**Results of the Apostasy.—Its Sequel**.
1. The thoroughly apostate and utterly corrupt condition of the Church
of Rome as proclaimed by its history down to the end of the fifteenth
century,—(See Note 1, end of chapter.) was necessarily accompanied by
absence of all spiritual sanctity and power, whatever may have been
the arrogant assumptions of the Church as to authority in spiritual
affairs. Revolts against the Church, both as rebellion against her
tyranny and in protest against her heresies, were not lacking. The
most significant of these anti-church agitations arose in connection
with the awakening of intellectual activity which began in the latter
part of the fourteenth century. The period from the tenth century
onward to the time of the awakening has come to be known as the dark
ages—characterized by stagnation in the progress of the useful arts
and sciences as well as of fine arts and letters, and by a general
condition of illiteracy and ignorance among the masses.
2. Ignorance is a fertile soil for evil growths, and the despotic
government and doctrinal fallacies of the Church during this period of
darkness were nourished by the ignorance of the times. With the change
known in history as "the revival of learning" came the struggle for
freedom from churchly tyranny.
3. One of the early revolts against the temporal and spiritual
despotism of the papal church was that of the Albigenses in France
during the thirteenth century. This uprising had been crushed by the
papal autocracy with much cruelty and bloodshed. The next notable
revolt was that of John Wickliffe in the fourteenth century. Wickliffe
was a professor in Oxford university, England. He boldly assailed the
evergrowing and greatly abused power of the monks, and denounced the
corruption of the Church and the prevalence of doctrinal errors. He
was particularly emphatic in his opposition to the papal restrictions
as to the popular study of the scriptures, and gave to the world an
English version of the Holy Bible translated from the Vulgate. In
spite of persecution and sentence, he died a natural death; but years
afterward the Church insisted on revenge, and in consequence, his
bones were exhumed and burned, and the ashes scattered to the winds.
4. On the continent of Europe the agitation against the Church was
carried on by John Huss and by Jerome of Prague, both of whom reaped
martyrdom as the harvest of their righteous zeal. These instances are
cited to show that though the Church had long been apostate to the
core, there were men ready to sacrifice their lives in what they
deemed to be the cause of truth.
5. Conditions existing at the opening of the sixteenth century have
been concisely summarized by a modern historian as follows: "Previous
to the opening of the sixteenth century there had been comparatively
few—though there had been some, like the Albigenses in the south of
France, the Wickliffites, in England, and the Hussites, in
Bohemia—who denied the supreme and infallible authority of the bishop
of Rome in all matters touching religion. Speaking in very general
manner it would be correct to say that at the close of the fifteenth
century all the nations of Western Europe professed the faith of the
Latin or Roman Catholic Church and yielded obedience to the Papal
See."—(Myers, "Gen. Hist.," p. 520.)
**The Reformation**.
6. The next notable revolt against the papal Church occurred in the
sixteenth century, and assumed such proportions as to be designated
the Reformation. The movement began in Germany about 1517, when Martin
Luther, a monk of the Augustinian order and an instructor in the
University of Wittenberg, publicly opposed and strongly denounced
Tetzel, the shameless agent of papal indulgences. Luther was
conscientious in his conviction that the whole system of church
penances and indulgences was contrary to scripture, reason, and right.
In line with the academic custom of the day—to challenge discussion
and debate on disputed questions—Luther wrote his famous ninety-five
theses against the practice of granting indulgences, and a copy of
these he nailed to the door of Wittenberg church, inviting criticism
thereon from all scholars. The news spread, and the theses were
discussed in all the scholastic centers of Europe. Luther then
attacked other practices and doctrines of the Roman Church, and the
pope, Leo X, issued a "Bull" or papal decree against him, demanding an
unconditional recantation on pain of excommunication from the Church.
Luther publicly burned the pope's document, and thus declared his open
revolt. The sentence of excommunication was pronounced.
7. We cannot follow here in detail the doings of this bold reformer.
Suffice it to say, he was not long left to fight singlehanded. Among
his able supporters was Philip Melancthon, a professor in Wittenberg.
Luther was summoned before a council or "Diet" at Worms in 1521. There
he openly declared for individual freedom of conscience. There is
inspiration in his words: "I cannot submit my faith either to the pope
or to the council, because it is as clear as the day that they have
frequently erred and contradicted each other. Unless, therefore, I am
convinced by the testimony of scripture, or by the clearest
reasoning—unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have
quoted,—and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the word
of God, I cannot and will not retract, for it is unsafe for a
Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand, I can do no
other, may God help me! Amen!"
8. The religious controversy spread throughout Europe. At the Second
Diet of Spires (1529) an edict was issued against the reformers; to
this the representatives of seven German principalities and other
delegates entered a formal protest, in consequence of which action
the reformers were henceforth known as Protestants. John, Elector of
Saxony, supported Luther in his opposition to papal authority, and
undertook the establishment of an independent church, the constitution
and plan of which were prepared at his instance by Luther and
Melancthon. Luther died in 1546, but the work of revolution, if not in
truth reformation, continued to grow. The Protestants, however, soon
became divided among themselves, and broke up into many contending
sects.
9. In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingle led in the movement toward reform.
He was accused of heresy, and when placed on trial, he defended
himself on the authority of the Bible as against papal edict, and was
for the time successful. The contest was bitter, and in 1531 the
Catholics and Protestants of the region engaged in actual battle, in
which Zwingle was slain, and his body brutally mutilated.
10. John Calvin next appeared as the leader of the Swiss reformers,
though he was an opponent of many of Zwingle's doctrines. He exerted
great influence as a teacher, and is known as an extremist in
doctrine. He advocated and vehemently defended the tenet of absolute
predestination, thus denying the free agency of man. In France,
Sweden, Denmark, and Holland, leaders arose and the Protestants became
strong in their opposition to the Roman Church, though the several
divisions were antagonistic to one another on many points of doctrine.
11. One effect of this Protestant uprising was the partial awakening
of the Roman Church to the need of internal reform, and an
authoritative re-statement of Catholic principles was attempted. This
movement was largely accomplished through the famous Council of
Trent—(1545-1563), which body disavowed for the Church the extreme
claims made for "indulgences" and denied responsibility for many of
the abuses with which the Church had been charged. But in connection
with the attempted reform came a demand for more implicit obedience to
the requirements of the Church.
12. Near the end of the fifteenth century, in the reign of Ferdinand
and Isabella, the court of the Inquisition, then known as the Holy
Office, had been established in Spain. The prime purpose of this
secret tribunal was the detection and punishment of heresy. Of this
infamous institution as operative in Spain, Myers says: "The Holy
Office, as the tribunal was styled, thus became the instrument of the
most incredible cruelty. Thousands were burned at the stake, and tens
of thousands more condemned to endure penalties scarcely less
terrible. Queen Isabella, in giving her consent to the establishment
of the tribunal in her dominions, was doubtless actuated by the purest
religious zeal, and sincerely believed that in suppressing heresy she
was discharging a simple duty, and rendering God good service. 'In the
love of Christ and His Maid-Mother,' she says, 'I have caused great
misery. I have depopulated towns and districts, provinces and
kingdoms.'"—(Myers, "Gen. Hist." p. 500.)
13. Now, in the sixteenth century, in connection with the attempted
reform in the doctrines of Catholicism, the terrible Inquisition
"assumed new vigor and activity, and heresy was sternly dealt with."
Consider the following as throwing light on the condition of that
time: "At this point, in connection with the persecutions of the
Inquisition, we should not fail to recall that in the sixteenth
century a refusal to conform to the established worship was regarded
by all, by Protestants as well as Catholics, as a species of treason
against society and was dealt with accordingly. Thus we find Calvin at
Geneva consenting to the burning of Servetus (1553) because he
published views that the Calvinists thought heretical; and in England
we see the Anglican Protestants waging the most cruel, bitter, and
persistent persecutions, not only against the Catholics but also
against all Protestants that refused to conform to the Established
Church."—(Myers, "Gen. Hist.," p. 527.)
14. What shall be said of a Church that seeks to propagate its faith
by such methods? Are fire and sword the weapons with which truth
fights her battles? Are torture and death the arguments of the gospel?
However terrible the persecutions to which the early Church was
subjected at the hands of heathen enemies, the persecutions waged by
the apostate church are far more terrible. Can such a church by any
possibility be the Church of Christ? Heaven forbid!
15. In the revolts we have noted against the Church of Rome, notably
in the Reformation, the zeal of the reformers led to many fallacies in
the doctrines they advocated. Luther, himself, proclaimed the doctrine
of absolute predestination and of justification by faith alone, thus
nullifying belief in the God-given rights of free agency, and
impairing the importance of individual effort.—(See the Author's
"Articles of Faith," Lecture 5.) Calvin and others were no less
extreme. Nevertheless their ministry contributed to the awakening of
individual conscience, and assisted in bringing about a measure of
religious freedom of which the world had long been deprived.—(See
note 2, end of chapter.)
**Rise of the Church of England**.
16. At the time of Martin Luther's revolt against the Church of Rome,
Henry VIII reigned in England. In common with all other countries of
western Europe, Britain was profoundly stirred by the reformation
movement. The king openly defended the Catholic Church and published a
book in opposition to Luther's claims. This so pleased the pope, Leo
X, that he conferred upon King Henry the distinguishing title,
"Defender of the Faith." This took place about 1522, and from that
time to the present, British sovereigns have proudly borne the title.
17. Within a few years after his accession to this title of
distinction, we find King Henry among the bitterest enemies of the
Roman Church, and the change came about in this wise. Henry desired a
divorce from his wife, Queen Catherine, to give him freedom to marry
Anne Boleyn. The pope hesitated in the matter of granting the divorce,
and Henry, becoming impatient, disregarded the pope's authority and
secretly married Anne Boleyn. The pope thereupon excommunicated the
king from the Church. The English parliament, following the king's
directions, passed the celebrated Act of Supremacy in 1534. This
statute declared an absolute termination of all allegiance to papal
authority, and proclaimed the king as supreme head of the Church of
Britain. Thus originated the Church of England, without regard for or
claim of divine authority, and without even a semblance of priestly
succession.
18. At first there was little innovation in doctrine or ritual in the
newly formed church. It originated in revolt. Later a form of creed
and a plan of organization were adopted, giving the Church of England
some distinctive features. During the reigns of Edward VI, Queen Mary,
and Queen Elizabeth, persecutions between Catholics and Protestants
were extensive and violent. Several non-conformist sects arose, among
them the Puritans and the Separatists. These were so persecuted that
many of them fled to Holland as exiles. From among these came the
notable colony of the Pilgrim Fathers, who crossed in the Mayflower to
the shores of the then recently-discovered continent, and established
themselves in America.
19. The thoughtful student cannot fail to see in the progress of the
great apostasy and its results the existence of an overruling power,
operating toward eventual good, however mysterious its methods. The
heart-rending persecutions to which the saints were subjected in the
early centuries of our era, the anguish, the torture, the bloodshed,
incurred in defense of the testimony of Christ, the rise of an
apostate church, blighting the intellect and leading captive the souls
of men—all these dread scenes were foreknown to the Lord. While we
cannot say or believe that such exhibitions of human depravity and
blasphemy of heart were in accordance with the divine will, certainly
God willed to permit full scope to the free agency of man, in the
exercise of which agency some won the martyr's crown, and others
filled the measure of their iniquity to overflowing.
20. Not less marked is the divine permission in the revolts and
rebellions, in the revolutions and reformations, that developed in
opposition to the darkening influence of the apostate church. Wycliffe
and Huss, Luther and Melancthon, Zwingle and Calvin, Henry VIII in his
arrogant assumption of priestly authority, John Knox in Scotland,
Roger Williams in America—these and a host of others builded better
than they knew, in that their efforts laid in part the foundation of
the structure of religious freedom and liberty of conscience,—and
this in preparation for the restoration of the gospel as had been
divinely predicted.
21. From the sixteenth century down to the present time, sects
professedly founded on the tenets of Christianity have multiplied
apace. They are now to be numbered by hundreds. On every side the
claim has been heard, "Lo, here is Christ," or "Lo, there." There are
churches named after their place of origin—as the Church of England;
other sects are designated in honor of their famous promoters—as
Lutherans, Calvinists, Wesleyans; others are known from some
peculiarity of creed or doctrine—as Methodists, Presbyterians, and
Baptists; but down to the beginning of the nineteenth century there
was no church even claiming name or title as the Church of Christ. The
only Church existing at that time venturing to assert authority by
succession was the Catholic Church, which as shown was wholly without
priesthood or divine commission.
22. If the "Mother Church" be without divine authority or spiritual
power, how can her children derive from her the right to officiate in
the things of God? Who dares affirm the absurdity that man can
originate for himself a priesthood which God shall honor and respect.
Granted that men may, can and do, create among themselves societies,
associations, sects, and churches if they choose so to designate their
religious organizations; granted that they may formulate laws,
prescribe rules, and construct elaborate plans of organization and
government, and that all such laws, rules and schemes of
administration are binding upon those who voluntarily assume
membership,—granted all these powers and rights—whence can such
human creations derive the authority of the holy Priesthood, without
which there can be no Church of Christ? If the power and authority be,
by any possibility, of human origin, there never has been a Church of
Christ on earth, and the alleged saving ordinances of the gospel have
never been other than empty forms.
23. Our review of the Great Apostasy as presented in this treatise,
does not call for any detailed or critical study of the Roman Catholic
Church as it exists in modern times, nor of any of the numerous
Protestant denominations that have come into existence as dissenting
children of the so-called "Mother Church." The apostasy was complete,
as far as actual loss of priesthood and cessation of spiritual power
in the Church are concerned, long prior to the sixteenth century
revolt, known in history as the Reformation. It is instructive to
observe, however, that the weakness of the Protestant sects as to any
claim to divine appointment and authority, is recognized by those
churches themselves. The Church of England, which, as shown,
originated in revolt against the Roman Catholic Church and its pope,
is without foundation of claim to divine authority in its priestly
orders, unless, indeed, it dare assert the absurdity that kings and
parliaments can create and take unto themselves heavenly authority by
enactment of earthly statutes.
24. The Roman Catholic Church is at least consistent in its claim that
a line of succession in the priesthood has been maintained from the
apostolic age to the present, though the claim is utterly untenable in
the light of a rational interpretation of history. But the fact
remains that the Catholic Church is the only organization venturing to
assert the present possession of the holy priesthood by unbroken
descent from the apostles of our Lord. The Church of England, chief
among the Protestant sects, and all other dissenting churches, are by
their own admission and by the circumstances of their origin, man-made
institutions, without a semblance of claim to the powers and authority
of the holy priesthood.
25. As late as 1896 the question of the validity of the priestly
orders in the Church of England was officially and openly discussed
and considered, both in England and at Rome. Lord Halifax, chairman of
the English Church Union, conferred with the Vatican authorities to
ascertain the possibility of bringing about closer union between the
Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. This involved the
question of the recognition of the priestly orders of the Anglican
Church by the pope and Church of Rome. The movement was favored in the
interests of unity and peace by the English premier, Mr. Gladstone.
The pope, Leo XIII, finally issued a decree refusing to recognize in
any degree the authority of the Anglican orders, and expressly
declaring all claims to priestly authority by the Church of England as
absolutely invalid.
26. Assuredly the Church of Rome could take no other action than this
and maintain the consistency of its own claim to exclusive possession
of the priesthood by descent. Assuredly the Church of England would
have sought no official recognition of its priestly status by the
Church of Rome had it any independent claim to the power and authority
of the priesthood. The Roman Catholic Church declares that all
Protestant denominations are either apostate organizations, or
institutions of human creation that have never had even a remote
connection with the church that claims succession in the priesthood.
In short, the apostate "Mother Church" aggressively proclaims the
perfidy of her offspring.
**The Apostasy Admitted**.
27. The fact of the great apostasy is admitted. Many theologians who
profess a belief in Christianity have declared the fact. Thus we read:
"We must not expect to see the Church of Christ existing in its
perfection on the earth. It is not to be found thus perfect, either in
the collected fragments of Christendom or still less in any one of
those fragments."—(Smith's "Dictionary of the Bible.")
28. John Wesley, who lived from 1703 to 1791 A. D., and who ranks as
chief among the founders of Methodism, comments as follows on the
apostasy of the Christian Church as evidenced by the early decline of
spiritual power and the cessation of the gifts and graces of the
Spirit of God within the Church: "It does not appear that these
extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit—(See I Cor., ch. 12.) were
common in the Church for more than two or three centuries. We seldom
hear of them after that fatal period when the Emperor Constantine
called himself a Christian, and from a vain imagination of promoting
the Christian cause thereby heaped riches and power and honor upon
Christians in general, but in particular upon the Christian clergy.
From this time they almost totally ceased, very few instances of the
kind being found. The cause of this was not, as has been supposed,
because there was no more occasion for them, because all the world was
become Christians. This is a miserable mistake; not a twentieth part
of it was then nominally Christians. The real cause of it was that the
love of many, almost all Christians, so-called, was waxed cold. The
Christians had no more of the spirit of Christ than the other
heathens. The Son of Man, when He came to examine His Church, could
hardly find faith upon earth. This was the real cause why the
extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be found in
the Christian church—because the Christians were turned heathens
again, and only had a dead form left."—(John Wesley's Works. Vol.
VII, 89:26-27. See Note 3, end of chapter.)
29. The Church of England makes official declaration of degeneracy and
loss of divine authority in these words: "Laity and clergy, learned
and unlearned, all ages, sects, and degrees, have been drowned in
abominable idolatry most detested by God and damnable to man for eight
hundred years and more."—(Church of England 'Homily on Perils of
Idolatry,' p. 3.) The "Book of Homilies," in which occurs this
declaration by the Church of England, dates from about the middle of
the sixteenth century. According to this official statement,
therefore, the religious world had been utterly apostate for eight
centuries prior to the establishment of the Church of England. The
fact of a universal apostasy was widely proclaimed, for the homilies
from which the foregoing citation is taken were "appointed to be read
in churches" in lieu of sermons under specified condition.
30. The great apostasy was divinely predicted; its accomplishment is
attested by both sacred and secular writ.
31. To the faithful Latter-day Saint, a concluding proof of the
universal apostasy and of the absolute need of a restoration of
Priesthood from the heavens will be found in the divine reply to the
inquiry of the boy prophet, Joseph Smith, as to which of all the
contending sects was right: "I was answered that I must join none of
them, for they were all wrong; and the personage who addressed me said
that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight; that those
professors were all corrupt; that 'they draw near to me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the
commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the
power thereof.'"—(Pearl of Great Price, p. 85, par. 19.)
**The Sequel**.
32. The sequel of the Great Apostasy is the Restoration of the Gospel,
marking the inauguration of the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.
This epoch-making event occurred in the early part of the nineteenth
century, when the Father and the Son manifested themselves to man, and
when the Holy Priesthood with all its powers and authority was again
brought to earth.
33. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims to the
world this glorious restoration,—at once the consummation of the work
of God throughout the ages past, and the final preparation for the
second advent of Jesus, the Christ. The Church affirms that after the
long night of spiritual darkness, the light of heaven has again come;
and that the Church of Christ is authoritatively established. The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stands alone in the
declaration that the Holy Priesthood is operative upon earth, not as
an inheritance through earthly continuation from the apostolic age,
but as the endowment of a new dispensation, brought to earth by
heavenly ministration. In this restoration, divinely predicted and
divinely achieved, has been witnessed a realization of the Revelator's
vision:
"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the
everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud
voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment
is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and
the fountains of waters."—(Rev. 14:6, 7. For treatment of the
Restoration of the Gospel see the Author's "Articles of Faith,"
Lecture 11. See Notes 4 and 5, end of chapter.)
1. Papist Testimony to the Corruption of the Church. "The judicious
student of ecclesiastical history will observe that I constantly
endeavor to draw my proofs from the most unexceptionable sources. For
example: To prove the corrupt state of the clergy, and the abominable
practices of the Roman See, I would produce the evidence of George of
Saxony, a most bigoted papist, whom the Roman Catholics always reckon
among the most sincere and most active of the holy defenders of their
religion. Now, as with them the assertions of Luther and the other
reformers go for nothing but exaggerations, misrepresentations, or
direct falsehoods, let them listen at least to this duke, their steady
friend and advocate, who generally, in religious concerns, opposed his
relation, the elector of Saxony, and who also entirely approved of
Luther's condemnation at Worms. This George of Saxony exhibited to the
Diet twelve heads of the grievances which called loudly for reform.
Two of these are briefly as follows: 1. Indulgences, which ought to be
obtained by prayers, fastings, benevolence towards our neighbor, and
other good works, are sold for money. Their value is extolled beyond
all decency. The sole object is to gain a deal of money. Hence the
preachers, who are bound to set forth truth, teach men nothing but
lies and frauds. They are not only suffered to go on thus, but are
well paid for their fraudulent harangues. The reason is the more
conviction they can produce among their hearers, the more money flows
into the chest. Rivers of scandalous proceedings arise from this
corrupt fountain. The officials of the bishops are equally attentive
to scrape money together. They vex the poor with their censures for
great crimes, as whoredom, adultery, blasphemy; but they spare the
rich. The clergy commit the very same crimes, and nobody censures
them. Faults which ought to be expiated by prayers and fastings are
atoned for by money, in order that the officials may pay large sums to
their respective bishops, and retain a portion of the gain for
themselves. Neither when a mulct is inflicted, is it done in a way to
stop the commission of the same fault in future, but rather so that
the delinquent understands he may soon do that very thing again,
provided he be but ready to pay. Hence, all the sacraments are sold
for money; and where that is not to be had, they are absolutely
neglected. 2. Another distinct head of the grievances produced by this
zealous duke was expressed thus: 'The scandalous conduct of the clergy
is a very fruitful source of the destruction of poor souls. There must
be a universal reformation; and this cannot be better effected than by
a general council. It is therefore, the most earnest wish of us all
that such a measure be adopted.'"—(Milner, "Church History," Cent.
XVI, ch. 6. Footnote.)
2. Extremes Incident to the Reformation. "What were the reproaches
constantly applied to the Reformation by its enemies? Which of its
results are thrown in its face, as it were, unanswerable? The two
principal reproaches are, first, the multiplicity of sects, the
excessive license of thought, the destruction of all spiritual
authority, and the entire dissolution of religious society; secondly,
tyranny and persecution. 'You provoke licentiousness,' it has been
said to the Reformers: 'you produce it; and, after being the cause of
it, you wish to restrain and repress it. And how do you repress it? By
the most harsh and violent means. You take upon yourselves, too, to
punish heresy, and that by virtue of an illegitimate authority.'"—
Guizot.
"The Sectarian dogma of Justification by Faith alone has exercised an
influence for evil since the early days of Christianity. The idea upon
which this pernicious doctrine was founded, was at first associated
with that of an absolute predestination, by which man was foredoomed
to destruction, or to an utterly undeserved salvation. Thus, Luther
taught as follows: 'The excellent, infallible, and sole preparation
for grace, is the eternal election and predestination of God.' 'Since
the fall of man, free-will is but an idle word.' 'A man who imagines
to arrive at grace by doing all that he is able to do, adds sins to
sin, and is doubly guilty.' 'That man is not justified who performs
many works; but he who without works has much faith in Christ.' (For
these and other doctrines of the Reformation see D'Aubigne's 'History
of the Reformation,' Vol. I, pp. 82, 83, 119, 122.) In Milner's
'Church History' (Vol. IV, p. 514) we read: 'The point which the
reformer Luther had most at heart in all his labors, contests and
dangers, was the justification by faith alone.' Melancthon voices the
doctrine of Luther in these words: 'Man's justification before God
proceeds from faith alone. This faith enters man's heart by the grace
of God alone;' and further, 'As all things which happen, happen
necessarily, according to the divine predestination, there is no such
thing as liberty in our wills.'—(D'Aubigne, Vol. III, p. 340.) It is
true that Luther strongly denounced, and vehemently disclaimed
responsibility for, the excesses to which this teaching gave rise, yet
he was not less vigorous in proclaiming the doctrine. Note his words:
'I, Doctor Martin Luther, unworthy herald of the doctrine of our Lord
Jesus Christ, confess this article, that faith alone without works
justifies before God; and I declare that it shall stand and remain
forever in despite of the emperor of the Romans, the emperor of the
Turks, the emperor of the Persians,—in spite of the pope and all the
cardinals, with the bishops, priests, monks and nuns,—in spite of
kings, princes and nobles, and in spite of all the world and of the
devils themselves; and that if they endeavor to fight against this
truth they will draw the fires of hell upon their heads. This is the
true and holy gospel, and the declaration of me, Doctor Luther,
according to the teachings of the Holy Ghost.'"—(See the Author's
"Articles of Faith," Lecture V, Note 2.)
3. Diverse Views Concerning Continuance or Decline of Spiritual
Gifts. "Protestant writers insist that the age of miracles closed
with the fourth or fifth century, and that after that the
extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost must not be looked for. Catholic
writers, on the other hand, insist that the power to perform miracles
has always continued in the Church; yet those spiritual manifestations
which they describe after the fourth and fifth centuries savor of
invention on the part of the priests, and childish credulity on the
part of the people; or else, what is claimed to be miraculous falls
short of the power and dignity of those spiritual manifestations which
the primitive Church was wont to witness. The virtues and prodigies,
ascribed to the bones and other relics of the martyrs and saints, are
puerile in comparison with the healings by the anointing with oil and
the laying on of hands, speaking in tongues, interpretations,
prophecies, revelations, casting out of devils in the name of Jesus
Christ; to say nothing of the gifts of faith, wisdom, knowledge,
discerning of spirits, etc.—common in the Church in the days of the
apostles—(I Cor. 12:8-10). Nor is there anything in the scriptures or
in reason that would lead one to believe that they were to be
discontinued. Still this plea is made by modern Christians—explaining
the absence of these spiritual powers among them—that the
extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were only intended to accompany
the proclamation of the gospel during the first few centuries, until
the Church was able to make its way without them, and they were to be
done away. It is sufficient to remark upon this that it is assumption
pure and simple, and stands without warrant either of scripture or
right reason; and proves that men had so far changed the religion of
Jesus Christ that it became a form of godliness without the power
thereof."—(B. H. Roberts, "Outlines of Ecclesiastical History," Part
II, Sec. 5:6-8.)
4. Commentary on the Revelator's Vision of the Restoration. It is
instructive to inquire into the interpretation given by biblical
students to the prophecy voiced by John the Revelator predicting the
advent of the angel "having the everlasting gospel." Dr. Clarke offers
the following reflections on the passage: "And I saw another angel
fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel: Whether
this angel means any more than a particular dispensation of providence
and grace, by which the gospel shall be rapidly sent through the whole
world; or whether it means any especial messenger, order of preachers,
people, or society of Christians, whose professed object it is to send
the gospel of the kingdom throughout the earth, we know not. But the
vision seems truly descriptive of a late institution, entitled 'The
British and Foreign Bible Society,' whose object it is to print and
circulate the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments through all the
habitable world, and in all the languages spoken on the face of the
earth."—(Clarke, "Bible Commentary," Rev. 14:6.)
The learned commentator is to be commended for his frank avowal as to
uncertainty regarding the precise interpretation of this scripture,
and for the provisional and tentative manner in which he indicates a
possible application to the wide distribution of the Holy Bible
through the efforts of a most worthy and influential society. It is to
be noted that Dr. Clarke wrote his famous commentary on the Bible
shortly before the actual restoration of the gospel through angelic
agency which resulted in the establishment of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. Of necessity his search for the
fulfillment of the prediction was unsatisfactory, and, indeed,
unsuccessful, inasmuch as the fulfillment had not then occurred. The
commendable work of the Bible Society was a preparation for the
fulfillment of the momentous prophecy, but not the fulfillment itself.
5. Restoration of the Church. "In the first ten centuries
immediately following the ministry of Christ, the authority of the
priesthood was lost from among men, and no human power could restore
it. But the Lord in His mercy provided for the re-establishment of His
Church in the last days, and for the last time, and prophets of olden
time foresaw this era of renewed enlightenment, and sang in joyous
tones of its coming."—(See Dan. 2:44, 45; 7:27; Matt. 24:14; Rev.
14:6-8.) "This restoration was effected by the Lord through the
prophet, Joseph Smith, who, together with Oliver Cowdery, in 1829,
received the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist,
and later the Melchizedek Priesthood under the hands of the former-day
apostles, Peter, James and John. By the authority thus bestowed, the
Church has been again organized with all its former completeness, and
mankind once more rejoices in the priceless privileges of the counsels
of God. The Latter-day Saints declare their high claim to the true
Church organization, similar in all essentials to the organization
effected by Christ among the Jews; these people of the last days
profess to have the Priesthood of the Almighty, the power to act in
the name of God, which power commands respect both on earth and in
heaven."—(The Author, "Articles of Faith," Lecture 11:12.)
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