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"Take unto you the whole armor of God, that
ye may be able to withstand in the evil Day, and having done all, to stand."—Eph
6:13.
Only those who have learned the
meaning of the Apostle’s words concerning rightly dividing the Word of Truth—only
those who have learned from the Scriptures that the Divine Plan is a
progressive one, in which successive ages form links—such can understand why
Divine providence should permit peculiar experiences, trials, etc., upon the
Church at one time, not permitted at another. Would that all Christian people
would awake to a proper study of the Bible—to see the object of the Divine
dealings with the Jews during the Jewish Age, with Christians during the Gospel
Age, and with the world during the coming Millennial Age. From this standpoint
they would see what the Scriptures represent; namely, that there is a seed
time, or sowing time, and a harvest, or reaping time, with each Age, which,
when it has served its purpose, passes away, giving place to another age and a
different work. In the end of the Jewish Age, for instance, there came to that
people a peculiar sifting and testing which John the Baptist, the last of the
Prophets, declared was a winnowing of the wheat, a separating of the chaff
preparatory to the gathering of the wheat into the garner of the next Age, and
the permission of trouble to come upon the chaff class of that people, which
utterly destroyed them as a nation.
Similarly the Lord tells us in one of His parables (Mt 13:24-30) that in the
end of this Gospel Age there will be a separation of wheat from tares, the
former being gathered into the glorious Kingdom for which we pray, "Thy
Kingdom come," the latter being consumed as tares, though not as
individuals. The destruction of a tare,
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an imitation Christian, will signify that the person thus posing as a
Christian, drawing nigh unto the Lord with his lips while his heart is far from
God will cease to make such profession. Thenceforth the true Church will be
recognized in its peculiar position as the "Very Elect" of God, a
"little flock" who follow the footsteps of the Master, gladly
sacrificing earthly interest for the attainment of the Heavenly. Thereafter, as
the parable shows, these will shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom for blessing
of all the families of the earth, including the tare class, who thereafter will
be no longer deceived or deceivers in respect to their true position, but be
privileged with the remainder of mankind to come into full harmony with
God.—Mal 4:2; Mt 13:43.
It is concerning the Harvest time of this Gospel Age that I address you on this
occasion, believing that this entire Harvest period, according to the
Scriptures, is to be forty years long, and that we entered it in 1878, and that
consequently it will close with 1918. I desire to point out to you that the
special trials and difficulties and testing of faith and obedience appropriate
to the complete separation of the wheat from the tares is upon Christendom
now—has been upon us as a "thief in the night" for some years. We
have not the necessary time to examine here the various Scriptural evidences
which indicate that we are in the closing time of the Gospel Age and in the
opening or dawning of the Millennial Age.
Many of you already have our Studies in the Scriptures, in which these are
fully presented, with their Scriptural evidences. We must content ourselves at
this time by pointing to some of the outward demonstrations that we are in the
period which in our text the Apostle designates
"THE EVIL DAY"
All throughout the Scriptures this period is most dramatically set forth as
being a time of thorough testing, a time in which the separation of the wheat
from the tares
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will be most absolutely accomplished, so that not one grain of wheat will be lost
and not one grain of tare will by any mischance be preserved with the wheat,
for the Lord declares that He will make a thorough work of separation. It seems
difficult for the majority of people to think of anything specially occurring
in their day—that they should be in the midst of the fulfilments of prophecy.
If we were telling that these things would take place within a century or
within a thousand years, far more would be ready to investigate and acknowledge
the force of the arguments. But familiar with the conditions, the trials, the
difficulties, the perplexities and the suggestions of many—as the Apostle
predicted, that all things will continue as they were from the beginning of the
world (2Pe 3:4)—for such reasons many shut the eyes of their understanding to
the most remarkable condition of affairs in our day.
The Apostle says they are "willingly ignorant"; and Jesus, "They
hear not, neither do they understand"; and again, the Lord through the
Prophet says, "My people perish for lack of knowledge." (2Pe 3:5; Mt
13:13; Ho 4:6.) Indeed the majority of professing Christians are careless,
indifferent to what the Lord had caused to be written for their admonition and
encouragement and assistance in this "evil Day." Such are not of the
"Very Elect." The latter, as the Apostle shows, will not be in
darkness that that Day should overtake them as a thief. They will be earnest,
vigilant, watchful and standing fast in the faith. Therefore, using the means
the Lord has provided, they will receive the blessing, the special reward,
while others by neglecting their privileges mark themselves as unworthy of the
great favor God is now dispensing to the "little flock." We will not
say that they will not have opportunities in that great company that the Scriptures
point out, who will come up out of great tribulation, and be before the Throne
instead of in the Throne.—Re 7:15; 3:21.
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Mark how our Lord declared that the trial of our time would be so critical, so
crucial, that it would deceive if it were possible the "Very Elect."
(Mt 24:24.) But this will not be possible, for the Lord has promised them the
assistance needful, and they will be in that attitude of heart and mind to seek
assistance and use it. Mark how the Lord through the Prophet David (Psa. 91) foretold
the special trials of this time, picturing the various devices of
Satan—Spiritism, Higher Criticism, Christian Science, etc.—as pestilences and
arrows. He tells us that a thousand shall fall at our side, yea, ten thousand
at our right hand—amongst those whom we consider most favored and, in some
respects, as our friends in the Lord.
Then the reason is given why the Very Elect will not fall under these same
pestilences and arrows; namely, "Because thou hast made the Lord, even the
Most High, thy Refuge and thy Habitation, no plague shall come nigh thy
dwelling"—"the Wicked One toucheth him not." (1Jo 5:18.) What to
others will be a stone of stumbling will to this class be an assistance, in
that they will climb upon it to still higher personal development and
character-likeness of the Lord. All things must work together for good to these
because they love God truly, sincerely, above self or any other creature, and
because of their faithfulness to their covenant—their consecration to the Lord.
The pestilence of error cannot harm them, because in the secret of the Lord’s
presence they have an armament of grace and truth specially provided.
As it is written, "The secret of the Lord is with them that reverence Him,
and He will show them His covenant."—Ps 25:14.
"THE DAY SHALL DECLARE IT"
Pointing down to this Harvest time, which began in 1878, the Apostle calls it a
special Day, or epoch; and such it surely has been. No other period in the
world’s history has ever been so notable in so many ways. Referring
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to this time, and to the testings of faith that will come upon the Lord’s
people here, the Apostle says, "Let every man take heed how he build
[faith]; for other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is
Jesus Christ." By these words the Apostle shows that he refers not to the
heathen world, but to those who at least nominally accepted Christ as the
foundation of their hopes. He proceeds, "Now if any man build upon this
foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man’s work
shall declare it: because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try
every man’s work of what sort it is."—1Co 3:10-15.
How could a plainer statement of this be made? The fire referred to, of course,
is symbolical, as are the wood, hay, stubble, gold, silver, precious stones. As
wood, hay, stubble can be destroyed by literal fire, so selfish doctrines,
errors and all improper faith will be destroyed in this time which the Apostle
designates. "The Day shall declare it," or demonstrate the faith that
will stand and the faith that will be consumed. The Apostle proceeds, "If
any man’s work shall abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a
reward. If any man’s work shall be burned he shall suffer loss." Alas, how
many are finding their faith burned out! How few are having the great reward of
finding that they have a faith that will stand all the tests of this day! Is it
not true that Spiritism, Theosophy, Christian Science, and Higher Criticism are
consuming the faith of many—of all who have come in touch with them, who have
only the wood, hay, stubble of human tradition and who lack the gold, silver
and precious stones of the Divine Word?
The Apostle, continuing, assures us that all who have built upon Christ will
ultimately be saved, even though they suffer great loss as respects their
faith. He says: "He himself shall be saved, so as by fire." The fire
of this Day, then, will demonstrate to some how poorly they have built, how
little they have heeded the Word of the
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Lord, to what extent they have been influenced by human traditions and creeds
of the Dark Ages. Many, we may be sure, will lose all faith in Christ at this
time, but if so it will prove that their faith was not properly founded upon
Him who is the only true Foundation.
Note again that our text applies, refers to, the Harvest time of this Age, and
also calls it a Day, and designates it an "evil Day"—a Day or epoch
in which trials, testings, etc., will be upon the Lord’s people for the development,
proving worthy, of those who love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul,
strength, and their neighbor as themselves, the Israelites indeed, and for the
demonstrating also of those who have been lukewarm in their love for the Lord
and the brethren, and who have been overcharged with the cares of this life or
the deceitfulness of riches, and so overtaken by "that Day"—our
Day.—1Th 5:4; Eph 6:13.
Our text, much in harmony with the quotation I have made from the Psalms,
indicates a need for the armor, a difficulty in withstanding the assaults of
this day, and the fewness of those who will eventually stand. The Apostle’s
exhortation is that we take the whole armor of God—not merely the shield of
faith, not merely the helmet of salvation, not merely the breastplate of
righteousness, not merely the Sword of the Spirit, not merely the sandals of
preparation, not merely the girdle of Truth; but that we take all of these—that
we shall need all of these if we would be able to withstand all the assaults to
be expected in this "evil Day," and having done all to stand. Alas!
how few seem to realize the importance of this armor which God has commended!
Their difficulty is the result of not knowing the time in which they are
living, not being sufficiently awake, not being sufficiently zealous to search
the Scriptures and to put on the armament and preparation for the battle there
alone provided. Therefore all such lukewarm Christians will surely be
overthrown in this Evil Day.
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WHY GOD WILL PERMIT IT
St. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, foretold this "evil Day" in
which we are living—in which so many will fall because not attentive to the
Word of the Lord, because overcharged with the cares of this life and the
deceitfulness of the earthly riches so many are seeking.
He tells us that the trials of our day will come from the Great Adversary,
Satan, not because God will be unable to prevent him from bringing these
deceptions and tests, but because God wills that he should bring them—wills to
permit him to thus test and prove and sift the professed Church of our day,
that all may be confused, deceived, stumbled who are not at heart loyal to Him.
After telling about the workings of Satan that are to be expected, with great
power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceitfulness of
unrighteousness, the Apostle explains that this is permitted, "because
they received not the love of the Truth." He adds, "For this cause
God shall send them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie, that they
all should be condemned who believed not the Truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness" —in untruth. (2Th 2:9-12.) They did not obey the Truth of
God, but acted hypocritically.
Many tell us that it makes no difference what we believe—truth or falsehood—that
it is by our work that the Lord will determine our standing. But the Scripture
forbids this thought, and assures us that none have works that would be
pleasing to God because all are imperfect.
The Divine purpose is that during this Age God will honor and reward faith—it
being assumed and declared that a true faith will be backed by good works to
the extent of ability, and that God will reckon this as perfection through
Christ. The Apostle in his words last quoted corroborates all the teachings of
Scripture respecting the value of the Truth to the people of God. Mark the
Master’s words, "Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you
free"; and again His prayer to the Father
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for His followers, "Sanctify them through Thy Truth; Thy Word is
Truth."—Joh 8:32; 17:17.
The Lord has provided His Word, and from time to time has used
instrumentalities for the unfolding of its meaning to those who are in the
right attitude of heart to receive it. But He has also permitted errors,
falsehoods and lying wonders to stalk about, though never before to the same
extent as in this "evil Day"—because now He desires specially to use
these errors as a testing, sifting, separating work amongst His professed
people, that the improper faiths may be manifested and may be destroyed, and
that the true faith may shine the more brightly, and ultimately the professors
of it be glorified with Himself in the Kingdom.
In view of the Apostle’s words respecting the love of the Truth, it behooves
each one to examine himself whether he is loving and serving a creed of the
Dark Ages or a denomination and creed of modern times; or whether his love and
devotion are simply to the Truth presented to us in the Divine Word. We may
deceive others; we may even to some extent deceive ourselves; for, as the
Prophet declares, the heart is exceedingly deceitful.
But we cannot deceive God. If in the Lord’s providence the Truth comes to us
and we get some glimpse of its beauty in contrast with the hopelessness of
error, a test is upon us. If we reject the Truth because of its unpopularity,
and hold to the abominable error because it is popular, we are thereby tested.
Or, if we receive the Truth and rejoice in it in our minds, but because of its
unpopularity hide the light under a bushel, concealing it in order to thus
shield ourselves from the opposition of darkness, we may be sure that this
would be displeasing to the Lord, who seeketh not such for His
"Elect." He puts His Word on a parity with Himself, saying, "He
that is ashamed of Me and My Word, of him will I be ashamed when I come in My
Kingdom."
This is what the Apostle refers to as receiving not the
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Truth in the love of it. Whoever receives the Truth in the love of it will to
the best of his ability and judgment show it to others at whatever the cost may
be. Thus he will be proving himself a child of the light, a child of God. He
will be saved. But the one who seeks to save his life, to save earthly
interests by hiding the light or failing to publicly acknowledge it, will be
sure to find his course injurious to himself.—1Co 4:1,2.
LIKE THE HYPOCRITES OF OLD
We have already pointed out that the influences at work in the present time
undermining faith consuming it, destroying it, are likened to a pestilence
which is in the very air and which lays hold upon all whose systems are in
condition to be inoculated with the poisons. I must elaborate this point; for
the evil influences by which we are surrounded at the present time are so
subtle, so deceptive, so all-pervading, that the majority do not recognize
them. What a shock it would give to Christendom could it be realized that these
pestilential influences are going forth from the pulpits—not perhaps from all,
but surely from four out of five in the larger cities, and increasingly it is
spreading to the smaller towns and country places! Let us look the matter
squarely in the face.
It is necessary for the Lord’s true people to know the facts. As for others,
they are so stupidly asleep, so thoroughly intoxicated with the wine of Babylon
(#Re 18:3), that
we have no hope of influencing them. Ever since this evil Day began this
pestilence has been going forth—over thirty years.
Today every college, every theological seminary throughout the whole civilized
world, is teaching what is commonly known as Higher Criticism of the
Bible—though the proper name for it would be Higher Infidelity amongst the high
ones of all Christendom. These Higher Critics are doing the same work exactly
that Thomas Paine and Robert Ingersoll did, only that they are carrying
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on their work on a higher plane—appealing not to the gross and the vile, but to
the refined, intelligent and truth-seeking.
As a result their influence is a thousand-fold more injurious.
Those to whom Paine and Ingersoll appealed were very rarely Christians at all.
Hence they destroyed very little faith—they merely made the unbelief more rank
and foul. But these Higher Critic infidels of this "evil Day" are
making use of all the vast machinery of Christendom in all denominations,
especially through theological seminaries, to undermine and overthrow the faith
of all who have named the name of Christ, great and small, rich and poor, cultured
and ignorant. It is being done systematically, too, craftily, deceitfully, in a
manner that the masses of the people would scarcely credit.
It is safe to say that fully four out of five who graduate from theological
seminaries, of all denominations, are Higher Critic infidels, who are
instructed that their main business is to promote morality amongst the people,
especially to build up Churchianity, particularly their own denomination, and
to gradually, stealthily, craftily wean the people from the faith of the Bible
to their higher critical dogmas. And they are succeeding most wonderfully. A
"pestilence" is the only figure of speech which really fits to this
pernicious influence.
"OUT OF THINE OWN MOUTH WILL I
JUDGE THEE"
Said the Lord; and in harmony with this we find that in the Lord’s providence
these Higher Critics are gradually more and more telling on themselves. But the
nominal Christian is quite obtuse; and many of the true Christians, as the
Apostle explains, are merely "babes in Christ," unable to use the
strong meat of the Word, and capable only of enjoying or using the "milk
of the Word"—understanding only first principles. Hence the open
declarations of these wolves in sheep’s clothing, who masquerade as sheep, are
not taken seriously. If
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the sheep are startled by the words, they are soothed again by the thought,
"This is our kind minister, polished in manner and well educated; and he
surely would not lead us astray. He surely would not deceive us.
If he had ceased to believe the Bible and become an infidel, he surely would
have left the pulpit. He could not be so dishonest as to wear sheep’s clothing
and to use it for our deception and destruction." Poor innocents!
Hearken now while I read to you the confession of one of these false shepherds,
and his explanation of the trickery and deceit by which he keeps the people
quiet while inoculating them from time to time with a little and a little more
of the higher critical poison, which eventually brings on spiritual stupor and
tends to spiritual death.
I refer you to his words as they were printed in the most prominent religious
paper in the world—the Independent, New York City. The Editor of that journal,
respecting the desire of this wolf not to be exposed, and apparently sympathizing
with him in the whole procedure, vouches for him as a man of intelligence and
Christian character, and of high standing in an orthodox Church, so-called,
whose orthodoxy would never be suspected.
This is the confession: "I have never won distinction by my heresy, nor
even acquired a local reputation from violent departures from orthodoxy. If I
should set about some Sunday morning to tell my congregation all my
divergencies from the accepted Christian belief, I would shock them beyond
measure.
They understand in a general way that I am a liberally-minded person, and I
take occasion not infrequently to hasten their heels in their movements from
wornout dogma to the truth that is to be. That they are engaged in such a
journey I have no doubt; and most of them are willing to maintain a reasonable
pace. My congregation is above normal in intelligence, information and sympathy
with forward movements; but nevertheless
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I am fully persuaded that a complete revelation on my part of the beliefs to
which my studies have forced me would set their ears a-tingling, and not only
awaken antagonism to me personally but also cause a turn of sentiment in the
direction of conservatism and orthodoxy."
What think you of that confession, dear friends?
What think you of the stealthy, murderous deliberation of this educated man,
professing to be a minister of the Word of God, and as such "highly
esteemed amongst men"? He is a pattern, a fair sample, of about
four-fifths of all the preachers in all denominations—a sample of the hypocrisy
which has come into the Church of Christ. But I have not concluded his
confession. Let me continue to read from his own lips, his own pen, of his
dastardly cunning or deceit whereby he is entrapping, ensnaring and destroying
the sheep. Judge then if we are not right in thus particularly calling
attention to the matter. Do not the Scriptures say that the shepherds, pastors,
who see the wolves coming and give no alarm and seek not to defend the flock,
are unfaithful to their responsibilities? I wish to clear my skirts by crying
aloud and sparing not these wolves in sheep’s clothing.
I proceed to read: "RAPID GROWTH OF REFINED INFIDELITY"
"So rapid is the advance in the religious opinion, at least as I experience
it in my parish, that I would not hesitate for a moment now to give fullest
utterance to views utterly condemnatory of the whole scheme of sacrificial
atonement and imputed righteousness. Devout saints who were wont to inquire
anxiously every week or two why I did not mention that Christ made atonement
for sin, after a sermon on any subject from Dan to Beersheba now sit patiently
under preaching which never refers to Christ as a Propitiatory Sacrifice."
How true this is! We pointed out thirty years ago from the Scriptures that the
testing of Christendom was
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coming along this very line—that the atonement for sin effected by our dear
Redeemer was the foundation for all Scriptural faith and hope and that it would
be repudiated by Christendom as a whole according to the prophetic delineations
of the Scriptures which I cannot here discuss, some of them belonging to the
symbolic book of Revelation. What a great change since that time! Not only has
Christian Science largely influenced all denominations by its false statements
that there is no original sin and that there is no death and hence no penalty
for original sin, and hence also that Christ did not die and redeem from the
original penalty, and that there was no necessity for a redemptive work because
there is no sin—they claim sin is merely a delusion—but since that time also
higher Criticism has gotten its work all over the civilized world and is surely
destroying faith in the very center of the Divine Plan. For whoever does not
believe in the atonement work of Christ is not a Christian, despite his
professions of discipleship.
Christianity is not merely an acceptance of the fact that Jesus was born and
that Jesus died, nor is it an acceptance of merely the moral and religious
teachings of Jesus. Christianity is an acceptance of the fact that we are
sinners; that Christ died for our sins, and rose again on the third day for our
justification; that through Him we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins
through faith in His blood. He who has lost this faith in Jesus’ blood has lost
his relationship to true Christianity; and the sooner he and all mankind know
it the better for all concerned. If he be an honest man he will come out
plainly and confess his position. If he be like the writer from whom I have
quoted, a dishonest man, he thus evidences his unworthiness of the Truth; for
he prefers, as he tells us, to act a lie, to destroy the faith of the too
confident sheep whom he leads, and whose praise and money he enjoys. But we
must quote further from this false shepherd (Eze 34:2-10), as follows:—
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"Experience has taught me not to be too rampant in my heresies. I have
learned that if one keeps his doctrinal discoveries in his study drawer for
about five years, and takes them out now and then to refresh his soul, allowing
occasionally a delicate effluence from them to steal over a page or two of his
next Sunday’s sermon, he will find at the end of the period that he may avow
them as violently as he pleases, and they who aforetime would have lit the
torch for his burning will sit peacefully under his doctrine, and sing the last
hymn lustily in satisfaction that they have heard once more the truth they have
always believed."
AWAKE, O SHEEP, AND LISTEN!
What noble-minded, truth-loving layman would change places with this
self-satisfied deceiver and fraud? What honorable business man would without
blushing make such an acknowledgment respecting his method of conducting
business to the Editor of the New York Independent, even if his name were kept
secret? Would he not be ashamed that even the Editor should know of his
perfidy? And indeed we can make much more excuse for those who practice some
deception in connection with their business advertising and the overstatement
of the quality of their goods, etc.; for they are professedly self-seeking, and
the public know to take their statements with a grain of allowance. But the
minister of the Gospel professes to be a philanthropist who is sacrificing his
life to the service of the Truth, to the service of the Lord, to the building
up of his fellow-creatures in the most holy faith once delivered to the saints.
How abominably mean and contemptible, then, is such a man as well as his
course! The more refined and polished and educated he is the more is it to his
shame. Hearken further:— "For this reason I am not shouting out every
Sunday that I do not believe in the virgin birth of Jesus nor in the physical
resurrection. Much as I honor and admire
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Doctor Crapsey, I am not scurrying to put myself in the pillory beside him. I
let others do the talking, and I answer questions cautiously."
Doctor Crapsey referred to was recently tried for heresy and expelled from the
Episcopal pulpit. He, magnanimous soul! after having avowed his own faith in
the teachings of the Bible, after having been honored with a high position
amongst those who reverence the Bible, and while drawing a good salary for
expounding it to his congregation, considered it the proper and honorable
course to break those vows, and while retaining his hold upon the titles,
honors and emoluments of his position, to proclaim to his confiding hearers the
theory of the Higher Critics respecting the non-inspiration of the Scriptures,
that Jesus was born like any other man, that His death was not sacrificial and
that His blood was a "common thing." (Heb 10:29.) We are not
surprised that the honorable wolf whose confession we are reading, and who
glories in it, honors and admires Doctor Crapsey. For our part we can admire no
such duplicity, but of the two would consider it the more honorable to be in
Doctor Crapsey’s position; for he is a little the more honorable.
Let us take another quotation from this glorious confession.
The writer says:— "I have hopes that before many years the heresies, as
undoubtedly they are, of the miraculous origin and resurrection of Christ will
become at least tolerated opinions.
With patience, tact and perseverance I hope some day to bring out this
deliverance of my soul, as I have already waited in patience for a time to
declare my opinions of the atonement. To expose it now would endanger my real
work, which is not to teach history, not even true history concerning Jesus,
His Apostles, or His Church; but to enlarge lives with real religious faith,
and induce some morals and gentle virtues through devotion to duty as God gives
me to see it. One shrinks from being called a hypocrite, but it is encouraging
to remember that in
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Jesus’ time they were not branded as hypocrites who counted themselves still
Jews and went to the feasts while in utter contradiction with the prevailing
opinion."
"WHO GLORY IN THEIR SHAME"
Apparently there is just a little mite of conscience here, which seems to
vaguely realize that there is at least a suspicion of hypocrisy in his course.
But note how he seeks to justify himself. He speaks of "devotion to duty
as God gives me to see it." Should we expect that God would give such a
man ability to see anything? Rather we should say, as Jesus said to the
hypocrites of old, "Ye are of your father the Devil; for his works ye do.
He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the Truth." (Joh
8:44.) This man, and he is but a sample of others, is a murderer. He is
murdering in a spiritual sense the people under his care by taking from them,
if possible, their spark of faith and spirit-begetting, and doing it as did the
great Adversary—by lies and by contradictions of the Lord’s Word. This man’s
idea of duty is very manifest; it consists in holding all the honors of men
which he is able to accumulate, gathering in all the shekels within his reach,
and belying his covenant with God and with his congregation. From such duty,
such hypocritical wolves, good Lord deliver us! This gentleman and all the
Higher Critics and Evolutionists occupying the pulpits of Christendom are in
exactly the position of the Scribes and Pharisees of old, of whom the Lord
said, "Ye do make void the Word of God through your traditions." He
told them that outwardly they were clean and respectable, as this man appears
to be; but that inwardly they were full of all manner of corruption—deceit,
selfishness, unfaithfulness—as this man, opening his bosom, shows us he is.—Mr
7:5,9,13.
Then, as now, the common people were so hypnotized by their Doctors of the Law
and priests that they hesitated to hear the voice of the Son of Man and His
humble
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followers, waiting first to get the approval of the hypocritical teachers, who
with outward raiment feign to be servants of God and for pretense make long
prayers.
What the common people needed then was what the same class need now—an
awakening. As the Israelites indeed in whom there is no guile got the message,
so a similar class will get the message now. To this class and not to the
Higher Critics and Evolutionists is the promise made. "To you it is given
to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God"; but unto all outsiders these
things are done in parables and dark sayings.—Mt 13:11.
We are in the shaking time, the burning time when all the wood, hay and stubble
of falsehood must be consumed, when only the precious truths of God’s Word,
gold, silver and precious stones of faith will stand the test. Let us hearken
to the Apostle’s words, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like
men." Seek the "old paths"—not the paths nor the theories of the
Dark Ages and their horrible "doctrines of devils," but the doctrines
of Jesus and the Apostles—that your faith should not stand in the doctrines of
men but in the power of God.—Jer 6:16; 1Co 16:13; 2:5.
Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too; Former friends are wont to leave me, Thou art
faithful, Thou art true.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love and might, Foes may
hate, and friends may scorn me, Show Thy face and all is bright.
Oh, ‘tis not in grief to harm me While Thy love is left to me! Oh, ‘twere not
in joy to charm me, Were that joy unmixed with Thee!
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