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 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 University of California. 
 
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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
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 http://www.archive.org/details/comingjudgmentOOgarrrich 
 
Coming Judgment 
 
 J. H. GARRATT 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 BOSTON 
 JAMES H. EARLE, PUBLISHER 
 
 178 WASHINGTON STREET 
 1899 
 
^3 
 
 ^■^K^ 
 
 ^^ 
 
 Copyright, 1899 
 BY J. HOWE GARRATT. 
 
 All Rights Reserved. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In putting forth this testimony the writer disclaims all attempt at 
 literary effort or effect, realizing it would be utterly out of place, even 
 if he were able, which he is not. 
 
 It is a serious matter, and therefore seriously dealt with. Utmost 
 plainness of speech has been intentionally used. The book is for 
 instruction, not entertainment. There has been a searching of foun- 
 dations, in order that the false may be shown up and the true brought 
 to light ; that we may get down through all shifting and unstable 
 "sands "of tradition to the bed-rock of God's Word, "that liveth 
 and abideth forever." 
 
 The writer is not a novice, having been a ' ' believer " for nearly 
 thirty years, though with many years of most unfaithful walk, falling 
 into grievous sin and consequent obscurity of faith and testimony. 
 In fact, the fall into sin was occasioned largely by the existence of the 
 very evils spoken of in this testimony ; and thus, after restoration, 
 there has been the desire to give the warning cry, for having felt the 
 heavy chastening rod of God, and thus been brought to renewed re- 
 pentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, there has been an "enlighten- 
 ing of the eyes of the understanding" also, especially on seeing the 
 dulness of conscience among Christians concerning personal sinning, 
 and the general indifference to coming judgment. How can the world 
 be expected to have any fear of coming judgment when Christians 
 do n't appear to believe in it, or Christian preachers proclaim it? 
 
 Having waited for years for some one else to do this, and only one 
 or two small tracts being known to exist on the subject, very insuffi- 
 ciently stated, the writer now puts forth this, with the prayer that 
 God would overmle anything contrary to His mind and Word, and use 
 
 174065 
 
4 PREFACE, 
 
 it to open the eyes of His dear children to these things, that they may 
 separate from all that is evil, and honor Him by a renewed allegiance 
 to His Word. 
 
 These prefatory remarks will be better understood, perhaps, after 
 reading the book. 
 
 The Author. 
 
' OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF 
 
 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 The Word of God teaches definitely the facts of sin 
 and salvation, of judgment and perdition. Although it 
 is taught that every soul of man must give account to 
 God, yet the phrase *' great and general judgment" is 
 not found in the Scriptures. It was coined by preachers 
 of the past generation. 
 
 There have been in the past several judgments, as 
 the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, 
 etc., undoubtedly premonitory of greater judgment to 
 come. 
 
 It is stated in II Peter 3 : 7 that the world, once de- 
 stroyed by water, will be destroyed again by a judg- 
 ment of fire. 
 
 Although all must appear before God, yet it is true 
 that those who are in Christ Jesus will never come into 
 a condemnatory judgment (see Rom. 8:1), their sins 
 having been judged by the Lord Jesus on the cross, 
 when he died as their sin-offering. But their works 
 must be tried by fire, as a preliminar}^ to their receiving 
 rewards from His hand. 
 
 In Peter's epistles it is said that "judgment must 
 begin from the house of God." 
 
 Paul speaks of the present age as man's judgment 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 day (I Cor. 4:3, margin) in distinction, undoubtedly, 
 from God's judgment day, which is still future. 
 
 Evidently God is to bring different classes into judg- 
 ment at different times. There is the judgment of the 
 living nations recorded in Matt. 25, at the time ** when 
 the Son of Man shall come in his glory ; " the judg- 
 ment of Christendom at the close of this age ; then the 
 judgment of all the wicked dead, raised from the dead 
 for judgment, — this at the close of the thousand years' 
 reign of Christ with his church. 
 
 It is not proposed to speak at length concerning all 
 these judgments, but that one only that most concerns 
 the church at present, viz., the judgment of, or *' cutting 
 off" of, Gentile Christendom at the close of, and which 
 will constitute the closing of, this age or dispensation. 
 
 In the eleventh chapter of Romans we read that 
 Israel is, because of unbelief, cut ofl' from something 
 styled an olive root, and the Gentiles grafted in in their 
 place. What is this olive tree trunk upon which this 
 cutting off and ingrafting takes place ? Evidently it is 
 dispensational privilege or blessing. 
 
 Israel had enjoyed this blessing ever since they were 
 a nation. At the first they had a God-given law, tab- 
 ernacle, sacrifices, and ordinances. God-given leaders 
 and prophets. Yet from the first, also, there were contin- 
 ual lapses into idolatry, and the " unbelief" was more 
 and more manifested in ever-increasing perversion of the 
 truth, till when Christ came there was but little of the 
 original sacrifices and ordinances to be seen. There 
 was a general following of *' traditions" instead of the 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 definite God-given *' law and testimony." This caused 
 such spiritual blindness that they failed to recognize 
 their Messiah when he appeared, resulting in his rejec- 
 tion and crucifixion. Then came their "cutting off" 
 from this dispensational privilege, and the transfer of 
 this privilege to the Gentile world, — styled ingrafting 
 into the olive root. But it is accompanied by a definite 
 warning (vs. 21, 22) that if they continue not in His 
 '' goodness," they too shall be cut off, which practically 
 is a prophecy, as history proves, that just that thing will 
 in the end happen. 
 
 Probably one reason why the teaching in this chapter 
 is so little recognized is the taking it to mean individual 
 salvation, as if Christ were the '* olive tree" into which 
 believers are ingrafted individually. But that it cannot 
 be is evident, for there is no " cutting off" of believers 
 who are really once '* baptized by one spirit into the one 
 body." Besides Israel as a whole is spoken of, there- 
 fore it is the Gentiles as a whole also that are '' grafted 
 in." The olive root that Israel is cut off from isn't 
 Christ or salvation, for they were not in Him, nor were 
 they saved. It is therefore evident that it is dispensa- 
 tional privilege or blessing. 
 
 What has occurred in the Gentile world during the 
 two thousand years since this transfer of dispensational 
 privilege was made? 
 
 The gospel has been preached and Christianity 
 has grown and spread, like the tree in the parable, 
 till it has covered the whole earth. It is seen in the 
 form of great religious systems, calling themselves 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is the 
 Greek church, the Roman Catholic church, and the 
 Protestant church with its many subdivisions, all to- 
 gether constituting "Christendom." The true church 
 or company of genuine believers is scattered among 
 this great mass contained and hidden in it. That is, 
 along with the true are a vast number of spurious 
 *' professors" forming a ** mixed multitude" as there 
 was in Israel throughout their career. So there is a 
 parallel between Israel and this Gentile religious Chris- 
 tendom, but little recognized, yet becoming more and 
 more marked, and which will sooner or later end in a 
 like '* cutting off" in judgment, and according to the 
 same Scripture, Israel will again be grafted in, and dealt 
 with in a new dispensation. 
 
 In proportion as Christianity has grown and spread 
 it has been corrupted, i. e.^ as to the general mass. 
 From time to time there have been small companies of 
 Christians that have come out from the corrupt systems 
 and returned to a more or less scriptural purity of 
 doctrine and practice. 
 
 Leaving aside for the time the great Greek and 
 Romish Church systems, which it is easy to see are 
 filled with ecclesiastical evils and unscriptural practices, 
 let us look for a little at the Protestant Church system 
 and inquire whether it, too, may not be full of similar 
 evils. 
 
 The first and foremost thing presented to the notice 
 of the world by this great church system is ''public 
 worship." When, let us ask at the outset, is there any 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 warrant for the *' maintenance of public worship?" 
 There is none. It is simply traditional ; from the mind 
 of man, not from God. 
 
 Whatever may have been the cause or excuse for it 
 at the first, it exists to-day the most prominent of the 
 whole string of ecclesiastical evils, and out of which, 
 and necessitated by which, most of the others have 
 come into existence and continuance. 
 
 If asked why there is a necessity for the maintenance 
 of *' public worship" many will answer, *'Why, to 
 preach the gospel to be sure." But that is not God's 
 appointed way. There is no hint, much less a definite 
 teaching, that the unsaved are expected to come to 
 church to be preached to. Neither is there any hint 
 that in Christians meeting together the first object of 
 such meeting should be to preach to the unsaved. God 
 has appointed and given to the church ''evangelists," 
 who are to go forth to preach to the unsaved. Chris- 
 tians are evidently expected to meet by themselves. 
 Not that the unsaved are to be excluded, but their 
 coming in is incidental, not appointed. 
 
 Along with the supposed necessity for public worship 
 there naturally exists the necessity for public buildings 
 of worship, salaried ministers, assistants. Choirs, 
 sextons, etc., requiring the expenditure of immense 
 sums of money that evidently God never intended 
 should be turned in those directions. (The only '' col- 
 lections " we read of in the Acts or Epistles were for 
 poor saints.) 
 
 Not only in these ecclesiastical things is there a 
 
lo COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 departure from the teaching of the Word, but the 
 Protestant church is more and more corrupting the 
 gospel or doctrine of Christianity as found in the Word 
 of God. 
 
 Right here it might be well to make a concise state- 
 ment of what the gospel really is, before speaking of 
 the false gospels, etc. 
 
 The Gospel. 
 
 In a word it is the person and work of the Lord Jesus 
 Christ in the redemption and salvation of lost sinners. 
 
 We know little of the beginning of " sin" or " law- 
 lessness" as it is defined in the first Epistle of John. 
 But from Peter's Epistle we learn that a company of 
 angels, probably through pride and desire for greater 
 power, *' Kept not their first estate but left their own 
 habitation," i. e.^ it would seem, usurped to themselves 
 a higher position than God had given. They thus 
 **feH" and are reserved unto judgment, no redemption 
 being possible for them. Their leader, the devil, insti- 
 gated our first parents with this same desire for greater 
 knowledge and therefore supposed power, and so they 
 also gave up their allegiance to God, and stepped over 
 the bounds he had assigned them, and thus became 
 sinners. 
 
 But immediately in this case God brings in a won- 
 derful provision for redemption, showing that He had 
 foreseen the fall of man, and had seen how it would 
 give an occasion for the working out of such an exhi- 
 bition of His love in a plan of redemption as would 
 
COMING JUDGMENT, n 
 
 greatly magnify all his excellencies, and so in the end 
 cause that work of Satan, intended to be only evil and 
 damaging to God, to be turned by the infinite power 
 and wisdom of God into great good for His creatures 
 and greater glory to Himself. 
 
 God made man originally ** in his likeness," /. ^., 
 morally and mentally — a thinking, emotional being, 
 able to reason and choose, capable of loving and 
 hating. He put the first pair in a beautiful garden, 
 the finished work of His creation, where He had pro- 
 nounced everything '* very good." In these surround- 
 ings they could enjoy to the utmost the beauties of His 
 creation, and enjoy one another, and above all enjoy 
 unhindered communion with Himself. He gave them 
 authority over all things, yet by giving them one com- 
 mand, they were made to recognize the fact that they 
 were subject to one higher than themselves. This was 
 a state of innocence and they were on probation. 
 
 But temptation entered, they listened to the lie of 
 Satan, and disobeying the one command given by God, 
 fell from their state of innocence and consequent com- 
 munion with God. Not only so, but they lost their holy 
 nature, and became inherently sinful. They "died" 
 spiritually, as God had threatened they should. '*In 
 the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." 
 
 This testing of their allegiance in itself considered 
 was an honor, and had they not yielded, undoubtedly 
 their fellowship and communion with God would have 
 been all the closer. But they put their supposed 
 interests ahead of obedience to God's requirements. 
 
12 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 They thus became spiritually "dead," and this state 
 is handed down to every member of their posterity. 
 Thus are sinners **lost;" for this condition of spiritual 
 death will end in the ** second death" or eternal pun- 
 ishment, for this is the sure word of God. For will a 
 holy God forgive a guilty sinner? Will He in any way 
 give him back his forfeited life? It may be asked, "Can 
 He do it if He would? " Must not the sinner stand for- 
 ever the penalty due his guilt and sjn, in order to vindi- 
 cate the righteous justice of God, and show the utter 
 abhorrence his perfect holiness has toward sin? 
 
 Just here begins the wondrous story of grace, that 
 unspeakable glorious plan of redemption resulting in the 
 salvation of many of the fallen race, and the final estab- 
 lishment of the kingdom of God upon the earth. God 
 has forestalled the sinners' need, and provided a Savior, 
 " mighty to save." God is not taken by surprise, He 
 has a plan ready. He has found a ransom. Immedi- 
 ately upon the sinning of our first parents, salvation is 
 promised through One to come who should " bruise the 
 serpent's head." This One does not come from the 
 ranks of fallen man as such ; for can one sinner ransom 
 another? Neither does he come from the ranks of the 
 holy angels, for no angel however exalted can atone 
 by his life or death for human guilt. It is God himself, 
 in the person of His Son, "taking on the likeness of 
 sinful flesh," /. ^., becoming one of our race, and so 
 being both God and man, by His death on the cross, 
 fully satisfies the just demands of the holy but broken 
 law. It was necessarv that He should be both God and 
 
COMING JUDGMEAT. 13 
 
 man, that He might become a mediator between God 
 and man. 
 
 It was necessary that He should be sinless, so being 
 without sin himself, He could " bear our sins in His own 
 body on.the tree," and thus make a righteovis and per- 
 fect sacrifice that could be accepted by God. 
 
 Thus God himself has borne the penalty of our sins, 
 and His righteous justice is legally satisfied. There is 
 nothing more that can be required. Full reconciliation 
 has been made, which has resulted in the atonement or 
 at-one-ment of the justified sinner and God. 
 
 It was necessary also that He should be both God 
 and man, that after having put away sin by the sacri- 
 fice of himself, rising from the dead He could then give 
 life to those believing on Him. . 
 
 Christ did not die to regain the love of God, but His 
 dying is the outflowing of that love to ruined man. 
 Man's sin puts a barrier to that love, and God himself 
 puts the barrier away by the sacrifice of His Son, and 
 all that His righteous law may be honored. For He is 
 not indifferent to sin. He must punish it, because He 
 is infinitel}^ righteous. 
 
 The full curse of the law fell on the sinner's substi- 
 tute. The cross is thus the eternal witness of the 
 righteousness of God, and in such a way as to also 
 manifest His wondrous love to mankind. 
 
 So terrible is the evil of sin, and so inexorable is 
 the justice of God ! How great, then, is that love of 
 God toward sinners, that gave His only begotten Son to 
 die for them ! 
 
14 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 In like manner His holiness is also vindicated. His 
 abhorrence of sin is manifested in the strongest expres- 
 sion of His displeasure. *' He cast off and abhorred 
 and was wroth with his anointed," when *' He was made 
 to be sin for us." • • 
 
 Satan's malevolent plan to thwart God's glorious 
 work and ruin the race, instead, gave God the opportu- 
 nity to display His love in the work of redemption, as He 
 never could have done if man had remained innocent. 
 
 The Lord Jesus Christ suffered from God for sin. He 
 suffered from man for righteousness. But it was by the 
 will of God He came, predetermined to die a sin-offering 
 for the guilty. 
 
 He bore the sin and also the penalty. The penalty 
 for sin is separation from God. Thus He felt that sep- 
 aration from the Father which was the crowning agony 
 of all His sufferings, and which, but for His sacrifice, 
 every guilty sinner would have to feel to all eternity. 
 
 Atonement of sin by sacrifice was ordained of God 
 from the beginning, implied in the first promise, and 
 acknowledged in Abel's sacrifice. It is foreshadowed 
 through the whole elaborate Jewish ceremonial service. 
 Prophets proclaimed it. Jesus verified it, and it is con- 
 tinued in the "Lord's Supper." Lev. 17, "It is the 
 blood that maketh atonement for the soul." Rom. 3, 
 ** In his blood is propitiation." The Passover Lamb 
 shows very expressively the saving power of Jesus' 
 sacrifice. When God sees the blood (not when we see 
 it) we are safe. 
 
 In Lev. 16, the High Priest takes the blood into the 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 presence of God and sprinkles it on the mercy-seat and 
 seven times before it. Then their hands were laid on 
 the scape-goat, and so the goat was sent away into the 
 wilderness, bearing their sins away forever. It is God's 
 estimate of the blood, not ours, that saves us. 
 
 The testimony of God is very plain. "He gave him- 
 self a ransom for all," I Tim. 2:6.". . . suffered 
 for sins, the just for the unjust," I Pet. 3 : 18. "He 
 put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, Heb. 9 : 26.' 
 Sin has been dealt with according to God's own mind, 
 therefore it must be complete. 
 
 His own testimony is, " It is finished." Faith receives 
 the word and enjoys perfect peace. 
 
 His suffering from God as the sin-offering far over- 
 shadows His suffering from man. 
 
 He was delivered into the hands of the powers of 
 darkness. Luke 22 : 53. 
 
 The horror of Gethsemane was not so much the for- 
 saking of the disciples as the knowledge of soon to be 
 forsaken of the Father. It was this He had to endure as 
 the " Lamb of God," taking away the sin of the world, 
 unutterable agony being in the words, "If it be possi- 
 ble," but the willing Servant and obedient Son immedi- 
 ately added, " not my will but Thine be done." 
 
 That blessed countenance that He had rejoiced in 
 from everlasting was hid from him, and sin, that odious 
 thing, like a poisoned garment wrapped around Him, 
 striking its venom into His very veins, and so He, the 
 Holy One, endured that that otherwise would have been 
 eternal hell to all the rebellious race of man. 
 
1 6 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 ** If it be possible/'^ but of all things that was most 
 impossible. Here is the extreme manifestation of His 
 love, holding to its purpose in that fearful agony, known 
 only to God and Himself. 
 
 The horrors of the judgment day will not show forth 
 God's righteousness and hatred of sin as this flaming forth 
 of His wrath against the Son of His love on the cross. 
 
 Martyrs of Jesus have had His smile while dying, 
 but He endured the frown of God. 
 
 Father, Son, and Spirit, lovingly united in this work 
 of redemption ; man had no part in it. 
 
 Thus we have *' peace through His blood," and the 
 veil being rent from top to bottom, we can draw nigh as 
 •purged worshipers. 
 
 The more implicit the faith, the more we honor the 
 blood that has opened the way. 
 
 By the resurrection of Christ, God publicly attested 
 His acceptance of His finished sacrificial work." 
 
 So this is the gospel, that '' God was in Christ Jesus, 
 reconciling the world unto Himself." 
 
 The Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel are identical. 
 To believe on Him is to be saved by the gospel. 
 
 The Full Gospel. 
 
 What has been stated is at least the rudiments of the 
 gospel ; but to state the full gospel it is necessary to 
 state not only what the Lord Jesus Christ has done in 
 the past in the work of redemption, but also to state 
 what He is now doing ; and what He is going to do in 
 the future. 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 17 
 
 Much is said in the Epistles about coming to the 
 **full knowledge" of Christ. That is, as to who He 
 was, and is, and is to be. What He did, is doing, and 
 will yet do. For to every Christian, redemption and 
 salvation are related to the past, present, and future 
 work of the Lord Jesus. As to the past, His sacrifice 
 for sin upon the cross. As to the present, His position 
 as High Priest interceding for us in the presence of 
 God. As to the future. His coming again for His 
 church, and as King of Israel. 
 
 There is much Scripture to show that as all things 
 are created for the glor}^ of God, so redemption and the 
 salvation of sinners are also primarily for His glory. 
 
 The "fall" was permitted undoubtedly for the pur- 
 pose of giving God the opportunity to glorify Himself 
 in the plan of redemption. 
 
 For His attributes of perfection are all magnified, as 
 well as his love set forth in such a way as could never 
 be shown in his attitude toward the race merely of Cre- 
 ator and Ruler. 
 
 As soon as sin entered the world God was ready witli 
 His wondrous plan of redemption. Satan's work was 
 thwarted, and the seeming hopeless disaster is turned 
 to good account. 
 
 For the promised Savior is to become a new " Adam," 
 who after becoming a sin-ofl:ering by His death, will by 
 His resurrection become the new *' Head" of such por- 
 tion of the human race as shall be saved in and througI> 
 Him. For it is written that *' the first Adam was made 
 a living soul, the last Adam a life-giving spirit." 
 
1 8 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 The first Adam was a "son of God " only by crea- 
 tion ; as the angels are said to be ; i. e. , they are not 
 *' begotten." "God created man in His image," etc. 
 But the Lord Jesus as the "last Adam" was Son of 
 God, as the only begotten son of the Father, at the same 
 time " son of man." 
 
 After bearing the penalty for our sins upon the cross, 
 He was laid in the tomb, but after three days He was 
 raised from the dead in a new life ; it was not a restora- 
 tion of the life He had before His death. " But God 
 raised Him from the dead ; " " as it is written. Thou art 
 my Son, this day have I begotten Thee." So that as 
 " Head " of the " new creation " His resurrection day is 
 accounted by God as His birthday. For He is also said 
 to be " the firstborn from among the dead," " the first- 
 born among many brethren," etc. Showing that all 
 who "believe into Him" are justified before God by 
 their faith in Him ; so receiving pardon and cleansing 
 from their guilt, they also receive new life by being 
 " born again " of the Spirit ; even becoming partakers 
 of the life of the Lord Jesus, /. r., His resurrection life. 
 
 So it is seen that in the plan of redemption God saves 
 sinners, " dead in trespasses and sins," to a new life in 
 His Son; not the old life in the first Adam. Many 
 mistakingly preach that this new life in Christ is a 
 restoration of the old Adamic life lost in Eden, so that 
 the outcome of salvation is merely the restoration of 
 sinners to the innocence and bliss of Adam before he 
 fell. Herein is a failure to see the ti*ue significance of 
 Christ's resurrection. 
 
OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF 
 
 ■JIOR0>^COM/JVG JUDGMENT. 19 
 
 It is not merely that Christ being raised from the 
 dead, so zve shall be. That is true ; but in rising from 
 the dead He becomes the Head of the '' new creation " 
 consisting of the entire company of the saved, the 
 church. It is fully set forth in the Epistles to the 
 Ephesians and Colossians, represented as a *'Body" 
 with the Lord Jesus himself as the " Head." In II Cor. 
 5 : 17 it is stated that *'if any man be in Christ Jesus, 
 there is a new creation, old things have passed away, 
 new things have come into existence" (a better trans- 
 lation). The "old things," as the context clearly 
 shows, is the old standing in the first Adam, and the 
 *' new things " being the *' new creation " in Christ. 
 
 Secondly, what is the Lord Jesus now doing, or what 
 is his present work? 
 
 As our ascended Lord He is fulfilling the office of our 
 " High Priest," as set forth in the Epistle to the Heb- 
 rews. He is "appearing in the presence of God for 
 us," that is. He is hearing the prayers of, and interced- 
 ing for the saints. He has sent the Holy Spirit to abide 
 with the church till He comes again. The Holy Spirit 
 i"5 also interceding for the saints "with groanings which 
 cannot be uttered." So we have, as it were, a firm of 
 lawyers pleading our case before God ; the Lord Jesus 
 having his office in heaven, and the Holy Spirit having 
 his office on the earth. 
 
 What else is the Lord Jesus doing now ? He is, for 
 one thing, patiently waiting for the time to come ; the 
 appointed hour ; when the present order of things is 
 fulfilled, and He can take his church to Himself. The 
 
 b 
 
20 COMING JUDGMENT, 
 
 church now is exhorted to enter into the patience of 
 Christ ; looking forward to and earnestly desiring that 
 union with Him (II Thess. 3:5, margin). The pres- 
 ent is especially the dispensation of the Holy Spirit ; He 
 is through the preaching of the Word, saving out from 
 the world of both Jews and Gentiles a company called 
 the church or " Body " of the Lord Jesus and destined 
 to become the '* Bride" of Christ at the consummation 
 of this age. 
 
 It is written, " when Christ our life shall appear, then 
 shall we also appear with Him in glory." So in speak- 
 ing of what the Lord Jesus is yet to do, /. e.^ the future 
 of the great work of redemption ; we simply say that 
 He is to come again in like manner as He went into 
 heaven at His ascension from the Mount of Olives. 
 Raising the dead or ** sleeping " saints, together with 
 those living at that time, all are to be '* caught up" to 
 meet Him in the air; and so "to be ever with the 
 Lord." 
 
 The church at the present time is represented as in 
 the attitude of a chaste espoused virgin waiting for the 
 apppearing of her Lord ; when at the ** marriage of the 
 Lamb " he is to become the '' Bridegroom " and she the 
 ** Bride," to reign jointly forever in the kingdom of 
 righteousness which he is to set up at His coming. 
 
 So it is seen that the company of the redeemed, the 
 church, are saved to an exalted place far above that 
 lost in the first Adam ; even to the unspeakable glory 
 of being "partakers of the divine nature" and made 
 equal with the Lord Jesus himself. For although 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 21 
 
 Adam was '* created in the image of God," yet he was 
 not a partaker of the divine nature as ever}^ sinner is 
 that is '* born again " of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 The fact is that they are thus finally raised above all 
 ranks of angels to be equal with the Lord Jesus, who 
 was and is above all, '' who was made for a little while 
 lower than the angels for the suffering of death." 
 
 Coming down from the heights of glor}^ and fellow- 
 ship He had eternally enjoyed in the bosom of the. 
 Father, He comes to earth and takes on our human 
 nature so that after haviiig worked out their redemption 
 He could take fallen, but now regenerated, sinners up 
 with Him, past all ranks of angels, and seat them with 
 Him on his throne ! And all for the sake of the greater 
 glory and exaltation of that beloved Son in the eyes of 
 the unnumbered myriads of the vast universe of His 
 creation ; for it is written (Eph. 2 : 4-7) *' But God who 
 is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved 
 us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us 
 together with Christ (by grace ye are saved), and hath 
 raised us up together, and made us sit together in the 
 heavenlies in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He 
 might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in His 
 kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." This is the 
 *' gospel " or good news of God in Christ Jesus, and is 
 it not wondrousl}^ good that lost sinners should be the 
 recipients of such favor? 
 
22 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 The Corruption. 
 
 In speaking of the corruption of the gospel it is neces- 
 sary to go back to the beginning of the race again ; for 
 from the very start, the record of false and true wor- 
 shipers runs throughout the whole of human history. 
 
 As has been stated the Bible is a record of the person 
 and work of the divine Redeemer, from the first promise 
 given to Adam in Eden, till the last victory of the Lion 
 of Judah in the Revelation. But along with that record 
 goes also the record of the a(?ts of the human race, or 
 such portion of it as bears upon the Redeemer's person 
 and work. 
 
 Throughout the six thousand years of the world's his- 
 tory, there has not been a generation wanting a company 
 of genuine '* believers," saved in and by the atoning 
 sacrifice of this divine Redeemer. Also there has not 
 been a generation wanting a company of spurious 
 '* professors," corrupters of the truth. Not referring to 
 heathen idolaters, so-called, as the Greek and Roman ; 
 or the mystical *' religions " of the Chinese and Hindoos ; 
 but those professing to worship the one true God, and 
 to be followers of Jesus Christ. For throughout all the 
 ages, Satan has produced his counterfeits of the true. 
 It is the ** way of Cain," as it is called in Jude's epistle ; 
 and is the same at heart, though perhaps showing out a 
 little diff'erently in different generations. It is, practi- 
 cally, the denial of sin, and perdition, and the consequent 
 need of a dying Redeemer. Let us look at it a little in 
 detail. 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 23 
 
 When and just how the promised Redeemer was to 
 appear was not told at first. Eve thought she had 
 received the promised One in her first-born. But she 
 was sadly mistaken, for he turned out a murderer ; thus 
 showing that fallen man can only beget one in the like- 
 ness of himself, a sinner. 
 
 From this point there are two lines running along the 
 human race for fifteen hundred years or more. They 
 are the Cain and Seth descendants. The line of Seth 
 is simply told in that each one begat a son, undoubtedly 
 believing in and continuing the tradition of the coming 
 Redeemer, and then *'he died " is all that is recorded 
 of him. 
 
 On the other hand Cain begets sons of whom it is said 
 they were artificers and musicians ; but another mur- 
 derer also is recorded right away, although they were 
 '* men of renown." From this it would seem that there 
 was a considerable degree of civilization ; indeed many 
 have thought that the arts and sciences reached quite 
 an advanced stage in that antediluvian age. 
 
 But toward the close of the age we read that *'God 
 saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, 
 and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was 
 only evil continually." " The earth was corrupt before 
 God, the earth was filled with violence. And God 
 looked upon the earth and behold it was corrupt, for all 
 flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." Gen. 
 6:5, 12. 
 
 The great majority were unbelievers, filling the earth 
 with violence and cruelty, and growing worse and 
 
24 COMING yUDGMEMT. 
 
 .worse ; till God could not endure their wickedness 
 longer and so swept the whole race from the face of the 
 earth, saving only one famil}^ to repeople the earth. 
 Now what is the generation of all this evil thus far? 
 
 In the statement that God clothed Adarh and Eve 
 with skins shows that beasts were slain, undoubtedly in 
 sacrifice, God thus teaching them the sacrificial nature 
 of the coming Redeemer. Abel as a genuine '' believer " 
 slays a lamb and offers it as a burnt sacrifice upon an 
 altar ; thus admitting that he believed himself a sinner 
 worthy of death, and that God would accept the substi- 
 tutionary death of another, by his own (that is, God's) 
 appointment. Cain, quite the contrar}^ does not admit 
 himself to be a sinner worthy of death ; but quite worthy 
 to come into God's presence as a worshiper in his own 
 right of personal rectitude. His ** sacrifice," if it may 
 be so called, is really a present to Jehovah of the '* fruit 
 of the ground" brought, as it were, as a proof of the 
 goodness of his heart, in that he is willing to worship 
 God at all ! In some way God manifested an acceptance 
 of Abel's sacrifice and himself, but a non-acceptance of 
 Cain or his ''sacrifice." This angered Cain and he 
 slew his brother. Why he should reason that Abel had 
 anything to do with his non-acceptance with God it is 
 hard to see ; but, of course, quite naturally he was not 
 going t(t admit that the trouble was with himself. So 
 the false worshiper of the true God persecutes the true 
 worshiper. It has ever been so, and they have been 
 more bitter persecutors than the heathen idolaters 
 have. 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 25 
 
 This antediluvian age is called the dispensation 
 without law. 
 
 The descendants of Noah repeople the earth rapidly. 
 But it is not long before corruption comes to such a head 
 in the matter of the building of the tower of Babel, that 
 God intervenes with the miracle of multiplication of lan- 
 guages, thus scattering the people abroad and founding 
 the different nations, ver}^ much as they have come 
 down to the present day. 
 
 God at this time takes one man again (Abraham) and 
 makes his descendants rapidly increase into a nation, 
 and calls them " his people," " a chosen nation," etc. 
 
 Throughout the history of the nation of Israel the 
 fallen nature of man is again tested under different cir- 
 cumstances from that previously. 
 
 They are not the whole human race, but yet as a 
 sample, they show what is in the heart of man, and what 
 the race would do if put in the same circumstances. 
 
 The circumstances that Israel came up under were 
 especially favorable, one would think. They had a 
 miraculous deliverance from their bondage in Egypt, 
 and as has been said, they had God-appointed leaders, 
 a God-given law, and tabernacle services, and above all, 
 the manifest presence of God in that tabernacle. They 
 made protestations of perpetual allegiance to Jehovah, 
 mutual covenants were entered into; with what result? 
 A record of constant failure. One long-continued his- 
 tory of "backsliding" into shameful idolatry; then 
 chastened of God and brought back, only to fall away 
 again after a little, and so on till their history closes with 
 
26 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 their final and worst crime of rejecting and crucifying 
 their Messiah. 
 
 Their violent treatment of the Lord Jesus himself had 
 proved true *his own words that *' men loved darkness 
 rather than light, because their deeds were evil," and 
 that '' the heart is deceitful above all things and desper- 
 ately (/. ^., hopelessly) wicked." 
 
 In the words of another : '' The doctrine of the 
 reprobate character and irretrievable ruin of the * flesh ' 
 is as firmly established as the doctrine of salvation. 
 The fact that in us * dwelleth no good ' does not remain 
 now to be tried, but is to be accepted as finally proved. 
 It was proved at the cross of Christ, when the curtain 
 fell on the delusive hope that there was good in man. 
 The deliberate choice, ' not this man but Barabbas,- 
 settled the character of our fallen nature." 
 
 The Jews were the professed worshipers of the true 
 God, yet they did not know God. Claiming to be scru- 
 pulous students of the Scriptures, yet they did not 
 recognize the Messiah when he came. They were 
 worshiping the true God, to be sure, but not worship- 
 ing ''in spirit and in truth," for they were destitute of 
 both. They were following *'in the wa}^ of Cain" and 
 ended as Cain did, by hating and then murdering the 
 true Worshiper. They did not ignore, but perverted 
 the truth, hence were a ''perverse generation," or 
 nation. It is recorded of Peter's first address after Pen- 
 tecost, that " he exhorted with many like words saying, 
 save yourselves from this perverse generation." 
 
 The Lord Jesus had said to them, "in vain do they 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 27 
 
 worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments 
 of men. . . . Ye reject the commandment of God, 
 that ye may keep your own tradition." 
 
 A historian sa3^s : '* One of the most prominent cor- 
 rupting influences was the undue authority assigned in 
 the interpretation of the Scripture to the verdict of oral 
 tradition. ... In this collection (the Talmud) 
 a greater respect appears for the letter than the spirit of 
 the Bible, and to be learned in its traditional interpreta- 
 tion began to be reckoned of greater account than to 
 walk in the ways of the fathers." 
 
 The things that happened to Israel are said to be " for 
 our example upon whom the ends of the world (age) 
 are come." 
 
 Indeed the whole course of Israel's ways and hap- 
 penings, and God's dealings with them, is an object 
 lesson of great importance to us. 
 
 Israel, as a nation, was a company of unregenerate 
 people. There were exceptions, of course. A small 
 number in every generation, undoubtedly, who were 
 truly regenerated by the Spirit and so true worshipers. 
 The seven thousand at the time of Elijah were a sample 
 of what might be lound at all times probably, even in 
 the times of greatest declension. There were always a 
 few men like Abraham and Moses, David and Daniel, 
 and others who were '' men of God " and faith. But that 
 does not alter the fact that, as a whole, it was a nation 
 of unregenerate people. This is of great importance 
 in considering the lesson of God's dealings with them. 
 
 As has been said, their history is one of continuous 
 
28 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 failure and apostacy, restrained only by fear. Yet God 
 continued with his merciful dealings. Sent them proph- 
 ets and leaders time and again. Pleading with them in 
 greatest tenderness. Yet there was no heart response in 
 unfeeling Israel. 
 
 After centuries of this testing and proving the inability of 
 fallen human nature to serve God by keeping the law, and 
 worshiping and obeying Him from the heart, we come 
 down to Christ's time and hear Him saying to Nicodemus, 
 *' Marvel not that I said unto you ye must be born 
 again." The '' must be " was made evident by this long 
 time of testing the human race under the most favorable 
 religious circumstances. Yet it w^as proved beyond 
 question that the '* natural man" could not be educated 
 into goodness, or developed into an upright moral being. 
 There must be a '' new creation," and a complete repu- 
 diation of the old. There are many now who '' marvel " 
 when hearing the necessity of the '* new birth " preached, 
 and the world is full of teachers claiming that human 
 nature is not fallen, and is capable of all good if only 
 put in sufficiently favorable ''environments." This is 
 the false gospel of Satan, with which he deceives men 
 and women willing to be deceived, and by which like a 
 false swamp-light, he leads them on to everlasting per- 
 dition. 
 
 So ends another chapter in the history of the testing 
 of the race ; it had under these favorable circumstances 
 been tried and failed ; been "weighed in the balances 
 and found wanting." Not that God needed to have it 
 proved to Him what the outcome would be. But that 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 29 
 
 it needed to be uncontrovertibly proved to mankind of 
 future generations, and, also, undoubtedly, to the onlook- 
 ing hosts of heaven, " the exceeding sinfulness of sin." 
 
 Israel, as a nation, is cut off now from the ** olive" 
 root of dispensational privilege, and we see them, as a 
 nation, bearing their punishment to the present day. 
 
 God now turns to the Gentile nations in grace, send- 
 ing forth the gospel of His Son. How has human nature 
 shown up under the greater blessings of this Gentile dis- 
 pensation? Has not the history of Christendom from 
 the time of Christ been one of corrupting of the truth, 
 accompanied by religious intolerance and even blood- 
 shed by professed followers of Christ? Scoffing and 
 indifference to the claims of God by the cultured masses 
 at best; while greed, oppression, dishonesty, and lust 
 continually cropping out, show what is underneath 
 even the best society ! And among the lower classes, 
 whether in Christendom or Heathendom, vice, gross 
 lust, and cruelty, as the daily life, filling up the dark 
 picture. 
 
 The oppressed condition of the mill hands and 
 miners, and also the army of unemployed in our land, 
 is very evident to any one at all awake to the condition 
 of this country and the world at the present time. 
 
 No wonder there is the ever-increasing struggle of 
 these masses for freedom from these ills. But to the 
 humble student and believer in God's Word, it is also 
 pitiable to see the futile efforts of this poor fallen race 
 to reform itself. It is not God's order to reform the 
 world, it is hastening to judgment. 
 
30 COMING JUDGMENT . 
 
 The reform leaders (''socialists," etc.) seem to 
 leave out of account the fact of sin being the funda- 
 mental evil. They speak of '* selfishness" to be sure, 
 but as if existing in the oppressing capitalists only. 
 Whereas the oppressed and oppressors are alike sinners 
 before God, and are equally under His just condemna- 
 tion. It is certain that the same heart of evil exists in 
 both, so that if the tables could be turned, the poor 
 becoming the employers and the rich becoming in turn 
 the employed, there would be enacted over again just 
 the same greed and oppression that we now see. 
 
 There is the ever-recurring boast of this (U. S.) 
 being the best form of government in the world. As 
 they say, " A government of the people, by the people, 
 and for the people." But a republic or democracy 
 cannot succeed as a human government because of 
 man's fallen sinful nature. He cannot govern himself, 
 how can he govern others I Under these circumstances 
 there must necessaril}^ be more or less self-seeking, 
 ''wire-pulling," etc., to gain self-interest in some 
 form or other. In a word, among self-seeking rulers 
 there cannot be a working out of the first principles of 
 good government, viz., " the greatest good to all." 
 
 Where shall we turn for a solution ? Where but to 
 the source of all truth, God's Word? God in starting 
 with the chosen nation of Israel, evidently intended to 
 show as an object lesson to all the world, the highest 
 form of government, viz., a monarchy, with God Him- 
 self the Supreme Ruler, really a theocracy (God- 
 government). But they soon threw off the yoke, and 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 31 
 
 the theocracy ceased. So God is now letting the 
 nations try self-government in different forms. 
 
 In the experiment sometimes it gets ver}^ oppres- 
 sive, and then some reformer arises, or new party is 
 formed, that accomplishes a little reform, and great 
 hopes are set by the new order of things that now the 
 trouble will be permanently healed. But alas ! shortly 
 the ** reform" needs reforming, and the remedy seems 
 as far off as ever. 
 
 The fact is, God is letting *' man" try his way, and 
 do "his level best" (this being "man's judgment 
 day"), and when it is full}^ proved before the world 
 and angels how fallen and how helplessly impotent 
 man is to save or reform himself, God will step into the 
 scene and inaugurate a new order of things. First He 
 has declared that he will judge the world by that man 
 whom He has appointed, viz., the God-man, the Lord 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 He will thus be manifested as the righteous King and 
 Judge. Setting up a righteous kingdom wherein there 
 will be no oppression ; but peace and happiness be the 
 rule instead of distress and disorder. Where justice will 
 exist in fact rather than pretense, /. c.^ where all are 
 made to do right as well as get their rights. 
 
 Yet there are those who claim the world is growing 
 better ! It surely is better off, with the greater " light " 
 of the present over the past ages, and the greater con- 
 veniences of an advanced civilization. 
 
 But this only enables men to cover up their wicked- 
 ness better. The propriety of the present culture will 
 
 'f OF THE \ 
 
 f UNIVERSITY I 
 
32 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 not allow men to sin so openly as formerly, thus hypoc- 
 risy is practised as never before. 
 
 Men naturally deny that they are sinners, "lost" or 
 " fallen " to the degree the Scriptures state. Quite 
 naturally then their religiousness consists in proving 
 their supposed '* inherent goodness." 
 
 Most cultured, refined people wish themselves to be 
 considered " Christian people." So multitudes, through 
 a half-way confession of Christ, before some " examin- 
 ing committee " who have very low ideas of what a 
 Christian really is, are admitted to the membership of 
 the so-called *' evangelical churches," and henceforth 
 pass under the name of Baptist, Methodist, or Presby- 
 terian, etc., while still really unregenerate, and, of 
 course, know not Christ. 
 
 If it is meant by the world growing better that the 
 refined and cultured classes are growing more philan- 
 thropic and ''religious," why, perhaps, yes. But the 
 religiousness of fallen human nature is as bad in God's 
 sight as an}^ of its evil acts. In fact it is the most God- 
 dishonoring of all. It denies his Word. 
 
 " Total depravity " is not a Scriptural phrase, but it 
 is a Scriptural and historical fact. Sin is just the same 
 incurable and desperate evil now in every human being 
 that it was in Adam, David, or Paul. The Scriptures 
 declare " there is no difterence." But for restraining 
 circumstances the evil of every and any human heart 
 would break out into as great wickedness as ever was 
 perpetrated by man. Many rebel at this doctrine and 
 say *' it is too leveling." 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. . 33 
 
 It is not the doctrine but the fact that is leveling. All 
 are in like condition before God. Well might an un- 
 saved sinner, who thus sees himself indeed a sinner, cry 
 out with the jailor at Phillippi, *' What must I do to be 
 saved?" or with one, thousands of years ago, '*How 
 shall man be just (justified) with God?" 
 
 In considering this present age of Gentile ingrafting 
 there is much that is parallel with the history of Israel. 
 For as Israel was a chosen nation separated from the 
 other nations with the evident intention of God that they 
 should keep separated, so the church is a company of 
 saved sinners separated from the world, and with the 
 evident intention of God that they should keep separ- 
 ated. But in neither case has the intention been car- 
 ried out. 
 
 In the twenty-second chapter of Deuteronomy, God is 
 teaching Israel His abhorrence of mixture in the laws 
 there given concerning the not sowing of divers seeds, 
 and not wearing garments of divers materials, etc. 
 
 In the twelfth chapter of Exodus, we read that ** a 
 mixed multitude came out of Egypt with Israel," and 
 later on we find that the mixed multitude led Israel to 
 sin. Still later, upon their entering the land of Canaan, 
 God commanded an utter extermination of the idola- 
 trous tribes, fully warning Israel of the evil and harm 
 sure to come to them if they allowed any of these tribes 
 to remain. But Israel did not obey God in this matter, 
 and many of these idolatrous people were allowed to 
 remain and mingle with Israel as servants. But they 
 led Israel into idolatry as foretold by God. So the 
 3 
 
34 COMIATG JUDGMENT. 
 
 church of Christ, instead of being a company of saved 
 sinners, separated from the world, is become a great 
 l)ody of a ''mixed multitude" consisting of the three 
 great branches of Greek, Romish, and Protestant sys- 
 tems. And as it was the "mixed multitudes" that 
 caused Israel to fall a-lusting, and to corrupt the true 
 ^vorship of Jehovah, so has the unregenerate mixture in 
 the churches been foremost in causing the many forms 
 of ecclesiastical impurity and practice which at present 
 -exist. ^ 
 
 God's plans and institutions do not need changing 
 and adjusting, or new and rearrangements to adapt to 
 changing times and customs, as men's plans do. God, 
 the Holy Spirit who instituted and constituted the 
 church at the beginning, was able in His omniscience 
 to see down through all the coming age to its end. 
 And thus knowing what the church would pass through 
 and its future needs, organized and constituted it as He 
 saw would be required to meet all exigencies of the 
 future. 
 
 God is His own architect and builder, and the house 
 when done is His. He does not need, nor can man 
 help Him of himself. He graciously uses men in His 
 work, but the plan and order of development and means 
 are of His ordering from first to last. 
 
 The writer is no "fatalist," although there is to the 
 undiscriminating mind a similarity between " fatalism " 
 and the Scripture teaching of God's plan of the ages, in 
 foreordaining and election. Everything is not "cut 
 and dried," however, else there would not be the scores 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 35 
 
 of exhortation for Christians to exercise their ** free will'* 
 in doing or not doing as the case may be. 
 
 But it is just this ; if all the wisest men of the church, 
 men of the astutest minds, men of heaviest '* mental 
 calibre," men venerable in experience, yes, the very 
 strongest representation of the world-wide Christendom 
 should, in international council convened, decide that cer- 
 tain measures (of their own devising) were beneficial for 
 the church ; w^ould that, let the humble student of God's' 
 Word be asked, would that have a feather weight of 
 value in the opinion of God. 
 
 Unfortunately for the church there have been in 
 every age leaders arise who have sought to popularize 
 the church. They have reasoned that they must "keep 
 in touch with the age," and have felt it necessary to ap- 
 ply the advanced ways and means of modern civiliza- 
 tion to Christianity. 
 
 It is plainly Satan's work, preparing the way for his 
 anti-christ. Roman Catholicism is but one branch of 
 the evil ; it pervades Protestantism also. Through 
 sectarianism he causes divisions and separations of 
 Christians, thus causing weakness in the general body. 
 Through " public worship " he gets the popularizing of 
 the church, which is far more detrimental than sectar- 
 ianism. And why all this evil? Because of departing 
 from the Word of God, and following traditions instead ! 
 
 Christian teachers have for centuries followed one 
 another instead of continually referring back to the 
 Word of God. In reading the sermons and writings of 
 the preachers of the past generation, as for instance 
 
36 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 Baxter, Brainard, Edwards, Wesley, etc., we see how 
 far they were from teaching the Word purely. They 
 seem rather to have followed the traditions and adapta- 
 tions of those before them . This was taught to theo- 
 logical students, to again teach in turn, and these '' tra- 
 ditions " are thus handed down to the present day. 
 
 Customs so venerable are held onto with much preju- 
 dice, and only with the greatest difficulty can anyone 
 be got to honestly and earnestly question, Are we 
 right? Are we acting and teaching according to God's 
 Word? 
 
 But the present generation study the Bible far more 
 than the past generation ; and there is now said to be 
 much knowledge of the Word as compared with the 
 past. 
 
 There is, undoubtedly, more *' familiarity with the 
 Scriptures," but that is not the same thing as knowl- 
 edge through having *' spiritual discernment." With 
 all the Sunday-school teaching of the present day, still 
 Christians are imtaught concerning Jesus Christ, i. e., 
 as to His person and work ; they know nothing com- 
 paratively as to the simple facts concerning the plan of 
 redemption and the kingdom of Christ. The Scriptures 
 are studied as isolated passages largely, without getting 
 the truth of the general whole first, at least in some 
 degree. -This is probably the chief cause of the bulk 
 of the errors and mistakes that are so generally held. 
 
 The Bible is not a collection of separate books, but is 
 one book in sixty-six parts. It has one author and one 
 theme, viz., '* Redemption by Jesus Christ in order to 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. yj 
 
 the establishment of the kingdom of God in the world." 
 In the development of the work of redemption through 
 the ages of the world's history, God has worked through 
 different means and channels at different times. These 
 consecutive ages are called ** dispensations," and it is 
 important to clearly see dispensational truth, or the 
 study of the Word will be confusing and will lead to 
 error. 
 
 Throughout the several Old Testament dispensations- 
 God is preparing the world for tl^ coming of the Re- 
 deemer. In ''due time," /. ^., the appointed prophetic 
 time, He came, and was made a sacrifice for sin by His 
 death ; then He rose from the dead, and after promising 
 to send the Holy Spirit, ascended to heaven. He also 
 stated plainly, but indefinitely as to time, that He would 
 come again. 
 
 At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit did come according to 
 promise, upon the little company of believers, and thus 
 was the church instituted and organized. 
 
 In a few years, before their death, several of the 
 apostles wrote letters to certain churches, which soon 
 came to be recognized as "inspired," and so with the 
 gospels and Revelation were reckoned in with the Old 
 Testament books, the whole from that time being 
 regarded as the Scriptures or Word of God. There is 
 a difference between the teaching of the "gospels" 
 and the epistles. 
 
 Christ came to Israel as their Messiah and His words 
 and acts directed to them are as one " under the law '* 
 to those under the law, and so are not applicable or in- 
 
38 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 tended for the church which is not under the law but 
 under grace. 
 
 The Lord Jesus had now, so to speak, turned the care 
 of the church upon the earth over to the Holy Spirit. 
 So the present age may be spoken of as preeminently 
 the dispensation of the Holy Spirit ; and He has inspired 
 the epistles for the express purpose of guiding the church 
 till the Lord comes again. 
 
 It is very noticeable that so little, practically nothing, 
 of all the Lord Jesus'# teachings are referred to in the 
 epistles. This certainly can hardly be accidental or 
 unmeaning. 
 
 Now the Protestant church holds that the work of the 
 church is primarily the conversion of the unsaved. The 
 maintenance of *' public worship " is supposed to be for 
 this end. The Sunday-school has the same object. 
 Even the prayer-meetings of the church are now called 
 ** gospel meetings," and are conducted mainly with 
 reference to persuading persons to ** accept Christ," and 
 become Christians. Outside the church, the so-called 
 Christian organizations claim to have the same object, 
 as the Y. M. C. A., Salvation Army, etc. 
 
40 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 But reading closely the epistles with reference to 
 seeing what the principal comniands are, it will be 
 found that laboring for the conversion of the unsaved is 
 not the first and foremost command. The most oft- 
 repeated command is *' love the brethren," repeated 
 many times. So that in all the many commands found 
 in the epistles there is really nothing like a command 
 for individual Christians to labor ibr the salvation of the 
 unregenerate ; but rather to labor for the salvation of 
 saints. 
 
 Failing to see this, and that the great object of re- 
 demption of mankind is the glory of God primarily, 
 and not the need of the sinner to be saved, and so sup- 
 posing that the saving of sinners and by whatever 
 means, is the thing of first importance, has led to a mul- 
 titude of expediences in the church utterly at variance 
 with the teachings and commands of the Word of God. 
 
 We read in Rev. 4, ii, that all things were created 
 by, and for the pleasure of, God ; the inference is that 
 the redemption of mankind is also. In Col. i we read 
 also that all things were created by the Son, and by Him 
 all things consist, or hold together. It is unto the king- 
 dom of *' His dear Son" that all things concerning 
 redemption culminate. In Acts 15, we read that the 
 purpose of God in this dispensation is to take out from 
 the Gentiles *' a people for his name." Not to '* convert 
 the world" but saving a number from each generation, 
 all together at last forming the "Bride" that is to be 
 presented to " His dear Son." This is the " election of 
 grace." 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. ^\ 
 
 The doctrine of " election " was so unscripturally held 
 by the first generation that perhaps that as much as 
 anything is the reason for its being so entirely ignored 
 at present. They failed to see the mercy of God in it ; 
 claiming that it is partial and unjust. But the doctrine 
 of election stands or falls in a Christian's mind accord- 
 ing to whether he holds the doctrine of sonship and 
 regeneration scripturally. But there is great misappre- 
 hension concerning sonship and regeneration, and so as 
 a natural consequence " election" is utterly misappre- 
 hended ; for they are bound up together, and so to be 
 rightly understood should be seen together. 
 
 This blessed doctrine of God's love to lost sinners in 
 His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, cannot be discerned by 
 carnal Christians or the uuregenerate ; to them it 
 seems preposterous; the "spiritual" having spiritual 
 discernment alone can understand and receive it. Just 
 as the carnal Christian cannot understand the difference 
 between '* flesh and spirit" in John 3 (the new birth), 
 or dispensational truth, or the scriptural meaning of 
 "leaven," or the antichristian apostacy of the pres- 
 ent condition of Christendom, and the like truths. The 
 usual exclamation is, when the doctrine of election is 
 mentioned: "Why! do you mean to say that a man 
 cannot be saved even if he wants to, if he is not one of 
 the elect?" It is quite natural that they should question 
 thus, seeing they are ignorant of the teaching of Scrip- 
 ture as to the morally helpless condition of fallen human 
 nature. Otherwise they would know that no uuregen- 
 erate man wants to be saved, in the true sense. They 
 
42 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 may say that they want to go to heaven, or escape hell ; 
 but they do n't want to become holy ; sin does not want 
 to give up sin. 
 
 Again they will say : But does n't it distinctly say 
 '' Whosoever will may come," etc. ? Here, also, they 
 show their lack of spiritual discernment in not seeing 
 that this is not an invitation to the unregenerate to 
 accept salvation. And it is noticeable that there are no 
 invitations in Scripture to the unregenerate to accept 
 salvation. I know some will say : How about all those 
 invitations in the Old Testament, like '' Come now let us 
 reason together," in Isaiah, and *'Turn ye, turn ye, for 
 why will ye die," "Choose ye this day whom ye will 
 serve," and others. In all these God is beseeching 
 backsliding Israel, as a nation, to forsake idolatry and 
 return to their allegiance to Him. These passages 
 should not be used out of their setting, for they are not 
 invitations to the unregenerate to accept salvation. 
 That passage, also, in Proverbs, as generally used, 
 " He that winneth souls is wise," is very misleading, 
 supposing, as they do by this, that persons can be won 
 to Christ through personal pleading and laboring. 
 
 The meaning of the passage evidently is that he that 
 wins friends to himself is wise. Well, some will say, 
 There is the passage in II Cor. *' We then as embassa- 
 dors of God, beseech you in Christ's stead, be ye 
 reconciled to God." But it is to be noticed that this is 
 a letter of an apostle to a little flock of Christians, the 
 exhortation is, therefore, addressed to Christians. 
 
 As to the passage in Revelation, "whosoever wjU," 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 43 
 
 etc., the invitation is evidently addressed to a company 
 of saved persons in that future age when the church 
 has become the *' Bride ;" the church now is the chaste 
 virgin espoused to Christ, waiting for the marriage 
 day. 
 
 Then it may be said, Is it not said several times that 
 ''whosoever believeth hath everlasting life?" Cer- 
 tainly, but this is only a statement of an existing fact, 
 not a contingent declaration or invitation. Mind, it 
 does not say whosoever will believe. The fact is, the 
 willing in the case is by another, even God Himself. In 
 a word, the desperate, helpless, hopeless condition of 
 fallen human nature is not recognized by the preachers 
 of the present day, no, not even the evangelists, great 
 or small, for they all work and preach on the principle 
 that sinners can be persuaded to accept of salvation, 
 /. ^., that the willing lies with them. This is not like 
 the preaching of the apostles, for they never preached 
 the gospel in the shape of an invitation. They declared 
 the gospel, i. e,^ the person and work of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit accompanied this decla- 
 ration as the means of regeneration. They never 
 urged sinners to believe, accept, receive, etc. 
 
 In John 5 : 25, 26, the dead (in trespasses and sins) 
 hear the voice of the Son of God and live. The state- 
 ment that '*the hour now is" shows that this verse 
 refers to sinners now hearing and living, in distinction 
 from the 28th verse, which plainly says that the hour is 
 coming when those in the tombs shall hear, etc., refer- 
 ing evidently to the resurrection. The 21st verse 
 
44 COMING JUDGMENT, 
 
 declares that the Son gives life to whom He will, i, e.^ 
 speaks sinners into life, spiritually, just as He physically 
 spoke Lazarus into life, lying helpless in the tomb. 
 So throughout the New Testament eternal life is always 
 shown to be the gift of God. Rom. 6 : 23, etc. 
 
 The Scripture really teaches that some are '* pre- 
 viously marked out" (Roth, trans, instead of " pre- 
 destined ") and gratuitously given forgiveness of sins 
 and eternal life in the Son. Why He thus chooses 
 some instead of all, or certain ones instead of others 
 He does not choose to tell us. But it is not an 
 *' unkind partiality," for if He did not choose some, 
 none would be saved. For He is not under obligation 
 to any to save them, and we must remember we are 
 not saved for our own sakes, but for His glory. It 
 stands Christians in hand to be very glad and humbly 
 grateful that God has thus shown His great love toward 
 them. For they must all admit Christ's statement, ** Ye 
 have not chosen me but I have chosen you." 
 
 By way of parenthesis let it be here stated that in all 
 this writing the object is to show that Gentile Christen- 
 dom has not remained in the *' goodness of God," i. e.^ 
 the present dispensational privilege, any more than 
 Israel did in the past, and for which they were '* cut 
 off" from the ''olive root." And that Christendom 
 for the same reason is to be cut off. And that the 
 foundation evil is a departure from the Word of God, 
 in Christian doctrine and ecclesiastical practices. And 
 that the Greek, Romish, and Protestant divisions of said 
 Christendom are alike guilty of this gross departure. 
 
COMING JUDGMENT, 45 
 
 Not that the writer would set himself up as a judge 
 of his Christian brethren, or as a "reformer" of the 
 church. For we are not expected to reform evils, but 
 to separate from them. Nevertheless it is our duty to 
 discern the times and to be awake to the devices and 
 work of the adversary, and not lend our aid by fellow- 
 ship with it, but give a warning cry as loud and clear 
 as we are able. 
 
 In order to still clearer see the truth of the statement 
 that we have grossly departed from the Word of God, 
 let us look a little more closely at some of the 
 
 Errors and Misapprehensions 
 
 concerning even the fundamental doctrines of salvation. 
 How many have mistaken ideas concerning ''being a 
 Christian," as it is called, or more correctly stated, 
 how they came to be and what they are as Christians ; 
 what the church is, its relation, position, and testimony 
 in the world, and its final destiny. 
 
 This is brought out quite strongly by asking different 
 persons, " Are you a Christian?" 
 
 Various will be the answers, and they are quite 
 significant. Some will answer with a supposed becom- 
 ing diffidence, '*I hope so." Others will answer in a 
 sort of business-like way, "Certainly, I 'm a member 
 of such and such a church." Still others again will 
 say evasively, " Well — er — perhaps not just what you 
 might call a Christian, but I'm not as bad," etc. 
 
 These answers tell a good deal more than the simple 
 words uttered. 
 
46 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 Take the first, *'I hope so." It is generally uttered 
 by persons who are probably true believers, but who 
 are uninstructed as to the fact that the Word gives the 
 assurance to believers to know that their sins are 
 forgiven, and that they are now '* Sons of God" 
 through the new birth. They are not taught that the 
 sacrificial work of Christ on the cross is a finished 
 work, leaving nothing for sinners to do but to add to 
 its merits, and that believing in Him they have forgive- 
 ness of sins and new life. 
 
 But somehow they feel that this believing alone does 
 not constitute them Christians ; they reason that when 
 besides thus believing, they show a consistently proper 
 life, then they can consistently say they are Christians. 
 They fail to see that the manner of life has nothing to 
 do with constituting them Christians. It is entirely a 
 matter of being not doing. Just as manner of life has 
 nothing to do with a man's being an Englishman or a 
 German. So with the Christian, it's a matter of birth, 
 the new birth of the Holy Spirit. A life obedient to 
 the principles and commands of the Word is required, 
 to be sure, but it does not in the least help to constitute 
 them Christians, or add to their acceptance or justifica- 
 tion before God. Much might be said right here, and 
 emphatically, concerning the untaught condition of 
 Christians generalh', in spite, too, of all the boasted 
 study of the Word. 
 
 Then those who answer, ** I'm a member of such 
 and such a church." It is to be feared that most of 
 those giving such an answer know nothing of the sav- 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 47 
 
 ing grace of God in Christ Jesus, but are deceived into 
 thinking they are Christians when they are not. They 
 have never really seen themselves as sinners, and 
 God's judicial satisfaction for sin in the death of His 
 Son. They have sometime, probably, been moved by 
 the recital of some " touching " incident, and the}^ rea- 
 son that they must have a pretty good heart to be thus 
 touched ; good enough at least to be called a Christian, 
 and so fit to ''join the church." They don't like to be 
 pressed too closely with such questions as, " Are you a 
 Christian? Do you know your sins are forgiven? Are 
 you sure of life in Christ Jesus?" It is enough for them 
 they think to be "in good and regular standing" of 
 some church. 
 
 This class usually live fairly moral lives, and " at- 
 tend church" quite regularly, for they depend upon 
 this for their standing before God instead of regenera- 
 tion through Jesus Christ. 
 
 Thus Satan deceives men, and enables them to suc- 
 cessfully, as they think, compromise the matter and not 
 have to humble tiieir pride by confessing themselves 
 sinners. 
 
 Then those giving a decidedly evasive answer. They 
 hesitate, and don't want to say yes or no, seemingl}^ 
 and why? The fact is that in highly respectable 
 society it is quite necessary to "be a Christian " (at 
 least nominally), to be* " received." In a word, w^e 
 have come to such a pass that it is no longer a re- 
 proach, but on the contrary an "accomplishment" 
 deemed necessary to round out one's social character. 
 
48 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 Many realizing this, wish to be thought Christians. 
 They try to persuade themselves that they are not very 
 bad, not bad enough to be styled " sinners," but prob- 
 ably good enough to be styled " Christians," of course 
 utterly mistaking what a true Christian really is. 
 
 The cause of this state of things is not hard to find. 
 The mode of preaching, and what is called the '* gos- 
 pel " given at the present time by most evangelists, is 
 certain to bring about just such results. Sin is not 
 taken account of, its sinfulness shown, its consequences 
 stated, nor on the other hand is Christ set forth as God's 
 judicial satisfaction for sin ; nor the repentant believing 
 sinners perfect acceptance by God in Christ. But in- 
 stead young men and women are urged to ** take a 
 stand for Christ," to '*give their heart to God," to '* take 
 the first step in the Christian life," etc. 
 
 The writer has heard a preacher of some note ad- 
 dressing a crowded church full of young people (the 
 meeting was styled a gospel address to the young), 
 urge upon them this reason among others why they 
 should become Christians, viz., " because it is fashion- 
 able." Is it any wonder the results are just what they 
 are ? 
 
 And what shall be said of the unscriptural practice of 
 *' singing the gospel "that has become so popular of 
 late years? Of course it is based on the supposition 
 that men and women must be "moved" to become 
 Christians by some exercise of their own. So floods of 
 ** gospel hymns" have come into existence. Many are 
 hymns of '* invitation," and many are pathetic hymns 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 49 
 
 to *' touch the sensibilities." All of which " moving " 
 and emotional work is worse than useless, for it is more 
 likely than not to make deceptive ** conversions " 
 merely. 
 
 It can be classed among the *' carnal weapons " along 
 with sensational preaching, etc. 
 
 In fact how many of the hymns of all kinds used by 
 the church are misleading and deceptive in their teach- 
 ing through being partial, or even actually incorrect, 
 statements of truth. 
 
 There is much preached that is called the " gospel " 
 that is not the gospel. And there are all degrees of 
 divergence from the true gospel. But one thing is 
 common to them all. The *'lost" condition of fallen 
 humanity is not recognized to the full degree as set 
 forth in the Scriptures. No broken law, no offended 
 justice, therefore no punishment due. 
 
 Sinners are spoken of as having a "better nature" 
 that can be appealed to, and so they are urged to '' as- 
 sert their manhood," etc. This being the case, they 
 consistently teach that all that is necessary is to intro- 
 duce him into new and good *' environments " and he 
 will, if not all at once, gradually learn to do right I 
 And that means " salvation " to many so-called Chris- 
 tian teachers at the present time. 
 
 Men and women are recognized as being in distress 
 of different kinds. Oppression of man against man is 
 seen, but no recognition of offence against the Ci:eator 
 and Ruler of the Universe. '* Salvation" with them 
 means only relief from the present trouble, distress, or 
 
 4 
 
50 COMING yUDGMESTT. 
 
 poverty. If the oppression of man to man could cease, 
 they seem to think this world would be a heaven ! 
 
 But besides those who preach such an utterly false 
 *' gospel " it is safe to say that even most of those who 
 preach the true gospel yet preach it very superficially. 
 With most of them also salvation from trouble, and a 
 life of degradation, not condemnation before God and 
 eternal punishment, seem to be the main idea. They 
 are running more and more into the " rescue mission " 
 style of preaching, if it may be called preaching, the 
 gospel. People are not under condemnation, but 
 '* poor dears" in suffering and need help. 
 
 Of course there is much suffering in the world, and it 
 needs relieving as much as possible ; but it should be 
 recognized as all the result of sin. God is curing the 
 great evil of sin through the atoning sacrifice of His 
 Son, and so the consequent suffering in this world will 
 eventually disappear, /. ^., after judgment, in His 
 righteous kingdom. 
 
 Many evangelists make no statement of sin whatever. 
 When asked why they do not they answer, '' Oh, every- 
 one knows he is a sinner, it's a waste of time telling 
 him of it." It should rather be recognized that men 
 do not know that they are sinners. The *' natural man" 
 does not perceive or willingly receive it. As some one 
 has truly said, ** No one sees himself as a sinner in 
 the Scriptural sense, only as he is shown it by the 
 Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Word." 
 
 Preachers do not state the depth to which man is 
 fallen on the one side, nor the height to which he is 
 
COMING JUDGMEIVT. 
 
 raised in Christ Jesus on the other. There is a slack- 
 ness in stud3nng the Word on the subject. There is 
 too much reading what other men say about it, rather 
 than a close attention to what God the Spirit has written 
 concerning it. The electric haste of the times doesn't 
 allow of a slow and patient attention in the matter. 
 Much, also, is taken for granted where nothing 
 should be. 
 
 A superficial recognition of the lost estate of man is 
 invariably accompanied by a correspondingly superficial 
 recognition of redemption and salvation. As sin is 
 belittled, so the work of the Lord Jesus Christ is 
 belittled. 
 
 Meanwhile, the lie of Satan that men are not sinners 
 to the degree that the Word of God declares them to be, 
 is like a " leaven" permeating almost all teaching and 
 preaching of the present time. It is met with in ser- 
 mons, in Sunday-school lesson notes, in so-called 
 ** Christian fiction," etc., etc. For Satan uses every 
 agency he can, and every one he can blind sufficiently, 
 yet making all *' appear as ministers of righteousness." 
 Christ is held up as '* Teacher " and " Friend," yes and 
 even as *' Saviour," saving from sin; but it is not as 
 taught in either case in the Word. 
 
 The statement that we are not sinners and do not need 
 a dying Saviour, as put forth by the Unitarians, is 
 found to be too blank and bold by the adversary. He 
 finds that he must be more subtle ; so he enters the 
 ''Evangelical" pulpit and press, and admits both 
 truths, but only in a partial degree. But it is far more 
 
52 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 deceptive and just as destructive. He finds that the 
 truth is harmless if administered with a little leaven of 
 falsity. For the truth does not act like leaven, while 
 false doctrine does. Thus are the leaders and teachers 
 of Christendom repeating Israel's sin, in following 
 *' traditions of men " rather than the Word of God, and 
 on account of which the judgment of *' cutting off" of 
 Gentile " Christendom" will surely come. 
 
 As there is a misapprehension of what the gospel 
 really is, so there is a misapprehension of the Scripture 
 methods of presenting it. The gospel, as has been 
 shown, is the Lord Jesus Christ in His person and 
 work ; therefore, the presentation of the gospel is the 
 presentation of Him. 
 
 We have for examples the addresses, recorded in the 
 first chapters of Acts, by Peter, Paul, and John, deliv- 
 ered at Pentecost and shortly after. 
 
 In Peter's first address, upon the presentation of the 
 person and work of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit 
 uses the Word like a *' sharp two-edged sword" and 
 pierces^ the deadened consciences, causing them to cry 
 out *'Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Then it 
 was said to them " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 There was no presentation of the gospel as an invita- 
 tion, as at present is so generally done. There is no 
 precedent or warrant for it in the Word. 
 
 The invitations in the Old Testament, as has been 
 said, are not invitations to individual salvation, but to 
 Israel as a nation to forsake their idolatry and renew 
 their allegiance to Jehovah according to the provisional 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 53 
 
 covenant they had agreed to. These invitations, there- 
 fore, are not applicable in preaching the gospel. 
 
 The invitations in the New Testament are likewise 
 misunderstood and misapplied. That very familiar one, 
 '' Come unto Me all ye that labor," etc., is not an invita- 
 tion to salvation, but for restful service. 
 
 The Scriptures plainly teach that faith cometh by 
 hearing the gospel preached ; but it as plainly states 
 that faith ''is the gift of God" as well as eternal life. 
 The fact is, ''dead" sinners are freely given life by 
 the Holv Spirit through the agency of the preached 
 Word. 
 
 Lazarus lying dead in the tomb was not offered life, 
 if he would come forth and accept it. No. He could 
 not. He was graciously spoken into life. So is the 
 mercy of God exhibited toward dead sinners. 
 
 Another misapprehension is supposing that the Scrip- 
 tures represent sin as a disease like leprosy, palsy, or 
 blindness, and so sinners are urged to " come to Jesus 
 and be healed." That is a theory only, out of some 
 one's brain, but there is no warrant for it in the Word. 
 
 Again, there is misapprehension as to who is to preach 
 the gospel. 
 
 Immediately after the stoning of Stephen, the disci- 
 ples were scattered abroad, and all seemingly preached 
 the Word. 
 
 But this seems to be a part of the special effect of that 
 recent outpouring of the Spirit on the newly-organized 
 church, along with having " all things common," and 
 both of which are probably samples of conditions yet 
 
54 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 to be realized under a greater Pentecost yet to come. 
 It would seem that they were not expected to continue. 
 
 We do not find the Apostles in any of their writings 
 urging upon all Christians the necessity of their preach- 
 ing the gospel or laboring for the salvation of the 
 unsaved. There are a great number of commands but 
 this is not one of them. 
 
 There seems to be a different order of teachings in 
 the gospels from that in the epistles. In fact the disci- 
 ples themselves seem to be on a different standing before 
 and after Pentecost. During the life of the Lord Jesus 
 they are addressed by Him evidentl}^ as Jewish believers, 
 and are probably related to that Jewish ** restoration " 
 that is hinted at as yet to come, as, for instance, their 
 sitting on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of 
 Israel, etc. But after Pentecost they appear as simply 
 Christian apostles, and the Holy Spirit's teaching 
 through them in the epistles is of an evidently dif- 
 ferent order. So we find no command throughout 
 the Acts or epistles equivalent to Christ's command to 
 the '* eleven," ** Go ye into all the world and preach the 
 gospel to every creature." Of all the commands of the 
 Lord Jesus, the only one that is repeated by the Holy 
 Spirit in the epistles is what He calls His *' new com- 
 mandment," viz., that they *' love one another," and 
 this is repeated or implied upward of forty times in the 
 epistles. 
 
 Taking the consensus of all the commands in the 
 epistles, the main idea plainly is that Christians are to 
 labor for the salvation of other Christians. 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 55 
 
 Not that they are *'lost" as the unsaved are; but 
 when one believes on the Lord Jesus Christ for forgive- 
 ness of his sins and acceptance with God, salvation is 
 only begun. Salvation is, or should be, a continuous 
 thing. Indeed, the Scriptures speak of salvation as a 
 future thing. Christians, therefore, need "saving "in 
 many ways in this life. This is the ** ministry to the 
 saints " so earnestly urged upon Christians throughout 
 the epistles. 
 
 Not only has there been thus a departure from the 
 teaching of the Word in regard to doctrine and mode of 
 preaching the gospel, but also in regard to 
 
 Conduct of the Churches. 
 
 As has been said the Acts and the epistles are pre- 
 eminently the guide of the church throughout this dis- 
 pensation of the Holy Spirit. In them we find how the 
 church was instituted, and what the evident intent of 
 God was in the conduct of the church through the 
 whole coming age. 
 
 There is not the slightest hint that there would ever 
 be any need for, nor is there any authority given for 
 adapting to various times and customs. Not a thought 
 of " keeping in touch with the age," but that the church 
 should keep separate from the world, both as to its indi- 
 vidual beliefs and also in its corporate capacity as as- 
 semblies. '* Forsake not the assembling of yourselves 
 together," without a hint that they were to invite the 
 world to "worship" with them. " Public worship " 
 has completely subverted this law of separation. This 
 
56 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 public worship of a ** mixed multitude " has no little to 
 do with causing the mixed multitude of regenerate and 
 unregenerate that confessedly exist in the churches at 
 present, under the name of " church members." 
 
 As a natural and necessary result of "public wor- 
 ship," there follows a string of concomitants, as a 
 public house of worship, a scholarly ministry, beautiful 
 decorations, delightful music, etc., requiring mints of 
 money to be raised, and even the world is asked to 
 give toward paying for them ! 
 
 Contrary to this the evident intent of the Spirit was 
 that the church should always meet by themselves, yet 
 welcoming any of the unsaved who might incidentally 
 come in. It seems to have been expected that it should 
 always be '* a little flock" in the midst of the world's 
 multitudes. Despised rather than popular. A suffering 
 church. Yet a standing miracle, as it were, in show- 
 ing forth a supernatural union, and an intense love or 
 care for one another, thus showing forth its allegiance 
 to God in its obedience to His Word, rather than inge- 
 nuity in making ecclesiastical inventions. 
 
 But it has repeated Israel'.s sin in these matters also, 
 with disastrous results. 
 
 The '* blindness" that happened to Israel is also 
 manifest now throughout Christendom, till it can be 
 said of the present leaders and teachers also, that they, 
 too, are ** blind leaders of the blind." There is little if 
 any accurate knowledge of the way of salvation. The 
 Lord Jesus Christ is not plainly set forth. Sermons are 
 upon almost every topic but Him. 
 
J OF THE ^ 
 
 V OF 
 
 ^*'*«4^£l^--'- COMING JUDGMENT. 57 
 
 The Sunday-school also is an unwarranted invention 
 of man. There is the supposition that it is a means of 
 conversion, and indeed that is the avowed object of its 
 existence. It has given, it is admitted, a considerable 
 familiarity with the text of Scripture. But when that is 
 obtained without spiritual discernment, as for instance 
 with the unregenerate, it is worse than nothing for the 
 individual. 
 
 Christians should be happy in the Lord. But are 
 they? Those that know not their free acceptance and 
 blessing in Christ cannot be. No one can rejoice in 
 blessings that they are not conscious of possessing. 
 
 Other Christians though possibly happy at heart, do 
 not exhibit it. They have care-worn, anxious faces 
 through an excessive desire for hair-splitting correct- 
 ness in ecclesiastical practices to the exclusion of love. 
 This is the other extreme of a few, whereas the great 
 majority represent the opposite extreme. It is evidently 
 the Adversary's work to spoil thus the testimony of 
 Christians' lives. We must follow closely the Word in 
 its teaching in all things in order to have a wholesome, 
 honest, lively testimony before the world. Not in the 
 energy of the *' flesh," but in the power of resurrection 
 life in Christ, so that it will be true of us also, that it 
 is *' the love of Christ constraining us." " Not I but 
 Christ that liveth in me," as Paul testifies. 
 
 Another thing is the undue prominence given the 
 young. This is bound up with the failure to train and 
 teach the young at home according to the teaching of 
 the Word. 
 
58 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 Not much is said concerning the young in the Scrip- 
 tures. One of the ten commandments, *' Honor thy 
 father and thy mother," etc., is repeated and com- 
 mented on by Paul in Eph. 6:1-3. The fourth verse 
 contains instructions to fathers, viz., to chasten and in- 
 struct but not to irritate their children. These same 
 commands are practically repeated in Col. 4 : 20, 21, 
 with this change, nothing is said about instruction, etc., 
 but they are not to ** provoke " them *' lest they be dis- 
 couraged." 
 
 It has come to be so noticeable as to be frequently 
 commented on that decided family discipline is very 
 rare. What little there is that might be called discipline 
 is generally of a thoughtless, impulsive nature, and 
 that only to the very little ones who irritate the parent 
 by their constant little misdemeanors. The very word 
 ** punishment" is losing its legitimate meaning. When 
 they get to be twelve years old or so they practically 
 are their own masters. 
 
 It was a good thing that in our grandfather's time 
 the young were taught to '* be silent in the presence of 
 their elders," to take off their cap on passing them on 
 the village street, and to always speak with certain re- 
 spectful formulas. But now they mostly do '*just as 
 they're a-mind to." 
 
 In trying to impress upon an intelligent but unruly 
 boy of ten the necessity of obeying his father and 
 mother, he suddenly looked up with nervous intensity 
 and asked: ''Why! can't grown-up folks do just as 
 they're a-mind to?" O parents, you are providing 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 59 
 
 material for the jails and penitentiaries ; worse, you are 
 bring up your children to make Unitarians. The great 
 Law-giver evidently intended that respect for family 
 law should tend to make respect for civil law, and that 
 in turn to lead to respect for the higher law of God. 
 
 As to the position of young people in the gatherings 
 of Christians about the only teaching we find in the 
 epistles on the subject is in I Pet. 5:5, *' Let the 
 younger be subject to the elder," though this is prob- 
 ably a general statement referring to both family and 
 church. But the unscriptural position in the churches 
 now is in keeping with the general tenor of the age, as in 
 other things, whereas the Scripture command stands, '*Be 
 not conformed to this present world "(age). The form- 
 ing of young people into societies by themselves is has- 
 tening the general world-conformity of the whole mass. 
 
 It began back with the Y. M. C. A. from a failure to 
 see the intent of the Spirit in regard to the conduct of 
 the church in the world. If they had they would see 
 that the making of separate societies of different classes 
 of Christians is, and can be, only detrimental to the 
 keeping of the '* bond of unity " in the church. 
 
 This binding together of Christians is of utmost im- 
 portance in the mind of the Spirit; Col. 2 : 2, etc., 
 ** being knit together in love," and therefore whatever 
 tends to break it up is exceedingly hurtful. It seems 
 to be one of the main efforts of the Adversary's work to 
 separate Christians. Thus separating classes of Chris- 
 tians is part of it ; also the rich having their churches 
 and the poor having theirs. 
 
6o COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 In many places now the young people '' run "the 
 churches. The writer was in a week-night meeting 
 recently, which, by the way, was being led by a young 
 lady contrary to the teaching of the Word. At the 
 close of the meeting, on asking why there were so few 
 middle aged and elderly people present he was answered : 
 **We give them a cordial invitation, but they don't 
 seem inclined to come." 
 
 The elder thus allow the younger to usurp authority ! 
 
 The young people having such a ** good time" in the 
 church are thereby enticing others in, who join easily 
 by a slight or false profession of faith in Christ. 
 
 For to '* become a Christian," as it is called in these 
 days, there is no denying the world, but receiving its "pat 
 on the back" and its commendation "That's right." 
 
 And as to the " endeavors" of the young in so-called 
 Christian work ; of course it is an utter misconception 
 of the duties and privileges of the true Christian as set 
 forth in the epistles. 
 
 Christians also in conducting their assemblies ques- 
 tion, "What are others doing?" instead of, What does 
 the Word of God teach? 
 
 That makes them "carnal" Christians and conse- 
 quently without discernment. They seek to introduce 
 "institutional work" because other churches do, and 
 are apparently successful. So Christians are occupied 
 with the work in their particular church or denomina- 
 tion instead of being occupied with the Lord Jesus and 
 His work concerning the church (His body) as a whole 
 now and in the future. 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 6i 
 
 Also they are more occupied with their work than 
 their individual walk in relation to the Lord Jesus and 
 His Word. Yet in the epistles much more is said con- 
 cerning walk than work. Such Christians are ever 
 occupied with the '' ways and means," and never come 
 to the full knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Like Philip, 
 to whom the Lord said, ''Have I been so long time 
 with you and yet thou has not known Me?" Ever 
 learning, yet never able to come to the knowledge of 
 the truth. 
 
 If they have a faithful teacher they pronounce him 
 " unpractical, teaching too deep theological matters, 
 preaching over their heads," etc. In fact Christians 
 seem more interested in what some great preacher or 
 eminent professor thinks than what the Word of God 
 says. 
 
 How many there are who cannot bear to hear their 
 pet preacher criticised. " Oh, don't say a word against 
 Professor So-and-So. I think his sermons or writings 
 are just splendid. I won't listen to anything against 
 him." 
 
 When the allegiance is thus given to this or that 
 Reverend, to some Professor D. or E., to " my pastor," 
 or some favorite religious author, there cannot be the 
 single eye, the simple heart allegiance, and above all, 
 which is so necessary, the spiritual discernment to per- 
 ceive and receive, and rejoice in the full knowledge of 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 It seems thus that God is being slowly thrust out from 
 His own temple (" which temple ye are ") and the " man 
 
62 COMIIVG JUDGMENT. 
 
 of sin," /. ^., fallen man himself, gradually taking his 
 place. Man is recognized in everything more and 
 more. Even in redemption and salvation man's side of 
 the matter is only recognized to the entire neglect of the 
 Godward aspect of it. And the work, too, has to be done 
 in man's approved way, instead of God's appointed way. 
 
 It seems thus as if antichrist was about to be revealed, 
 for he comes before Christ. 
 
 It will be Satan's last and greatest effort to deceive 
 the world. For we are taught in i Thess. that the 
 ** lawless one" comes w^ith all deceitfulness and lying 
 wonders (miracles). So it seems that Satan will put 
 forth his antichrist as a sort of ante-substitute in place 
 of Christ, as the '* coming man" who will propose to 
 swing the nations of the world, who will willingly yield 
 to his sway, into a kind of happy state of political and 
 social perfection. ^ 
 
 The world is preparing for it, and Christendom is 
 blindly helping it on. 
 
 Satan is trying to forestall much of the Lord's 
 redemptive work in the coming age. 
 
 For instance, the great advance in science and dis- 
 covery of the past fifty years, seems like the extra 
 energy put forth by him at the close of this age. This 
 high state of civilization is considered by many as the 
 ** kingdom come." It is probably Satan's substitute for 
 the millenium of Christ's reign. 
 
 Men, it would seem, have snatched beforehand, some- 
 what, ** the powers of the age to come." But it is not for 
 their good. Fallen man entrusted with these superior 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 powers, uses them selfishly, and not helpfully. Satan, 
 nevertheless, persuades men that it is a ** wonderful 
 advance," a " golden age" is just to dawn. 
 
 But it stands the Lord's people in hand not to be 
 deceived, but *' wait for His Son from heaven." For 
 the hope of the church is the Lord Jesus Himself, who 
 will as the true "Coming One" suddenly return to 
 earth, and consume the '' lawless one " ** with the bright- 
 ness of His forthshining." 
 
 Then set up His righteous kingdom, — a redeemed 
 people on a redeemed earth, where holy people can use 
 these wonderful powers and more, too, not for selfish 
 purposes but helpfully and for the glory of God. 
 
 Although God is tolerating this wickedness in the 
 world now, it is no sign of His complacency or approval. 
 What has gone forth from His mouth, He will bring to 
 pass. His promises and threats can alike be relied upon. 
 He will judge the world " by that Man whom He hath 
 appointed," even the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 It is written ''things highly esteemed among men, 
 are an abomination in the sight of God." The precepts 
 and principles of the reforms of this world are highly 
 esteemed by the men of this age, and are believed to 
 be able to bring about all good eventually when fully 
 worked out. Not so is God's estimation of them. He 
 has said definitely " this world (age) will be destroyed 
 and the works that are therein will be burned up." 
 There are scoffers concerning these things just as the 
 Holy Spirit testified there would be. But with a world 
 at ease, and world and church alike seemingly saying, 
 
64 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 ** Where is the promise of His coming ?" and ** Where 
 is the God of judgment?" is it not high time that the 
 church arouse from slumber and phiinly speak forth its 
 warning? 
 
 Not only from the lips of the preacher, but by the 
 obedience of Christians as individuals and also in the 
 Scriptural conduct of their assemblies. 
 
 We are nearing undoubtedly the close of the age, 
 and the ''trying times "have *' set in " that the Holy 
 Spirit testified would surely come. It is a matter of 
 utmost importance to Christians, especially to the rising 
 generation of young believers, to have these " devices" 
 of the devil clearly shown up, and to get a fresh stand- 
 ing on the Word of God. For the young seem to be 
 losing their grip on the fact that the Bible is indeed the 
 Word of God. The great familiarity with the mere 
 text of the Scriptures has undoubtedly much to do with 
 the breaking down of the realizing sense among the ris- 
 ing generation of its being indeed the Word of God, 
 and so authoritative. 
 
 Another bad result from the evils enumerated, is the 
 difficulty of discerning the true or really regenerate 
 from the false or unregenerate, in the great mass desig- 
 nated '' church members." 
 
 There is no class of sinners in such danger, and in 
 such need of heeding the warnings of .Scripture, as 
 these imitation Christians, for the hypocrite will meet 
 with the heaviest condemnation at the bar of God, i. e.^ 
 those ''having the form of godliness but denying the 
 power thereof." 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 65 
 
 How deceived are those masses of unsaved persons 
 who are allowed and urged to " attend church" while 
 remaining unbelievers. But they are invited to *'join 
 in the service" and '* worship with us" and help by 
 contributing, etc. 
 
 They think that somehow there is some good in thus 
 '* attending church." 
 
 Dressed in their best, they feel very ''respectable," 
 and reason that if Christians are labeled as *' good," 
 why should n't they be ! 
 
 The trouble is, the church hardly shows anything 
 more than a well-dressed respectability before the world. 
 And how should the worldling discriminate? 
 
 How fearful then is the criminality of the church in 
 thus helping to deceive sinners ! • This is again one of 
 the dire results of public worship. 
 
 And even among those truly regenerate, how much, 
 or how little is there rather, of truthful witnessing before 
 the world ! 
 
 Are they not at best mostly presented to the world as 
 a lot of " good" people? But does not the world mis- 
 construe their '' goodness " into self-righteousness ; after 
 all is it not largely that indeed? 
 
 Where is the Paul-like humility confessing that in his 
 flesh "dwelt no good" and that he was a ''chief of 
 sinners? " 
 
 Where is the Paul-like renunciation of all self-right- 
 eousness? Where is the Paul-like faith and love? 
 Does the world see these things in Christians? Then 
 are Christians faithful witnesses? Does their propriety 
 5 
 
66 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 and ** consistency" glorify the Lord Jesus? And what 
 is this propriety for the most part but conformity to the 
 requirements of refined and good society merely? 
 
 How does that in any way glorify Jesus, the Saviour 
 of sinners? 
 
 Do Christians now consider pride, greed (or 
 covetousness), and oppression as grievous sins? Is 
 there not excessive dullness of conscience concerning 
 these sins? 
 
 How many Christians are living in the practice of 
 fornication and adultery, and even sodomy (unnatural 
 lust between similar sexes) ? 
 
 How are the public frequently startled by the report 
 of dishonesty by Christians in positions of trust. 
 
 In the sixteenth chapter of Ezekiel, we read that the 
 conditions producing the sin of sodomy in Israel were 
 pride, plenty, and idleness. Does not this state of 
 things exist now? Undoubtedly the wealth of Chris- 
 tians now is one of the most serious menaces to their 
 spiritual welfare. The accumulation of wealth by 
 Christians is contrary to the general teaching of the 
 Word. There are no blessings pronounced on the rich 
 in the epistles to the churches, but only the most serious 
 warnings. 
 
 Christian brethren, especially young Christian breth- 
 ren, it is written, '' Be not deceived, God is not mocked, 
 whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 
 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap 
 corruption ; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the 
 Spirit reap life everlasting." And '' God is no respec- 
 
COMING JUDGMEN-T. 67 
 
 tor of persons." If you are a confessed believer in the 
 Lord Jesus and yet are living in any open or covered 
 sin, you surely will have to feel the heavy chastening 
 rod of God, and I would you might be spared, hence 
 this warning. 
 
 I pray God that He would lay the spirit of prayer and 
 supplication upon all Christians who see these evils, to 
 separate from them, and pray earnestly and pray to- 
 gether, and pray unceasingly that He would open the 
 eyes of true Christians to these deceptions of the Adver- 
 sary and cause them to once more stand forth in clear 
 testimony to the truth before Jesus comes again. For it 
 is the general belief of the most enlightened Christians 
 everywhere, that we are very near to the close of this 
 dispensation or age. 
 
 Christians should meet by themselves and '* break 
 bread" often (the early Christians did so at least every 
 Lord's Day) whether they have a minister or not. 
 There is not a definite command, or even a teaching 
 from which can be got an inference that an officer of 
 the church is necessary to '' administer the ordinance." 
 Only the older ones, the ** elders," should see that it is 
 done decently and orderly, with reverence '* discerning 
 the Lord's body." 
 
 Not only is the partaking of the communion of the 
 Lord's supper a command to be obeyed, but it is also 
 very helpful and strengthening to the believer, espe- 
 cially to young Christians ; therefore the frequent par- 
 taking is very important. The remembrance of Christ 
 thus along with other Christians gives the fellowship 
 
68 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 that is so beneficial. Everything that helps to unite by 
 heart Christian brethren, and knit them together in 
 love, is very important. The Holy Spirit urges this in 
 the many commands and exhortations in the Epistles. 
 
 The Adversary also knows the value of Christians be- 
 ing closely united, and tries by every means to prevent 
 and break it up. 
 
 He has succeeded through the present system exist- 
 ing in the churches to an alarming degree, resulting in 
 coldness and weakness. As coals of fire lose there 
 glow when spread apart, but burn afresh when closely 
 united; so with believers. 
 
 But some will say, Does not working together in 
 '* church work" tend to unite? 
 
 No, not in itself, emphatically no. 
 
 They may be and many times are closely associated 
 in work, and at the same time their hearts are eaten 
 out with jealousy, env}^ hatred, and strife. Do not 
 such things grieve and quench the Spirit? 
 
 The present system is largely the cause, of which 
 these things are the inevitable result. 
 
 And the leaders will be held responsible, for do they 
 give sufficient, if any, warning? How can they, while 
 so blinded and enchained by the ecclesiastical evils they 
 are maintaining and upholding? They are first and 
 foremost in the deceptive toils of the Adversary*. May 
 God deliver them out of the snare of the Evil One, that 
 they with others ** may be recovered who now are taken 
 captive by him to do his will." *' Awake to righteous- 
 ness and sin not," is the exhortation of the Spirit. 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 69 
 
 Not that *' perfection " is to be expected, either in the 
 individual Christian or the assembly, for that cannot be 
 as long as Christians are in the body. 
 
 But if they really have allegiance to God's Word in 
 their heart, their ** faith" ought to be "shown by 
 works." So that they should witness against this gross 
 departure, and show their own renewed obedience. 
 
 Of course it cannot but be expected that any intelli- 
 gent reader or student of the Word will have opinions 
 and inferences in his own mind, where the Scripture 
 wording is obscure, concerning some ecclesiastical 
 practices. But that is very different from making 
 these opinions into set and authoritative church "ordi- 
 nances" and "vows," making them binding upon 
 Christians. It works harm,. and must necessarily. It 
 makes Christians with a morbidly sensitive conscience, 
 despondent over their failures to keep them ; and others 
 with a dull conscience, careless and reckless. Espe- 
 cially as these binding vows are not accompanied by 
 the helpfulness that would enable Christians to better 
 keep them. 
 
 Wherein is Protestantism a whit different from 
 Romanism in assuming such authority? Practically 
 saying, whatever the Church binds or loosens, God 
 ratifies. (Christ in giving the " keys " to Peter, called 
 them "keys of the kingdom of heaven," not of the 
 Church : the two are quite distinct. Christ was here, 
 as elsewhere, evidently addressing the disciples as 
 Jewish believers ; related some way to that Jewish 
 " regeneration " yet future.) 
 
70 COMING JUDGMENT. 
 
 There are Christian '* Brethren" the world over who 
 meet in assemblies without any such vows and ordi- 
 nances, and are they any less orderly or lacking in 
 discipline therefor? Not in the least, as far as the 
 writer knows. 
 
 The Word of God is the true light for the present 
 darkness, as much as at any previous time in the 
 Church's history. 
 
 For God has declared, *'For as the rain cometh 
 down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not 
 thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring 
 forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and 
 bread to the eater : so shall my word be that goeth 
 forth out of my mouth ; it shall not return unto me 
 void ; but it shall accomplish that which I please ; and 
 it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." 
 
 Therefore Christian teachers and preachers need not 
 fear to proclaim **the faith once for all delivered to 
 the saints," with all its blessed doctrines, nor timidly 
 refrain from mentioning some, for fear it will do harm. 
 If they could do harm. He would not have caused them 
 to be written. 
 
 Undoubtedly it will offend some, probably many ; 
 for " the offence of the cross" has not ceased, although 
 the proclaiming and living it well nigh has. It always 
 has offended from the time of the Lord Jesus and the 
 Apostle Paul down, wherever it has been faithfully 
 proclaimed ; and the only reason it does not at the 
 present day, is, not that human nature is more tolerant, 
 but that the gospel is so altered and trimmed, and 
 
COMING JUDGMENT. 71 
 
 offensive doctrines suppressed or explained away, that 
 it is not fairly presented to the world. 
 
 The Church has ceased to give offence, to be sure, 
 but along with it has come the sad condition oi extreme 
 spiritual poverty among nearly all classes of Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 Let Christians renew. their obedience to the Spirit's 
 commands as set forth in the epistles to the churches, 
 unhampered and uninfluenced by the traditions of men, 
 and there will undoubtedly follow spiritual health and 
 strength to man}^ that now languish and faint, and a 
 continual *' adding to the Lord" *'of such as are 
 ordained to eternal life." 
 
LOVE. 
 
 THE GREATEST THING IN THE CHURCH, 
 
 In the epistles of both Paul, Peter, and John this is 
 prominently set forth. John is called the '* loving disci- 
 ple," and some might claim that he pre-eminently 
 shows forth this doctrine. But no, Paul is the leader. 
 Evidently Paul was not like John, naturally affectionate 
 or loving. On the other hand, it is hard to conceive 
 of John as persecuting even heretics, nor was he of the 
 same forceful nature as Paul. All goes to show, how- 
 ever, that Paul's great love was not his own, but the 
 *'love of God shed abroad in his heart," that worked 
 out in the yearning, laboring, and suffering he so 
 eminently exhibited throughout his Christian career in 
 behalf of the Christian converts the Lord Jesus had 
 given him, whom he frequently calls his children. 
 
 In the epistle to the Romans, in the opening chapter, 
 is shown his yearning love for those Christians in his 
 unceasing prayer for them. In the first verse of the 
 tenth chapter is seen his great desire for the salvation 
 of his own nation; also 11:14 shows the same. In 
 the closing chapter there are several exhortations to 
 
LOVE. 73 
 
 love the brethren, viz., 12 .-9, '*love w^ithout dissimula- 
 tion;" loth verse, . . . *'in honor preferring one 
 another;" 13:8, ''owe no man anything but to love 
 one another;" 10th verse, ''love is a fulfilling of the 
 law." 
 
 The last verses of the 14th chapter are an exhortation 
 to regard the welfare of other brethren, and not one's 
 own ease and comfort, continuing in the first seven 
 verses of the 15th chapter. Note Paul's tender regard 
 for others' rights in the matter of preaching, in the 
 twentieth verse. In the i6th chapter are instances 
 noted of those who have in love risked their own lives 
 for Paul's sake. 
 
 In I Cor. 4:14, he warns Christians as "beloved 
 sons," etc. In the first verse of the eighth chapter he 
 says "knowledge puffeth up but love buildeth up." 
 Then follows the exhortation to have a regard for the 
 weak consciences of other Christians, closing in the 
 thirteenth verse with that loving vow not to offend *' my 
 brother.*' In 11:22, "I am made all things to all men 
 that I might by all means save some ; " what an exhibi- 
 tion of self-sacrificing love ! Also 10 : 33, " Even as I 
 please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, 
 but the profit of many," etc. The 13th chapter is the 
 strongest passage in all his epistles setting forth the 
 important place of "love" in the "Body of Christ," 
 the church. "And now abideth faith, hope, love, these 
 three ; but the greatest of these is love." Some in 
 commenting on this verse have declared that it states 
 that the greatest thing in the world is love. Perhaps it 
 
74 LOVE. 
 
 is the greatest thing ** in the world," but this Scripture 
 does not say so. 
 
 In the previous chapter is stated the oneness of the 
 *' Body " with its various '* gifts " through the indwelling 
 Spirit ; then the 13th chapter is the culmination of the 
 argument, showing that ''love" is over and above all 
 gifts and knowledge — and even when these shall have 
 passed away there remaineth these three graces, and 
 the greatest of them is "love" — evidently in the 
 church. 
 
 In the fourteenth verse of the last chapter is the 
 exhortation, " Let all your things be done with love." 
 
 In the second letter to the Corinthians, chapter 2 14, 
 he speaks of his writing ''with many tears . 
 that ye might know the love which I have more abun- 
 dantly unto you. 
 
 That "wicked person" (the fornicator) had to be 
 put away from among them, but now, having undoubt- 
 edly repented, they are to receive him and " confirm 
 their love toward him." 
 
 In 8 : 4 is a marked exhibition of the working of real 
 love in those Christians ; in fact the first fifteen verses 
 of the chapter show the spirit of Christian love in the 
 liberal giving to needy brethren. And yet no one 
 burdened, but "by an equality" those helped at one 
 time become the helpers at another time. Notice twice 
 in the chapter (verses eight and twenty-four) the 
 necessity of proving of love is spoken of. Then the 
 whole 9th chapter is a continuation of this particular 
 subject of ministering to saints as an emphatic way of 
 
LOVE. 75 
 
 showing Christian love. Then follow two or three 
 incidental remarks showing Paul's personal burning 
 love tow^ard the Christians he has espoused to Christ, 
 e, g.^ 11:9, . • • *' in all things I have kept 
 m3^self from being burdensome unto you, and so will 
 I keep myself;" and twenty-eighth verse, in all his 
 troubles he still bore the burden of the care of the 
 churches. And note the minute detail of his love, 
 ** Who is weak, and I am not weak (in sympathy), who 
 is offended (injured or stumbled), and I burn not?" 
 Also in 12 : 15, he gladly spends and is spent for them, 
 though the more abundantly he loves, the less he is 
 loved. This evidently is not merely natural tender- 
 heartedness — it is the love of God shed abroad in his 
 heart. In verse nineteenth see how careful he is that 
 everything he does should be for their building up. 
 
 In his letter to the Galatians is the same personal 
 love shown and the same teaching of love to the 
 brethren. He says : '* My little children ... by 
 love serve one another," ''Bear ye one another's bur- 
 dens," etc. And 6 : 10, "As we have therefore oppor- 
 tunity, let us do good unto all, especially unto them 
 who are of the household of the faith." For they were 
 to have faith which worked by love. 
 
 The doctrine of love to the brethren as being of first 
 importance is put forth very pointedly in the epistle to 
 the Ephesians. In the first place Paul gives thanks for 
 their "^ faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the 
 saints." Further exhortations to love are seen in 4 : 2, 
 '* With all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering. 
 
76 LOVE. 
 
 forbearing one another in love;" fifteenth verse, 
 ** Speaking the truth in love . . . maketh increase 
 of the body unto the building up of itself in love ; *' 
 thirty-second verse, *'And be ye kind one to another," 
 etc.; 5:2, **walk in love," etc; twenty-first verse, 
 '* Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of 
 Christ" (humility of love). 
 
 In the epistle to the Philippians he opens with the 
 prayer that their *'love may abound yet more and 
 more," etc. Then in 2 : 2-4 the lowliness of love is set 
 forth, giving Christ himself as an example. Now in 
 the opening of the epistle to the Colossians, we find 
 again as in Ephesians, Paul gives thanks to God for 
 their "faith in the Lord Jesus and love to all the 
 saints." This surely is worthy of remark and close 
 attention, for in such a place as the opening salutation 
 we might rightly expect to find something of emphatic 
 import. He would speak of things of first importance, 
 not of slight import. What do we find? He does not 
 speak of their zeal in work of any kind, whether for 
 the salvation of souls or otherwise. But instead, these 
 two things are constantly emphasized, faith and love. 
 
 We may well inquire, — Is, then, the greatest thing in 
 the church, working for the salvation of souls? Is it 
 the first and greatest command? The fact is, upon 
 searching the epistles carefully, nothing can be found 
 as an exhortation or command to that effect, but instead 
 this oft-repeated command, ** Love one another." 
 
 Paul's love for the Colossian Christian is incidentally 
 shown in i : 24, his sufferings being for the sake of the 
 
LOVE. 77 
 
 church. In 2:2 he desires that their hearts may be 
 **knit together in love," and verse 19 the body of 
 believers being thus '' knit together, increaseth with the 
 increase of God." In 3 : 12-16 is again shown the 
 necessity of the humility of love. 
 
 In the opening of the epistle to the Thessalonians, 
 he *' remembers" their "work of faith, labor of love, 
 and patience of hope," things evidently of first impor- 
 tance. In 3 : 6 we see he is greatly comforted upon 
 Timothy bringing news of their faith and love', and in 
 the twelfth verse he prays fhat their "love may 
 increase and abound one toward another and toward 
 all," etc. In 4 rp-iz he desires that they increase more 
 and more in loving one another. 
 
 Again, in the opening of his second epistle he thanks 
 God that their " faith groweth exceedingly and the 
 love of every one of you all toward each other 
 aboundeth." The next verse speaks of their patience 
 and faith, but nothing about work. Paul's own tender 
 regard for them is shown incidentally in both epistles : 
 first 2 : 9 and second 3 : 8, in his laboring night and day 
 so as not to be a burden to them. 
 
 In the pastoral epistles to Timothy, Paul still sets 
 forth "love" prominently. In 1:5, "the end of the 
 charge is love out of a pure heart," etc. ; verse four- 
 teen, "the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant 
 with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." 
 
 In 1:16-18 he speaks of the love of Onesiphorus 
 (which means " yielding profit") in ministering to him 
 (Paul) both in Rome and Ephesus, seeking him out 
 
78 LOVE. 
 
 very diligently and finding him. How often are Chris- 
 tians found now " seeking out ver}'- diligently and 
 finding " other Christians in need and ministering to 
 them? Undoubtedly there are many having the Spirit, 
 and who would be willing to ; but they are not taught 
 that this is a thing of great importance, but rather their 
 attention is kept on the supposed need of supporting 
 some particular local church, or that their teaching a 
 Sunday-school class or mission class is the all-important 
 thing. But really, were the inspired epistles given 
 for our guidance or not? It would seem by the way 
 these commands are ignored, that they were not. 
 
 The short epistle to Philemon is a gem just sparkling 
 with the love and tender regard of Paul's spirit filled 
 with the love of God. And here again he thanks God 
 for the "love and faith which thou hast toward the 
 Lord Jesus, and toward all saints." The slave Onesi- 
 mus now becomes the "brother beloved." Paul's plead- 
 ing for him in the seventeenth and eighteenth verses is 
 very tender. In the epistle to the Hebrews there is not 
 much doctrine concerning personal conduct ; but yet 
 one or two passages are very plain. In 6 : lo, "For 
 God is not unrighteous to forget your work and love, 
 which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye 
 have ministered to the saints and do minister." Also in 
 the last chapter, first, third, and sixteenth verses, " Let 
 love of the brethren continue," "But to do good and 
 communicate, forget not: for with such sacrifices God 
 is well pleased." In Acts 20 : 18, 35 Paul rehearses to 
 the Ephesian Elders his work and manner of conduct 
 
LOVE. 79 
 
 among them. All going to show his zeal, to be sure, 
 but also his tender-hearted love toward them in a most 
 wonderful degree. Paul is evidently so burning with 
 love to the saints, that his speaking of it so often can- 
 not savor of egotism. A man who could so suffer for 
 others, and labor night and day to relieve them of the 
 burden of his support, and who is so quick to notice 
 and willing to recognize the loving ministrations of 
 others cannot be suspected of any hypocrisy in his 
 statements in regard to his own love. 
 
 In James's epistle the same doctrine is taught as 2:1, 
 the not making any distinction between the rich and 
 the poor in the Christian assembly. And in 4:11, to 
 avoid evil speaking of one another. In praying for one 
 another, etc., and in '' converting" the '* erring brother." 
 
 In Peter's first epistle the doctrine is emphasized by 
 several passages ; though Peter never speaks of his 
 own love to the saints. In 1:22, *' Seeing ye have 
 purified your souls in obeying the truth through the 
 Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one 
 another with a pure heart fervently," and in 2 : 17, 
 **love the brotherhood," and in 3:8, "Finally be ye 
 all of one mind having compassion one of another, love 
 as brethren, be pitiful, courteous," etc. In 4:8, 10, 
 **And above all things have fervent love among 
 yourselves. . . . Use hospitality one to another. 
 . As ever}^ man hath received the gift, minister 
 the same one to another," etc., also 5:5, . . . '* all 
 of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with 
 humility," etc. 
 
8o LOVE. 
 
 Peter's love for Paul is shown in his second epistle, 
 3 : 15, showing he held no ill will toward him, though 
 Paul had *' withstood him to the face " at one time. 
 
 In John's epistles the doctrine of loving the brethren 
 is made of first importance also. In his gospel he 
 records the Lord Jesus giving of his ** new command- 
 ment," repeating it three times. So again in the 
 epistles he repeats it three times, besides continual 
 reference to it in many other passages. 
 
 It seems that the utmost emphasis was intended by 
 the Spirit to be given to this subject of *' love," being 
 the thing of first importance in the church. 
 
 Jude's short epistle contains no statement of doctrine, 
 but merely showing the culmination of evil in Chisten- 
 dom (" leaven " fully worked) and impending judgment. 
 
 So we see that by taking the consensus of all the 
 epistles, the doctrine of loving the brethren is no mere 
 exhortation of slight moment, but a command of first 
 importance, indeed the first. The churches, leaders, 
 and teachers have not so taught, do not so teach. 
 There has been a departing from the Word here also, 
 and a following of the traditions of men instead. In 
 considering any matter whatever it is very important to 
 have correct definitions. 
 
 Now in this matter it must not be supposed that 
 Scriptural or Christian 'Move" is the same thing as in 
 earthly relations, — as parental or filial love, or the 
 strong sentiment between 'Movers." Much less is it 
 mere aflfection as felt between friends ; nor still less 
 mere animal aflfectionateness. 
 
LOVE. 8 1 
 
 We have a definite statement of what it is in that 
 passage in I John 3 : 16, " Hereby perceive we love" 
 (''of God " is not in the original Greek), as 
 if it said, here is a sample of real love, "in that He, 
 (/. e., the Lord Jesus), laid down his life for us, and 
 we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." In 
 a word then, Christian love is having at heart the wel- 
 fare of other Christians, and willingness to work for 
 that end, even to the extent of suffering some loss or 
 inconvenience one's self. More than that even to the 
 loss of one's own life if necessary. 
 
 Christians although saved as to their future life, yet 
 need '* saving" in many wa3^s in this life; hence the 
 many commands in the epistles to that effect, briefly 
 comprehended in '* ministering tp the saints." 
 
 There has been a time in the church's history when 
 "faith" has received special emphasis. Then a time 
 when the "hope" had especial emphasis. Now it 
 seems as if it was high time that the last and greatest 
 of the three, viz., " love," should be emphasized in the 
 church. 
 
 Not merely by preaching about it, or writing Bible- 
 readings or black-board exercises on it, but by living it 
 in acts of necessary work ; obeying these scores of 
 commands given by the Holy Spirit in the epistles. 
 How is allegiance or obedience to the Holy Spirit 
 shown? By obedience to these written commands. 
 
 Not by obeying the vagaries of an "inward voice," 
 mistakenly supposed to be the "voice of the Spirit." 
 The Adversary can produce such "voices," or they 
 6 
 
82 LOVE. 
 
 may be simply out of one's own mind, and that is prob- 
 ably what they generally are. 
 
 Fellow Christian reading this, whoever you may be, 
 beloved of God, make this a personal matter, bringing 
 it before God in prayer, asking him to direct you in 
 your '* ministering." He will lead mostly by what 
 might be termed providential circumstances, bringing 
 you face to face with things needing to be done. Only 
 one must have quick perception to see, and the willing 
 heart to do at the moment. '* Do good unto all, espe- 
 cially unto them of the household of faith." 
 
 *' By this shall all know that ye are my disciples, if 
 ye have love one to another." 
 
 RAISED WITH CHRIST. 
 
 We thank thee our moirt gracious Lord, 
 For love that drew4»/with a cord. 
 The net of grace that took us in 
 Ajid cleansed us from our guilt and sin. 
 
 Thy love in Christ shall never end, 
 But to eternal ages, lend 
 The strength and sweetness of the song, 
 That to Thy risen saints belong. 
 
 For raised from death, no more to die, 
 We shall in glory, by and by 
 (When Thou dost come to take thy place 
 As Head of the redeemed race). 
 
 Be raptured up ; then as thy own 
 Blood-purchased Bride, wilt share thy throne. 
 And through the coming ages show 
 What wondrous grace thou could'st bestow. 
 
 
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