Chapter XI: Part 11

What is there in teaching that Christians must keep the seventh, or Sabbath day, to impart or perpetuate spiritual life? The very seed of ruin is in such teaching. There is no Christ in it. It did not originate with Christ, but is anti-christian. The Lord never taught his disciples to keep the seventh or Sabbath day, nor did his apostles ever teach this. The first Christians did not meet on the seventh day “to break bread,” but on the _first day_. When they met on the first day they did not observe it as the Sabbath. It was a different day from the Sabbath, took its rise from a different event, and had a different object and entirely different associations. The Sabbath originated in God’s _resting_ on the seventh day. It pointed to this rest and originated in it. It had no Christ in it, did not originate with Christ, nor point to him. It had nothing in it to bring him, or anything he ever did to view, and nothing can be done more directly calculated to draw the mind entirely off from Christ than to fill the mind of the christian with the Sabbath, and get the first day of the week and all its hallowed associations and memories out of his mind. The first day of the week derives its entire religious significance from the resurrection of our Lord, and the commemoration of the Savior’s sufferings keeps his death continually before us, pointing back to his death for our sins, and forward to his second coming.

Are Christians to be perverted and their minds and hearts carried away from the death of Jesus, his resurrection and his coming, and all the sublime associations and memories connected with the first day of the week; turned back and put to the meditations of a Jew, commemorating the rest of God on the seventh day, after he had completed the work of creation? Nothing can be more anti-christian than this. This is Judaism in the most deadly type. It is literally turning away from Christ to Judaism; from the day that brings the great event to view, that lies at the foundation of the faith and the entire kingdom of God; the resurrection of our Lord from the dead, and the death of Jesus for our sins. If purposely designed to lead us away from the Savior and ruin us, nothing could be more completely suited to the purpose than this Judaizing, Sadducean, no-spirit, no-angel and no-resurrection theory. The theory, on its face, carries its own condemnation; but, in the numerous cases of ruin wrought by it, we have the demonstration of its destructive character.

MARK THOSE WHO CAUSE DIVISIONS.

We have no confidence in men and theories that have no power except to scatter, tear down and destroy. The time has come when the brethren should put their mark upon all this description of men we care not what their idol may be, who are simply prating, whining, complaining, and murmuring among loving disciples gathered by the labors and sacrifices of other men, but who never built up a church, healed a difficulty, or promoted peace any place in their lives. Nothing is so ridiculous as for such men to go grumbling round the country, finding fault with everything, pulling down other men’s labor, and building up nothing, all the while prating about _progression_ and _reformation_. Tremendous progress, that miserable prating, whining, and grumbling that never builds up anything but always pulls down, catches the sheep and scatters them! Mighty _reformers_ they, who never reformed anybody since God made them, who never built up a church or gave any prosperity to the cause, any place, or did anything more than scatter and devastate! Atheism has done this much, and will do it again. If men have found any new light worth anything, and are themselves men of any force, improvement will appear; fruits will follow their labors. But nothing can be more manifest than that God did not send those men who only spread desolation, who only pull down, scatter, and kill, we care not what fine theories they propagate, nor how prettily they may talk. We want men who will preach the Lord Jesus Christ, who will regard him, adore him, and obey him, and not a set of self-willed men, who idolize their own notions, and are determined to have them and propagate them, if the Lord’s name is forgotten, and the fold scattered asunder. Mercy and peace upon the Israel of God. Mark them who cause divisions and contentions.

RELIGION AND POLITICS.

Are we, as disciples of Christ, citizens of a kingdom not of this world, a religious community, to be distracted, disconcerted, and thrown into confusion? or, are we drawn to a common center, by an attraction so heavenly, commanding, and binding, that no side-influence can divert us from our course? The Lord is about to test us, prove us, and show whether we are true, sincere, and men of integrity to the great principles which we profess, and have been inculcating, or will turn traitor to them, despise them, and trample them under our feet. We have been preaching union upon the Bible, and the Bible alone, to our neighbors; but, the time has come to test us practically, and compel us to apply our philosophy in an instance of the greatest moment, and best calculated, of all others, to show its power—its moral and spiritual efficacy among ourselves.

What course shall we take, then, during the coming campaign? Shall preachers of the gospel of Christ enter the pulpit, with exciting political news in their heads and hearts, and make Kansas-Nebraska, and anti-Kansas-Nebraska, Slavery and anti-Slavery speeches? Shall their themes be the Constitution, Liberty, Popular Sovereignty, North, South, Fillmore, Buchanan, Fremont, American, Democratic and Republican. Shall these be the themes that consecrate the house of God during the coming months, while thousands are perishing for the word of God, and dying in their sins? We say, and would if we had a voice louder than the seven thunders of the Apocalypse, and more immutable than the oath of the angel of God, standing with one foot upon the land, and the other upon the sea, say, _no_, by NO MEANS, for the following reasons:

_First._ Jesus and his apostles, in all their official acts, never attempted to correct the political institutions of the country, no matter how corrupt they were, but left them, and those who made them, to take care of their own responsibilities. We must follow their precedent, or we are not the disciples of Christ.

_Second._ Our Lord and his apostles, in all their official procedure, never made a decision, or gave even an opinion, upon the merits or demerits of any form of civil government, republican, monarchical, either limited or absolute. They left all these matters to take their course, and lifted their thoughts above them to a spiritual kingdom, that shall endure when time shall be no more. We must do as they did, or forfeit our claim to be one with them.

_Third._ The Lord and his apostles never made a decision, or gave an opinion, on any system of slavery, though slavery existed, in some form or other, in every country where they preached and wrote, in all their official career. We must humble ourselves to the same limits.

_Fourth._ We have the infallible directions of the Spirit of God, to believers, connected with slavery, both masters and servants, and these directions we must give, when we speak on the subject at all, or depart from the faith, because we are opposed to it. Every man who does not do this, manifestly repudiates the practice and teachings of the holy apostles.

_Fifth._ Jesus and his apostles did not found slavery of any kind, and neither our Lord nor his religion can be responsible for any system of slavery or its results, no matter how good or how bad. Slavery is an institution of the world, as all other political institutions are, and neither the kingdom of God nor its subjects are responsible for its results.

_Sixth._ Our Lord and his apostles never formed an issue between the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world. How utterly preposterous and absurd it is, to the mind of one who has noticed, that our Lord never made an issue between his kingdom, or his religion, and any civil government or kingdom of the world, to see some misguided creature trying to form a direct issue between the kingdom of God and whatever political institution he may chance to fall out with and trying to set the citizens in the kingdom of Christ in battle array with the citizens of the civil government! Such a man has no use for a church only as a kind of battering-ram to beat down some sinful institution that he has just perceived is to ruin the nation. He would have the kingdom of God a convenient engine, properly adjusted and poised, himself commander-in-chief, so that he can now bring it to bear upon Masons, then upon Odd Fellows, anon upon Sons of Temperance, then upon Slavery, or any other monster that may rise. But the man who stands upon an eminence lofty enough to discern the kingdom of God, beholds an institution with an aim transcendently higher than deciding upon the rights and wrongs of the political governments of the world, amending, correcting, and perfecting them; the superlatively noble, grand, and beneficent object of translating _individuals_, whether high or low, rich or poor, bond or free, whether their political institutions are good or bad, out of darkness into light, and out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God, and in their few remaining days here, no matter what their earthly condition, prepare them for guests of the redeemed hosts who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, in the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

_Seventh._ Christianity is _the thing_ to be promoted, and not to be used as a mere _instrumentality_, by men who care nothing about _it_, and who are doing but little to advance _it_, to promote some object of their _own worldly ambition_. We must promote Christianity _itself_, and not employ it as a mere means to promote something else.

“Well, sir, what would you have a christian do in regard to rulers and civil governments?” says one. When acting as a citizen in the kingdom of God, or in the house of God, “Pray for kings and all that are in authority, that we may lead a peaceable and quiet life, in all godliness and honesty.” “Be subject to the powers that be,” remembering that “we have no continuing city here,” and that “this world is not our home.” When acting as a citizen of the civil government, be candid, quiet, peaceable, and kind, and do just what _you think right_, allowing every man the same privilege, as Christ has left us all free here, and leave the event with God.

There are spiritual-minded persons in almost all the parties around us; and if we determine to know nothing but Christ, nothing but pure Christianity, and confine ourselves strictly to the clear revelations of heaven—preach the pure gospel of the grace of God—preach Christ, and determine to know nothing else, while a mere carnal and worldly priesthood harangue their assemblies on politics, mix up church and State, law and gospel, turning their religious organizations into mere political engines, the very thing we have condemned the Romish priesthood for, thus wounding the feelings of all the more spiritual-minded members and splitting their parties asunder, thousands of them will seek a church where the name of Jesus has charms, where the Lord is loved and worshipped, and where the true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Let us keep the way clear for such, receive them to the fold of Christ, and show them how they can serve God and get to heaven, whether they can ever understand the slavery question or not.

Many of us have labored long and hard and sacrificed the main energies of our lives in gathering the many thousands to the fold of Christ that now throng places of public worship, and we can not remain silent and see them scattered by the indiscreet and imprudent course of brethren, in thrusting upon them, and seeming to think that their souls’ salvation is suspended upon their rightly understanding the question of American slavery. We admonish the brethren to have nothing to do with any such question in the church. The Lord has not required the church, the preachers, or religious editors to make any decision, or to hold any particular class of opinions on the subject, nor can any man be blameless and push any such question into the kingdom of God. _We will stand square upon the Bible, by the Lord, the apostles, and every man who will stand by them._ The Lord direct us!

PRAYER BOOKS.

The Church of England has abounded toward her people in all wisdom and prudence. In doing so she has supplied them with the “Prayer-Book,” not only for weak members, who can not pray, but for her strong members, specially the clergy, giving the very words they must pray on all occasions. In this exuberance of her benevolence she has supplied a deficiency in the will of God, an omission in the law of God, an item that Paul overlooked when he “shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God;” an item not in the “all things that pertain to life and godliness,” mentioned by Peter, nor in “all Scripture given by inspiration,” mentioned by Paul, to “perfect the man of God and thoroughly furnish him for all good works.” There are many among them that can _read_ prayers, as they have them in print in the “Prayer-Book,” and do _read them_, but we are not aware that they have any more that can _pray_ than those who have no such “Prayer-Book.”

If we can not learn from the Lord and the apostles how to pray; from the Scriptures, so that _we can pray_ we would not learn from all the prayer-books ever printed. Read the prayers of the Lord and holy men, recorded in Scripture, and the instructions of the Lord and the inspired writings; take the “Concordance” and run through the Bible, read and study all you find about it, and practice it daily, and you find not only that you can learn _how_, but to _love_ to pray, and to be impressed continually with the _importance of it_. Let the desire be in the heart in the words, “Lord, teach us how to pray,” and you will soon learn to ask for any thing you need.

UPWARD TENDENCY—REFORMATION NOT A FAILURE—MISSIONARY WORK.

The effort we have made, and are now making, at reformation, can never prove a failure upon any ground, unless it be that we have not moral courage enough, as the disciples of Christ—have not sufficient integrity to the great principles of the gospel, to which we have pledged ourselves, to maintain them against the mighty torrent of opposition from the various ranks of bigotry, prejudice, and partyism, together with the combined influence of unbelief and sin. The position we occupy can never fail. While the holy prophets live and speak in their writing; while the preaching of the apostles, their lives, miracles and martyrdoms, live in the memory of men; while Jesus lives, and the throne of the Almighty, upon which he sits, stands unmoved, the position we occupy can not fail. The gospel will live and he who believes it shall never die. The men who believe the gospel, who love it, and hold on to it—keep the faith, press it to their hearts, love and reverence him who gave it, will live co-existent with the years of God. They will never fail; their lives, in this mortal state, will fail; but they, at the same moment, will triumph. They are not in any doubt and uncertainty, in calling upon their fellow man to return to the faith as it was at the beginning. They have no fears that they are wrong, or that they can possibly be mistaken in making the best effort in their power to determine precisely what the ancient faith was, separating it from everything else, and maintaining it before the world. They know they are right in this. In one word, they believe the gospel, maintain and defend it, and nothing else. It is the system they believe, maintain and defend and nothing else. They may not understand everything contained in it, as others who have other systems, do not understand everything in their system; but the system itself we know to be right, infallibly right and that we are infallibly right in maintaining it; not because we understand everything contained in it; but because we know the author of it, and know him to be divine—infallible. We know him, love him and regard him; therefore we know that what proceeds from him is infallible, and love it and regard it.

MEN CAN BELIEVE AND DO BELIEVE.

Why does the speculator offer one dollar more to-day, than he did yesterday, per barrel for flour? Because he believes the news he has received, of an advance in some other market. Why does that pork dealer advance the price one dollar per barrel? Because he believes the news of an advance in some other market. Why does that trader refuse that bank bill? Because he believes the statement in the detector, that it is under par. Look through the various departments in life, business transactions and all, and see what a vast amount of it is done by faith. All business men are daily and hourly acting in matters where thousands of dollars are involved upon faith, and acting with great confidence, too. Look at that man at the post office, opening a letter and reading! In a few minutes you see him stopping quickly and closing an engagement, involving thousands of dollars! What is he acting upon? Faith in the letter just received and read. Look at that other man, waiting for a dispatch. Presently he receives and reads it. In a few minutes he is waiting the arrival of the cars. As the cars approach, you notice him eyeing the passengers as they come out of the train. Presently he rests his eye upon a man. In the next moment the man is arrested! What is he acting upon? Faith in the telegraphic dispatch he had just received. Thus we perceive men are constantly acting upon _faith_ in all the affairs of this life.

Is it possible that men who are thus constantly, and without hesitation, acting upon faith, will have the assurance to apologize for their unbelief in matters of religion, by saying they cannot believe? It will also be observed that the men thus acting are not merely a few credulous and thoughtless persons, but business men of all classes—men of the first order of mind, thus showing that they _can_ believe and _do_ believe, in matters of great importance, and thus demonstrating that they can believe in matters of religion, as well as others, if they will but give a candid attention to the evidence. The same faculties of the mind exercised in believing the news of the day, political, commercial, or of sickness, health, or accidents, etc., are exercised in believing the divine testimonies. The same mind that believes the testimony of men, is exercised in believing the testimony of God. The difference in the effect produced upon the human soul, by divine testimony, or divine faith, from that produced by human testimony, or what is purely human faith, is not that the same mind, or the same faculties of the mind are not exercised in both cases, nor is it owing to the difference between divine and human testimony; but the difference is in the things believed—the difference between divine and human things believed. Heavenly things believed would, beyond all dispute, make a different impression from that produced by the belief of earthly things, however true they might be. A mere earthly truth, even if proved by divine testimony, could produce no more than an earthly impression; but a heavenly truth, if proved by earthly testimony, would produce a heavenly impression. The same mind that understands and believes that there is an advance in the flour market, believes that the Lord rose from the dead, but the effect produced by the faith in one instance, is very different from that produced in the other instance; not because different powers are exercised in believing; nor because the testimony differs; but because the things believed differ.

The relation a thing believed sustains to the believer, is the main cause of its effect upon him. Robert Owen, who professed to have read, and traveled forty years, without being able to find any evidence of the truth of christianity, has lately become a believer in Spiritualism. How is it, that he is so slow to believe in one case, but so ready to believe in the other? The reason is to be found in the relation these two things to be believed, sustain to him. The belief in modern Spiritualism involves nothing, requires nothing and promises nothing. It is merely a speculative subject, for vain and idle curiosity; placing no man under any new obligations who believes it. It is a very suitable thing to catch a man of a perverted mind and heart; one who has rejected Jesus; resisted the testimonies of the Holy Spirit, and despised the Bible during an earthly pilgrimage of many years, which God has mercifully and graciously granted him. But the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God—that he is divine—that he is alive and lives forever and ever, is a fact sustaining a different relation to time. It is not a speculative fact for idle curiosity; not a mere theme for empty, cold and unfeeling hearts; for idle, confused and wandering brains; but a fact, intimately connected with all mankind; a fact, in which the destinies of all men are involved; one, too, bearing upon the lives and conduct of all men. Here is the reason that many are so slow to believe this, the greatest and most important of all the facts presented for the belief of mankind: it _requires a holy life_. A strange feature truly is it, in men, that they should prefer to believe that which requires nothing, proposes nothing and promises nothing, to that requiring the purest life, most exalted character, and ennobled feelings, promising the approbation of the Almighty now, and eternal joy in the world to come!

What reason can any man give for such opposition? No man believes that the Lord Jesus Christ ever made any human being worse. No man sincerely believes that the Bible makes any person worse; or that the Christian religion does any harm to any one of our sinful race. No human being solemnly believes that any harm could result from the universal prevalence of pure christianity, as set forth upon the pages of the New Testament, throughout the world. All men, upon cool and deliberate reflection, must be satisfied, that if all the peoples, nations, tribes and tongues of the earth, were fully under the power and influence of the Bible, mankind would be infinitely blessed by it. Not a sceptic in the world can give a reason for his opposition to the Lord Jesus and the Bible. O, that men knew Jesus! O, that they possessed his spirit and temper! O, that they would love him and be blessed by him!

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.

The act of uniting with a church is not with the idea of being _changed_ or _made better_, in ourselves, but to be placed in the right relation. The man who is a christian ought to be united with other christians in a congregation where he can worship according to the Scriptures. It is one thing to become a christian, and another thing to find and unite with a congregation of christians where the ordinances are kept and the authority of Christ is maintained.

It is one thing to become a member of the body of Christ, or, which is the same, enter into the kingdom of God, and another thing for a person to unite with a local congregation. The Ethiopian officer became a christian, or entered into the kingdom of God, or the body of Christ, in obeying the gospel; but this did not make him a member of any particular local congregation, where he would meet with other christians and worship. This required an additional step. By faith, repentance and baptism he entered into Christ, or in the body of Christ, or became a christian. But if he has thus come into the general body, or thus become a christian, and then united with the Baptist church, or any other church, where he can not worship according to the Scriptures; where they do not commemorate the sufferings and death of Jesus regularly on the first day of the week, as the first christians did; where they have an unauthorized name, a human creed and other things contrary to Scripture; he has a right, and more, he ought to seek a gospel church where he can worship according to Scripture.

BELIEVERS ONLY TO BE BAPTIZED.

Baptism, the initiatory rite, or the act of entering the church, is a command. All commands must be preceded by faith. The divine authority, requiring baptism, must be recognized, before the command can be obeyed; and the divine authority can only be recognized by faith. How, then, can a command be obeyed by one without faith, without a consciousness of divine authority, or even the knowledge that the command exists? Such a practice subverts the command of God in every case where it obtains, and if it should become universal, would set aside and annihilate all obedience to the command to be baptized. In every case, where an infant is baptized, and prevailed upon, in after life, to be content with its baptism and infant membership, one person is effectually prevailed upon never to obey the command to be baptized, and never, personally, to bow to the authority of Jesus in voluntarily entering into covenant with him. The person is deceived, and made to think, when come to the years of accountability, that two things have been done that never have been done, viz: 1. That the command to be baptized has been obeyed. 2. That the requirement to enter into the church has been complied with. Neither the one nor the other has been complied with at all.

THE KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY BEFORE BAPTISM.

Some person,—name not known—writing from Ripley, Ohio, inquires whether persons baptized when very young, under excitement, having but little understanding of the import of baptism; and, after coming to mature years, become dissatisfied and desire to be baptized over again, should he then be baptized again? This question is entirely outside of the New Testament, and purely a question of opinion. Among the many thousands baptized by the apostles, there were many, evidently, who had but an imperfect understanding of the whole matter, not only of very young persons, but many very illiterate persons. Yet there is no account of any, on coming to a fuller understanding, who desired to be baptized in the name of the Lord. It matters not how little understanding persons have, if they believe in the Lord, repent of their sins, confess and obey the Savior. Nor is the circumstance that a person afterward understands the matter more fully, a reason why such an one should be baptized again; but simply an evidence of a proper growth in knowledge. There has been much said about the measure of understanding that must be had before baptism, that would cut off one half of the apostolic converts. Conversion is simply _turning to God_, and there are but few who aim not to do this.

PAUL AND JAMES, ON JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

The difficulty in this case is not to be solved in dreams about _different kinds of faith_. Writers may speculate upon different kinds of faith till doomsday, and neither extricate themselves from the difficulty, nor their readers. James and Paul were speaking of precisely the same kind of faith; but Paul’s “deeds of the law” are not the same as James’ “works;” or no man can avoid a contradiction. Paul and James are both speaking of the faith that justifies man, but neither of them are speaking of faith _alone_. Paul and James were speaking of the faith of Christ, by which the heart is purified, “without the deeds of the law” of Moses, and both would have agreed any time, that by the deeds of the law of Moses, no man could be justified in the sight of God. But the deeds of the law of Moses and the deeds of the gospel—the “good works which God has ordained that we should walk in them”—as mentioned by Paul—Eph. ii. 10—and the works of James, are not the same by any means. Paul was arguing against opposing Jews, who contended that men could be justified by the works or deeds of the law of Moses, and maintained in opposition to them, that, by the deeds of their law, no man could be justified in the sight of God; but man is now; justified by the faith of Christ, that works by love and purifies the heart—through the deeds of the gospel—the good works of the gospel—not the deeds of law, but the works of faith, like the works of Abraham, of which James speaks.

Neither Paul nor James believed that justification was by faith alone. Neither of them believed, or taught, that justification was by the deeds of the law of Moses. Neither of them believed that a man could be justified by faith, without the works of the gospel. Justification is by faith, not in the law of Moses, but in Christ; not alone, but, as Paul has it, in the “good works (of the gospel) which God hath ordained that we should walk in them;” or, as James has it, in the case of Abraham, his faith, wrought with his works, and through the divine appointment of both his faith and his works, the Lord justifies those who come to him. It is neither faith nor works, either of law or gospel, that justifies the sinner. It is God that justifies; but he only justifies those who come in a proper spirit, to his appointments.

CONTROVERSY.

Let no man infer from this, however, that we favor, or in any way encourage, a _love for controversy_. This is another thing entirely. By no means do we love controversy. It is deplored always, or at least the occasion of it. But shall a man, because he deplores controversy—because he is sorry to come in collision with men—because he knows unpleasantness will arise, and the smooth surface will be ruffled, evade the issues between light and darkness—between christianity and everything else? We did not make these issues and are not responsible for them. They exist whether we say anything about them or not, or whether we see them at all. The simple question is, whether we will stand by christianity and maintain it—whether we will face the issue, in a kind, a manly and noble manner, or shrink, depart from it and allow it to be crushed down. Our motto is, _Meet the issue fairly and squarely, in every instance of opposition to the gospel, in that way that shall prove most effectual_. Let there be no evasion, but stand firm and present an unbroken front.

CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE SPIRIT.[A]

Many brethren are inquiring of us about the Spirit, “correct views of the Spirit,” and of “the influence of the Spirit,” and insisting that we should respond to some things that are published, etc.; but, for the present, to all this we must simply say, that the Lord knows our hearts. He knows who have the Spirit, who are led by the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, mind the things of the Spirit and endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. He knows them who are his, who love him and keep his commandments. Blessed be his name; he is able to keep them from falling, make all grace abound to them and preserve them to his heavenly appearing and kingdom. With them, his great work is a reality, a real work, the greatest and best of all the works in which human beings have ever engaged; and they believe he is with them, will be with them while they shall struggle for his cause in this world, and will be with them in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to the gospel. In him they have put their everlasting trust;to him they have committed their cause, and to him they look for their final reward. They fear not what man can do to them, nor what he can say of them, but they fear him who is able to save and able to destroy, who is able to kill and able to make alive. We have nothing at stake only the cause of truth, of righteousness and humanity. We have no theory of our own to maintain, no philosophy to defend, nor pride of opinion to guard, but are willing to learn of the most humble disciple in the whole kingdom of God. If any brother really has more of the spirit of the Lord than we have, we envy him not because _he has more than we_, but we are only sorry that _we have less than he_.

* * * * *

By the way, as we now appear agreed that the Spirit of God should be actually received and enjoyed by the saints, whether that agreement be enforced by the terms of Scripture merely, or from the heart, God knows. There remains but a single point of importance in our mind. That is not, and has not been, whether the Spirit of God is actually received and enjoyed by the children of God; but whether any _teachings_ are communicated to man, or revelations made, either before or after conversion, to saint or sinner, except _through the senses_. Are not the revelations of God inscribed upon the sacred pages of the Bible, the only teachings from heaven, for both the church and the world, and are not these imparted to man through the senses? We do not believe that there are any revelations from God, or teachings, binding upon man, for saint or sinner, only those in the Bible, and these are imparted to man through the senses. If this is sensuous philosophy, then we are in for it.

[A] A discussion of the subject of Spiritual Influence was carried on among the Disciples during the Decade, beginning in the year 1856. Benjamin Franklin’s position, and indeed the gist of the controversy, is presented in the opening and closing paragraphs of an editorial in the _A. C. Review_.

SECTARIANISM.

Much as has been said upon the evils of sectarianism, within the last forty or fifty years, it is still true, that no one has given the subject too high a coloring. Its evils are equal to the most brilliant description we have had. Indeed, it is difficult to conceive how any one could speak, in too strong terms, of this one evil; yet, the sin of partyism, like many other sins of these times, is so fashionable and popular, that it is scarcely seen to be a sin at all. It is true, all seem to look upon it as a sin, for a man to create partyism and strife in the party to which he belongs, or any other party. But, to keep up the parties now in existence, and defend the peculiarities upon which they are predicated, and from which they receive their very existence, is considered _serving God_. Now, if it can be considered service to the Lord, to build up and keep up that old mother and mistress of all heresy, the Roman Catholic Church, then, why was not the very mystery of iniquity, already working in John’s day, doing service to God, in originating that grand establishment of sin and iniquity? Surely, it is giving as much glory to God to set on foot a great or a small religious scheme, as to keep it in motion after it is once started.

If it is doing the will of God to build up and sustain the Episcopalian Church now; surely, he was doing the will of God who originated it. This, no one will doubt. The same is true of the Lutheran, the Presbyterian, the Methodist Episcopal and all the indescribable parties which have descended from them. If it is service to the Lord now, to build them up, it was equally as great service to him to originate them. It is a fact, too, that all these parties honor their originators as the greatest and best men the world has had.

Now, how much should the opinions of these parties be considered worth? or, how much are the most earnest and solemn decisions they ever made, to be regarded? They would consider us highly uncharitable, if we did not regard these decisions as most solemnly true. Well, if the Roman Catholic Church ever made an earnest, an authoritative decision, in the world, it was when she declared Martin Luther a heretic. And what man, since his day, has broken off from an old party and established a new one, without most earnestly and solemnly being declared a heretic? No such man can be mentioned. The old party always decides that a new one, that breaks off from it, is a heresy. In this way, all the parties now in existence, have been decided _heresies_, and the leaders in them _heretics_. Yet, these _heresies_, as they have styled them, headed by those who have been decided _heretics_, have grown up, and are now called “_evangelical churches_.” How is all this? If the Lord never authorized them to be started, did he authorize their perpetuation? And if he did authorize them to be started, were not the old parties awfully wicked in condemning them, when they were doing the will of the Lord?

It, then, presents a fearful picture—turn the matter which way you may. If the parties, passing sentences, were wicked, and opposing the will of God, then are almost all wicked and sinful—for all the older and more popular, have passed such sentences. But if those upon whom sentence has been passed, are sinful, and under condemnation, then there are but few good, for such sentences have been passed upon nearly all. Such is the dilemma, in which partyism has involved the religious world.

If ever the adversary of man discovered an effectual stratagem, by means of which to defeat all piety, and do execution in opposing the faith of God’s elect, it was when he succeeded in sowing the seeds of dissension in the church of God. Our Lord’s words show that he had this before his mind, when he uttered the solemn prayer, John xvii. 20; “I pray not for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word; that they may all be one, as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that _the world may believe that thou hast sent me_.” Here it is clearly implied, that if those who believe, through the word, were _one_, the tendency would be to induce the world to believe. Nor is this any more clearly implied than the opposite, viz: that the lack of union among believers, leads to unbelief. How vain and imaginative the thought, that the existing parties of our times, will ever be instrumental in the hand of God, in converting the world, when the structure of their own organization, in itself, has a continual tendency to infidelity. Are we told that such is an ungenerous charge? Well, who can avoid it? The language of the Lord, just quoted, clearly implies that the faith of the world depends on the unity of believers; and we all admit, that the world cannot be converted without faith, for “without faith it is impossible to please God; for they that would come to him must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him.” The matter is too clear to be misunderstood. The Lord saw that the world would not believe, till his people were _one_; hence, he prayed that they might be one, _that the world might believe_.

Need we pray for the conversion of the world? need we send missionaries to convince the pagan nations? need we print and circulate bibles? need we build churches, and preach with the zeal of apostles, in all the length and breadth of the land? I say, need we do all this, thinking to convert the world, while we maintain our own unhallowed divisions among believers? And, if we do, what evidence have we that the object we have in view will ever be attained? Not the least in the world; for so long as the Lord prays that we may _be one_—that the _world may believe_—we need not expect the world to believe, while we are _not one_.

It is true, we may convince, convert and save some, under the most disadvantageous circumstances; but what is this, compared with the _world believing_ or being converted? It is only a drop to the ocean. Why not, then, come back to this great obstacle, and remove it, that the conquests of righteousness and grace may extend over the earth?

It is confessed by all, in our time, that the Lord’s people are a spiritual people, and if any have not the Spirit of Christ, they are none of his. All are aware, too, that carnality is the opposite of spirituality. What, then, is an evidence of carnality? I. Cor. iii. 3, Paul asserts: “For ye are carnal.” What reason does he give for this assertion? “For,” says he, “whereas there is among you _envying_, and _strife_, and _divisions_; are ye not _carnal_, and walk as men?” He here alludes to their divisions, as an evidence of their carnality, or want of spirituality. But he argues the case further, as follows: “For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” He here continues the charge, that their following different leaders is an evidence of their carnality. It should be kept in mind, too, that the divisions among the Corinthians were of the mildest form. If they could not be justified by the apostle, none since his time could be, for none less offensive have ever existed. If the Corinthian church, then, deserved the charge of carnality, as they certainly did, how will the parties of our times escape the same charge?

Now, let reason ask—let righteousness ask—let every thing great and good ask: Can the believers now on earth, sincerely, devoutly and fervently, pray and labor for the conversion of the world, to the Lord Jesus, in this state of carnality? It is alleged that _carnality_, or the absence of the Spirit of God in the hearts of believers, is not the cause of division? Then who are they that _separate themselves_? Let the Scripture answer: “These be they who separate themselves, _sensual, having not the Spirit_.” There is no higher nor surer evidence of sensuality, carnality, and the absence of the Spirit of the Lord, than division among the professed followers of Christ.

While this evil exists among the believers, can we pray in faith for the conversion of the world? Can carnal professors, in the absence of the Spirit of the Lord, without a sufficiency of the love of Christ, to fellowship but a small portion of those for whom Christ died, and who profess to love and serve him, hope that God will make them instrumental in converting the world? No, we need not flatter ourselves with the fond conceit, that anything like general saving influence will ever be felt by the world, until those for whom Jesus prayed are _one_. The meek and lowly Spirit of the Lord is displaced by the proud and fierce spirit of the partisan. The lovely and inviting character of the first church has disappeared and in its stead we have the inducements of gorgeous worldly and fleshly establishments. In the place of even being truly turned from sin to righteousness—from the power of Satan to God—we have conversions that merely consist in opposing all creeds and parties but the one into which the converts happen to fall, while they frequently love the Lord no better than before their conversion. In the place of that universal philanthropy exhibited by our Lord’s death, for the whole world, such converts are merely filled with party bigotry, which _dislikes_—yes, even _hates_—every body not of the “same faith and order.” Under the influence of such religion, people live near each other, see each other every day—yet associate not, nor allow their children to associate, nor even worship the Lord their God in the same house. And why this careful separation? They differ in faith! What difference? Well, they cannot tell exactly, but the learned _doctor_ who sermonizes for them, knows the difference. Go to him, and he will explain it to you. This is no extreme case. Nine-tenths of the members of churches cannot tell the difference between their own church and another. Yet, it is so great, that they cannot fellowship the other.

DANCING IS A HEALTHFUL EXERCISE.

To make serious reply to this deceitful, deceptive and empty pretence, is a little hard to do. To see a person who can not go three squares to the house of God on foot, especially if it should be a little unpleasant, who can dance till midnight, “for amusement,” speaking of its being _healthful_, is ridiculous in the extreme. It may be, for anything we know, that for any person who has become so useless as to sit, day after day, and not move enough to circulate their blood, dancing would prove healthful. But there are a thousand things better for them. A visit to the sick, to the poor and the distressed, with something for their necessities, would be vastly better for both soul and body. Almost any kind of useful labor would be more healthful, and leave vastly less remorse of conscience. But if a person has such an aversion to labor to visiting the sick, the poor and needy, or doing anything useful, they deserve no health, and the world will only be the better off when they are out of it. More health, permanent happiness and real enjoyment are found in an industrious and useful life than all the seekers of pleasure ever knew. The man of useful life has no time for pleasure and amusement. His time is taken up, wholly taken up, and he is so happy in it, that it appears short, in constant acts of usefulness. But pleasure-seekers are constantly devising how to while away time, to pass it off or murder it. Time appears the greatest burthen they have, through their whole life, and, at death, the trouble is, that they have not more time. The good man appears pressed through life to do the good he desires to do, but when death comes, his work is done, well done, and he dies in hope of hearing the Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joys of thy Lord.”

PRAYER.

There is nothing in Scripture called “family worship,” and yet what we mean by that expression, is the oldest worship in the world. Holy men in every age worshipped God in the family. But the time and manner of conducting it, is left to the sense of propriety, and discretion of the head of the family. Paul says: “I will therefore, that men pray everywhere.” 1 Tim. ii. 8. He also speaks of remembering the brethren in his prayers, _night_ and _day_. He could not do this, without praying “night and day.” The Lord went out into a mountain and continued in prayer all night. Luke vi. 12. The first disciples “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” Acts i. 14. Cornelius said, “at the ninth hour, I prayed in my house.” Acts x. 30. This, we presume he got from pious Jews, as it was before his conversion to the christian faith. “When they prayed the place was shaken where they were.” Acts iv. 31. These are but meager specimens of what the Scriptures say about prayer. The history of the first Christians is full of prayer. If you wish to know where they prayed you only need find where they were, for they were “instant in prayer”—“prayed night and day”—“prayed always”—“prayed everywhere”—“prayed without ceasing.” They prayed “on the house-tops,” “in the house,” by the “sea-shore,” “in the prison,” and “in the assembly.” They prayed wherever they were. We should do the same.

They spent much more time upon their knees, than the professors of religion in our day. The sin that we fear is not that brethren do not pray in their families, but that they do not _pray any place_ half as much as they should. Now if the first Christians prayed wherever they were, even when confined in a prison, why should any man who wishes to do the will of God hesitate to pray in his family? Can any man show a better place, ordinarily, for reading the Scriptures and prayer? Can there be any objection to this place? Are not christians required to pray everywhere? Will not God hear a christian in his family? No one doubts that it is as suitable and appropriate as any place on earth. “Why then, is it not commanded?” Because there are thousands of christians who have neither houses or families, and the Lord has left the way open so that they can worship God just as acceptably in whatever place they may be, as the man who has an orderly family and home. The Lord has left the head of the family free to determine the appropriate place to worship. But woe to that christian who objects to the family circle, as a suitable place, and then does not worship any place. But we never saw a good reason and do not believe there is any, against the orderly custom of reading a portion of Scripture and praying in the family, and we believe that those fathers and mothers whose children never heard them pray, will most solemnly lament it when they see the Lord Jesus at his coming. “Pray without ceasing, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks.”

WE HAVE A PERFECT GOSPEL TO PREACH.

We claim that the religion of Jesus Christ is a complete, perfect and divine system, in itself; distinct from, superior to, and as high above every thing else as heaven is above this earth; and that all who desire to do so, can determine what it is, practice it and be christians. We claim that the gospel is complete, perfect and divine; distinct from, and independent of, everything else, and that he who desires it, may know precisely what it is, believe it with all the heart, obey it and be saved by it; otherwise the Lord could not be just and good in condemning the man who does not believe it, or does not obey it. The matter, therefore, with us now is not to determine what the truth is, or the gospel; this we have long since settled. We, as a people, know the truth, the saving truth, the only saving truth, as a whole, or in its embodiment, or concentrated form, though many may not understand it in detail, and the great matter now is to practice it, enjoy it and advocate it. God intends or purposes it for all mankind, as much as he did for us. It is now our duty to make it known among all mankind; or, as Paul expresses it, “to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid in God, who hath created all things by Jesus Christ; to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the church, the manifold wisdom of God, according to his eternal purpose.”

BIBLE NAMES.