Of the primitive church in its normal state, at the time
when it was the ideal for all future ages, it is declared
that "of the rest durst no man join himself to
them" (Acts 5: 13). " They were all filled with
the Holy Ghost.... And the multitude of them that believed
were of one heart and of one soul.... And great grace was
upon them all." Acts 4:31-33. This was declared of
the visible body of believers. They presented to the world
a clean, separate, distinct church, or people. They were
pure from sin and sinners. The spirit of discernment in
the apostles, and the mighty power and glory of God that
rested upon them, made it impossible for hypocrites and
sinners to profess among them. "Of the rest durst no
man join himself to them."
But step by step the church drifted
from this high plane and soon the great apostasy came.
Then the priests "put no difference between the holy
and profane," "showed no difference between the
unclean and the clean" (Ezek. 22: 26). Thus a mixed
condition came in. Especially has this been true during
the Protestant era—saints and sinners, true believers
and hypocrites, the humble and the proud, all classes and
kinds have been yoked up together, and all labeled "
Christians."
But, dear reader, better days have
come. The prophet foretold a time when the people of God
would "return, and discern between the righteous and
the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that
serveth him not" (Mat. 3: 18). We are living in that
time. We have returned to the primitive plane, and by the
Word and Spirit of God we are able to discern between the
righteous and the wicked. Sectarians cry, "You can't
have a pure church; there must be mixture." Here is
God's answer to them: "If thou take forth the
precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth. "
Jer. 15: 19. God does not approve of a mixture of saints
and "sinners in the congregation of the
righteous" (Psa. 1: 5). "So shall ye know that I
am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain:
then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers
pass through her any more." Joel 3: l7. This is the
church. The Lord calls it "my holy mountain."
Under the metaphor of Jerusalem, the redeemed church in
the evening time " shall be holy "—so much so
that " no strangers [sinners] shall pass through her
any more. "
May God raise up many thousand
witnesses to go forth with the righteous indignation of
Josiah and the thunderbolts of heaven's truth, and take
away the high places of pride and idolatry, and abolish
the abomination of sectism out of the hearts of the
people. Amen.
Christ is today gathering his
church out of all the sects back to Zion. They return on
the highway of holiness; namely, he sanctifies and
cleanses them from all sin and traditions, and thus
prepares his church, so she may be presented to himself
"a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or
any such thing," a holy church without blemish. True
holiness adorned the church in primitive days. Had she but
retained this glorious truth and experience, this globe
today would be girdled with a belt of light and salvation.
But instead, an apostasy came. The light of truth was soon
extinguished by dark clouds of superstition and of false
doctrines. Holiness is really the mainspring of all gospel
truth. To retrograde from it would be to throw open the
doors to every species of false doctrine and error.
It was in this manner that the way
was paved for the great apostasy. At a very early date
true holiness was lost sight of, and was hid from the
genera] masses of the people. Had it ever been retained by
the church, there would never have been an apostasy Mark
you ! By retrograding from true holiness the church went
into apostasy, and was defiled. By returning to the true
standard of holiness the church is brought out of the
apostasy, and cleansed. The fire of holiness and truth
restores a pure church. The result is, " The sinners
in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the
hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring
fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
" As the judgments of truth are executed and the fire
of holiness accompanies the same, sinners and hypocrites
are surprised and made afraid to profess among us. None
can dwell in this devouring fire, only those who walk
righteously. " Therefore the ungodly shall not stand
in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous." Psa. 1:5. "But who may abide the day
of his coming ? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for
he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: and
he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he
shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and
silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in
righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and
Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of
old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you
to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the
sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false
swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in
his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn
aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith
the Lord of hosts. For I am the Lord, I change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." Mal.
3:2-6. "And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of
hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will
spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth
him." Verse 17.
While Mal. 3: 2, 3 was fulfilled
when Christ came in his personal advent to this world, yet
the same work he then effected, he is now effecting in
this evening time; namely, purifying unto himself a holy
church. These scriptures beautifully portray the present
holiness work. Christ sits, a refining fire. He sits upon
"the throne of his holiness." His throne is
"like a fiery flame,, and his wheels as burning fire.
" This throne of grace and holiness is "within
us." Thus he suddenly comes to his temple. "Ye
are the temple of the living God: as God hath said, I will
dwell in them." He purges and purifies his church;
even as gold and silver, our hearts are purified by faith.
The result of this cleansing is realized by the people of
God offering unto the Lord" an offering in
righteousness." Such offerings are "pleasant
unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former
years [apostolic times] . "
Glory to God! we have reached its
fulfillment. Since he is dwelling in his church thus
cleansed, he executes judgment against all sin and corrupt
religions, and is a swift witness against men who would
dare to profess among us and be guilty of the things
enumerated in verse 5. Thus sinners can not stand in the
congregation of the righteous. As we return to the
apostolic plane, we are enabled to "discern between
the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God
and him that serveth him not. " Thus "the
righteous are taken from among tile vile"—a pure
church is gathered and cleansed; and of them he says,
" They shall be mine, when I make up my jewels.
"
We cooperate with Christ in this
great work. What his Word accepts we accept; what it
rejects we reject. Thus the rebels are purged out from
among us. "And it shall come to pass, that in all the
land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off
and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will
bring the third part through the fire, and will refine
them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is
tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I
will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is
my God." Zech. 13:8, 9. That which cuts off two parts
in all the land is the judgments written. God's ministers
lay " judgment to the line, and righteousness to tile
plummet." The whole truth which they preach is
"sharper than a two-edged sword" and cuts off
all who will not obey. The third part left is the remnant
who walk in the light and obey the whole truth. These are
refined by the fire.
"Many shall be purified, and
made white, and tried." "Many must be tested
[chosen out Greek], and thoroughly whitened, and tried
with fire, and sanctified." Dan. 12:10, Septuagint.
Here we see that at the end of the apostasy there was to
be a great holiness reformation. This is the very work
that is now cleansing and purifying tile sanctuary, or
church. This same cleansing and redeeming of the church is
seen in the first chapter of Isaiah. We will give it as
rendered in the LXX:
"How has the faithful city
Sion, once full of judgment, become a harlot! wherein
righteousness lodged, but now murderers. Your silver is
worthless, thy wine merchants mix the wine with water. Thy
princes are rebellious, companions of thieves, loving,
bribes, seeking after rewards; not pleading for orphans,
and not heeding the cause of widows. Therefore thus saith
the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Woe to the mighty men of
Israel; for my wrath shall not cease against mine
adversaries, and I will execute judgment on mine enemies.
And I will bring my hand upon thee, and purge thee
completely, and I will destroy the rebellious, and will
take away from thee all transgressors. And I will
establish thy judges as before and thy counselors as at
the beginning: and afterward thou shalt be called the city
of righteousness, the faithful mother city Sion. For her
captives shall be saved with judgment, and with
mercy." Isa. 1: 21-27.
The faithful city Sion, once full
of judgment, wherein righteousness lodged, refers to the
pure church of God in her pristine glory. "She became
a harlot." This refers to her apostatized condition.
"Her merchants" refers to her ministers. It is
said that "they mix the wine with water"; that
is, they weaken the gospel and do not deal it out in its
full strength. Oh, how truly is this fulfilled in Babylon!
The pure unadultered truth is not heard there. Their
ministers fear to preach it. They weaken it to suit their
own theories and the crooked lives of their members. They
"seek after rewards" preach for the people's
money, rather than to benefit souls—a hireling ministry.
But, thank God, this was not always
to continue. God declares that he will execute judgment
upon all such. " And I will bring my hand upon thee
[his people, his church] and purge thee completely, and I
will destroy the rebellious. and will take away from thee
all transgressors. " This very work is now going on,
and is restoring a pure church. "And I will establish
thy judges as before"; namely, establish his people
and ministry in ' holiness (1 Thess. 3: 13), where they
shall be full of judgment by the Spirit of the Lord,
"to declare unto Jacob his transgressions, and unto
Israel his sin " (Micah 3:8). "And thy
counselors as at the beginning [apostolic days]."
"Zion shall be redeemed with judgment and her
converts with righteousness. " " And afterwards
thou shalt be called the city of righteousness, the
faithful mother city Sion." This represents the glory
of the church after being purified and cleansed in this
evening time.
This same truth is brought out in
other texts. We will here give Isa. 4: 3-5: " And it
shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he
that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even
every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the
daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of
Jerusalem from the m. midst thereof by the spirit of
judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the Lord will
create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon
her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining
of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall
be a defense. " Zion and Jerusalem are metaphors,
which signify the church. Here it is seen that after she
is purged by the spirit of judgment and burning, the Word
and Spirit, all that remain shall be called holy, and
"upon all the glory shall be a defense"; namely,
"the glory that thou gayest me I have given them,
that they may be one as we are." Thank God for a
redeemed church.
