| 138 groping in mid-night gloom, and when we leave this world, be obliged to 'take a leap in the dark.'
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES & SEASONS.
Sir,-As many of our very pious folks of the present day have rediculed [ridiculed] the idea of establishing a church by revelation, and loudly proclaimed against the principle, as being no longer needed, alleging that the canon of Scripture was full, and proving that God can never speak again to man without annihilating all pure religion from the face of the earth, but they have merly [merely] exposed their own folly, for it must be well known to every man, who has not spent all his time in herding his father's hogs, that the church had become corrupt and abominable, that their spurious systems were staggering and confusion prevailed among them. Well did the prophet exclaim-They are drunk, but not with wine! they stagger, but not with strong drink!
I purpose, by your permission, to show the gradual decline of truth and Godliness, and the rise and progress of anti-Christ, in a short sketch of the church, from the time of the apostles to the present time, showing the absolute necessity of the gospel being revealed from heaven again in the last days. It is very difficult, it is true, to come at any thing in the shape of church history, that can be relied on, as it has been mostly handed down to us by religious bigots, who have sacrificed truth for party purposes.-But by comparing all in our reach, we may then cast a line and come at something near the truth.
It would be needless for me to say any thing of the church in the days of the Lord, for no one will doubt but he established a perfect order-nothing superfluous, nor lacking ought.-And as soon as this system became changed or modified it was no longer the church of Jesus Christ, else he had not established a perfect order: for if it was perfect it could not be improved, if any thing taken from it it could not be perfect, and therefore could not accomplish the object intended.
Through the instrumentality of the apostles the gospel made rapid strides; till persecutions broke out on every hand. The first general persecution commenced in the year 64, by Nero, in which multitudes suffered the most cruel deaths that men, fitted out as demons, could invent. A second general persecution broke out about the year 74, under Domitian. Forty thousand christians were put to death, and the church almost extirpated, and John banished to the Isle of Patmos. Even at this early age the most abominable doctrines were propagated, which called forth the threat of the Almighty upon them, except they repented. And the church, in those days was divided into two parties, viz: the Docetæ and the Ebionites. The former denied the supreme divinity of Christ, and also that the Son of God had any proper humanity, and asserted that he died on the cross in appearance only. The latter asserted that Jesus Christ was a mere man, though of a most excellent character. They both denied atonement by his blood, and expected salvation by their own works. Among the former were the Nicolaitans, whom Christ mentioned to John with utter abhorrence. They had many disgusting peculiarities; allowed a community of wives, and indulged their sensual appetites without restraint. The Ebionites considered that salvation came by observing the law of Moses, and thus called forth Paul's strong appeal, whether salvation was of works, or of grace.
The history of the church from this time to the end of the fourth century, is one of gradual and deep declension, though vast numbers were added to them, and they passed through serious persecutions. In the second century Montanus made his appearance, who pretended that he was the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, whom Jesus promised to send. He had many followers in Asia and Africa, and added new precepts, requiring seclusion from the world. Numbers of rites and ceremonies were introduced into the church: and they began to modify their religion so as to please the Jews and heathens; and adopted forms and ceremonies from their religions, temples, altars, and days of fasting.-Peculiarities of dress, and splendid ceremonies were multiplied in abundance; and military rites and phrases were introduced into the church in this century.
In the third century Origen introduced a new mode of explaining the scriptures, (now known as the spiritualizing system) the mystical sense which he put on the word of God was wild and enthusiastic. He made a great division in the church, became very popular with philosophers and men of wild and visionary notions, and was honored by the courts. He introduced the practice of selecting a single text as the subject of a discourse. Though he suffered martyrdom, few men brought in more corruptions than Origen.
The church of Christ sustained its high and
(page 138) |
