifying the operation of the Holy Spirit in connec¬ 
 tion with or through the word, his two-edged sword, 
 wielded through consistent Christian conduct, and 
 then what is necessary to such conduct—1, purity; 2, 
 uniformity. 
 
 I again propose, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to 
 continue this part of the subject, dwelling upon the 
 indispensability and importance of Christian unanimity . 
 The proposition, therefore, for consideration, estab¬ 
 lishment, and improvement in the present and the next 
 discourse is the following : 
 
 PROPOSITION III. 
 
 In proportion to Christian unanimity , or so far as 
 Christians agree or disagree in both faith and practice, 
 is Christian conduct consistent or inconsistent, and a 
 means of either saving or ruining the impenitent. 
 
 I am aware that I am here touching upon what 
 perhaps by some may be considered forbidden ground, 
 since it seems to savor a little of controversy. But 
 should there be any such, I shall endeavor to be court¬ 
 eous and to say nothing unnecessarily which will injure 
 the feelings of any who may happen to dissent from 
 the doctrine advanced. I think, however, that all who 
 have heard or shall hear or read what is now beinsr 
 said upon the-world’s conversion to Christ will admit 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 215 
 
 that nothing has been affirmed nor will be said to cause 
 controversy, but simply to elicit pure gospel truth, to 
 glorify God, and to secure the greatest good to the 
 largest number. To this end, therefore, let us now 
 enter upon a thorough, candid, and impartial investi¬ 
 gation and solution of the proposition which is the 
 subject of the present and following chapter. 
 
 Now, since Christian unanimity consists in agree¬ 
 ment or sameness of both faith and practice, and since 
 Christian conduct is consistent or inconsistent in pro¬ 
 portion as it is always the same, it follows that Chris¬ 
 tian conduct is consistent or inconsistent in proportion 
 to Christian unanimity, or so far as Christians agree or 
 disagree in both faith and practice. 
 
 Again: Since Christian conduct is a means of 
 either good or harm in proportion to its consistency 
 or inconsistency, and consistent or inconsistent so far 
 as Christians agree or disagree in both faith and prac¬ 
 tice, it follows that Christian conduct is a means of 
 either saving or ruining the impenitent in proportion 
 to Christian unanimity. And here a number of items 
 will illustrate and establish beyond a doubt the same 
 sentiment. 
 
 The principal one and the one all the others con¬ 
 firm is that unchristian dissension is of satanic origin. 
 I have no sympathy at all with that theory that 
 unchristian disagreement and discord are of divine 
 origin. It may perhaps be true that God overrules 
 the great evil to a limited amount of good. But from 
 the fact that God overrules evil for good it does not 
 follow that he is the author of the evil, for, if he was, 
 he alone would be accountable and responsible for its 
 terrible tendencies and awful consequences. Now, 
 
216 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 * that unchristian dissension is • of satanic origin and 
 diametrically opposed to God’s will is especially— 
 First. Evident from the Scriptures. If nowhere 
 else, conclusively evident— 
 
 1st. From that part of the Lord’s prayer where it 
 says, “ Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” 
 (Matt, vi, 10.) Granting, now, that God’s will is done 
 in heaven, and that it is his will that no disagreement 
 nor discord should be there, and that he would have 
 his will done “in earth as it is in heaven,” it is cer¬ 
 tainly admitted that all unchristian disagreement and 
 discord are both directly opposed to God’s will and of 
 satanic origin, because such is the origin of every 
 thing thus opposed to God’s will. 
 
 2d. The same is equally evident from the Savior’s 
 language, where, after praying for his apostles, he said: 
 “ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that 
 believe on me through their word, that they all may 
 be one as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee ; that 
 they also may be one in us, that the world may be¬ 
 lieve that thou hast sent me.” (John xvii, 21, 22.) 
 Here is established not only that unchristian dissen¬ 
 sion is directly opposed to God’s will and of satanic 
 origin, but that faith in Christ is either promoted or 
 diminished, and thereby the impenitent either saved 
 or lost, in proportion to Christian unanimity. For 
 note: 1.) Who are referred to—“ them that believe” on 
 Christ through the word of the apostles. 2.) What 
 the Savior asked in their behalf—“that they all may 
 be one as” he and the Father are one; that is, that 
 the same unanimity or agreement, love and harmony 
 might exist among all Christians which existed be¬ 
 tween Christ and the Father, which in every respect 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 217 
 
 was absolutely perfect, and which, too, did at first act¬ 
 ually exist among primitive Christians; for, in speaking 
 of the church at Jerusalem, it says “ the multitude of 
 them that believed were of one heart and one soul.” 
 (Acts iv, 32.) Mark especially the expression “ of 
 one soul,” as well as “of one heart’’—referring, doubt¬ 
 less, to the intellectual as well as to the emotional na¬ 
 ture, and thus showing not only a perfect agreement in 
 both faith and practice, but in both sympathy and af¬ 
 fection. How, that such is God’s will concerning 
 Christian unanimity or agreement, love and har¬ 
 mony—* 
 
 3d. Is further evident from very many other 
 scripture passages, among which — excepting the 
 italics—are the following: “ How the God of pa¬ 
 tience and consolation grant you to be like minded 
 one towards another, according to Christ Jesus.” 
 (Rom. xv, 15.) •• “ That ye may with one mind, and 
 one mouth glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ.” (Verse 6.) “ Be perfect, be of good comfort, 
 
 be of one mind , live in peace” (1 Cor. xiii, 11.) 
 “ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you 
 that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye 
 are caMed, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit 
 in the bond of peace” (Eph. iv, 1, 3.) “ That ye 
 
 stand fast in one spirit , with one mind , striving together 
 foi the faith of the gospel.” (Eph. i, 4.) “ If there 
 
 be, therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any com¬ 
 fort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any 
 bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be 
 like minded , having the same love , being of one accord , 
 of one mind” (Phil, ii, 1, 2.) “ nevertheless, whereto 
 we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule , 
 ilet us mind the same thing” (Phil, iii, 16.) Thus 
 
218 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 much the hortatory and indirect prohibition of un¬ 
 christian dissension. 
 
 Eow for the direct, unequivocal, and positive pro¬ 
 hibition : “ Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them 
 which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doc¬ 
 trine which ye have learned, and avoid them, for they 
 that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ , hut 
 their own belly , and, by good words and fair speeches, 
 deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Rom. xvi, 17.) 
 How very true that it is the simple-hearted , or the 
 unwise, who are gotten into and also kept in such a 
 condition. Again: “Now I beseech you, brethren, 
 by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all 
 speak the same thing ”; of course, not in any sense- 
 disagreeing, contradicting, and thus advocating oppo¬ 
 site spiritual doctrines. “ And that there he no divis - 
 
 jk. 
 
 ions among you.” And at the same time the one who 
 gave these instructions cause those divisions, thus, 
 making them—as some suppose—providential rather 
 than satanic ? What nonsense ! “ But that ye be per¬ 
 
 fectly joined together in the same mind and in sam e judg¬ 
 ment.” (I Cor. i, 10.) Of course, not of different 
 minds and different judgments, as it was then and is 
 now, hut that there be a perfect unanimity or agree¬ 
 ment not only in sentiment, but especially in love, 
 preaching, and practice. Now for the occasion of 
 this instruction : “For it hath been declared unto me 
 of you, my brethren, that there are contentions among 
 you. Now, this I say, that every one of you saitli, 
 I am of Paul , and 1 of Apollos , and I of Cephas , and 
 I of Christ.” Then he asks, “ Is Christ divided?”' 
 (verse 11) implying by that question that since Christ 
 is not divided, neither should they nor any other 
 Christians be divided; nor should there be any refer- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 219 
 
 ence whatever to any one as authority except to 
 Christ. But, since it was not thus, he charges them 
 with carnality : “ Ye are yet carnal; for whereas there 
 is among you envying , and strife, and divisions , are ye 
 not carnal and walk as men?” (iii, 3.) Mark, not* 
 as Christians, but “ as men,” or the impenitent, while 
 they were thus disagreeing, envious, striving, and 
 divided. If the above, and very many other and sim¬ 
 ilar passages, do not prove positively that unchristian 
 dissension is diametrically opposed to God’s will and 
 of Satanic origin, the Scriptures teach nothing at all. 
 
 Second. Unchristian dissension can be shown to 
 he just as irrational as it is unscriptural. lieason 
 itself shows that it is impossible for two to differ and 
 both be right wherein they disagree, for contradictory 
 propositions can not both be true; and hence wherein 
 Christians disagree and contradict each other, one or 
 botli must be wrong. Uow, it is possible for two to 
 difler and both _to be wrong wherein they dis¬ 
 agree, but it is impossible for two to differ and both- 
 to be right wherein they disagree. For instance, it 
 could be assumed that a certain ordinance consists in 
 such an element or such an act, and then two could 
 differ in regard to it, the one contending that it is 
 something more, the other that it is something less, 
 but both be wrong; for the ordinance might possibly 
 consist in something wholly different from either 
 assumption. Such, now, is especially true with 
 respect to Church ordinances and polity, concerning 
 which Christians differ so much and so widely. And 
 thus they disagree and flatly contradict each other 
 upon the same point. But is it possible for each and 
 all th ese opposite and conflicting sentiments to be 
 correct; that is, when one says it is true or right,. 
 
220 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 and the other that it is false or wrong? Can it be both ? 
 Certainly not, any more than white can be black, or 
 light darkness. And hence, wherein Christians differ 
 or disagree in faith and practice, one or both must 
 ^be wrong. There jire but the two, truth and error; 
 and hence every one must necessarily hold to cither 
 the one or the other. For instance, God says the same 
 thing to every one; he means the same thing to every 
 one. And hence, if every one finds out what God 
 means from what he says , he has got the same thing , 
 and all agree perfectly. And hence, if two or more 
 disagree about what God says, some one, or all, cer¬ 
 tainly misunderstands God, and must be wrong. 
 There is no alternative; consequently,it is impossible 
 for Christians to differ and all to be ri^ht wherein 
 they disagree. And hence, if they differ or disagree 
 in faith and practice, some one, or all, must necessa¬ 
 rily be wrong, and entertaining and advocating errone¬ 
 ous sentiments, and thus perverting gospel truth and 
 subverting the principles of Christianity, and substi¬ 
 tuting in their stead the elements of paganism. A 
 terrible position and operation ! unavoidable, how¬ 
 ever, in proportion to unchristian disagreement. 
 Consequently, to suppose and contend, as many do, 
 that unchristian dissension is better and tends to 
 more good than would Christian unanimity, is vir¬ 
 tually assuming that paganism is preferable to Chris¬ 
 tianity, because it is putting the possession and dif¬ 
 fusion of erroneous sentiment, which is the essence of 
 paganism, above gospel truth, which is the substance 
 of Christianity. 
 
 In fact, unchristian dissension tends to subvert 
 every Christian grace and gospel principle, and to worse 
 - than waste Zion’s resources, depopulating heaven, and 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 221 
 
 increasing the inhabitants of darkness and eternal 
 despair. True, this is a broad assertion, but never¬ 
 theless it can very easily be sustained. 
 
 1st. Unchristian dissension tends to subvert the 
 law of love , which the Savior, by way of eminence, 
 styles the new commandment. Said he: “ A new 
 commandment I give unto you, that ye love one 
 another.” “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever 
 I command you.” “ These things I command you, 
 that ye love one another.” Not simply in word 
 either, but “ in deed and in truth.” I think all will 
 admit that not only at the present time, but always 
 and everywhere, there is and always has been 
 altogether too much love simply “ in word,” and very 
 much too little “in deed and in truth.” Now, the 
 term dissension itself represents a state of things en¬ 
 tirely incompatible with the law of love, for love 
 tends to unite, to bind together, and to promote love, 
 sympathy, agreement, and harmony; but dissension 
 tends to disagreement, dislike, discord, and division. 
 The one fosters everything agreeable, elevating, and 
 beneficial; the other everything repulsive, degrading,, 
 and injurious. Nor is there a single exception to this 
 rule, in the sense in which the terms love and dissen¬ 
 sion are now being used. And here, once for all, let 
 it be distinctly understood and remembered, too, that 
 the term dissension is here used in the sense of dissent¬ 
 ing from the truth; or, in its malignant and blight¬ 
 ing signification, a sense, too, in "which it is now per¬ 
 fectly applicable, and has been from the first schism 
 in the Church until the present time. And hence, to 
 contend, as some do, that unchristian dissension is- 
 necessary to the preservation and perpetuity of gospel 
 truth is virtually assuming that erroneous sentiment 
 
222 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 is necessary to a true faith—that is, that darkness is 
 necessary to light, and corruption to purity; than 
 which nothing can be more false and absurd. 
 
 if, now, it be true, as it really is, that unchristian 
 dissension fosters every thing repulsive, degrading, 
 and injurious, certainly it tends to subvert the law 
 of love; for love is the opposite, including everything 
 attractive and ennobling, and “ worketh no ill to the 
 neighbor.” Now, that-such is the nature of improper 
 Christian dissension is sufficiently evident from its 
 results. To dissent is to differ with or from; and thus 
 for nearly eighteen hundred years Christians have 
 been differing with and from one another, resulting in 
 a vast amount of disagreement, dislike, discord, and 
 division, as well as very many other similar or kindred 
 evils. Behold the Christian world. Observe the 
 vast number of different divisions and denominations, 
 and the discord consequent upon such a state of 
 things. Like, for instance, an army within itself 
 belligerent, divided up into factions and fortified, two 
 guns pointed at each other and one at the enemy— 
 firing away, each thus trying to overcome the other, 
 and at the same time to conquer the foe ; the enemy 
 all the time laughing at the inefficiency of the whole, 
 on account of such discord. What prospect of success 
 under such circumstances ? None in the least. In¬ 
 deed, analogy itself, if nothing else, shows the awful 
 inconsistency, irrationality, and disastrous conse¬ 
 quences of unchristian dissension. 
 
 Now, enter upon a close and careful examination 
 of the nature and tendency of such a state of things. 
 What are the results ? Dare any say, “ no harm ” or 
 “ill to the neighbor”? Do they generally, if ever, fulfill 
 the scripture where it says, “Look not every man on 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 223 
 
 his own things, but every man also on the things of 
 others ”? “ Let no man seek his own, but every man 
 another’s wealth ” ? The substance of which is to 
 desire and seek the welfare of others, and thus each 
 do what can be done to aid in building up the other. 
 
 . ■“ Not quite that way,” says one denomination; “ it 
 would be against nature, ^because it is not at all 
 natural for one to work against his own interests, 
 and this would be done should such a course be pur¬ 
 sued ; for, if I should try as hard to build up another 
 denomination as myself, I would very soon be no 
 denomination at all, because the other denominations 
 would take all my good wishes and efforts without 
 reciprocity or returning the favor. If all would do 
 so, I would have no objection, and would fall in with 
 the rest; but since it is not so, nor ever has been 
 thus, I fear to take the lead in the matter lest I be 
 the first and the last, and thereby lose my identity 
 entirely.” 
 
 Now, there is very much good sense in that kind 
 of reasoning, for thus, in the past, has one denomina¬ 
 tion been waiting, and is now waiting for the other; 
 nor has any such thing ever occurred on the part of 
 either. Further says that same denomination: 
 ,u Wherein others differ from me, they are wrong; 
 and hence to build them up would be building up 
 the bulwarks of Satan rather than the cause of Christ, 
 which would be no advantage to them nor any one 
 else, but an injury to all.” Hence, you perceive, for 
 one denomination not to do what it can to build up 
 and establish another is a matter of conscience as well 
 as that of expediency. Neither can I, nor any one 
 else, conceive how one denomination could conscien¬ 
 tiously do all within its power to build up and estab- 
 
224 the world's spiritual conquest. 
 
 lish another, for wherein they differ each considers 
 the other wrong, and naturally thinks and feels that 
 thus far it would be wrong even to encourage, much 
 more to aid in building each other up; which, in fact, 
 amounts to the conviction, right or wrong, that it 
 is much more proper to tear each other down than 
 to aid in building each other up. This, too, is the 
 principle upon which, to a greater or less extent, all 
 the different denominations have in the past been 
 acting, and will continue to act, too, so long as they 
 have an identity; because to take an opposite course 
 would not only subvert the principles, but destroy 
 the very elements necessary to their existence. If 
 any doubt this, they can be convinced by referring to 
 and believing historical facts and observing what is 
 passing around them. 
 
 In the reference and observation, however, all will 
 find that though the down-pulling is very uniform with 
 respect to principle, yet it is rather multiform in regard 
 to operation. There is not a single denomination but 
 that, in various ways, has been endeavoring and is 
 now endeavoring to undermine and overthrow all the 
 others. Yet the course pursued by each is frequently 
 very different. 
 
 One, knowing from actual, direct, thorough, and 
 impartial investigation that its faith and practice are 
 both correct, and can endure the severest gospel test, 
 may disdain any except an upright, honorable, and 
 Christian course, believing that the plain, pointed, and 
 impartial advocacy of gospel truth is the most speedy 
 and surest way to remove all error, and to secure 
 and preserve, intact and upon a firm basis, all the 
 interests of Zion. 
 
 Another, however, in addition to the principle of 
 
( 
 
 I 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 225 
 
 down-pulling—adopting and putting into practice the 
 sentiment that the end will justify the means—may 
 stoop to a little petty, mean, and secret intriguing, and 
 hypocritical flattery and slanderous misrepresentation. 
 
 While another, still more unprincipled and reckless, 
 adopting an intolerant spirit, may put their appoint¬ 
 ments upon other appointments, closing up against 
 other denominations, school and meeting houses and 
 all other places of worship under their control, and 
 also frequently-persecuting to the death all others dif¬ 
 fering with them—haling men, women, and children 
 to prison, the stake, and a martyr’s grave, and thus 
 flooding the earth with the blood of the saints. 
 
 What a vast amount of hypocritical flattery, slan¬ 
 derous misrepresentation, and low, mean, secret, and 
 unholy intriguing, as w r ell as opposition and blood¬ 
 shed, has occurred in connection with unchristian 
 dissension. Probably there has never been a commu¬ 
 nity where some one or other of the different evils 
 enumerated has not existed. To deny, therefore,, 
 that such has been the course of some, if not all the 
 different denominations, would be denying not only a 
 vast number of historical facts, hut one’s own eye¬ 
 sight and hearing. For who is there who has not 
 both seen and heard, and especially read, of such, 
 things in connection with unchristian dissension ? 
 
 True, there has always been and doubtless there 
 will always continue to he a class, however large or 
 small the number, who, though differing with others, 
 are yet too pure and noble to stoop to anything mean 
 or unchristian to extend and establish their own senti¬ 
 ments. But it is equally true that in connection with 
 the different denominations there are very many of a 
 
 different character. Nor will the exception either set 
 16 — 
 
226 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 aside nor destroy the general rule. Though some may 
 do it properly, and others improperly, yet the principle 
 of operation is about the same—which is, to under¬ 
 mine and overthrow rather than to build up and 
 establish. Nor shall I deny that this, to a certain 
 extent, is right; for it has not been asserted that all 
 kinds of Christian dissension are wrong, and hence it 
 is proper to make an exception. And here it may be 
 noted that there are two kinds of Christian dissension: 
 one from truth to error, the other from error to truth, 
 the latter of which is right and the only one that 
 should ever have existed. Certainly it is perfectly 
 right for all to dissent from error, and do what can be 
 done lawfully to remove all error and establish the 
 truth; but at the same time, this admission proves 
 nothing in favor of dissenting from the truth—the 
 kind of dissension we are now dwelling upon, and 
 which, too, embraces nearly, or quite, every con¬ 
 ceivable evil. 
 
 It tends to irritate , to dishearten , to injure , and to 
 defeat those battling for the truth, and thus to beget 
 within them even a spirit and a state of feeling not at 
 all consistent with the law of love. 
 
 1. We all know that contradiction and opposition 
 are both naturally very irritating , especially if there 
 be an impression that they are to the right rather 
 than to the wrong. Probably nothing is more irritat¬ 
 ing and disgusting to an honest heart and correct mind 
 than dissent from and opposition to gospel truth by 
 those pretending to be its friends. But this same 
 irritation and disgust may be shared in by those whose 
 hearts are honest and heads are wrong, because de¬ 
 ceived in regard to their sentiments. And thus, by 
 dissent and opposition the members of the different 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 227 
 
 denominations are constantly irritating and disgusting 
 each other. Now, does irritation and disgust tend to 
 promote love and harmony? The opposite—the sub¬ 
 version of the law of love. 
 
 2. So far as Christians dissent from and oppose 
 one another, each is disheartened in his work, for 
 wherein they differ one denies what the other affirms, 
 and pulls up what the other has planted, and thus, by 
 mutual dissent and opposition, rendering useless each 
 other’s efforts to establish the truth and advance 
 Christ’s cause. This, now, is terribly disheartening. 
 
 3. It is awfully injurious. True, those dissenting 
 from error and doing what they can to establish the 
 truth are indulging in nothing which will injure any 
 one. But those dissenting from the truth are indulg¬ 
 ing in what is an injury to all—not only to themselves, 
 but to others also. 
 
 1.) It is a great injury to themselves , because— 
 
 (1.) It tends to bring upon them condemnation and 
 punishment ; for, so far as one dissents from the truth, 
 he dishonors God and ruins souls, because thus far he 
 represents God’s word as false, has his own light 
 darkness, and leads others astray. This, now, tends 
 to enrage God and to bring condemnation and pun¬ 
 ishment upon those who thus indulge. And even, 
 too, where it is done ignorantly, for “ that servant 
 who knew not, and did commit things worthy of 
 stripes, shall be beaten.” Much more the one who 
 understands. 
 
 (2.) It is a great injury to their reputation; for, 
 so far as a professing Christian dissents from the truth , 
 he embraces and advocates what is false, which im¬ 
 plies that he is either foolish or dishonest—that is, 
 
228 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 either knowing too little to understand what is true, 
 or intending to assert what he knows to be false, 
 either of which, in the estimation of the wise and 
 pious, is a great injury to his reputation. For so far 
 as one is perceived to pin his faith to another man’s 
 sleeve, or to pretend to know what he does not under¬ 
 stand—as is the case in all false sentiments and asser¬ 
 tions—thus far he shows a want of good sense and 
 lowers himself in the estimation of the wise; espe¬ 
 cially so far as one seems to deny what he pretends to 
 believe—as is the case in denying what is admitted— 
 does he show a want of integrity and lower himself in 
 the estimation of the pious. In proportion, therefore, 
 as a Christian dissents from the truth is his reputa¬ 
 tion injured, for thus far is he lowered in the estima¬ 
 tion of the wise and the pious. 
 
 (8.) This, again, is a great injury to his good influ¬ 
 ence; for so far as the Christian’s reputation for 
 wisdom and integrity is lowered in the estimation of 
 the wise and pious, thus far he can have no beneficial 
 influence. In proportion, therefore, as a Christian 
 dissents from the truth, not only does he injure his 
 reputation, but he can have no good influence. 
 
 (4.) This, again, is a great injury to his feelings 
 and enjoyment; for so far as one finds himself 'neg¬ 
 lected and forsaken by the wise and the pious and can 
 have no beneficial influence, he feels irritated and de¬ 
 graded, and in proportion to his sense of irritation and 
 degradation is his enjoyment destroyed. In propor¬ 
 tion, therefore, as one is neglected and forsaken, and can 
 have no beneficial influence, is he made miserable. In 
 proportion, therefore, as a Christian dissents from the 
 truth is it an injury not only to the cause of Christ, 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 229 
 
 to his reputation and influence, but to his feelings and 
 enjoyment. Consequently, to dissent from the truth 
 is a great injury to the one thus dissenting. 
 
 4.) It is a great injury to others. Though dis¬ 
 senting from error and asserting what is true will 
 injure no one, yet to dissent from the truth and 
 to assert what is false is an injury not only to the 
 cause of Christ, to the impenitent, and to one’s self, 
 but to those battling for the truth. Because assert¬ 
 ing what is false is denying what is true, and hence 
 so far as those who assert what is false are believed, 
 thus far those contending for the truth are discred¬ 
 ited. And so far as those contending for the truth are 
 discredited, thus far it is believed that they are either 
 foolish or dishonest—that is, either knowing too little 
 to understand what is true, or intending to assert 
 what they know to be false, either of which, in the 
 estimation of those viewing them in such a light, is a 
 great injury not only to their reputation and influence, 
 but to their feelings and enjoyment. In proportion, 
 therefore, as professing Christians dissent from the 
 truth and embrace and advocate what is false, as well 
 as to themselves it is a great injury to others. 
 
 4. This tends to defeat each in what is under¬ 
 taken for good. For wherein Christians differ and 
 contradict each other, the good influence of both is 
 destroyed, and nothing at all effected except evil; be¬ 
 cause if no good is accomplished, evil is promoted and 
 has the ascendency. Consequently, unchristian dis¬ 
 sension tends not only to irritate, to dishearten, and 
 to injure, but to defeat what is undertaken for good. 
 
 5. This tends to create a spirit and a state of 
 feeling not at all consistent with the law of love. 
 For so far as one is irritated, disheartened, injured, 
 
230 
 
 ^HE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 and defeated in what lie undertakes for good, he dis- 
 * likes it, and naturally feels hard towards those who 
 are the cause of it. Especially is this the case if there 
 he a supposition and impression that the opposition 
 is to the right rather than to the wrong, a supposi¬ 
 tion and impression shared in to a greater or less 
 extent by the entire membership of the different 
 denominations. Even those who are wrong think 
 those who are right to be wrong, and contending for 
 error instead of truth; and thus wherein they differ 
 each thinks the other wrong, and that his opposition 
 is irrational, unkind, and unjust, and thus far natur¬ 
 ally entertain and express a dislike and hard feelings 
 towards each other. Now, that this is so is doubtless 
 sufficiently evident without further argument or illus¬ 
 tration, because all, from both observation as well as 
 experience, know that such is verily the fact. 
 
 Thus far, then, we are unable to say, “ no harm ” 
 or “ ill to the neighbor.” Thus far, then, no one can 
 truthfully affirm that unchristian dissension does not 
 tend to subvert the law of love. And if subverted in 
 one respect, subverted in every respect, for dislike to 
 man begets dislike to God; and here, in the language 
 of the Holy Spirit, we- may state and inquire : “ If a 
 man say, ‘ I love God,’ and hateth his brother, he is a 
 liar ; for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath 
 seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen ? ” 
 Impossible. Consequently, if the law of love be sub¬ 
 verted with respect to man with man, it is also sub¬ 
 verted with respect to man with his Maker; and sub¬ 
 verted in both respects, away goes every other Chris¬ 
 tian grace and gospel principle. For upon love to 
 God and to man “ hang all the law and the proph¬ 
 ets.” How very appropriate, therefore, the language 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 231 
 
 of the Holy Spirit, where, in speaking of unchristian 
 dissension, he says: “ Whereas there is among you * 
 envying, and strife, and divisions.” 
 
 And here, as a further illustration of this point, we 
 will now note in detail a number of the other almost 
 innumerable evils of unchristian dissension. 
 
 1. One is that it tends to unholy selfishness, and 
 thus to pervert the law of benevolence. It causes 
 benevolent acts, like worldly charity, to begin at home, 
 to end at home, and thus to center in self. The gospel 
 and the law of love say, “ You and yours, and what 
 can I do for you?” etc., but sectarianism, caused by 
 unchristian dissension, says, “ Me and mine, and what 
 can you do for me and my church ? ” etc. If any 
 doubt this, let them listen to the conversation of 
 church-members, and note the money solicitations, 
 contributions, and applications. How, the members 
 of the different denominations, and frequently of the 
 same denomination, are often heard to say very much 
 about each other—but in what way? for or against? 
 Scarcely one word in each other’s favor; about every 
 word in detraction, rather than recommendation; 
 every good word for self and every evil word for the 
 other. So, too, with respect to the money solicita¬ 
 tions, contributions, and applications. Mu Ti money 
 is frequently solicited, contributed, and applied by the 
 different denominations—but for what purpose? to 
 build each other up ? Generally, if not always, to tear 
 each other down. True, after much solicitation, one 
 denomination will occasionally aid another in some 
 way, but the very denomination assisted, after securing 
 its w*ants and the ascendency, will sometimes refuse 
 utterly to aid the other by which itself has been 
 assisted, and that, too, even after faithfully promising 
 
'232 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 to do so, if thus desired, which is terribly dishonest as 
 well as awfully selfish. But understand me, I am not 
 here speaking of the propriety or the impropriety in 
 the case, but simply of the facts, to illustrate and 
 establish the point that unchristian dissension does 
 actually tend to unholy selfishness, and thus to subvert 
 the Christian grace and gospel law of benevolence. 
 Doubtless all will admit that speaking in favor of, 
 soliciting for, and applying contributed money to one’s 
 self, unless done with a proper spirit and in a proper 
 -wav, tends to unholy selfishness, and that all this is 
 true of the different denominations, and hence that 
 nothing more need be said to show that unchristian 
 dissension does actually tend to unholy selfishness, 
 and thus to subvert the law of benevolence. 
 
 2. It tends to envy and jealousy. Jealousy is 
 defined, “ suspicious, apprehensive of rivalship ”; 
 envy, “grieving at another’s good.” How very appro¬ 
 priate to the different denominations ! for each, want¬ 
 ing all itself, is naturally suspicious, and fears that the 
 other will gain the ascendency, and grieves at its 
 prosperity and upbuilding, and rejoices at its adversity 
 and downfall. That this is so is evident from the sad 
 countenance, the bitter words, and the unchristian acts 
 of many of the members of the different denomina¬ 
 tions towards each other. To deny it, therefore, 
 would be denying one’s own eye-sight and hearing. If 
 any doubt it, let them listen and observe when they 
 hear the members of one denomination talking about 
 another. If the denomination which is the subject of 
 remark be in the ascendency and still prospering, 
 what a grievous dissatisfaction will be seen in the 
 countenance and expressed in the words, showing un¬ 
 mistakably the envy of the soul; but if it be inferior 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 233 
 
 and still declining*, what a smiling and joyous satisfac¬ 
 tion will be manifest in both look and word, showing 
 unmistakably the exultation and secret delight at the 
 other’s adversity and overthrow. All know that this 
 is so, and that the Holy Spirit made no mistake, nor 
 at all misrepresented, when he used the term “ envying ” 
 to represent the state of feeling existing among those 
 differing upon the all-important subject of Christianity. 
 
 3. Unchristian dissension tends to “ strife and vain¬ 
 glory” Envy and jealousy can not operate very long 
 without producing their results, which are strife and 
 vainglory. Indeed, no one will envy or grieve very 
 long over the prosperity and superiority of another 
 without endeavoring in some way to come up to the 
 rival, if not to surpass him. So, with respect to the 
 different denominations, when one gains the ascend¬ 
 ency, the others will not envy or grieve very long 
 without endeavoring in some way to come up to, and 
 even to surpass the rival. True, the course pursued 
 by each may be very different, while the principle of 
 operation is- about the same. 
 
 One disdaining everything unchristian—as is al¬ 
 ways the case with those who are right—may take 
 none but a kind, upright, and honorable course, 
 endeavoring in various ways, indirectly , to gain and to 
 retain the ascendency; not, however, like others, 
 merely for the sake of the ascendency, but for the 
 sake of Christ. This, now, is perfectly proper, pro¬ 
 vided the “zeal be according to knowledge,” for, 
 avoiding all excesses, it is not only imperative duty, 
 but perfectly right, to “ strive earnestly for the faith 
 once delivered to the saints.” But though the indi¬ 
 rect, other things being equal, is the proper course to 
 
234 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 gain and to retain the ascendency, yet there are 
 various modifications of even said course. 
 
 One—as has already been intimated—is the kind, 
 upright, and honorable disdaining of everything un¬ 
 christian, including a proper object, spirit, and course 
 of procedure, because doing “ all things with an eye 
 single to God’s glory.” This, I again repeat, is not 
 only duty, but perfectly right. 
 
 Another, however, though better than the worst,, 
 yet not just what it should be, because it savors too 
 much of nomology, appearances, and vainglorying. 
 Its object, spirit, and course of procedure are all very 
 objectionable. Its object and spirit are altogether too 
 much for merely the ascendency. It would have a 
 name in the world. It would not be considered in¬ 
 ferior to any. It would have it said that its meeting¬ 
 house is the best, its congregation the largest, its choir 
 the finest, its membership the most numerous and 
 wealthy, its pastor the most learned and eloquent; 
 in short, it would be considered and called the largest, 
 the most wealthy, and grandest denomination on earth. 
 To this end it carries on its observations and opera¬ 
 tions. It first carefully notes the size and style of other 
 meeting-houses, especially the height of the steeple.. 
 Then it will proceed either to remodel or to build,-tak¬ 
 ing good care, however, to have its house a few feet 
 longer, wider, and higher, especially that its steeple is 
 an inch or two taller, so that at least it can be said 
 that it has the highest steeple in town. And then,, 
 instead of showing forth its piety and zeal by faith 
 and good works, it will boast of its fine meeting-house, 
 its eloquent pastor, its large congregation, its charm¬ 
 ing choir, and perhaps its numerous, wealthy, and fash- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 235 
 
 ionable membership, and other such externals and fine 
 appearances; and, at "the same time, even frequently' 
 laughing at the supposed inferiority or poverty and 
 plainness of others. This, however, will^not go on 1 
 very long before those laughed at and crowed over, 1 
 provoked to envy and jealousy by such conduct, will 
 themselves conclude to remodel or to build. Accord¬ 
 ingly they will proceed, if not said in so many words, 
 with the intention at least to surpass the rival in 
 external grandeur; in which, if they succeed, then they 
 will boast. And the rival outrivaled, to keep the as¬ 
 cendency, will doubtless conclude to remodel or to 
 build again. And then the others in turn, for the same 
 purpose, will do the same. Indeed, what vast sums of 
 money have been worse than wasted by means of such 
 denominational rivalship; and thus the different 
 denominations, instead of doing what they can by 
 humility, piety, and love to provoke each other to 
 more zeal for Christ and souls, are frequently arousing 
 one another to envy and jealousy by strife and vain¬ 
 glory. Thus much upon the indirect method of gaining 
 and retaining the ascendency. 
 
 Again: There is what may be called the direct 
 method; that is, by intrigue, treachery, and misrep¬ 
 resentation, the one denomination try to gain and 
 to retain the ascendency by building itself upon the 
 ruins of all the others. What a vast amount of harm 
 some have done themselves as well as others, and es¬ 
 pecially the cause of Christ, by such a spirit and course 
 of procedure. 
 
 And here could be mentioned many other such 
 things as arising from unchristian dissension; but 
 enough. Doubtless enough has now been said and 
 facts enough mentioned to convince any rational mind 
 
*236 
 
 THE world’s SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 that unchristian dissension tends not only to subvert 
 -every Christian grace and gospel principle, but to fos¬ 
 ter and cultivate in their stead selfishness, and pride, 
 &nd bickering, and backbiting, and slandering, and 
 -envy, and jealousy, and strife, and vainglory, and 
 ;almost every other evil propensity imaginable. Alas, 
 alas! that such a state of things should exist in the 
 Christian community. But so it is. How long be¬ 
 fore there shall be a mighty reformation not only in 
 this respect but in very many others? !STot until 
 Christians, laying aside all prejudice, are willing to 
 forego the pleasure of their own notions, preferences, 
 and fancies, and adhere strictly and exclusively to the 
 truth as it is in Christ. And may the time not be 
 distant when such shall be the fact, and when the 
 forces of light—not only agreeing, loving, and harmo¬ 
 nizing perfectly, and thus united and combined, but 
 understanding and using the only means adapted to the 
 ^end—shall arise and resist, and, under God, overcome 
 the powers of darkness, and thus speedily consummate 
 the ultimate, the complete, and the glorious triumphs 
 of the Redeemer’s kingdom throughout the world. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 'CHRISTIAN UNANIMITY CONTINUED-UNCHRISTIAN DISSEN¬ 
 
 SION A SATANIC STRATAGEM TO DEFEAT CHRIST’S 
 CAUSE, AND THUS RUIN SOULS—THE OBJECT OF CHRIS¬ 
 TIAN UNANIMITY. 
 
 In my last, upon the indispensability and impor¬ 
 tance of Christian unanimity, I presented for consider¬ 
 ation and establishment the following proposition : 
 In proportion to Christian unanimity , or so far m 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 23 ? 
 
 Christians agree or disagree in both faith and practice* 
 is Christian conduct consistent or inconsistent, and a, 
 means of either saving or ruining the impenitent.. 
 Stating that there are a number of items which prove: 
 positively and conclusively the same, among which* 
 the principal one, and the one all the others confirm* 
 is that unchristian dissension is of satanic origin* 
 because diametrically opposed to God’s will. 1st., 
 Evident- from the Scriptures; under this head spec¬ 
 ifying a large number of passages. 2d. Evident 
 from the fact that unchristian dissension can be 
 shown to be just as irrational as it is unscriptural, for 
 Christians can not differ and all be right wherein 
 they disagree, because contradictory propositions can 
 not both be true. Further, God says the same thing 
 to every one ; he means the same thing to every one. 
 And hence, if every one finds out what God means 
 from what he says, all have the same thing and agree 
 perfectly. And hence, if two Christians disagree 
 concerning the Scriptures, one or both certainly mis¬ 
 understand God and must be wrong, and perverting 
 gospel truth and subverting the principles of Chris¬ 
 tianity, and substituting in their stead the elements 
 of paganism. In fact, unchristian dissension tending 
 to subvert every Christian grace and gospel principle, 
 to worse than waste Zion’s resources, depopulating 
 heaven and increasing the inhabitants of darkness and 
 eternal despair; because tending to subvert the law of 
 love and benevolence, and to cultivate in their stead 
 unholy selfishness, envy, jealousy, strife, and vain¬ 
 glory, and almost every other evil propensity imagin¬ 
 able. I again propose, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, 
 to continue this part of the subject, dwelling not only 
 
 on the object of Christian unanimity, but— 
 
238 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 Third. On the fact that unchristian dissension is 
 a satanic device or stratagem to defeat Christ’s cause, 
 and thus ruin souls. Satan, always very observing 
 and a very apt scholar, perceived that if Christians 
 continued as they commenced—that is, perfectly 
 agreed, loving, and united—he would very soon 
 be driven not only from Jerusalem, but from every 
 other part of the world. This, in his estimation, 
 would never do. To prevent this, therefore, he 
 accordingly cast about, and, after much deep and 
 anxious thought and many expedients occurring to 
 mind, he finally decided that 'persecution would be 
 the best method to divide and scatter the Church. 
 He accordingly got up “ a great persecution against 
 the church which was at Jerusalem, and they were 
 all scattered abroad, except the apostles.” But how 
 in the name of common sense he succeeded in scatter¬ 
 ing the church and at the same time retaining the 
 apostles is beyond my comprehension. Yet it seems 
 that he actually did so, doubtless supposing that the 
 leaders without the forces could do nothing, and the 
 forces without the leaders could do nothing. But 
 how terribly chagrined and disappointed when, on 
 the contrary, he found that, unlike modern Christians, 
 each of the leaders retained and each of the forces 
 scattered was a host within himself—one chasing a 
 thousand and two putting ten thousand to flight; for 
 wherever they were or wherever they went, they 
 would as faithful witnesses testify of and for Christ, 
 and thus by means of their preaching, and especially 
 their practice, converts and churches were multiplied 
 all over the land. This, doubtless, was wholly unex¬ 
 pected on the part of Satan, for his object in the per¬ 
 secution was very different. Instead of a glorious 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 239 
 
 Christian triumph, he intended the same as an igno¬ 
 minious defeat. But it had proved the former rather 
 than the latter, and now what should he do? Of 
 -course not get disheartened, though defeated at every 
 point. Doubtless the Devil considered his persecuting 
 scheme a terrible blunder, and was very much per¬ 
 plexed to know how to retrieve his losses. But 
 unlike many with respect to good, and never dis¬ 
 heartened in his work of evil, and very prolific in 
 expedients, he tacked about and commenced anew 
 his observations and operations. But what to do 
 next was the perplexing question. Recalling to mind, 
 however, the disastrous consequences of social, civil, 
 and military discord, he finally decided on unchris¬ 
 tian dissension as his next expedient. But where 
 should he commence ? At the weakest point, of 
 course, which doubtless at that time was Corinth, one 
 of the most dissolute of the Grecian cities, and where 
 was one of the weakest, the most foolish and imper¬ 
 fect of the Christian churches, carnality for the most 
 part having the ascendency. At that point, there¬ 
 fore, Satan first set and sprung the trap, which from 
 that time until the present has, to his great delight, 
 been working like a charm. 
 
 It consisted in diverting Christian attention and 
 affection from Christ to man, in view of combining 
 the whole Church and the world against Christ and 
 his cause, and thus secure to himself all the advan¬ 
 tages of a consolidated power, arising from a perfect 
 'unanimity in both faith and practice on the part of 
 the whole. True, this was a very bold, sagacious, 
 and complicated scheme; and with what success it 
 has been carried out, history and the past and present 
 condition of the Christian world must answer. 
 
240 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 And here, doubtless, it may be affirmed that 
 scarcely any other satanic stratagem or device ever 
 availed more for harm than unchristian dissension; 
 for though it be true that Satan has never yet fully 
 realized what he intended and anticipated by it, yet 
 it is equally true, as the sequel will show, that at times 
 since its introduction he has come very near to it, for 
 what was true of the church in Corinth at first haa 
 been true of a large proportion of professing Chris¬ 
 tians since then. From what is said of that church,, 
 it seems that only a small minority of it continued to 
 adhere strictly to Christ, while the many were for 
 Paul, Apollos, and Cephas. And thus from that time 
 until the present, a large majority of professing Chris¬ 
 tians have been so unwise and carnal as either in part 
 or in whole to accept of man as preferable to Christ; 
 especially during what are called the Middle Ages, 
 when the Church was hidden and nearly extinct, and 
 the world was enveloped in the thick Egyptian dark¬ 
 ness of ignorance, superstition, and paganism, did 
 Satan nearly triumph and secure in full what he in¬ 
 tended and anticipated by his dissenting scheme. 
 
 Here, as a further illustration of this point, let us. 
 now trace briefly the workings of the “ prince of the 
 power of the air” from the first introduction of un¬ 
 christian dissension until the present time, noting 
 the various, numerous, and great satanic advantages 
 secured by means of it. 
 
 Doubtless it was with great caution and much 
 trepidation that Satan set and sprung another trap 
 upon the Church, fearing lest, as in his Jerusalem 
 persecution, it might possibly prove his overthrow 
 and downfall, rather than his upbuilding and estab¬ 
 lishment. But, to his great delight, he found that 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 241 
 
 unchristian dissension would have the opposite tend¬ 
 ency. For, unlike the Jerusalem persecution, he 
 perceived that those who were careless, prayer!ess, 
 and foolish enough to look away from Christ to man, 
 and to dissent from the truth, would he involved in 
 the same sin and condemnation as himself. The 
 church at Jerusalem was not in the least either ac¬ 
 countable or responsible for the persecution which oc¬ 
 curred there, because its members took no part in it. 
 Consequently, the whole sin and condemnation arising 
 from it rested exclusively upon Satan and his agents 
 as its originators and perpetrators. Not so, however, 
 unchristian dissension; for in that case, as in the sin 
 of Adam and Eve, it took Christians as well as Satan 
 to commit, and to perpetuate the crime. And hence 
 both are*involved and equally guilty. And here it 
 may be noted that any satanic device or temptation 
 designed to injure either*the Church, a Christian, or 
 the cause of Christ will result disastrously to none 
 except its originator and perpetrator, provided that 
 neither the Church nor a Christian voluntarily yield 
 to Satan and involve self in the evil, whatever it is. 
 But if either the Church or a Christian voluntarily 
 yield to Satan, and thus involve self in the crime, all 
 will be equally guilty and deserving of punishment. . 
 Such, now, is the nature of unchristian dissension, for 
 it could never have existed had not Christians volun¬ 
 tarily yielded to Satan and permitted it. This, now, 
 is one of Satan’s peculiar and greatest advantages in 
 the device ; for if he alone had been guilty of the sin, 
 the whole condemnation, as well as its other disastrous 
 consequences, would have rested exclusively upon 
 him. Nor could it in the least have injured either 
 
 the Church, the Christian, or the cause of Christ, but 
 16 — 
 
242 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 the whole would have tended to Satan’s utter over¬ 
 throw and entire subjugation, and perhaps prevented 
 every other hostile attack upon the Church. As it is, 
 however, Christians, like our first parents, sharing 
 equally with Satan in the crime, all are injured—the 
 Church, the Christian, and the cause of Christ, as well 
 as Satan himself. Satan knowing this, and disre¬ 
 garding the injury to himself, determined to make 
 the most of his success and advantage. 
 
 Accordingly, he commenced a deep cogitation 
 upon both— 
 
 1st. Upon his success. Doubtless querying: 1. How 
 he happened to succeed at all. And at once perceived 
 —though he said nothing about it—that it was through 
 Christian imperfection or carnality, which—not by 
 himself, but by the Holy Spirit—was brought to light 
 when he preferred the charge of carnality against the 
 Corinthians on account of their unchristian dissension. 
 2. What he might infer, and how he could best improve 
 his triumph. And here, doubtless, the thoughts which 
 occurred were these : The fact, the jiossibility , and the 
 nature of his success. His triumph was a fact, for he 
 had succeeded; and hence his success was possible, 
 for had it not been possible he could not have suc¬ 
 ceeded. And now, in'what had he succeeded? He 
 had succeeded in persuading a number of professing 
 Christians to take up with something short of Christ, 
 and thus to prefer the shadow to the substance. And 
 now, since he had succeeded in one instance and in 
 some respects, doubtless the question arose whether 
 at some time he could not succeed in every instance 
 and in every respect, and finally either persuade or 
 compel every Christian to forsake Christ entirely and 
 take up with man and himself instead, as lord of all. 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 243 
 
 2d. And here, doubtless, he commenced a deep 
 cogitation upon the nature , the tendency , and the pros¬ 
 pects arising from that carnality, or those imperfections, 
 through which he had attained his success. 
 
 1. He perceived that there was something even in 
 Christians by which he could succeed, and that it 
 consisted in spiritual blindness, ignorance, stupidity, 
 and recklessness. For he knew that had it not been 
 for spiritual blindness and ignorance they would have 
 perceived and better understood his device; also, that 
 had it not been for spiritual stupidity there would 
 have been a better spiritual perception and knowledge; 
 .also, that had it not been for spiritual recklessness, or 
 prayerlessness and carelessness, there would have been 
 more spiritual vitality and a better spiritual perception 
 and knowledge—and he would have failed utterly in 
 his dissenting scheme. But some professing Christians 
 lacking all these was, as he perceived, the principal 
 reason he had succeeded. 
 
 2. He further perceived that this carnality, or 
 those imperfections, tended more to the seen than to 
 the unseen, and hence to the externals of Christianity 
 rather than to its nature ; for he found that he had 
 been more successful in getting the attention and affec^ 
 tions ©f some professing Christians to men, that are 
 seen, than the apostles had been in getting their atten¬ 
 tion and affections to Christ, who is unseen. In view 
 of which, he now enters upon a careful consideration 
 of the probabilities of carrying out his whole dissent¬ 
 ing scheme. Doubtless he concludes: 1.) That if, at 
 .any time, a part of professing Christians could be 
 induced to give up Christ in some respects, all, at some 
 time, could be induced to give him up in every respect . 
 -—knowing that so far as Christ was given up he 
 
 / 
 
244 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 would be preferred, as a matter of course. 2.) That 
 if professing Christians could be induced to prefer one 
 kind of teacher and leader to Christ, they could be 
 induced to accept another kind ,, and hence that they 
 could be induced to accept impostors as well as apos¬ 
 tles. 3.) That if professing Christians could be induced 
 to prefer and accept false teachers and leaders as well 
 as the true, there would be an occasion for them and 
 that he would raise them up, and thus, little by little^ 
 he would so pervert gospel truth and subvert the plan 
 of redemption as to be able to substitute in their stead 
 a system entirely his own, after which he would con¬ 
 solidate church and state and present to Christ, and, 
 finally, to everything that is good, a solid and im¬ 
 pregnable front. 
 
 Now,that such were some, if not all, of the reflect¬ 
 ions and conclusions of Satan respecting his success ia 
 sufficiently evident from the mathematical precision or 
 accuracy with which he improved it. For the arch¬ 
 fiend proceeding from Corinth to other churches, 
 very soon we hear not only of one false teacher after 
 another—women included—but of false sentijnents, 
 baptismal regeneration, salvation, and what not, 
 advocated and embraced, until finally the doctrine of 
 salvation by faith through Christ was so perverted 
 and subverted as to be actually, by a large majority y 
 exchanged for salvation by penance through the 
 Pope. 
 
 This was the satanic climax. Here Satan’s new 
 dress was fully completed and he w T as transformed 
 into an angel of light, and offered himself, his doc¬ 
 trines, and his church as the panacea of “ all human 
 ills.” But his work of consolidation was not yet 
 completed; he had reached the apex of his scheme,, 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 245 
 
 but its base was not yet entirely filled out. The 
 ■question therefore arose, how he could best pre¬ 
 serve what he had already secured, and at the same 
 time carry out in full what he intended and antici¬ 
 pated by his vile scheme of unchristian dissension ? 
 Which was nothing less than the banishment entirely 
 and forever of Christ and his cause from the world. 
 To this end, therefore, he went to work with might 
 and main. Knowing how the multitude are naturally 
 attracted, bewildered, and entrapped by an imposing 
 and dazzling exterior, he— 
 
 1. Finds the right man for the right place, and 
 decks him in all the regalia of both kingly and 
 priestly appendage, after which, putting upon his 
 head a triple crown, he sets him upon a throne and 
 pretends to endow him with all power in heaven and 
 in earth, pronouncing him infallible. 
 
 2. He then proceeds to select and to subvert, by 
 misapplication, the best and most expressive terms of 
 both secular and sacred literature. He first called his 
 religion by the endearing and expressive name, Cath¬ 
 olic—signifying in general, universal—what in that 
 respect he intended his church should become. Then 
 to complete the farce he adopted and used the cross 
 to symbolize the whole. Thus much as to the exte¬ 
 rior of that monster Satan reared up through unchris¬ 
 tian dissension, to palm off upon the world in lieu of 
 Christ and a pure Christianity. 
 
 3. Then to inflate the imagination to suit the 
 convenience, to please the taste, especially to obliter¬ 
 ate from the mind the least and last vestige of faith 
 in Christ for salvation, he went to work at the ordi¬ 
 nances, or the interior of the Church. By introducing 
 
246 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 the doctrine of transubstantiation he subverted the- 
 design or object of the Lord’s Supper. By chang¬ 
 ing the act and import of baptism, and adopting in 
 full baptismal regeneration and salvation, he not only 
 destroyed both the mode and the object of baptism,, 
 but subverted the ordinance entirely. 
 
 Having thus garbled, distorted, and subverted 
 both the exterior and interior of the Church of Christ 
 in view of subverting and destroying Christianity 
 itself, he proceeded to his work of consolidation. 
 But what should he do ? Of course, to use all the 
 arts and intrigues in his power; to get all he could 
 and keep all he got. 1.) If possible, by what he him¬ 
 self considered fair means. 2.) If necessary, by what 
 Satan himself considered foul means. 
 
 How, to get all he could and keep all he got con¬ 
 sisted in trying to decoy or drive into his snare every 
 other church and professing Christian in the world,, 
 and then to fasten them forever by both a corrupt,, 
 civil, and ecclesiastical power. 1.) If possible, by what 
 he himself considered fair means; which consisted 
 in trying to secure submission without force, inducing 
 others to yield themselves voluntarily into his hands, to- 
 be molded and guided according to his own evil pleas¬ 
 ure. And here he used flattery, falsehood, deception,, 
 and every other thing of a like character he could think 
 of. 2.) If necessary, by what Satan himself considered 
 foul means ; which consisted in trying to secure sub¬ 
 mission by force—resorting to persecution and blood¬ 
 shed, haling men, women, and children to prison 
 and the stake, as well as resorting to other means of 
 torture, such as slaughtering by the sword, the rack, 
 the floods, the flames, and the wild beasts; all who 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST, 247 
 
 could not be duped nor coaxed to yield themselves 
 freely into his hands to be destroyed at least tempo¬ 
 rally, if not eternally. 
 
 And thus by means of flattery, falsehood, and 
 bloodshed, as well' as by other means of deception 
 and torture, did Satan—knowing the great advantage 
 of agreement, union, and harmony—endeavor to con¬ 
 solidate and to preserve forever a perfect unanim¬ 
 ity in that church he had distorted, subverted, and 
 changed into a pandemonium of his own. But greatly 
 to his disappointment and discomfiture he found that 
 all his flatteries, devices, and deceptions, as well as 
 persecution and bloodshed, would not be sufficient to 
 secure such a consolidation or unanimity as was neces¬ 
 sary to his complete triumph. For though it is true 
 that on account of carnality, instability, and folly a 
 large majority of professing Christians were quite 
 easily decoyed and entrapped, yet, God be thanked, 
 that, as at Corinth, there has always been a minority 
 at least—though at times quite small—so strongly at¬ 
 tached to Christ that nothing which Satan has been 
 able to think or to do, either by himself or by his agents, 
 
 has been, sufficient to induce them to release their 
 
 ♦ 
 
 death-grip and turn their backs upon the Savior, and 
 take up with man, and thus the Devil, instead. 
 
 Much more was he disappointed and discomfited 
 when he found that in his gettings he had accidentally 
 embraced an element which, unless either removed or 
 destroyed, would be a means of either renovating 
 or dividing the mass he had collected; either of which 
 he perceived would in the end be equally disastrous 
 to himself, for finally it would result in his overthrow 
 and ejection by the very means or in the same way he 
 himself had intended and expected to succeed. He, 
 
248 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 however, was not the one to get disheartened. Though 
 unable to obtain all he wanted and intended, yet he is 
 just as determined as ever to retain as long as possible 
 and to make the most of what he had already secured. 
 Accordingly he proceeded to destroy in various ways 
 (too numerous here to mention) the religious element 
 he had accidentally embraced in his gettings. Unable, 
 however, to do that, he proceeded, second, to have 
 those in whom it adhered excluded and anathema¬ 
 tized, taking good care, however: 1.) To hold them all 
 in such a way that though kept at a proper distance 
 from the main body, yet constantly drawn to a com¬ 
 mon center. 2.) To have them so disagree among 
 themselves as not to coalesce and thus form against 
 him any powerful and successful combination. 
 
 True, these statements imply a vast amount of 
 knowledge and shrewdness on the part of the arch¬ 
 fiend. But certainly there is a sufficient number of 
 facts to establish and justify them. If any doubt it, 
 let them consult the Rise and Ball of the Hierarchy, the 
 Book of Martyrs, especially D’Aubigne’s History of 
 the Great Reformation, and ask Arminianism, Luther¬ 
 anism, Calvinism, episcopacy, and a vast number of 
 other isms which sprung up in connection with and 
 since the Reformation, why was it that Arminius, 
 Calvin, Luther, Hnox, Wesley, and very many others 
 of a like Christian character, did not agree? Was it 
 because the Holy Spirit would not suffer it—causing 
 one or the other or all of them to embrace, entertain, 
 and advocate false sentiments ? Bare any except a 
 reviler or blasphemer say that it was ? I, for one, 
 think not. If, then, the false sentiments and disagree¬ 
 ment were not the work of the Holy Spirit, were they 
 not the work of Satan, in view of holding the balance 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST 249 
 
 of power and thus maintaining his position as long 
 as possible? Doubtless they were. Thus not only 
 did Satan succeed in dividing the Church at tn? -first, 
 but from that time until the present he has succeeded 
 in maintaining and multiplying those divisions almost 
 indefinitely. For instance, forty-nine kinds of Pres¬ 
 byterians, twenty-three kinds of Methbdists, and how 
 many kinds of Baptists I believe is not known, 
 and thus of other denominations and divisions, if not 
 ad infinitum. , at least ad nauseam , securing to Satan, 
 his cause and kingdom, very great and prolific ad¬ 
 vantages. • 
 
 One, common guilt and condemnation , involving 
 Christians as well as himself, since, as in the sin of 
 Adam and Eve, it took Christians as well as Satan 
 to commit and to perpetuate the crime of unchristian 
 dissension. 
 
 Another, turning Christian power upon itself, by 
 causing Christians, like the impenitent, to bite and 
 devour one another; the one denying what the other 
 affirms, and pulling up what the other has planted, 
 and thus, by mutual opposition and destruction, 
 enabling Satan, like Gideon of old, to obtain in some, 
 if not in every instance, a perfect victory without any 
 special effort on his part. 
 
 Another, worse than wasting Zion’s resources; 
 both time and strength, as well 'as property and in¬ 
 fluence, all of which have been and are now being ex¬ 
 pended to a greater or less extent in thwarting 
 rather than in promoting Christ’s cause. Take, for 
 instance, any village or community where but one 
 church, one meeting-house, one pastor, and one Sab¬ 
 bath-school are needed to cultivate the spiritual field ; 
 but instead, behold two or three, and even sometimes 
 
250 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 five or six different denominations, and the same num¬ 
 ber of meeting-houses, and pastors, and Sabbath 
 schools, and at the same time, perhaps, each more 
 intent upon gaining and retaining the ascendency 
 than in saving the souls of the perishing. This, 
 now, is to a very great extent the condition of things 
 all over the world, and has been from the first schism 
 in the Church until the present time. On this ac¬ 
 count a large proportion of the time, the strength, 
 the property, and the influence of professing Chris¬ 
 tians have been and are now worse than wasted in 
 even the communities where they are expended, be¬ 
 cause so used as to impede rather than to advance 
 Christ’s kingdom. 
 
 To doubt or deny this would be doubting and de¬ 
 nying not only the satanic origin, the evil tendency 
 and results of unchristian dissension, but also the fun¬ 
 damental, the universal, and the immutable law that 
 in union there is strength; in divisions, weakness. 
 Especially that the possession and diffusion of er¬ 
 roneous sentiment—which is unavoidable so far as 
 Christians disagree—are only evil, and that contin¬ 
 ually. But no one really rational will even doubts 
 much less deny any such thing. All such, therefore, 
 will admit that whenever there are more than one 
 denomination, a large proportion of Zion’s resources 
 are worse than wasted, because what is expended by 
 the many will effect less good than what the one 
 would dispose of, properly agreed, united, energetic, 
 and active. 
 
 Besides, if there was but one denomination, all 
 the extra expense of time, strength, property, and in¬ 
 fluence arising from the many could be transferred 
 and used in those dark and desolate portions of the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 251 
 
 earth where there is no true gospel nor pure Chris¬ 
 tianity. On account, therefore, of unchristian dis¬ 
 sension, a large proportion of Zion’s resources are not 
 only worse than wasted in the communities where 
 they are expended, but they are worse than lost to 
 those benighted portions of the world, where they are 
 the most needed. 
 
 Now, if such are some, if not all, of the satanic 
 advantages arising from unchristian dissension ; if by 
 it Satan secures common guilt and condemnation, 
 involving Christians as well as himself, turning Chris¬ 
 tian power upon itself and thus making it one of the 
 most potent engines for harm, worse than wasting 
 Zion’s resources by abusing not only in using, but in 
 not using them,—certainly it must be of satanic origin, 
 and a stratagem or device of his to defeat Christ’s 
 cause, and thus depopulate heaven and increase the 
 inhabitants of eternal despair. All of which will be 
 admitted by every one who has given any proper 
 attention to the subject. 
 
 Fourth . Note again the Savior’s object in praying for 
 Christian unanimity. “ That the world may believe 
 that thou hast sent me,” or that the world might be 
 convinced that there is a Savior, and thus be induced 
 to accept him and be saved; implying that the entire 
 success of the whole gospel scheme depended upon 
 what was prayed for, which is Christian unanimity. 
 (John xvii, 20, 21.) And here it is pertinent to inquire, 
 how else could there be any spiritual success ? Cer¬ 
 tainly, “In union there is strength, in divisions weak¬ 
 ness”; and hence in proportion to unchristian dis¬ 
 sension and division is there weakness and defeat. 
 
 Suppose, now, Christians had differed in every 
 respect, would not the saying of Christ, that “a house 
 
252 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 divided against itself can not stand,” have been liter¬ 
 ally and to the very letter fulfilled, and Christianity 
 long ago blotted out of existence ? Doubtless it would. 
 But on account of the partial Christian unanimity or 
 agreement, love, and harmony, in the midst of the vast 
 amount of erroneous and disastrous disagreement, 
 discord, and division, has Christianity survived and 
 been very potent for good, as has error also, on the 
 same account, remained and been very successful 
 for harm. 
 
 Further, the impenitent can never be induced to 
 seek and accept of Christ until properly convinced not 
 only that he is, and that they need such a Savior, but 
 that he alone can save and will save them. No rational 
 person can he induced to seek that which he does not 
 believe exists; nor can such a person he induced to* 
 put forth a proper effort for that which he does not 
 believe he needs; nor can such a person be induced to 
 seek that alone which he needs until thoroughly con¬ 
 vinced that it can be obtained, and that it can bestow 
 and will bestow the needed aid; all of which, con¬ 
 cerning Christ, is evident mostly, if not entirely, from 
 consistent Christian conduct, arising not only from 
 purity and uniformity, but from Christian unanimity. 
 
 “ Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord.” (Isa. xxxiv, 
 10.) Now, for a class of witnesses to be of any account, 
 they must not only agree with themselves, but with 
 one another. So far as a witness contradicts himself 
 his testimony proves nothing, except tha't he is either 
 foolish or dishonest. So, too, with respect to the 
 conflicting testimony of two or more witnesses; so far 
 as one witness contradicts another nothing is estab¬ 
 lished, except that one or both are either mistaken or 
 intend to deceive. And here I ask, how long would it 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 253 * 
 
 take a class of witnesses, thus contradicting either 
 themselves or one another, to prove anything to a 
 court of justice? Is not the case similar with respect 
 to Christians and Christianity? Can a Christian, by 
 contradicting himself, prove anything in favor of 
 Christianity? All know that he can not. Is it not 
 equally true that nothing can be established in favor of 
 Christianity by one Christian contradicting another? 
 and that so far as Christians contradict each other, 
 the proof is against rather than in favor of Christian¬ 
 ity? which is far worse than if nothing at all was 
 established. If unchristian dissension would leave 
 Christianity where it finds it, proving nothing for nor 
 against it, the case would be very different. But such 
 is not the fact; because the evidence must necessarily 
 be the one or the other, either for or against. If,, 
 therefore, Christians, by contradicting either them¬ 
 selves or one another, prove nothing in favor of 
 Christianity, their evidence is necessarily against it. 
 
 Certainly, so far as the testimony is conflicting or 
 contradictory with respect to the witnesses, either 
 individually or collectively, nothing is established,, 
 except that one or both must be mistaken or decep¬ 
 tive, and that what is affirmed is not true. So, in 
 proportion as Christians contradict either themselves 
 or one another respecting Christianity, nothing is 
 proven, except that they are either mistaken or in¬ 
 tend to deceive, and that Christianity is a mere pre¬ 
 tense and of no consequence. Indeed, nothing can 
 be established by contradictions, except that what is 
 affirmed is false, and that those testifying are either 
 ignorant or dishonest. In proportion, therefore, as 
 professing Christians contradict either themselves or 
 one another, nothing is proven, except that what they 
 
254 THE world's spiritual conquest. 
 
 affirm is false, and that they are either fools or hypo¬ 
 crites. Consequently, any one can easily see that 
 instead of promoting a knowledge of and faith in 
 Christ, unchristian dissension has the opposite tend¬ 
 ency, and becomes in Satan’s hands one of the most 
 potent engines for infidelity. Nothing better pleases 
 the Devil, infidels, and the impenitent in general than 
 unchristian contradictions; for, unable to find, much 
 less to point out any actual discrepancies in the holy 
 Scriptures, they secure about the same from unchris¬ 
 tian dissension and inconsistency. Any doubting 
 this can easily he convinced by a little close and care¬ 
 ful observation; for it will at once be perceived that 
 unchristian inconsistency, arising from improper per¬ 
 sonal acts and unchristian dissent from each other, is 
 the sinner’s common resort, and about his only sub¬ 
 terfuge from spiritual conviction and disturbance. 
 
 It seems that the sinner can seldom, if ever, think 
 of soul and eternal interests, and become at all con¬ 
 cerned upon the subject, without having his atten¬ 
 tion at once referred to unchristian contradictions 
 as the panacea of all his troubles. Not infrequently 
 the sinner thus reflects : “ There is a God, and he has 
 a law; and I am immortal and a subject of God’s 
 law, and also a violator of that law; and also account¬ 
 able to God and responsible for my sin. Since, there¬ 
 fore, the law is just, and must be executed unless 
 pardoned, I must sutler the consequences of my 
 crime, which is endless torture, the penalty of the 
 law.” Then the question may arise whether there be 
 any way possible by which he can be saved. And 
 the thought may occur that Jesus Christ is “ the way, 
 the truth, and the life.” But instantly pops into his 
 mind; u It is all false; ” the reason—those who pretend 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 255 
 
 to have found Christ deny their profession by their con¬ 
 duct. “Besides,” suggests Satan, “ the worst of all” 
 (though the best, he means), “ Christians contradict 
 each other, which proves the whole to be a contra¬ 
 diction and a delusion, and that your troubles are 
 entirely unfounded.” And thus by means of unchris¬ 
 tian contradictions the Devil frequently lulls to sleep 
 again the disturbed sinner, redoubling his danger of 
 eternal ruin. 
 
 Further, probably every one has observed that 
 whenever a sinner is conversed with upon the subject 
 of Christianity, he will almost invariably, and at 
 once, refer to unchristian inconsistencies as the prin¬ 
 cipal ground for rejecting what is urged upon him. 
 I think that this statement has been verified at least 
 a thousand times in my own experience, as it has, 
 doubtless, in the experience of every other minister 
 and faithful Christian. And thus it seems that Satan 
 is constantly referring the sinner, and the sinner 
 those who labor with him, to unchristian contradic¬ 
 tions as the principal reason for disbelieving and 
 rejecting the all-important claims and consolations of 
 the religion of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 The principle, too, or the law perverted upon 
 which the reasoning and conclusions are conducted 
 seems to be that of induction; that is, making out 
 clearly and unmistakably one or two cases in regard 
 to a matter, and then inferring that the whole is of 
 the same character. And thus Satan and the im¬ 
 penitent, perceiving clearly and unmistakably that 
 Christians frequently contradict not only themselves 
 but one another, from hence conclude that the whole 
 of Christianity is a contradiction and a delusion, and 
 
256 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 of no consequence. Here, doubtless, is the secret and 
 one of the principal causes of the terrible sin of un¬ 
 belief, which has already ruined its billions and now 
 has its vast multitudes in the broad road to endless 
 death. 
 
 Let no one suppose that Satan, the enemy of all 
 righteousness, is an unintelligent being. Doubtless 
 he is better acquainted with history, science, and 
 philosophy, and the laws of language, of thought, of 
 illustration, and of revelation, than any other fallen 
 and finite being.. For were he not, he would not have , 
 succeeded in leading astray so many eminent, theolo¬ 
 gians, and, especially, ruining forever so many of the 
 greatest philosophers and the best educated among 
 men. But since he has done this, doubtless he under¬ 
 stands as fully as a fallen finite being can all the ad¬ 
 vantages and disadvantages of a thorough education, 
 and just how to use the same for either good or harm. 
 He understands to perfection the law of induction 
 and the doctrine of fallacies, and just how to pervert 
 law and to employ sophistry and fallacy to produce a 
 wrong impression and a false conclusion. 
 
 Nor let any suppose that Satan will suffer any op¬ 
 portunity to slip, or overlook and misimprove any 
 advantage, or even disadvantage, especially the very 
 great advantage of unchristian contradictions, for dis¬ 
 honor and death. And here let it be distinctly un¬ 
 derstood and remembered, too, that unchristian con¬ 
 tradictions furnish Satan with one of the greatest ad¬ 
 vantages possible over the sinner for his ruin, and to 
 defeat Christ’s cause. For— 
 
 1st. The sinner can not be saved, nor the cause of 
 Christ advanced, without a proper faith . Now, there 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 257 
 
 - * 
 
 are many practical considerations which show con¬ 
 clusively the absolute necessity of faith to salvation 
 and the advancement of Christ’s cause. 
 
 1. One is that salvation is offered to the sinner 
 upon the condition of putting forth a proper effort to 
 obtain it, the expressions “ ask,” “seek,” “knock,” 
 “strive,” “diligence,” “ violence,” and the like indi¬ 
 cating not only the fact, but the nature 9 of the effort to 
 be made. 
 
 2. Another is that when God makes the fulfill¬ 
 ment of a condition necessary to the reception of a 
 blessing, that condition must be fulfilled before that 
 blessing can be received. There is no alternative. Con¬ 
 sequently, we can no more conceive how a sinner can 
 be saved without putting forth the efforts indicated by 
 the expressions “ ask,” “ seek,” “ knock,” “ strive,” 
 “turn,” “will,” “diligence,” “violence,” “repent,” 
 “believe,” and the like, than a harvest can be ob¬ 
 tained without plowing, or a soul can be saved with¬ 
 out a Savior. 
 
 3. Another is that the sinner acts freely , and 
 hence will not act only so far as there is a proper 
 motive or inducement to action. 
 
 4. Another is that the sum total of all motives 
 or inducements to action is together insufficient 
 without a proper faith. Faith is the key to the arch, 
 without which the whole will topple and fall. For 
 instance, gold possesses sufficient attraction to induce 
 the sinner to seek it, provided he believes there is any 
 and that he can obtain it. But let the sinner doubt 
 either that there is any gold or that he can obtain it, 
 can he be induced to seek it ? Most certainly not. 
 So, with respect to Christianity, there must be a 
 
 17 - 
 
258 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 proper faith in its reality and importance, and the 
 possibility of obtaining it, to induce any sinner to 
 seek it. If the impenitent acted from necessity, and 
 not freely, they could be compelled to attend to 
 Christianity, whether they believed in it or not But 
 acting freely, as they do, there must be the faith, 
 natural at least, before they will act. 
 
 5. Besides, if action could be secured without a 
 proper faith, it would be of no account; “ for he that 
 comes to God must believe ” not only that he is, but 
 “ that he is a> rewarder of them that diligently seek 
 him.” Without a proper faith, therefore, there can be 
 no conversion even, much less salvation ; and without 
 both, the cause of Christ can not be advanced. 
 
 2d. A proper faith on the part of the sinner is 
 about , if not quite , impossible without Christian una¬ 
 nimity, as well as purity and uniformity; because 
 without unanimity Christian conduct is still discrep¬ 
 ant, and implies that the whole of Christianity is a 
 contradiction and a delusion—a conclusion much more 
 agreeable to both Satan and sinners than a convic¬ 
 tion of its reality and importance. 
 
 So far as Christians disagree, the one contradicts 
 the other. And hence though one may be perfectly 
 correct in both faith and practice, yet wherein they 
 differ the other denies it; and the impenitent, more 
 willing to discredit than to believe in Christianity, 
 are more apt to agree with those who are wrong than 
 with those who are right, making unchristian contra¬ 
 dictions much more potent for harm than Christian 
 affirmations are for good. And hence it seems that 
 one Christian denial is equal to at least nine Chris¬ 
 tian affirmations; making it appear that if one-tenth 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 259 
 
 of Christian conduct be contradictory, and one-tenth 
 of Christianity be thus denied, the whole is nullified 
 and disbelieved by the sinner. 
 
 Doubtless we would find that the above propor¬ 
 tion is rather under than over what the actual facts 
 would warrant, provided they were properly under¬ 
 stood. Nay, we can hardly conceive how in the case 
 •of even one, much less two, and especially the now 
 almost innumerable unchristian contradictions, a 
 single proper conviction can be secured on the part 
 of any one, and especially on the part of those of 
 mature judgment and good information. And here I 
 ask why Christianity is frequently stigmatized by the 
 statement “ that it is fit for no one except children 
 .and old women” ? Is it not because it has been ob¬ 
 served that such persons more generally embrace 
 Christianity? Doubtless it is. But why do ‘ the 
 older, or those of more steady nerve and mature judg¬ 
 ment, reject it? Is it, as most suppose, because of 
 corruption and hardness of heart? Or is it because 
 they more readily perceive and fully comprehend the 
 force of contradiction ? Doubtless the latter rather 
 than the former; making unchristian contradictions 
 much more effectual in the sinner’s destruction than 
 his own innate or natural depravity. 
 
 Doubtless here is the secret of the loss to the 
 Church, to the world, and, finally, to all eternity of a 
 large proportion of the best intellect and maturest 
 judgment. Dear friends, do we know what the Devil 
 is doing ? Have we not all observed how carefully 
 he will conceal his most successful schemes for dis¬ 
 honor and death ? This is what he has been doing 
 in the past, and is now doing not only with respect 
 to unchristian dissensions and contradictions, but 
 
260 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 with respect to the loss of those of the best intellect 
 and maturest j udgment. 
 
 Now, to render hopeless in man’s estimation, and 
 thus prevent a proper interest in, and, above all, any 
 special effort to save such, he "would have Christian 
 attention diverted to something that is not the real 
 cause of their spiritual recklessness, lest the real cause 
 be discovered and removed, and thereby he lose to 
 himself, to his kingdom, and to an endless perdition, 
 the .most intelligent and valuable portion of society. 
 This doubtless is^why, when Christians get to think¬ 
 ing and talking about the difference in the number of 
 conversions at certain ages—for instance, under 
 twenty and upwards—they conclude that the cause of 
 the difference is the hardening and corrupting tend¬ 
 ency of sin rather than unchristian dissensions and 
 contradictions; for Satan knows that every Chris¬ 
 tian is conscious that he can stop and remove the 
 latter, while he can not the former. Just let Chris¬ 
 tians understand that their improper dissensions and 
 contradictions are the principal cause of the infidelity 
 and eternal ruin of the most intelligent and valuable 
 portion of society, would they not with one accord 
 arise, and, under God, remove that cause, and thus 
 prevent such terrible tendencies and awful conse¬ 
 quences ? Doubtless they would. Satan, knowing 
 this, very adroitly and shrewdly suggests that the 
 hardening and corrupting tendency of sin is the real 
 cause of such terrible loss. And Christians, so awfully 
 blind to Satan’s devices as not to discover the source 
 of the suggestion, at once take it up and go on advo¬ 
 cating the satanic theory, to the blinding of them¬ 
 selves as well as others to the real cause of such 
 dreadful ruin. This, doubtless, is why a large pro- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 261 
 
 portion of the best intellect and maturest judgment 
 has in the past been destroyed, and is now in the 
 broad road to eternal death. But here, in the pres¬ 
 ence of you all, and all to whom these statements may 
 -come, I now enter my solemn protest against such 
 awful satanic scheming; and especially to such un¬ 
 christian blindness and indifference in regard to it, 
 and call upon all Christians, without exception or dis¬ 
 tinction, to arise, and, under God, wrest from Satan’s 
 hands unchristian dissensions and contradictions, 
 which in very deed are his most successful strat¬ 
 agems and powerful engines for infidelity and end¬ 
 less destruction. Now, that all this is true of un¬ 
 christian dissensions and contradictions is evident— 
 
 1. From the fact that the sinner naturally hates 
 Christianity, as well as his God, and naturally desires 
 some plausible pretext for disbelieving and rejecting it. 
 
 2. From the fact that contradiction is the quick¬ 
 est and most effectual way of nullifying testimony and 
 producing disbelief. 
 
 3. From the fact that Satan is the sinner’s advo¬ 
 cate against Christianity, and not only having perfect 
 control of and thoroughly acquainted with all the 
 enmity, blindness, and weakness of his nature, but 
 also perfectly familiar with all the arts, intrigues, and 
 bewilderments of sophistry; and not only knowing 
 bow, but disposed to'use to the utmost of his ability 
 every such thing, and, finally, everything else possible, 
 for the sinner’s temporal and eternal ruin. 
 
 Now, putting all together—not only the sinner’s 
 natural enmity to Christianity, his desire to have it 
 false, and the nullifying tendency of contradiction, 
 but especially all the wiles, intrigues, devices, and 
 deceptions of Satan, who has control of and would 
 
262 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 have the sinner lost—I ask what sort of possibility, or 
 even probability, of the slightest proper conviction on 
 the part of any one , especially on the part of those of 
 mature j udgnient and good information, in case there is 
 in Christianity the least perceptible discrepancy of any 
 kind? I also ask how there can be the slightest con¬ 
 tradiction in Christianity without every sinner per¬ 
 ceiving and understanding it, so long as there is an 
 archfiend perfectly capable and disposed to direct his 
 attention to every such thing, and to magnify and 
 falsify the same in his mind any number of times? 
 Certainly no one, of mature or immature judgment,, 
 oan be convinced by contradictions, especially if, as in 
 the case of every sinner, there be any disinclination to 
 believe what is advocated. ~Hor can contradictions in 
 Christianity be avoided, so far as Christian conduct is 
 inconsistent. ISTor can Christian conduct be consist¬ 
 ent, so far as it is impure, variable, and discordant. 
 And hence the infinite importance not only— 
 
 1. Of purity and uniformity with respect to 
 Christians personally —that is, every Christian seeing 
 to it that his own conduct is consistent with respect to 
 himself; for without this a Christian would be con¬ 
 tradicting himself, and proving that he is more of a 
 hypocrite than a Christian, and that Christianity is. 
 more false than true; but— 
 
 2. Of church discipline —that is, every denomi¬ 
 nation seeing to it that all its members entertain, 
 advocate, and practice the same sentiments; for with¬ 
 out this the members of the same denomination would 
 be contradicting each other; especially— 
 
 3. Of a perfect Christian unanimity —that is, all 
 the different denominations seeing to it that each and 
 every one entertains, advocates, and practices the same 
 
the world’s spiritual CONQUEST. 263 
 
 sentiments; for without this one denomination would 
 be contradicting the other, leaving still a contradiction 
 in Christianity, and thus rendering to Satan the most 
 effectual aid possible in his work of dishonor and death. 
 
 Finally, since unchristian dissension is directly^ 
 opposed to God’s will, tending to subvert every Chris¬ 
 tian grace and gospel principle, and to cultivate in 
 their stead every vice imaginable, worse than wasting 
 Zion’s resources, depopulating heaven and increasing 
 the inhabitants of hell; especially a Satanic stratagem 
 or device to defeat Christ’s cause and ruin souls, 
 granting to him one of the greatest advantages pos¬ 
 sible over the sinner for his destruction, since it leaves 
 a discrepancy in Christianity, thus putting into Satan’s 
 hands one of the most effectual weapons possible for 
 infidelity,—therefore it is of satanic origin, and Chris¬ 
 tian conduct is consistent or inconsistent, and a means 
 of either saving or ruining the impenitent, in propor¬ 
 tion to Christian unanimity. 
 
 Indispensable, therefore, to consistent Christian 
 conduct are not only purity and uniformity, but 
 Christian unanimity. Indispensable, therefore, to the 
 sinner’s conviction and this world’s spiritual conquest 
 are not only purity and uniformity of Christian con¬ 
 duct, but Christian unanimity. 
 
 Indeed, an enemy can never be overcome by ex¬ 
 tending to him the most effectual aid necessary to his 
 success. Since, now, inconsistent Christian conduct, 
 arising from a want of purity, uniformity, and una¬ 
 nimity, is the most effectual aid possible to Satan’s 
 success, therefore consistent Christian conduct, aris¬ 
 ing from Christian unanimity as well as purity and 
 uniformity, is indispensable to Satan’s defeat and this 
 world’s conversion to Christ. 
 
264 ' 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 Thus much upon what is indispensable to the ac¬ 
 complishment of the work, all of which must be 
 admitted by every one who has understood the posi¬ 
 tions assumed, the statements made, and the arguments 
 used. And may God grant that the time may not be 
 distant when the conditions in the case shall be fulfilled 
 and the work accomplished and the whole world very 
 soon entirely subdued to the Savior 
 
f 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 265 
 
 PART Y. 
 
 Christian accountability and responsibility. Hav¬ 
 ing now, upon the world’s conversion to Christ, estab¬ 
 lished its possibility, its infinite obligation, its infinite 
 importance, and what is necessary to the accomplish¬ 
 ment of the work, I again propose, by the aid of the 
 Holy Spirit, to dwell upon the awful accountability 
 and responsibility in relation to it. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE IMPORT, NATURE, EXTENT, FEARFULNESS, AND CER¬ 
 TAINTY OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY. 
 
 Accountability and responsibility are co-ordinate 
 and reciprocal. _ The one can not exist without the 
 other. Though the contents of the one are some¬ 
 what different from the other, yet without the ele¬ 
 ments of both neither can exist. 
 
 Accountability includes intelligence, something to 
 account for and someone to account to; without each 
 and all of these, there can be no accountability. 
 
 Responsibility includes, besides intelligence, some¬ 
 thing to be responsible for and some one to be respon¬ 
 sible to, also a knowledge of right and wrong, and 
 freedom of choice and action; without each and all 
 of these, there can be no responsibility. 
 
 Again: The fearfulness of the account and the 
 
266 THE world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 awfulness of the responsibility arise from the liability,, 
 and the liability arises from the ability to understand 
 the importance of what is to be accounted for and the 
 greatness of the one to whom the account is to be 
 rendered. 
 
 Since, now, the Christian is intelligent and capable 
 of understanding, and the work required at his hands 
 is of infinite importance, and the one to whom the 
 account is to be rendered is none other than the great 
 God—who fills immensity, and is infinite in wisdom, 
 power, and purity—can we conceive of an account 
 more fearful and a responsibility more awful than 
 that of a Christian, especially in relation to this 
 world’s conversion to Christ? Certainly not, for it 
 has to do with infinite and eternal interests, and an 
 all-wise, all-powerful, and holy God, who can not look 
 upon sin with any degree of allowance. 
 
 l\Tor let any one suppose that the account and 
 responsibility can possibly be avoided; for, agreeable 
 to scripture, “ all must give account to God and be 
 judged’’; that is, either acquitted or condemned, 
 “ according to the deeds done in the body.” Doubtless 
 many entertain an impression and secret hope that this 
 will not be so, since they suppose that God is so mer¬ 
 ciful as to overlook their wicked indifference, and even 
 some of their sins of commission, as well as all of those 
 of omission, which are far more agreeable to them 
 than his service. But let no one deceive himself nor 
 others with that delusion ; for, sooner or later, it will 
 prove very much worse than useless, resulting not 
 only in a terrible disappointment, but in very severe 
 punishment. Because God having said it, and his 
 word, like himself, being immutable, “ all must give 
 account to God and be judged according to the deeds 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 267 
 
 done in the body,” all the impressions and secret 
 hopes to the contrary notwithstanding. 
 
 Since, now, this must be so, let us at once enter 
 upon and pass through at least a partial examination 
 and trial before we are summoned into the pres¬ 
 ence of Christ, where, in case of an unnecessary 
 failure, no excuse can even be rendered, much less 
 accepted, in extenuation of guilt and punishment. 
 
 And here let us inquire whose fault it is that the 
 world is not now subdued to the Savior ? If before 
 this it could have been done, it must certainly be the 
 * fault of some one. 
 
 And here I ask, i3 it alone the fault of Satan and 
 sinners ? Could they before now have subdued them¬ 
 selves ? True, to the utmost of their ability, they are 
 accountable and responsible for the rebellion and dis¬ 
 order in the world. But are they anywhere required 
 to conquer themselves? - True, they can yield their 
 wills to God, but can they bring the power to bear by 
 which they can be induced to do so ? Certainly they 
 can not do what belongs to God, nor discharge the 
 duty of Christians. Consequently, they can not sub¬ 
 due themselves in the sense in which God is to do 
 that work through those upon whom he enjoins that 
 duty. Nor can we conceive how else it could have 
 been done. And hence it is not alone the fault of 
 Batan and sinners that the world is not now subdued 
 spiritually, but of those also who have failed to do 
 what they could have done to bring about such a state 
 of things. 
 
 Again: I ask, is it alone the fault of God that the 
 world is not thus subdued ? Could he before now 
 have thus alone conquered this world ? I admit that 
 he could, provided such had been his purpose. But I 
 
26S the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 deny that such is his purpose, because, from what is 
 known of God and his purposes, it is certainly evident 
 that he decided to subdue this world by the use of 
 means, and that one of the principal means he has pur¬ 
 posed to use in its subjugation is the Church, or the 
 spiritual army, enlisted, organized, and left in the 
 world. If, therefore, God could have conquered this 
 world independently of that army, he could have done 
 it in direct opposition to his own purpose, which is 
 impossible, for he can not act against himself or in 
 opposition to his own purposes. 
 
 How, in wdiat I am about to say, let no sinner sup- * 
 pose that he is entirely excused, for every sinner, as 
 well as every Christian, is, to a very great extent, ac¬ 
 countable and responsible for the past, the present, 
 and the future condition of this world. Consequently, 
 whenever the attention of any one—saint or sinner— 
 is called to this subject, neither should refer his own 
 responsibility to the other, but each and all should 
 very carefully and prayerfully inquire wherein and 
 to what extent he is thus actually accountable and re¬ 
 sponsible. 
 
 I also wish it distinctly understood that I am here 
 considering exclusively Christian accountability and 
 responsibility in relation to this world’s conversion to 
 Christ. 
 
 And now I assert positively that wherein and so 
 far as professing Christians have failed to do all 
 within their power to conquer this world spiritually, 
 thus far it is exclusively their own fault that the vic¬ 
 tory is not now in their possession ; and that if it be 
 not obtained during the present generation of Chris¬ 
 tians, so far as they fail to do all within their power to 
 ! secure the same, thus far they alone will be account- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 269 ’ 
 
 able and responsible for the failure, because to the f ull 
 extent of their ability the work has been left in their hands 
 and suspended upon their wills , and is either a success or 
 a failure, just as they prefer . 
 
 Certainly, Christians of the present generation are 
 at least required to do the work, for the language “ Go> 
 ye into all the world and teach ” (or disciple) “ all na¬ 
 tions, and preach the gospel to every creature,” I again 
 repeat, signifies this world's conversion to Christ, or it 
 means nothing at all. And here I assert positively 
 ' and above-board that there is no law or interpretation 
 by which that language can be made to signify any¬ 
 thing less than this world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 Besides, the duty is just as much enjoined upon 
 every Christian as it is upon any Christian, for the 
 word “ye,” signifying more than one, just as much 
 represents every believer as it does any believer; and 
 hence it is just as much the duty of Christians of the 
 present generation to conquer this world spiritually as 
 any that ever have lived or ever shall live. 
 
 Further, the language implies no hesitancy nor fu¬ 
 ture time , but it is positive, imperative, and in the pres¬ 
 ent tense. “Go ye,therefore.” When? Not by and 
 by, but now. And hence Christians of the present 
 generation have no right, unnecessarily, to leave the 
 accomplishment of the work to another generation. 
 Indeed, every Christian of every generation, as soon 
 as converted, is required to commence, and to continue 
 the work, too, until it is done. And thus, too, primi¬ 
 tive Christians understood the word of command, for, 
 as soon as they received it, away they went “ every¬ 
 where preaching the word,” thus trying to accom¬ 
 plish what was required. 
 
 And now, since this world is not yet subdued 
 
270 • the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 spiritually, and since the work is just as much en¬ 
 joined upon every Christian as it is upon any Chris¬ 
 tian, and since God will not himself do what he enjoins 
 upon another, nor hold in his own possession what he 
 requires of another, can anything, therefore, be more 
 evident than that to the full extent of their ability 
 this world’s conversion to Christ is enjoined upon and 
 left in the hands of Christians of the present genera¬ 
 tion ? I, for one, think not. 
 
 Again : Should Christians of the present genera¬ 
 tion properly discharge their duty , nothing can be much 
 more evident than that they would actually succeed 
 in the accomplishment of the work. For instance, as 
 positive proof, take the following: 
 
 1st. “According to thy faith be it unto thee.” If, 
 therefore, such were the Christian’s faith, and his 
 conduct should correspond, doubtless every Christian 
 now living would, before his death, be in the midst of 
 this world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 2d. God is “able to do exceeding abundantly 
 above all that can be thought or asked”—that is, of 
 * course, that can be thought or asked according to his 
 will. Certainly this world’s conversion to Christ is 
 according to God’s will. And hence, in case the con¬ 
 ditions he has established with respect to the work be 
 fulfilled, he is abundantly able and infinitely willing to 
 bestow not only that blessing upon his children, but 
 very much more. If, therefore, properly desired and 
 sought for by Christians of the present generation, 
 they doubtless would receive and enjoy very much 
 more than this world’s conversion to Christ. 
 
 3d. We are informed that, under God, Christian 
 labor is effectual; for they “ do not fight as one beat¬ 
 ing the air, inasmuch as the weapons of their warfare 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 271 
 
 :are not carnal, but powerful to the pulling-down of 
 strongholds,” and u shall accomplish that wliereunto 
 they are sent,” since their “ labor in the Lord is not in 
 vain.” Now, all this is abundantly 'evident from the 
 success which has always attended the work whenever 
 and wherever it has been properly undertaken and 
 carried forward; especially is it evident from the 
 first success which attended the work, for “about 
 three thousand ” were converted in one day, and “ daily 
 such were added to the church as were saved.” And 
 thus, for some time, great and glorious triumphs 
 attended the work, showing that when Christians are 
 properly agreed, loving, united, interested, earnest, 
 and active, there is scarcely any limitation to the 
 power exerted and the results wdiich follow; and that 
 had primitive Christians continued right along as they 
 commenced, there is no reason at all to doubt but 
 that the world would have been conquered spiritually 
 during their generation; and that should this or any 
 other generation continue as the first commenced, it 
 would actually succeed in the accomplishment of 
 the work. 
 
 4th. Christians of the present generation can do 
 what is required and what is necessary to the accom¬ 
 plishment of the work. No one can disapprove the 
 proposition that what is necessary to the accomplish¬ 
 ment of the work is required, and that what is required 
 is thus necessary and can be done. Nor can any one 
 disapprove the proposition that this world’s spiritual 
 conquest is actually required at the hands of the pres¬ 
 ent generation of Christians. And hence to contend 
 that that can not be done which is required and neces¬ 
 sary to the accomplishment of the work would be 
 
272 the world's spiritual conquest. 
 
 assuming that that can not he done which can be done,, 
 which, you perceive, would he a contradiction. 
 
 Now, a careful consideration of a number of items 
 required and necessary to the accomplishment of the 
 work will greatly intensify the above absurdity, and 
 make much more-evident the possibility of Christians 
 of the present generation actually succeeding in this 
 world’s spiritual subjugation. 
 
 1. One is that it is possible to obtain all the infor¬ 
 mation necessary to the accomplishment of the work. 
 Perhaps it may be true that every Christian is natur¬ 
 ally destitute of a proper understanding of what is 
 thus necessary; but it is not necessary that any one 
 should remain thus destitute. For every one is 
 capable of learning, and also can “ ask of God, who 
 giveth liberally and upbraideth not.” Besides, ample 
 instructions have been given, God’s works and word 
 both being full of a vast amount of information; 
 “ line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little 
 and there a little, day unto day uttering speech and 
 night unto night showing knowledge.” Also all the 
 instructions given can be easily understood, for they 
 are so plain that “ he who runs may read,” and “ way¬ 
 faring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” If, 
 therefore, any Christian lacks a proper understanding 
 of what is necessary to this world’s conversion to 
 Christ, it is certainly not necessary that he remain in 
 such ignorance. 
 
 2. Another is, since it “pleased God,” not by 
 foolish preaching, “but by the foolishness of preach¬ 
 ing to save them that believe,” about the only thing 
 necessary to the accomplishment of the work is the 
 -preaching of the gospel through consistent Christian con¬ 
 duct . But can the .gospel thus be preached? If r 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 273 
 
 how, what is necessary to such conduct can be done, 
 then the gospel can thus be preached. 
 
 Now, it has already been shown that purity, 
 uniformity, and unanimity are all indispensable to 
 consistent Christian conduct. But the question 
 whether or not it be possible for Christian conduct 
 thus to be consistent has not yet been considered. 
 We will, therefore, now attend to that question. 
 
 1.) Is it possible for Christian conduct to be pure f 
 Admitting that purity of Christian conduct is re¬ 
 quired, and that what is required is possible, it is 
 granted that Christian conduct can be pure. Now, 
 that purity of Christian conduct is required is as 
 evident as that anything is required. For says God, 
 
 “ Be ye perfect ” ; again: “ Be ye holy, for I am 
 holy”; and again: “ Be ye perfect, even as your 
 Father who is in heaven is perfect” ; and still again : 
 “Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are 
 called ” and “ be not conformed to this world, but be 
 ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that 
 ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and - 
 perfect will of God.” “ Come out from among them, 
 be ye separate, saith the Lord; have no fellowship 
 with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather re¬ 
 prove them.” “Abstain from every appearance of 
 evil” ; and still again, in speaking of Christ, it says : 
 
 “ He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so 
 to walk, even as he walked.” If, therefore, Christian 
 conduct be not pure, it is not because it is not re¬ 
 quired nor because it is impossible. And here it may 
 be stated that any one doing the very best he can 
 possibly do is doing all that is required, for God him¬ 
 self can not do any better than the very best in his 
 power. 
 
 18 - 
 
274 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 2. ) Can Christian conduct be uniform , or always 
 pure ? I again repeat that if required, and what is 
 required be possible, then Christian conduct can be 
 uniform. * And that uniformity is required is as 
 evident as that purity or any other quality is required. 
 If or all the instructions and commands concerning 
 purity not oniy imply uniformity, but the following 
 language is direct and positive: “ Be ye steadfast, 
 immovable, always abounding in the work of the 
 Lord.’ 5 If, therefore, Christian conduct be not uni¬ 
 form, it is not because it is not required nor because 
 it can not be done. 
 
 3. ) Is it possible for Christian conduct to be 
 unanimous ? That is, for all Christians at all times to 
 agree perfectly in correct faith and practice. Why 
 not ? And here I will state that Satan seems to have 
 gotten into the minds of very many very absurd and 
 disgusting notions concerning Christian unanimity. 
 I believe some conclude that unchristian dissension is 
 better than unanimity, because they suppose that 
 parties are an advantage to politics. And it must be 
 admitted that if the analogy were real—that is, if as 
 parties to politics, so disagreement and divisions to 
 Christianity—the argument would be valid. But the 
 analogy is not real; therefore the argument is sophist¬ 
 ical or unsound, because there are very many contin¬ 
 gencies in politics which do not at all exist in Chris¬ 
 tianity. This all who know anything about politics, 
 and especially the politics of the present time, under¬ 
 stand perfectly. 
 
 Besides, to suppose and contend that unchristian 
 dissension is better than unanimity is impeaching the 
 divine wisdom; because it is the creature virtually 
 saying to the creator; “ Lord, you made a mistake 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 275 
 
 when you said 4 Let there be no divisions among you/ 
 for divisions are better than unanimity. You should, 
 therefore, have waited until I was born and consulted 
 me with respect to the matter. I would have in¬ 
 structed thee differently. I would have said : 4 Let 
 there be divisions among you, be of different minds 
 and mouths, speak different things, be of dif- 
 erent opinions and judgments.’” And thus, you 
 perceive, by so contending is not only putting 
 human wisdom above divine, but it is virtually 
 charging God with the grossest folly when he said: 
 “ Let there be no divisions among you,” “ be of 
 one mind and one mouth,” “all speak the same 
 thing,” “be perfectly joined together in the same 
 mind and in the same judgment.” How very shock¬ 
 ing and disgusting that such insignificant, ignorant, 
 and unworthy creatures as sinful men should thus 
 presume to correct and instruct the All-wfise and 
 Almighty God ! But thus it is quite frequently, and 
 on the part of very many, especially with respect to 
 Christian unanimity. 
 
 Further, there is no such necessity for unchristian 
 dissension as some suppose. Frequently is it said 
 that Christians can not think and believe alike, be¬ 
 cause they look differently, appear differently, see 
 differently, their habits are different, and what not. 
 Doubtless what is meant is that Christians are some¬ 
 what different in the respects mentioned, and hence 
 can not be alike in those respects ; and since this is 
 ?so, they must be different in some other respects. 
 But I suspect that those who thus argue have not 
 thought long enough to know what they are talking 
 about, and, consequently, multiplying words with¬ 
 out knowledge. 
 
276 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 Now, it must be admitted that among professing 
 Christians, as well as the impenitent, there is a great 
 variet}^ of looks, appearances, eye-sight, and habits. 
 Some are white, some black, some red, some yellow; 
 some appear well, some ill; some are cross-eyed, some 
 straight-eyed; the habits of some are good, of others 
 bad. But I ask, what in the name of common sense 
 have such things to do with their thinking and be- 
 ? 
 
 Is it impossible for the black to think white 
 thoughts, or for the white to think black thoughts ? 
 Must a man think and believe as he appears, well or 
 ill ? Is it impossible for the cross eyed to see straight 
 enough to agree with the straight-eyed? Must a 
 man’s thoughts and belief correspond with his habits,, 
 good or bad? Certainly such an objection to Chris¬ 
 tian unanimity is shamefully absurd, and worse than 
 nonsense. 
 
 Again : Do those who thus argue know what 
 they are assuming ? 1. That it is impossible to ob¬ 
 tain the truth as it is in Christ ? 2. That it is im¬ 
 
 possible for the Holy Spirit to fulfill the object for 
 which he came into the world, which is to lead all 
 Christians into all truth ? 3. That it is impossible 
 
 to do what Glod requires ? 
 
 Now, understood or misunderstood, believed or 
 disbelieved, such are virtually the assumptions of 
 every one who either doubts or denies the possibility 
 of Christian unanimity. For if all can not agree—as 
 some contend—some one must necessarily embrace 
 and entertain false sentiments, because there are but the 
 two, either the true or the false, and hence every one 
 must hold to the one or to the other. If all have the 
 true, all have the same, and agree. But if all can not 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 277 
 
 /agree, as some suppose and contend, then all can 
 not obtain the truth as it is in Christ, neither can the 
 Holy Spirit lead all Christians into all truth; nor can 
 that perfect unanimity exist required of God when he 
 says: “Let there be no divisions among you,” “all 
 speak the same thing,” etc. 
 
 Doubtless here and elsewhere enough has now been 
 said upon this point to convince any rational mind 
 not only that Christian unanimity is required, but that 
 it is as possible as any other Christian grace, and that 
 if it does not exist it is not because it is not com¬ 
 manded nor because it is impossible, but just because 
 Christians will not do what God requires. 
 
 Then, as well as pure and uniform, it is possible for 
 Christian conduct to be unanimous. It is possible, 
 therefore, for that which is necessary to consistent 
 Christian conduct to be done ? Since, now, it is possi¬ 
 ble for Christian conduct thus to be consistent, and for 
 the gospel tbus to be preached, it follows not only that 
 Christians of the present generation are actually re¬ 
 quired to conquer this world spiritually, but that they 
 can do what is necessary to the accomplishment of 
 that work. 
 
 If, therefore, the work be not done during their 
 time, upon what ground can they excuse themselves ? 
 
 1. Can they plead exemption from duty—that is, 
 
 that the work has not been enjoined upon them ? 
 Certainly, no one properly acquainted with scripture 
 requirements can urge any such a plea, for if the work 
 be not enjoined upon Christians now living, nothing is 
 required of them. * • 
 
 2. Can they plead ignorance f Perhaps some can; 
 but can they urge that they were unable to learn? 
 'That no instructions have been given ? or that the in- 
 
278 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 structions received are too difficult to be understood ? 
 Certainly not. 
 
 3. Can they plead a doubt as a sufficient excuse T 
 Now, it must be admitted that doubts have had very 
 much to do with both the temporal and eternal rum 
 of Adam’s race. Doubting God’s word made way for 
 the introduction of sin. Doubting God’s word has 
 secured its millions to an endless perdition. Doubting 
 God’s word and the possibility of overcoming the Ca- 
 naanites caused a large proportion of the Israelites to 
 die in the wilderness. And thus, probably, doubting 
 has defeated this world’s spiritual conquest in the past* 
 and is now preventing it. But can doubts alter facts?' 
 or relieve from responsibility? For instance, did the 
 doubt of our first parents alter the fact of what God 
 had said, or relieve them from punishment? Do any 
 or all the doubts of the impenitent alter the facts oi 
 revelation, or save them from an endless perdition ? 
 Did the doubt of the Children of Israel that the land 
 of Canaan could be subdued alter the fact, making it 
 any less possible, or prevent the fiery serpent from 
 coming among them, and their carcasses from falling 
 in the wilderness ? Nor, in case it can be done, will a 
 doubt as to the possibility of this world’s conversion to* 
 Christ during the present generation of Christians alter 
 the fact nor relieve them from the responsibility of its 
 failure. 
 
 And here I ask, would, for instance, a military 
 court accept of such an excuse? Suppose, now, an 
 army be drawn up to account for a defeat, what sort 
 of an excuse would be accepted? Would a doubt as 
 to the possibility or utility of wbat was commanded 
 be sufficient ? Suppose, for example, the officers should 
 urge that, doubting both the possibility and utility of 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 279 
 
 what was required, they neither obeyed themselves 
 nor tried to have others under their command do so, 
 what would be the verdict? Doubtless that the 
 whole condemnation and punishment should rest ex¬ 
 clusively upon them. Or could the officers urge that, 
 believing in both the possibility and utility of what 
 was commanded, they tried the* best they knew how 
 to carry out the instructions, and that the failure was 
 wholly caused not from any disbelief or disobedience 
 on their part, but from the infidelity and disobedience 
 of others, what would then be the decision ? Doubt¬ 
 less, that the whole condemnation and punishment 
 should rest alone upon those who had thus disbelieved 
 and disobeyed. Or could the officers and men both 
 urge that, believing in both the utility and possibility 
 of what was commanded, they all tried to the utmost 
 in their power to carry out the instructions, and that 
 the failure was wholly caused not from any disbelief 
 or disobedience on their part, but from an actual in¬ 
 ability to do what was required; can not every one 
 see that in that case no guilt would attach to any one, 
 and that such an excuse would alone be sufficient to 
 relieve from condemnation? So with respect to this 
 world’s conversion to Christ during the present gene¬ 
 ration of Christians. A doubt as to its possibility is not 
 sufficient to relieve from responsibility. Nothing short 
 of an effort to the utmost of the power of the whole 
 Church will be thus sufficient. An effort, too, which 
 has never yet been put forth, for even the first—which 
 probably was the most unanimous, energetic, and 
 effective that has ever been made—doubtless lacked 
 more or less of what it should have been ; much more 
 every subsequent effort. At the same time all must 
 
280 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 admit that such an effort could have been made, and 
 can now be put forth, and continued, too; and that 
 should it be done, there is no reason at all to doubt 
 that this world would soon be subdued spiritually. If, 
 therefore, it be not done during the present generation 
 of Christians, can Christians now living blame any 
 one except themselves? For will it not be just as 
 they prefer? 
 
 Is this so ? Is this world’s spiritual conquest a 
 success or a failure just as Christians prefer? Doubt¬ 
 less just as they prefer. Now, it is unnecessary to 
 undertake to prove to another that of which he is 
 conscious, and hence it is unnecessary to undertake 
 to prove to the Christian that whatever he does he 
 does it freely and as he prefers; for if he be con¬ 
 scious of anything, he knows that he thus acts. If, 
 therefore, he tries to find out what is duty and to dis¬ 
 charge the same, he knows that he does it freely; 
 and that whenever he fails or neglects to do so, it is 
 the same—he acts freely and as he prefers. And 
 does he not equally know that the work of subduing 
 this world to Christ is either a success or a failure 
 just as he freely prefers to ascertain or not to ascer¬ 
 tain and to discharge or not to discharge Christian 
 duty ? Doubtless he either knows, or, at least, may be 
 as conscious of the one fact as of the other. 
 
 Now, there can be no reasonable doubt as to the 
 tendency and results of consistent or inconsistent Chris¬ 
 tian conduct, for they are a matter of intuition , as well 
 as of experience and positive fact . Suppose, then, 
 Christians indulge in consistent or inconsistent con¬ 
 duct, living purely or impurely, having their con¬ 
 duct uniform or variable, unanimous or discordant, 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 281 
 
 and thus either promote or defeat this world’s spir¬ 
 itual conquest, is it as they prefer, or do they act from 
 necessity ? 
 
 None but a fool or a maniac will contend that he 
 .acts from necessity. If one is at all rational, he knows 
 that when he acts at all he does it freely, and not 
 from necessity. And hence the Christian knows 
 that he is perfectly free to act right or wrong, just as 
 he prefers; and that when he acts wrong he does it 
 just as freely as when he acts right, and hence that 
 he is perfectly free to choose or to refuse what will 
 either promote or defeat this world’s conversion to 
 Christ. And hence that the work is either a success 
 or a failure just as he prefers. 
 
 Herein, therefore, is especially evident the Chris¬ 
 tian’s awful accountability and responsibility with 
 Tespect to the evangelizing work. 1. To the full 
 extent of his ability it is left in his hands. 2. It is 
 thus far suspended upon his will. 3. It is thus far 
 a success or a failure, just as he prefers. If the Chris¬ 
 tian acted from necessity and not freely, he would be 
 neither accountable nor responsible for anything he 
 either did or neglected to do. But acting freely as he 
 does, and thus freely choosing or refusing what will 
 either promote or defeat this world’s conversion to 
 Christ, so far as he actually prefers what will cer¬ 
 tainly defeat the work, thus, far he is positively ac¬ 
 countable and responsible for its failure. 
 
 No one properly acquainted with the elements of 
 his own nature, with his relationships and obliga¬ 
 tions, and especially with the scheme of redemption, 
 can possibly doubt the correctness of what has now 
 been said. And even should any be destitute of such 
 .an understanding, they are without excuse; for the 
 
282 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 knowledge is within their reach and can very easily 
 he obtained. 
 
 Since, then, the work of subduing this world 
 spiritually is, to the full extent of their ability, left in 
 the hands of Christians now living, because required 
 of them as much as any that ever have lived or ever 
 will live; and since, if they should do what is re¬ 
 quired, there is no reasonable doubt that the work 
 would soon be accomplished; and since they can do 
 what is necessary to the accomplishment of the work,, 
 and especially since it is suspended upon their will 
 and is either a success or a failure just as they prefer,— 
 therefore so far as they fail to do all within their 
 power to accomplish the work, thus far it will be ex¬ 
 clusively their own fault if it is not done; and they 
 will be entirely accountable and responsible for its 
 failure. 
 
 And here it should be noted that the fearfulness of 
 the account and the awfulness of the responsibility 
 arise from their contents. Let us, therefore, for a few 
 moments, now attend to those contents, and carefully 
 note and reflect upon that for which Christians of the 
 present generation will, be accountable and responsi¬ 
 ble, in case, on account of their own neglect, this world 
 be not converted to Christ during their time 
 
 1. God’s dishonor. Spiritual conquests have very 
 much to do with God’s declarative glory ; for in pro¬ 
 portion to their success is he honored, and in propor¬ 
 tion to their defeat is he dishonored. Because so far 
 as spiritual conquests are successful is it manifest that 
 God is superior to the enemy in wisdom, power, and 
 goodness; but so far as they are unsuccessful is it 
 implied that God is either indifferent to the welfare 
 of his creatures or inferior to the enemy in wisdom 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 283' 
 
 and power. For so far as one is interested in the * 
 welfare of another, he will naturally desire and seek 
 his good. Failing in either, therefore, implies either 
 a want of interest or a lack of ability. Accordingly,, 
 since spiritual defeats are a great injury to God’s 
 creatures, they imply that he lacks either an interest 
 in their welfare or the ability with which to secure 
 their good, and hence inferior to the enemy in wisdom 
 and power, or lacking in goodness. This, now, is an 
 awful calumny upon God’s character; for he is not in 
 the least indifferent to the welfare of his creatures,, 
 nor inferior to the enemy in wisdom and power. 
 Consequently, every spiritual defeat arises not from 
 any want of interest or inferiority of God, but—so far 
 as they fail to do all they can to promote them—from 
 the willful and reckless disobedience of Christ’s pro¬ 
 fessed followers. Bo far,'therefore, as they thus fail, 
 they alone are accountable and responsible for every 
 God-dishonor arising from spiritual defeats. It is a 
 terrible thing thus to dishonor God. For he being- 
 a jealous God, and determined to punish “according- 
 to the deed,” will very severely afflict those who thus* 
 tarnish his glory. 
 
 2. Another thing for which Christians will be; 
 accountable and responsible in case of an unnecessary 
 failure will he the loss of those who, on account of it,, 
 will perish eternally. After a moment’s thought, any 
 one can easily perceive that the number of souls saved 
 or lost will be in proportion to either the success or 
 the failure of the evangelizing work, and hence that,, 
 if the work be not completed during the present gen¬ 
 eration of Christians, vast numbers who would other¬ 
 wise be saved will be eternally lost; and hence that,, 
 since the work is either a success or a failure just as- 
 
^84 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 Christians freely choose, souls will be saved or lost 
 just as they prefer. If, now, vast numbers are eter¬ 
 nally lost just because professing Christians freely 
 choose not to know nor to do what will save them, 
 will not their blood be required at their hands? Every 
 Christian, even though he shudder at the thought 
 that such an awful loss should occur through his own 
 preference, yet, doubtless, will admit that if souls 
 should thus be lost, his garments would be stained 
 with their blood; nor could he possibly avoid the guilt 
 and awful consequences of their ruin. 
 
 Fearful indeed, therefore, is the Christian’s account¬ 
 ability and responsibility with respect to this world’s 
 ■conversion to Christ; for doubtless the work is either 
 a success or a failure just as he freely chooses, and 
 hence God honored or dishonored, and souls saved 
 or lost, just as he prefers. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 AN EXHIBITION OF PROFESSED CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 
 
 And now we come to an exhibition of professed 
 Christian character in a light either the most ennobling 
 and attracti ve or debasing and detestable. For nothing 
 can be more godlike, ennobling, and attractive than 
 for one man to desire and to do all within his power 
 to promote the welfare of another. Just in propor¬ 
 tion as a professing Christian possesses and manifests 
 such a spirit is he like Christ and transformed into 
 his image; but so far as one possesses and manifests 
 a preference that his fellow should be injured and 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST 285 
 
 destroyed does lie exhibit a savage, beastly, and satanic 
 disposition. Especially is this true, and even worse, 
 with respect to a professing Christian; for in addition 
 to the savage, the beastly, and the satanic disposition 
 is the hypocritical, because every professing Christian 
 pretends, at least, to be the friend of and to desire the 
 welfare of the one he shows a preference should 
 be ruined. 
 
 Iam aware that the word preference is a very strong 
 term, and to the worldly, the indifferent, and hard¬ 
 hearted professor a very bitter pill, but it must be 
 swallowed; for I again repeat that, if this world be not 
 conquered spiritually during the present generation of 
 Christians, it will be because at least a part, if not all, 
 of them prefer it should not be done, which, you 
 perceive, would be the same as preferring that vast 
 numbers should be eternally lost rather than fhat they 
 should be saved. What an awful preference ! Indeed, 
 what would be the character of the man or woman 
 who, under such circumstances, should possess and 
 manifest such a preference ? Could there possibly be 
 a worse disposition, or a worse human monster? 
 
 Suppose, for instance, that a parent or a guardian, 
 upon, whom were dependent a number of helpless 
 children, should prefer to trifle away in frivolity and 
 nonsense the time and opportunity for securing sup¬ 
 plies for those children, in consequence of which they 
 perish with cold or hunger ; what w r ould be thought 
 of him? Would he naturally be looked upon as irre¬ 
 sponsible and innocent ? Nay, would he not rather be 
 considered and represented as one of the vilest mon¬ 
 sters imaginable, and deserving at least a hundred 
 thousand deaths, if not more ? 
 
 Again: What would be thought of one who, 
 
:286 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 standing upon the bank of a river and perfectly able 
 to save others in a drowning condition, yet would prefer 
 to let them perish rather than put forth a proper effort 
 for their rescue and salvation ? 
 
 Again: What would be thought of one who, 
 finding a burning building and knowing that there 
 were a number within slumbering and unconscious of 
 their situation and danger, yet would prefer to pass on 
 and allow those thus exposed to perish in the flames 
 rather than to do what could be done to arouse and 
 rescue them from such a death ? 
 
 Or again: Suppose a number find many others 
 infected with an insensible and awful disease, eating 
 at their vitals and threatening their destruction, soul 
 and body, for both time and eternity ; a disease, too, 
 the nature and tendency of which the former profess 
 to understand, and that there is a physician and a 
 remedy, from which they themselves have obtained a 
 cure, but prefer to allow those thus infected, and ex¬ 
 posed, to perish, rather than to put forth a proper 
 effort to arouse and save them before it be too late. 
 
 IsTow, should any, knowing their condition, allow 
 others thus exposed to perish without putting forth 
 a proper effort to save them, I again ask what would 
 be thought of them? Would they not naturally be 
 considered and represented as the vilest monsters of 
 human kind, and guilty of the death and stained 
 with the blood of those thus destroyed? Doubtless 
 they would. 
 
 Is not the case precisely the same with respect to 
 Christians and the impenitent? Are not sinners in¬ 
 fected with an insensible and awful disease, eating at 
 their vitals and threatening their destruction, soul 
 . and body, for both time and eternity ? Also, do not 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 287 
 
 Christians profess to be thoroughly acquainted with 
 the nature and tendency of that disease, and that 
 there is a physician and a remedy, from which they 
 themselves have obtained a cure ? 
 
 Also, are not the impenitent in the floods and 
 flames of temporal and eternal ruin, and liable at any 
 moment to be swallowed up and utterly and eternally 
 destroyed ? Also, are they not at the same time 
 slumbering and, to a very great extent, unconscious 
 of their situation and danger ? Also, have not pro¬ 
 fessing Christians the gospel plank, or the means in 
 their possession by which they could, if they would, 
 arouse and rescue these souls before it be too late ? 
 
 Again : Are not the impenitent as dependent upon 
 Christians for preservation and salvation as are help¬ 
 less and unconscious children upon parents or guard¬ 
 ians for the necessaries of life ? Are not spiritual 
 light and food and saving influence as necessary to 
 the preservation and salvation of the sinner as care, 
 raiment, and food are to the preservation and life of 
 the child ? 
 
 Indeed, the impenitent are in the midst of thick 
 moral darkness and surrounded with terrible dangers. 
 How, then, can they be preserved and saved without 
 spiritual light f Also, they are dreadfully corrupt, 
 “from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet, 
 full of bruises and putrefying sores.” How, then, can 
 they be preserved and saved without spiritual salt f 
 Also, they are famishing for want of the waters and 
 bread of life. How, then, can they be preserved and 
 saved without a supply of both ? 
 
 Certainly the impenitent can neither be preserved 
 nor saved without spiritual light, saving influence, 
 
288 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 and the waters and bread of life. Is it not equally 
 true that they can obtain neither only so far as Chris¬ 
 tians see lit to impart them ? Is not Christian light 
 as necessary to the moral world as is sunlight to the 
 natural ? God works by the use of means. It is by 
 means of sunlight he dispels the natural darkness 
 and illumines the natural world. Is it not equally 
 true that it is by means of Christian light he removes 
 the moral darkness and enlightens the moral world ? 
 Then are not sinners as dependent upon Christians 
 for spiritual light as is the natural world upon the 
 sun for sunlight ? 
 
 So, too, with respect to virtue of salt. It is by 
 means of the virtue of salt that natural things are 
 preserved and saved. Is it not equally true that it is 
 by means of the saving influence of Christians that 
 the impenitent are, to a very great extent, preserved 
 and saved ? It is certain from the account that had 
 there been a little more of that influence in Sodom 
 and Gomorrah, those cities would have been pre¬ 
 served ; but for want of which they were utterly 
 destroyed. 
 
 So, too, with respect to spiritual nourishment. Are 
 not the impenitent as dependent upon Christians for 
 spiritual food as are helpless and unconscious children 
 upon parents or guardians for the necessaries of life ? 
 It is certain that the helpless and dependent can be 
 neither preserved nor saved without the necessaries 
 of life, received through the hands of others. Is it 
 not equally true that the impenitent can be neither 
 preserved nor saved without the spiritual waters and 
 bread received through the hands of Christians ? For 
 instance, would a single heathen or any other of the 
 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 289 ' 
 
 impenitent ever have received any spiritual light, or 
 nourishment, or saving influence, had Christians done 
 nothing to impart them ? 
 
 Is not the analogy of nature to grace, with respect 
 to such things, as true and real as it well can be ? 
 Show that the natural world can receive light with¬ 
 out the sun and preservation without the virtue of 
 salt, and the helpless ami dependent supply and 
 support without the aid of others, then, and not 
 till then, can it be shown that the impenitent can 
 be preserved and saved without Christian exertion 
 and influence in their behalf. Suppose, then, the 
 moral darkness be not removed by the spiritual light, 
 nor the saving influence exerted, nor the waters and 
 bread of life imparted, and thereby the impenitent 
 perish in their sins, will it not be just because prQ- 
 fessing Christians have actually preferred to withhold 
 such things, and thus far will certainly be account¬ 
 able and responsible for their ruin ? 
 
 True, by using the term preference I know that 
 I am again touching a very tender cord; for no 
 Christian would, if he could help it, have it true—even 
 if it is—that he has actually preferred to withhold any 
 thing really necessary to the eternal welfare of an 
 immortal soul. And hence if there be a conscious¬ 
 ness that it ever has been thus, or is now being done, 
 very likely a number of subterfuges will at once 
 occur. One that some things were disbelieved and 
 disliked, and therefore excusable ; another that it was 
 not duty, and therefore excusable ; another that duty 
 can be discharged by one better than another, and 
 therefore excusable ; another that it was of no use to 
 do anything, and therefore excusable; another that 
 others had done enough already, and therefore excus- 
 
290 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 able; another and especially that there was not 
 time, or not the proper season of the year, or had 
 weather, and therefore excusable. All of which are 
 frequently heard respecting Christian duty and the 
 loss of souls. 
 
 But how would such excuses appear with respect 
 to the body and this life ? Suppose, for instance, that 
 a parent should suffer his children to perish for want 
 of proper care. Would it do to .urge that there were 
 some persons or things he disbelieved and disliked, 
 or that he did not think it duty to attend to them, or 
 that he could not discharge the duty as well as 
 others, or that it was of no use to do anything for 
 them, or that other parents had done enough already, 
 or that he had not time, or it was not the proper 
 season of the year, or bad weather, or had something 
 else to attend to ? We all know that with respect to 
 the body and this life, such excuses would not do. 
 And that should any parent take such a course, and, 
 as a justification, urge such excuses, it would be be¬ 
 lieved either that he was a maniac or that he actually 
 preferred the torture and destruction of his children 
 to their preservation and welfare ; and that he would 
 naturally be detested and execrated as one of the 
 vilest monsters imaginable, and adjudged as deserving 
 the severest punishment*that could be inflicted. And 
 so, if professing Christians withhold from the impeni¬ 
 tent spiritual light, saving influence, and other things 
 necessary to their eternal good, will it not be just be¬ 
 cause they actually prefer their ruin and wretched¬ 
 ness to their preservation and salvation? What an 
 awful preference ! And especially on the part of one 
 pretending to what a professing Christian does! 
 But is not such the actual preference, of every one so 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 291 
 
 far as he fails to do all within his power to conquer 
 this world spiritually, and thus save the souls of the 
 perishing ? 
 
 !Now, whatever may be thought, or supposed, or 
 guessed, or desired, or believed to the contrary, such 
 is verily the fact; for to choose not to do what will 
 save souls is the same as to prefer their eternal ruin. 
 And this every one does so far as he fails to do all he 
 can to overcome the powers of darkness, and thus 
 subdue this world to Christ. What, however, should 
 be thought of the man or woman who, professing to 
 be deeply interested in the welfare of another, yet not 
 only by inattention and neglect shows a preference and 
 'even a pleasure in his injury and ruin, but laughingly 
 and recklessly indulges in what will render less sensible 
 and make more certain his endless destruction? But 
 perhaps one may ask, “ Is it possible for such a human 
 monster to exist?” Now I wish it distinctly understood, 
 and remembered, too, that I am not here indulging in 
 fancy sketches, but dwelling upon dread realities; 
 for certainly Christians pretend, at least, to be deeply 
 interested in the welfare of souls. At the same time, 
 so far as they indulge in any unnecessary inattention 
 or neglect, especially anything else that is wrong, they 
 do actually manifest a preference that souls should be 
 lost, and by so doing render less sensible and make 
 more certain their eternal ruin. 
 
 Yet I ask, how can a viler, more debasing and 
 detestable disposition be possessed and manifested, or 
 a worse human monster exhibited, than for a profess¬ 
 ing Christian to take such a course? 
 
 1. What awful hypocrisy! Now, it is very hypo¬ 
 critical for one to profess to be deeply interested in 
 the welfare of another and then do nothing in special 
 
292 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 for liis good; but to thus profess, and then indulge in 
 what tends to the worst injury of another, is a hypoc¬ 
 risy too awfully horrible for either description or even 
 conception. And yet such is the hypocrisy exhibited 
 by every professing Christian so far as he fails to do 
 what he can to save souls. 
 
 2. How terribly savage! The wild Indians, in 
 whooping and dancing around, or quietly and smil¬ 
 ingly witnessing the writhings of their victims in the 
 flames, do not appear more savage than a professing 
 Christian who, in the midst of the hum and buzz of 
 busy life, witnesses unmoved either the riotings or 
 writhings of souls in either partaking of or suffering 
 the consequences of sin; especially so far as he indulges 
 in what tends to their worst injury. 
 
 3. How very beastly! Could even a beast exhibit 
 greater insensibility or irrationality and want of sym¬ 
 pathy than for a professing Christian to treat witL 
 indifference and neglect the benighted and perishing 
 around him, and thus show not only a preference, but 
 even a pleasure in their wretchedness and ruin, rather 
 than their rescue and salvation ? 
 
 4. How awfully satanic! Can a worse element be 
 conceived as belonging to even Satan’s disposition 
 than that which could induce a professing Christian 
 not only to neglect, but especially to indulge in what 
 he himself knows would render less sensible and make 
 more certain the sinner’s temporal and eternal ruin ? 
 
 I repeat, a more hypocritical, savage, beastly, and 
 satanic disposition can neither be possessed nor mani¬ 
 fested, nor a worse human monster exhibited, than for 
 a professing Christian to take such a course. And yet 
 is not such the disposition, and such the human mon¬ 
 ster exhibited, so far as a professing Christian fails to- 
 
. THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 293 
 
 do all within his power to conquer this world spirit¬ 
 ually ? It certainly is, for thus far, notwithstanding 
 his profession, he does actually manifest a preference 
 that souls should be lost, and by so doing even renders 
 them less sensible and makes more certain their end¬ 
 less destruction. 
 
 But, after all, it may be asked, is it possible for 
 such hypocrites, savages, beasts, or demons in human 
 form, or “ wolves in sheep’s clothing,” to exist? And 
 yet how else can we account for the worldliness, the 
 indifference, the inactivity, the vanity, the frivolity, 
 and the nonsense on the part of so many pretending to 
 he Christians ? See them as they seek first the world, 
 and last the world, and the world all the time; and 
 conform to this and conform to that to court the fa¬ 
 vor and catch the applause of the giddy multitude; 
 having respect to relationships, to the color of the skin, 
 to a gold ring, to a pretty face, to a fine dress, to a full 
 purse; “ seeking the uppermost seats at feasts,” and 
 saying to the poor, “ Stand thou there, or come here 
 and sit on my footstool”; making others very poor 
 to become rich themselves, rather than, as did Christ, 
 becoming poor to make others rich; by the Holy 
 Spirit through the apostle represented as “ proud, 
 heady, high-minded”—in one sense, but very low- 
 minded in another sense; “ wells without water, clouds 
 without rain, raging waves of the sea, foaming out 
 their own shame ”; “ having a name ” simply “ to live, 
 while they are dead, twice dead, and plucked up by 
 the roots.” 
 
 How very painful to the heart of every soundly 
 converted and devoted or living Christian, to know and 
 realize that there are any such clogs to Zion’s wheels. 
 And yet so it is. But though, at the present time 
 
294 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 very many professing Christians seem to he of that 
 stamp yet, God he thanked, that at least there are' 
 still some of a different character; and those, too,, 
 whose hearts are touched, apd who approve of the’ 
 statements now being made and the work now being’ 
 done; and who, too, moan in sadness over Zion’s: 
 desolations and Christian operations, and are a’wfully 
 disgusted with such monstrous conduct as for one to^ 
 profess—as every Christian does—to he deeply inter¬ 
 ested in the welfare of souls, and then not only neg¬ 
 lect to do what will save them, but actually indulge 
 in what tends to their worst injury in both time and’ 
 eternity. 
 
 Upon such alone, however, so far as Christians 
 are concerned, rest the whole accountability and 
 responsibility of the loss of souls through the defeat 
 of the evangelizing work. And fearful indeed will 
 it be to meet, when summoned into God’s flaming 
 presence to pass through the fiery ordeal of being 
 judged “ according to the deeds done in the body.” 
 
 Oh, for the time to hasten when every professing 
 Christian, conscious that he has “ fought a good 
 fight,” may realize that he can pass through that 
 ordeal without the blood-stain of a single soul upon 
 his skirt, and hear from the Great Judge, “Well 
 done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the 
 joy of thy Lord.” 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 295 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 WHO ARE THE MOST ACCOUNTABLE AND RESPONSIBLE FOR 
 
 SPIRITUAL DEFEATS. 
 
 Having now, upon Christian accountability and 
 responsibility, noticed their import, extent, certainty, 
 nature, and fearfulness, as well as presenting an ex¬ 
 hibition of Christian character in the light of the 
 whole, I again propose, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, 
 to continue this part of the subject, dwelling upon 
 the question, ivho among professing Christians are the 
 most accountable and responsible for spiritual de¬ 
 feats. And here, doubtless, in the estimation of the 
 wise, it is unnecessary to state that a more important 
 question can not he taken up than the one now pro¬ 
 posed for consideration, for probably there is no other 
 involving more for both time and eternity. 
 
 And here, in general, I will state that those the 
 most accountable and responsible for spiritual defeats 
 are that class of professing Christians living the most 
 inconsistent with their profession. But here it is 
 true that all the different denominations may be more 
 or less involved; for though in some respects one 
 may be more consistent than another, yet in other 
 respects it maybe just as inconsistent. Indeed, at 
 the present time, and on the part of all the different 
 denominations, I think it can be truthfully affirmed 
 that “the cumin, mint, and anise ” are receiving 
 very much more attention, interest, and effort than 
 “the weighty matters of the law.” Scarcely any 
 fault at all can be found with professing Christians 
 
296 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 m 
 
 for their zeal in the things in which they differ, 
 but there seems to be a terrible looseness in the things 
 in which they agree. Church polity, the ordinances, 
 and other such things receive great attention and in¬ 
 terest, while purity of heart and conduct seem to be 
 almost wholly out of sight. And here I ask, wdiat 
 great difference, after all, between the so-called evan¬ 
 gelical denominations with respect to Tvorldly con¬ 
 formity and inefficiency ? True, some may go to a 
 greater extreme in that direction than do others, and 
 yet are they not all more or less guilty ? Doubtless 
 all of a prayerful spirit will admit not only that such 
 is altogether too true, but that it is a very painful 
 fact. 
 
 Now, so far as a denomination, a church, or pro¬ 
 fessing Christian indulges in covetousness, worldly 
 conformity, spiritual indifference, inactivity, and in¬ 
 efficiency, thus far each and all are accountable and re¬ 
 sponsible for spiritual defeats. As Dr. William Crosby 
 says : “If I w T ere called upon to point out the most 
 alarming sins of to-day, I would not mention drunk¬ 
 enness, wuth its crazed victims; nor harlotry, with its 
 hellish orgies ; nor gambling, with its debauched and 
 dishonest crew,—hut the love of money on the part of 
 men, and the love of display on. the part of women. 
 While open vice sends its thousands, these fashionable 
 and favored indulgences send their ten thousands 
 to an. endless perdition. And yet the poor victim, 
 while thus indulging, is allowed by public opinion to 
 think himself or herself a Christian; when the 
 drunkard, the prostitute, and the gambler are not de¬ 
 ceived by such a thought for a moment.” A terrible 
 contrast and indictment, but they are both true. The 
 only way, therefore, to avoid such an awful position 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 297 
 
 and implication is to lay aside all worldliness and in¬ 
 dulge in nothing inconsistent with the spirit, teach¬ 
 ings, and example of Jesus Christ. 
 
 And here I will state that though all the different 
 evangelical denominations indulge in some things 
 tending to spiritual defeats, yet there are other things 
 in which some are more guilty than others. One of 
 those things, and, in my judgment, the principal cause 
 of about every other spiritual derangement, is un¬ 
 christian dissension . Doubtless nearly or quite every 
 spiritual disorder now in the Christian community 
 can be traced directly to that source. The reasons 
 for this are— 
 
 1st. Christians can not differ and all be right 
 wherein they disagree. If, therefore, they differ, one 
 or all must be wrong. 
 
 2d. Indulgence in an evil is like the letting-out 
 of water. Touch a single pebble of the embankment, 
 and the flood-gates are thrown wide open and the 
 dike all washed away. One of the best illustrations 
 of this point can be found in the history of Roman 
 Catholicism, where, from slight deviations, the plan 
 of redemption was finally so perverted as that salva¬ 
 tion by penance through the Pope was actually sub¬ 
 stituted for redemption by faith through Christ. 
 
 3d. We are creatures of influence. If, therefore, 
 one goes astray, he will naturally draw all others after 
 him. Here, doubtless, we can account for the world¬ 
 liness and other spiritual disorders among professing 
 Christians, not only in the past but at the present 
 time. Some having stepped aside into a forbidden 
 path, have thus opened the flood-gates of evil upon 
 themselves, and are naturally drawing all others into 
 
298 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 the vortex with them. Doubtless every evangelical 
 denomination of this gospel-enlightened land needs 
 the admonitions and is threatened with the judg¬ 
 ments which fell upon at least five of the seven 
 churches of Asia Minor. And here I will start the 
 question, whether or not it be true that the light of 
 the gospel is to go out in this favored land, and this 
 nation relapse into a state of heathenish darkness, 
 while the Old World, where it at first flourished, 
 receives back again the Christianity it once rejected ?. 
 “ Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest 
 he fall.” Doubtless this admonition is especially 
 adapted to the present spiritual condition of this 
 nation. And should God, on account of the impiety 
 of professing Christians and the recklessness of the 
 impenitent, be moved to transfer the light of the gos¬ 
 pel from this nation to Asia Minor and 4 other parts of 
 the Old World where it at first shone forth, fearful 
 indeed will be the accountability and responsibility' 
 of those who are the principal cause of it. 
 
 4th. Christian unanimity is necessary, not only to- 
 the avoidance of spiritual evils, but to the triumphs 
 of the Cross. “ In union there is strength ”; in divis¬ 
 ions, weakness. In proportion, therefore, to unchris¬ 
 tian dissension and division is there spiritual weak¬ 
 ness and defect. So far, therefore, as a professing 
 Christian is a means of either originating or perpet¬ 
 uating unchristian dissension is he accountable and 
 responsible for spiritual defeats. This brings us to 
 that class who are the most accountable and respon¬ 
 sible for spiritual defeats. But to know that one is 
 of that number, and why he is such, requires a full 
 description and knowledge of his character. And 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 299 
 
 now we will note in detail some of the characteris¬ 
 tics of those who are thus the most accountable and 
 responsible. 
 
 1. In general they maybe called “ Thessalonians.” 
 That is, a class of Christians less noble than those of 
 Berea. For the Bereans, after listening to even in¬ 
 spired apostles, “ searched the Scriptures daily to* see 
 whether those things were so.” In other words* 
 those the most accountable and responsible for spir¬ 
 itual defeats are a class who take for granted what 
 they have been taught. They believe and practice 
 what they do, not because they know they are right, 
 but because they have thus been taught by relatives 
 and friends. Reason with them on the subject; if 
 uneducated, like Roman Catholics, they will at once 
 refer to father or mother or some other earthly rel¬ 
 ative or friend, or especially to the preacher or the 
 “praste.” If educated, or ministers themselves, they 
 will try by a sophistical course of reasoning to con¬ 
 vince you of what they themselves have already 
 taken for granted. Rot succeeding to their heart’s 
 content, they doubtless will become offended and re¬ 
 fuse utterly to have any more to say to or to do with 
 you. Thus showing— 
 
 2. That they are a class lacking a teachable spirit .. 
 Let Satan succeed in getting a professing Christian 
 to take the first step in error, and it will not be at all 
 difficult to induce him to take the second—that is, to* 
 assume infallibility. One of the best evidences of 
 erroneous faith and practice is an intolerant spirit* 
 obscure or sophistical reasoning, and improper 
 irritability in conversing upon the subject. Or— 
 
 3. Those the most accountable and responsible^ 
 for spiritual defeats are a class of spiritual maniacs in 
 
300 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 tlie things in which they are wrong. A maniac is an 
 irrational person. And certainly intolerance, sophist¬ 
 ical reasoning, and improper irritability are all very 
 irrational. 
 
 4. They are a class sinfully selfish. That is, they 
 are unwilling to do by others as they would have 
 others do by them. They ask what they will not 
 give. They say to others, “ (Jive up to us, give up to 
 us ; believe and practice as we do.” But they them¬ 
 selves can not afford to he quite so benevolent. Now, 
 this wanting everything one’s self, and an unwilling¬ 
 ness to yield to another his due or what is right, is 
 an awfully sinful selfishness—the kind of selfishness 
 indulged in by the class we are dwelling upon. Yet 
 at the same time it should he distinctly understood, 
 and remembered, too, that nothing is to be yielded or 
 given up by any one, except what is positively known 
 from actual investigation to be wrong. Nor can any 
 one positively know what is right or wrong, in either 
 his faith or practice, until he has thus actually investi¬ 
 gated. Consequently, it is uncharitableness and un¬ 
 holy selfishness to ask another to yield or give up to 
 us until we know that we have thus investigated. 
 And this the class referred to has never done, and 
 hence are not in possession of any such knowledge. 
 
 5. They are a class of bigots and defamers ; for, if 
 others do not yield to their unreasonable demands, 
 they will cry out, “ Bigotry, bigotry, willful blindness,” 
 when, in fact, they themselves are the bigots, for big¬ 
 otry consists in asserting without proof. They, there¬ 
 fore, are the greatest bigots who cry out bigotry 
 without showing the justness of their charge. 
 
 6. They are a class holding to "non-essentials in 
 Christianity, and thus virtually charging God with 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 301 
 
 arrogance and nonsense; for the term “ non-essential,” 
 or not essential, when analyzed, properly signifies what 
 is not necessary and nonsensical, for what is not essen¬ 
 tial is not necessary, and hence to require any such 
 thing would be arrogant and nonsensical. To assume, 
 therefore, that there are non-essentials in Christianity 
 is virtually contending that God has required what is 
 not necessary, and thus acted arrogantly and nonsens¬ 
 ically, which, you perceive, amounts to the charge 
 against God of arrogance and nonsense. This, now, 
 must he very insulting and displeasing to God. So 
 far, therefore, as a professing Christian thus indulges, 
 he is serving Satan, losing God’s favor, and the cause 
 of spiritual defeats. But in applying the term “ essen¬ 
 tial ” to the different parts of Christianity, it is to be 
 understood in both a direct and indirect sense—that is, 
 for instance, the atonement, true repentance, the new 
 birth, proper faith, and the direct operation of the 
 Holy Spirit in producing such changes in the soul are 
 each and all directly essential to salvation; while 
 church organization, the ordinances, the preaching of 
 the gospel, and other such things are indirectly essen¬ 
 tial to salvation. Or, in other words, Christianity may 
 in general he defined as consisting in means and ends 
 —the end necessary to salvation, and the means nec¬ 
 essary to the end; and hence the means as essential 
 to salvation as the end, for the end without the means 
 could not possibly he secured. Or, in other words,, 
 every thing essential to God’s declarative glory and 
 the soul’s salvation is of infinite importance in some 
 way. Every part of Christianity is thus essential. 
 Therefore every part of Christianity is of infinite im¬ 
 portance either directly or indirectly, or as means or 
 ends, and hence of equal importance, for nothing can 
 
302 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 be anything more than infinite. Such is every dictate 
 of infinite wisdom; it is just like itself—infinitely wise, 
 ^and hence equally wise; and consequently there can 
 not possibly be any non-essentials in a Christianity 
 which God has dictated. 
 
 And now we have come to the point where the 
 class under consideration are found to be the most ac¬ 
 countable and responsible for spiritual defeats, for, 
 holding to matters of indifference or non-essentials in 
 Christianity, they can as conscientiously change their 
 faith and practice to suit others as not to do so, while 
 those holding to no such thing can not so conscien¬ 
 tiously do it. For instance, believing that church 
 government is non-essential, they can as conscien¬ 
 tiously adopt a congregational form of government as 
 any other, and thus agree with Congregationalists. 
 And so, too, with respect to baptism. Believing in 
 two or three different modes for baptism, they can as 
 conscientiously adopt one mode as another, and hence 
 can as conscientiously adopt immersion for baptism as 
 sprinkling or pouring, and thus agree with immersion- 
 ists. And so on of other differences among professing 
 Christians. But those holding to no such thing in 
 Christianity can not conscientiously thus vary their 
 faith and practice. For instance, those holding that 
 every part of Christianity is of equal importance, or 
 essential to salvation in some way, can not conscien¬ 
 tiously adopt any other form of church government or 
 mode of baptism, or anything else required, until con¬ 
 vinced that they are wrong, ffot so those holding to 
 matters of indifference or non-essential in Christianity. 
 hTot believing that church organization, government, • 
 baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and other such things are 
 really essential, they can as conscientiously adopt one 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 303 
 
 rising as another; especially if it appears to be at all 
 scriptural. Not doing so, therefore, for the sake of 
 peace, harmony, and success, they are the most ac¬ 
 countable and responsible for spiritual defeats. But 
 who it is that is thus accountable and responsible each 
 one can determine by trying himself with what has 
 now been said. 
 
 And here another very important question arises: 
 Who of the class now under consideration are thus 
 the most accountable and responsible? Of course, 
 those occupying the positions of instructors or leaders. 
 And among these naturally come up, first, the older 
 members of the Church, or the fathers and mothers in 
 Israel, who have charge of the spiritual children; and, 
 second, the instructors of the leaders. Fearful indeed, 
 is the accountability and responsibility of those in¬ 
 structors ; for though they may have been wrongly 
 taught in their childhood, yet it is not necessary that 
 they should remain in such a condition. And here I 
 will repeat what I have before mentioned, viz., that no 
 *one, in the end, will be able to plead even careless , 
 much less willful ignorance in extenuation of guilt 
 and punishment. I make these statements to stir up 
 all minds in regard to the awful accountability and 
 responsibility of theological teachers 
 
 Now, a word as to the awful recklessness of those 
 who will not give even proper attention to this sub¬ 
 ject, much less do what they can to prevent spiritual 
 defeats. I think all will admit that Christian account¬ 
 ability and responsibility is one of the most fearful 
 and momentous or infinitely important subjects that 
 can possibly occupy the human mind. What, then, 
 should be thought of that professing Christian or 
 minister of the gospel, and especially an instructor of 
 
304 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 ministers, who manifests any indifference upon such a^ 
 subject ? Could greater recklessness be conceived than 
 that which would cause such indifference? I, for one, 
 think not. And here, to illustrate, nothing need be 
 said about the savage and inhuman massacre of the 
 helpless women and children either by the Sepoys of 
 India or by the Turks of Ceylon. But suppose that 
 in different parts of a community, and upon the prem¬ 
 ises of the wealthy, there were a number of stagnant 
 pools fermenting and throwing off* a poisonous malaria, 
 infecting the atmosphere and creating very painful 
 and destructive diseases, thus filling peaceful homes 
 with sorrow, sickness, and death, and hurrying vast 
 numbers to a premature grave—pools, too, that could 
 be easily drained, and thus prevent such fearful havoc— 
 but their owners, though an actual damage even to 
 them, yet perfectly indifferent as to their existence, thus 
 showing not only a preference, but even a pleasure, in 
 the wretchedness and ruin which they themselves, if 
 they would, could easily prevent; I ask what would 
 be thought of them? Would they not naturally be 
 considered the worst human monsters imaginable ? 
 Doubtless they would. hfor is this picture over¬ 
 wrought, for in connection with the different denom¬ 
 inations there are a number of theological and other 
 institutions which these pools properly represent, 
 because they are constantly inculcating error, and thus 
 perverting and corrupting the truth, fatally infecting 
 the moral atmosphere, and creating sectarian gangrene 
 —one of the most subtle, malignant, and destructive 
 spiritual diseases that can be conceived; filling the 
 Christian community with disagreement, dislike, dis¬ 
 cord, and division; subverting the law of love and 
 benevolence and, finally, every Christian grace and 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 305 
 
 gospel principle; keeping up among Christians envy, 
 jealousy, strife, and vainglory, and almost every other 
 evil propensity imaginable; worse than wasting Zion’s 
 resources; causing infidelity, and thus aiding Satan 
 the most effectually possible in his work of dishonor 
 and death, and hurrying vast numbers to both temporal 
 and eternal ruin. Yes, I repeat, said institutions are 
 the pools whence flow the streams which poison the 
 moral atmosphere, blighting and withering every 
 spiritual plant, rendering Zion worse than a barren 
 wilderness, depopulating heaven, and glutting hell 
 and eternal torment with immortal souls. Perhaps, 
 now, it may be denied that this is being done by any 
 Protestant, while at the same time it is contended 
 that this is being done by every Roman Catholic. 
 Ror will this be contended because Roman Catholics 
 teach no truth at all, but because the error they teach 
 tends to subvert the whole truth and to destroy every 
 Christian grace and gospel principle, and thus to ruin 
 everything for both time and eternity. Row, it may 
 be true that no Protestant teaches all of the same kind 
 nor the same amount of error as do Roman Catholics, 
 but is it true that they teach no error at all ? Cer¬ 
 tainly not, because they disagree among themselves, 
 and this can not be done and all be right; for if two 
 disagree, one or both must necessarily be wrong 
 wherein they differ. Since, therefore, Protestants do 
 actually disagree among themselves, one or all must 
 necessarily be wrong and, like Roman Catholics, incul¬ 
 cating error, and thus subverting the truth and every 
 Christian grace and gospel principle, and ruining 
 everything. Row, that such is the tendency and 
 results of such instruction can not be reasonably 
 
 denied. At least it is admitted that, mixing truth 
 20 — 
 
306 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 and error as do Homan Catholics, such is the fact. 
 But is it any the less true with respect to Protestants, 
 so far as they thus indulge ? It certainly is not. And 
 hence, since Protestants, like Homan Catholics, mix 
 truth and error, they are accountable and responsible 
 for the terrible tendencies and dreadful results of 
 Homan Catholicism. Nor will it do to object that 
 Protestants do not go to the same extreme in such 
 things as do Homan Catholics, for it takes hut a little 
 leaven to leaven the whole lump. A small amount of 
 poison will infect and render fatal a very large mass, 
 and thus a small amount of error may infect and 
 cause the whole truth to become “ a savor of death 
 unto death.” Homan Catholicism was not at first 
 what it has been since then; little by little it became 
 what it once was and now is. And hence, since like 
 causes produce like effects, those who indulge in what 
 has made Homan Catholicism such a destructive abom¬ 
 ination can not possibly avoid the dreadful results of 
 its terrible tendencies and awful consequences. 
 
 1st. And here let us inquire whether there is in 
 connection with Protestantism anything resembling 
 Homan Catholicism ? Now, one of the worst features 
 of Homan Catholicism is its popery, or manism. The 
 Pope is the soul of the whole system. Hemove him, 
 therefore, and nothing remains but a headless and 
 soulless body, which, like the tail of the snake, may 
 writhe awhile after its head is severed. So with respect 
 to parts of Protestantism. Hemove the manism from 
 them, and Christians are at once together and one in 
 Christ. Manism, therefore, is the great obstacle to 
 Christian purity, unanimity, and success. Through 
 satanic device it distracted the church at Corinth, and 
 since then has kept up a confusion throughout the 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 307 
 
 Christian world. There is not a feature of Roman 
 Catholicism that can not be traced directly to Satan 
 and manism. So with respect to unchristian dissen 
 sion and all its attendant evils. Remove manism, 
 therefore, and the principal cause of spiritual defeats is 
 out of the way, and the world quite easily and speedily 
 subdued to Christ. 
 
 And hence— 
 
 2d. Here arises another very important question, 
 viz., where shall we find the man or the men V In 
 Roman Catholicism, he is still at Rome. In Prot¬ 
 estantism, they are in connection' with the different 
 theological institutions. As now instructed, students 
 look up to teachers, and the people look up to stu¬ 
 dents. The teacher, therefore, is where students are 
 started in different directions, drawing the people after 
 them, and thus causing disagreement, discord, and 
 . division, and all the other evils of unchristian dissen¬ 
 sion. Theological instructors, therefore, are the most 
 accountable and responsible for spiritual defects. 
 Row, that this is so can not be even reasonably 
 doubted, much less truthfully denied; for just let teach¬ 
 ers all agree, and doubtless students would very soon 
 all agree; and let both instructors and pupils all agree, 
 and doubtless in a short time the people would all 
 agree ; and teachers, students, and the people all thus 
 agreeing, the principal cause of infidelity is removed, 
 Satan defeated, and vast numbers immediately con¬ 
 verted and saved who otherwise will be eternally lost. 
 t Row, who can doubt this ? Certainly it must be 
 admitted that, like the Pope in Roman Catholicism, 
 theological instructors wield a mighty influence within 
 their own denominations, and that denominational 
 faith and practice are molded and kept up through 
 
308 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 or by means of such teachers. Let them all agree,, 
 therefore, and the different denominations are very 
 soon the same in both faith and practice, and one and 
 the same denomination. Do any exclaim, “ Wo 
 would not have it thus” ? If so, then they would 
 not have it “ as it is in heaven ”; nor as in the Lord’s- 
 prayer, we are all required not only to pray , but 
 to labor; nor as Christ prayed (John xvii, 21); nor as 
 God commands in the plainest terms that could have 
 been selected; nor as is.especially indispensable to the 
 proper conviction of the impenitent and the world’s 
 conversion to Christ. But really, are there any so 
 senseless and hard-hearted as thus to exclaim ? If so, 
 find a more blind, bigoted, infatuated, or hypocrit¬ 
 ical, corrupt, and dishonest class if you can. In vain 
 will you traverse popedom, heathendom, or any other 
 region of darkness. 
 
 3d. And here another very important question 
 arises : Who of these theological instructors are the 
 most accountable and responsible for such a state of 
 things f I answer, every one of them who does not 
 actually know that he is right. 
 
 1. Those who are right and yet do not actually 
 know it. Doubtless there are many such. They are 
 quite right in both faith and practice, and yet do not' 
 actually know it. The reason—because they have 
 taken for granted what they have been taught. They 
 guess they are right, because they suppose their in¬ 
 structors were right. But no one, not even a private 
 member of the Church—much less minister of the 
 gospel, much less theological professor—has any right 
 at all thus merely to guess at any part of his faith 
 and practice ; because in thus guessing and not actu¬ 
 ally knowing, he is much more apt to be wrong than 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 309 
 
 to be right. Certainly, on account of the surround¬ 
 ings and imperfections of human nature, the liability 
 to be wrong is very much greater than that to be 
 Tight. Nor is this alone true with respect to spirit¬ 
 ual things; it is equally true in almost everything. 
 To illustrate : Take, for instance, school-teaching and 
 other secular employments. Now, let those who em¬ 
 ploy the teacher guess that he is qualified to teach, 
 and the teacher guess that he knows how and what to 
 teach, and guess that his pupils are learning, and the 
 scholars guess that they understand their studies; 
 further, let the farmer simply guess that he under¬ 
 stands his business, and the merchant guess that he 
 understands his, and the mechanic guess that he un¬ 
 derstands his, and the lawyer guess that he under¬ 
 stands his, and the physician simply guess that he 
 understands his. Now, thus guessing and not actually 
 knowing, would not all be more liable to be wrong 
 than to be right ? I believe every intelligent person 
 will admit that a more rash, or reckless and ruinous 
 course could neither be conceived nor pursued. 
 And yet very many pretending to rationality and 
 even to piety, and especially occupying the high and 
 awfully responsible position of theological instructors, 
 not only guess with respect to at least a part, if not 
 the whole, of their faith and practice, but counte¬ 
 nance and encourage others in doing the same tiling. 
 But here I ask, can greater recklessness be conceived 
 than such conduct on the part of persons occupying 
 the 'position of and pretending to what is professed or 
 claimed by theological instructors ? I, for one, think 
 not. Indeed, nothing can be much worse than for 
 one unnecessarily to guess at God’s will, for by so 
 
310 THE world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 doing tlie Devil’s will is more apt to be done than 
 that of any other. 
 
 One reason is, because it is looking to the wrong' 
 source for wisdom. Said the Holy Spirit: “ If any 
 
 lack wisdom ” (it makes no difference whether par¬ 
 ent or child, young or old, rich or poor, bond or free, 
 learned or ignorant), “ let him ask ”—of whom ? The 
 Pope, the preacher, the parent, or any one, or any 
 number of human beings ? Ho 1 emphatically no l 
 But let him ask of God, “ and it shall be given 
 him.” And hence the taking for granted what we 
 have been taught, and then guessing that we are 
 right, is looking to man for wisdom instead of God, 
 and violating one of the plainest and most important 
 scriptural commands that could have been given ; 
 and, of course, doing wrong, and the Devil’s will 
 rather than that of God. 
 
 Further, habit , when formed, is a giant; and habit 
 is formed by indulgence. Indulging, therefore, in 
 taking for granted what we have been taught, and 
 then guessing that we are right, is putting ourselves, 
 into the hands of a giant to be bound over to Satan 
 
 Further, example is contagious. Taking for grant¬ 
 ed, therefore, what we have been taught, and thus 
 setting the example of guessing at our own faith and 
 practice, is*not only throwing ourselves into the jaws 
 of Satan, but inducing others to do the same thing. 
 Taking everything into the account, therefore, even 
 though one may be about right, yet nothing can be 
 much "worse than not to actually know it. 
 
 2. Much more accountable and responsible for 
 spiritual defeats are those theological instructors who 
 are wrong and yet do not know it. For right wrongs 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 311 * 
 
 nobody, since right is an injury to none, and wrong is 
 an injury to all. And hence it is much better to do 
 right ignorantly than thus to do wrong. Further, if 
 a theological instructor be wrong, he is without ex¬ 
 cuse; for if there was ever a class who should obtain 
 and could obtain the truth as it is in Christ, they are 
 theological instructors, blow, truth and error are as 
 different and distinct from each other as light and 
 darkness, and hence it is no more necessary to mis¬ 
 take the one for the other than to suppose it is day¬ 
 light when it is dark. And here I ask, do any doubt 
 that properly asking God for wisdom, by prayer and 
 searching the Scriptures, could possibly fail of the 
 truth as it is in Christ? If they do, they believe 
 that God is a liar; for he says “'it shall be given.” 
 Doubtless every really sensible and pious person be¬ 
 lieves that, should such a course be pursued, the truth 
 would be obtained as certainly as it was done. If, 
 therefore, theological teachers, or even the private 
 members of the Church, are destitute of such knowl¬ 
 edge, it is their own fault. There is no excuse for 
 them. Indeed, the position and influence of theolog¬ 
 ical instructors are such that were they so disposed, 
 and should they take a proper course, doubtless they 
 could, under God, and in a short time, revolutionize 
 the whole world. 
 
 And here it may be stated that doubtless those 
 theological teachers who are right, and actually know 
 it, may be more or less guilty for the ignorance of 
 their brethren they know to be wrong. Suppose, 
 now, that those theological instructors who know 
 they are right—because they have properly investigated 
 for themselves—had in the past made or should at 
 the present time make a kind, determined, and per- 
 
312 
 
 THE WORLD S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 
 
 severing effort to arouse and enlighten their breth¬ 
 ren whom they know to be wrong, would such an 
 effort either have been or now be in vain ? Not un¬ 
 less labor in the Lord is in vain. Doubtless for want of 
 such an effort, those theological teachers who know 
 they are right are more or less accountable and 
 responsible for the apathy and ignorance of those 
 they know to be wrong. But here it should be re¬ 
 membered that every one must meet his own ac¬ 
 countability and bear his own responsibility, and that 
 the guilt of one will neither excuse nor expiate the 
 sin of another. And hence, though those who know 
 they are right may be more or less guilty for the 
 ignorance of those they know to be wrong, yet such 
 guilt furnishes no excuse at all nor expiation for 
 such ignorance. It is, therefore, of infinite impor¬ 
 tance that every theological instructor very carefully 
 and prayerfully inquire wherein and to what extent 
 he is actually accountable and responsible not only 
 for his own, but for the ignorance of others. 
 
 And here it may be stated tnat fearful indeed is 
 the accountability and responsibility of those theo¬ 
 logical teachers who are wrong and yet do not know 
 it, for in addition to their own guilt in failing to put 
 forth a proper effort to arouse others they suppose to 
 be wrong, and thus discover to themselves their own 
 ignorance, by means of their apathy and inaction 
 not only does their own ignorance remain, but at the 
 same time they are perverting gospel truth, leading 
 others astray, and doing to all a terrible injury. And 
 here, varying the Savior’s language (John xv, 22), I 
 would state that, had no instructions been given upon 
 what we are now considering, there would have been 
 no chance for either guilt or condemnation with re- 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 315 
 
 spect to it. But since they have been given, if they 
 are not heeded “there will be no ‘cloak’ for sin.” 
 
 Indeed, it seems to me that nothing can be more 
 evident than not only that the theological institutions 
 referred to are stagnant spiritual pools, fermenting 
 and keeping up all the evils of unchristian dissension, 
 filling the Christian community with disagreement, 
 dislike, discord, division, envy, jealousy, strife, and 
 vainglory, and thus aiding Satan the most effectually 
 it can be done in his work of dishonor and death,— 
 but that they could be easily drained, and thus pre¬ 
 vent such fearful havoc. And that after having had 
 their attention directed to this subject, and the facts 
 concerning it impressed upon their minds, unless 
 theological instructors bestir themselves and thus try 
 to remove the cause of and prevent such dishonor, 
 torture, and death, it will be because they are not only 
 perfectly indifferent as to God’s glory and the salva¬ 
 tion of souls, but actually preferring and delighting in 
 ruin and wretchedness, or in the Devil’s reign rather 
 than the triumphs of the Cross. But startled and 
 nettled by such statements, perhaps thej T may now 
 undertake either to disapprove what has been said, or to 
 find some plausible excuse for such Satanic indifference 
 and inaction. Perhaps they may object— 
 
 1. That such is not the origin , the nature , the 
 tendency , and the results of unchristian dissension. But 
 who that has either, heard or read what has now been 
 said will undertake to show that unchristian dis¬ 
 sension is not of Satanic origin ? Certainly no well- 
 informed and sane person will do so. And hence, 
 should any of said theologians undertake it, we would 
 advise that they be either put under a number of good, 
 
314 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST.. 
 
 competent instructors, or at once hurried off to a luna¬ 
 tic asylum. And thus, too, with respect to the nature , 
 the tendency , and the results of unchristian dissension. 
 But perhaps they may again object— 
 
 2. That, though such he the origin , the nature , the 
 tendency , and the results of unchristian dissension, yet 
 it is una,voidable. hTow, doubtless it would be perfectly 
 reasonable to dispose of this objection in the same way 
 as was the other, but as it seems to be the Devil’s 
 chief argument and the key to the arch of his princi¬ 
 pal fortress, we will enlarge a little, and at once state 
 that if said objection were correct it would entirely 
 disapprove of the accountability and Responsibility of 
 every finite being, and thus render perfectly useless, 
 absurd, and unjust all the different forms of voluntary 
 government, such as that of social, civil, mental, and 
 moral; because if unchristian dissension, one of the 
 worst evils, be unavoidable and hence necessary, it is 
 so of all sin ; and hence, if said objection were correct, 
 there would not be a finite being in the universe at all 
 accountable or responsible for anything, nor would 
 any form of voluntary government be either just, con¬ 
 sistent', or of any account. And hence, should any of 
 said theologians urge such an objection, if not proven 
 fools or maniacs by the first, they certainly would be 
 by the second; and thus, too, of all other objections 
 to the contents of the present volume. 
 
 And here I come to the private members of the 
 Church and earnestly inquire, should theological in¬ 
 structors and other teachers and leaders remain 
 perfectly indifferent and inactive with respect to 
 unchristian dissension and other God-dishonoring and 
 soul-ruining evils now in the Christian community, 
 
THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 315 
 
 will you—as do the people, the Tope, or the impeni¬ 
 tent, the Devil—continue to follow on these blind 
 leaders of the blind until God, as he did at least five 
 of the seven churches of Asia Minor, vomit you forth, 
 subjecting you, in connection with said leaders, to all 
 the anarchy, the famine, the pestilence, the war, the 
 bloodshed, and the other torturing and destructive 
 judgments which attended their overthrow? But 
 perhaps many may exclaim, and especially blind, 
 indifferent, and reckless theologians, “He is neither a 
 prophet nor the son of a prophet,” and thus put far¬ 
 away the evil day which is now right at their doors, 
 and which, too, they could see and avert if they would. 
 And yet, I ask, is it not right and wise, and also our 
 duty , to compare the present with the past, and to 
 decide that like causes will produce like effects, and 
 that so far as the present resembles the past we may 
 expect the same results at present and in the future 
 which have occurred in the past, unless there be a 
 radical and mighty change? Doubtless all will grant 
 this, and yet, perhaps, recklessly remain perfectly 
 indifferent and inactive with respect to the whole 
 matter. But thus did the antediluvians, the Sodomites, 
 the Canaanites, the Egyptians, the Israelites, the Jews, 
 the Babylonians, the Hinevites, the Greeks, the Ro¬ 
 mans, and at least five of the seven churches of Asia 
 Minor, until God in great wrath and with.au out¬ 
 stretched arm destroyed them with terrible judgments. 
 But those the most accountable and responsible for 
 such recklessness, wickedness, and destruction were 
 the watchmen on Zion’s towers, who failed to instruct, 
 to admonish, and to warn the people as they should. 
 And thus, if the present schismatic and spiritually 
 
316 the world’s spiritual conquest. 
 
 apathetic and corrupt state of things continues, waxing 
 worse and worse until God in great anger destroys 
 this nation, will not the leaders in Israel, especially 
 theological instructors, find that they are the most 
 accountable and responsible for such a mighty change 
 and fearful ruin ? They certainly will, so far as they 
 fail to bestir themselves and to “cry aloud and spare 
 not, declaring unto the people the whole counsel 
 of God.” ' 
 
 And finally, as an admonition, spur, and encour¬ 
 agement to all Christians to embody in both faith and 
 practice what has now been said upon the world’s 
 spiritual conquest or conversion to Christ, let them 
 read the following from the Presbyterian statistics of 
 all missions : “ 104,000 converts and church-members 
 from 16 organizations; 15 returning 48,000, Pedo- 
 baptist;* 1 returning 56,000, Baptist.” The difference 
 between the one and the whole of the fifteen is ac¬ 
 counted for by the Baptists on the ground of their 
 superiority over the Pedobaptists with respect to 
 harmony with and loyalty to the Scriptures, and thus 
 perfect harmony with and loyalty to God’s will. If 
 so, suppose not only all Baptists, but all Pedobaptists, 
 should get into perfect harmony with and loyalty to 
 both the holy Scriptures and thus to God’s will, would 
 we not in a very few years, if not in a few months, be 
 in the midst of the millennium, with the world 
 actually converted to Christ? Doubtless we would. 
 And may God grant that very soon such may be the 
 fact, and the whole world thus entirely subdued to the 
 Savior. 
 
 Thus much upon the world’s spiritual conquest or 
 ■conversion to Christ, which may God grant, for Jeau* 
 
w».*f 
 
 THE WORLD’S SPIRITUAL CONQUEST. 31T 
 
 Christ’s sake, every one may read, and adopt in faith 
 and embody in practice, and thus obtain and enjoy the 
 great blessing God the Father, God the Son, and GocL 
 the Holy Spirit have for the inhabitants of earthy 
 and even, too, in this life. Amen. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 * 
 
 i