"Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 12:12
Volume 1. ........................... Oakland, Cal., Fifth-Day, June 4, 1874. ........................ Number 1
The Signs of the Times
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Finish Thy Work.
________
Finish thy work; the time is short,
The sun is in the west,
The night is coming on; till then,
Think not of rest.
Yes, finish all thy work, than rest;
Till then, rest never;
The rest prepared for thee by God
Is rest forever.
Finish thy work, then wipe thy brow,
Ungird thee from thy toil;
Take breath, and from each weary limb,
Shake off the soil.
Finish thy work, then rest in peace,
Life's battle fought and won;
And so to thee, thy Master's voice,
Shall say well done!
Finish thy work, then take thy harp.
Give praise to God above;
Sing a new song of endless joy
And heavenly love.
Give thanks to Him who held thee up
In all thy path below,
Who made thee faithful to the end,
And crowns thy brow. - Sel.
We give below a startling description of the state of the church and of the world, extracted from a discourse by Robert Atkins, preached in London, more than thirty years since.
It is generally admitted by the religious and secular press, that the last thirty years have been a period of unparalleled apostasy and crime. If Mr. Atkins truly represents the churches and the world of thirty years ago, frightful indeed is the photograph of our times, and very appropriate the words of the prophet: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." Isa. 58:1.
Preaching in ceiled houses, Sabbath after Sabbath, to the same congregation, appears to me little better than a mockery, when the awful state of Christendom arises before me, overshadowed as it is, with the cloud of Almighty vengeance. And yet, were I to pursue the course that best accords with my present state of feeling - were I to cry aloud throughout the streets and lanes of this city, dawn and night, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants - woe to the corrupters of the pure gospel of the blessed Jesus, I should be regarded as fanatical maniac; and, at the sacrifice of future usefulness, would only secure the lamentable satisfaction of having borne my testimony against a degenerate age, and an apostate church. My beloved hearers, I am well aware that the glance that I have taken, at this most alarming and exciting subject, is but ill calculated to prepare my mind, at least for the deliberate investigation of the important doctrine which I have proposed to bring before you; but depending for help whence alone true help can come, I proceed to the consideration of my subject. And, that your minds may not be confused by a variety of matter, I shall confine myself, in the present lecture, to the delusion that prevails respecting the state and prospects of the church and world.
What is the opinion that the churches of the present day entertain of themselves, and of the world? My hearers, am I not stating truth when I say: `Go where you will, either to the platforms of Bible societies, or missionary societies, or to the pulpits of churchmen, or dissenters, and you will hear one uniform tale of the increasing piety, and of the extending success of the gospel. You will almost be persuaded that the ministers and the churches are as holy and as zealous as they well can be; that the world is mending every day through the influence of religious example, and that we may shortly expect the triumph of the gospel, the fulfillment of the promise that the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Now, without stopping to inquire what influence such statements as these, or such opinions, however modified, of the church and of the world, are likely to produce upon either, let us see how they accord with the Scripture and with fact. It is plainly stated by our Lord, that until the end of the present dispensation, there should be the-coexistence of Christianity and anti-Christianity; that the tares should grow together with the wheat until the end of the age - not the end of the world, as it is rendered in our translation; and, if this be true, when shall every knee bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord? When shall righteousness cover the earth, and when shall the earth be filled with the glory of the Lord? Most certainly, if Christ's declaration is to be taken, not during the present dispensation.
The Apostle Paul informs us that iniquity, which at the beginning of the dispensation, only worked by way of mysteries, in the latter days would assume the character of an actual manifestation. In his second epistle to Timothy, he also declares that "in the last days, perilous times shall come: for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more then lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. . . . Ever learning, and never be able to come to the knowledge of the truth. . . . men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith; evil men and seducers, waxing worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived." (2.Tim. 3:1-5, 7-8) And the Apostle Peter gives this addition to the awful picture: "There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming?" (2.Pet 3:3,4) Here you perceive, my hearers, you have two descriptions of the last days, that is, of the present time, as widely different as two descriptions can possibly be; the first is of man's drawing, and the second of God's . Which of the two will you believe? But, lest there should be a mistake, let us fairly and honestly inquire whether this description of God's giving, actually corresponds with the present state of the churches and of the world; and in tracing the correspondency, may God carry conviction to every one of your minds, as he has done to mine.
And now, if we want a standard whereby to judge of the apostasy of the present churches, we must take the church of Christ when the apostatizing spirit was least manifested, that is to say, in the apostolic age. With this pattern in our eye, where, I ask, are the gifts of the Spirit? Where is the confidence and brotherly love that made all things common? and where is the selling of that we have and becoming a true disciple? Where has the spirit of self-denial and of cross-bearing fled? Where is the taking joyfully the spoiling of our goods? Where is the persecution that all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall endure, and where is the being hated of all men for Christ's sake? Alas! alas! my brethren, the gifts of the spirit are gone, and I fear most of the graces have gone with them; and, as to suffering and reproach, to which the church is called, such things have long been mere matters of history. But this general mode of remark will do little, I fear, in bringing conviction to the mind; let us at once go to the churches and take their members individually, and compare the Christian of today, with Christ; and where, let me ask, O! where, will you find almost one feature of resemblance?[100]
There are none of you ignorant of the fact that our Lord, while in the world set us an example, that we might tread in His steps. He knew what was in man; he knew what would be his most dangerous besetment, that is the love of the world, the love of creature comfort, the love of ease, and of a present resting place. To guard against this besetment, he chalked out a course for his followers, and for his church; and let me tell you, it is the only one that cam be safely followed; and what is this course? He became a pilgrim and a sojourner in a strange land, and would not have so much of this world as even a place where to lay his head; he took no thought for the morrow, he made no such inquiries as these:
`What shall I drink, or wherewithall shall I be clothed: and in praying to his Father, he could honestly, and with a sincere heart, say, give me this day my daily bread. My hearers, whatever apostate churches may say to the contrary, every Christian is bound by our Saviour's example, and, what is more, God's positive command is upon him to walk in these very steps and to observe the very same rule.[150]
Oh! my hearers, find me a follower of Christ, find me a true pilgrim, a genuine sojourner, a man that is truly a stranger in this evil world; find me the man whose conduct tells the world he is living for eternity. Find me the church who lay it down as a rule, that for the sake of thoughtless, world-loving, comfort-loving, and pleasure-loving sinners, their ministers and members shall uniformely preach the following truths, by their lives and by their conduct.
- Men are probationers for eternity.
- The world is man's worst enemy; the world has damned millions of souls, and is damning millions more at this very moment.
- Renounce the world,
- come out from the world,
- beware of the world,
- overcome the world.
I hesitate not to say such a man, such a church is not to be found; the truly righteous are diminished from the earth and no man layeth it to heart. The professors of religion of the present day, in every church, are lovers of the world, conformers to the world, lovers of creature-comfort, and aspirers after respectability. They are called to suffer with Christ but they shrink from even reproach, not to speak of suffering in the flesh, as an evil that they are justified in using every means to evade. They are called to endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ, but, to a man, they love softness and ease. They are called to bear a testimony for Christ, to endure persecution, and to rejoice in tribulation, but they take good care to keep out of the way of both when they can. They are called to weep and mourn, and are promised a Comforter, but they prefer to be without the Comforter, rather then having the mourning. Apostasy, apostasy, apostasy, is engraved on the very front of every church; and did they know it, and did they feel it, there might be hope; but, alas! they cry, `We are rich, and increased in goods, and stand in need of nothing; and thus, blasphemy is added to apostasy.
My beloved hearers, do I speak too strongly, have I overdrawn the picture? Come with me to Lambeth Place. Tell the number of its turrets, count its splendid halls and its painted chambers, give a tongue to these appendages of state, these contributors to luxury, and say, oh! say, what are all these calculated to teach a pleasure-loving and a world-loving sinner? Go to the salaried dissenting preacher who has found a resting place in his stipulated income, or the round of duty for which it is paid, will give you any just idea of the leader and the exempler of Bible pilgrims. Go to the opulent professing churchman, or the wealthy deacon, go to the Christian merchant, or the Christian shopkeeper, and learn the church's comment on the two notable commandments of our Saviour, "Lay not up treasures on the earth," and "Labor not for the meat that perisheth." (Mt. 6:19; Jh. 6:27) Where, oh! where is the world-hater, the money-despiser, the cross-lover to be found? Where is the Bible sojourner, the Bible probationer for eternity, the Bible sufferer for Christ's sake - Christ's living epistles, which sinners may read? Where have they their hiding place?
My brethren, the whole gospel system, and the very gospel object is perverted, and yet am I censured as a reviler for calling the churches apostate. The churches do not know that iniquity is working in the way of mystery - the churches do not know that Satan's method of damning souls is by giving them much that has the appearance of good - the he will go the length of making a three-parts Christian to keep the inquirer in peace, that he may thus not only make his damnation more sure, but also bring deeper reproach upon Christ and his cause. Is the witness of the Spirit a thing inquired after? The sinner shall have it, but it will be counterfeit. Is peace, is joy, is a praying or preaching gift wanted? They shall be given, but remember they are blessings and gifts too frequently of Satan's giving. Holiness of heart and Christ's example, are the only things that Satan fears; and all partial piety, and half hearted Christianity are Satan's glory, and the church's shame. My hearers, I have given you a short sketch of what are called the Christian churches of the day who are going to convert the world by their preaching and their example. Do I revile them? Nay, but according to the light which God has imparted to me, I feel called upon, fearless of all consequences, to bear my testimony against them, for the honor of Christ and his cause, as a warning to the deluders, and for the benefit of the deluded; and it is my constant prayer that they may awaken to a sense of their real condition, and humble themselves before God, from whom they have awfully apostatized, ere the vials of Almighty wrath give indisputable evidence that the measure of the iniquity of the Gentile church is full.
My brethren, were I to attempt to draw the character of the churches of the day in full, who, according to their own account, are to be honored instrumentality of evangelizing the heathen, and filling the whole earth with the glory of the Lord, the sun would go down upon us before one hundreth part of their corruptions and abuses could be brought before you in detail. Even mere natural men and avowed infidels have but to direct their eye towards them, and the feeling of disgust is created, and the cry of shame is extorted because of their party bickerings and their unchristian animosities. But, with the record of their unhallowed contentions, or with the abuse of the powers they possess, and their aspirings after more, I have at present nothing to do. It is enough for my purpose simply to point at their apostasy from primitive purity and primitive power. Alas! alas! the gospel-perverting nature of their conduct and operations, their worldy-mindedness, their spiritual darkness, their self-conceit, their party-spirit, their secularizing policy and utter selfishness, their having the form of godliness without the power, and their ever hearing and never coming to the knowledge of the truth, all, all about them, and of them, and in them, but too strongly mark them as the prepared and the preparing objects of Almighty vengeance.
Startling enough the language be I dare not hesitate to use it. God has forgotten to punish if his arm be not lifted up against them, and mock piety is no longer offensive to a holy God, if the hour of their destruction be not near at hand. I fear much that the unconverted and backsliding portions of every Gentile church, I mean of the churches of the day, will laugh at this testimony, which I consider it my duty to bear against them; for they have closed their eyes, they have shut their ears, they have hardened their hearts, and God has given them over to their strong delusion. They are believing a lie and they will assuredly be damned, because they have obeyed not the gospel, because they have held the truth in unrighteousness. But blessed be God, there are some in every church, a small remnant, a little flock, whose eyes are still open, who weep and mourn over the general defection, who know the voice of the Spirit; and to them I address the admonitory language of my text, "Let your loins be girded about, and your light burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh, and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately." Luke 12:36.
(To be continued) ... but we do not have the continuation of this article from a long time ago.
Notes & References
[100] The perceived predicament, we may say today, is, that preacher Atkins lived in the last days of the age of the Church of Philadelphia - without realizing it. Apparently these `revelations' were still a closed book in those days. The entire age of the church of Laodicea lay still ahead. The same words we read from Paul and Peter, looked at today, seem to describe our age very accurately and we must say, what preacher Atkins desired to see in his days, we see today in our days starkly spread before us as being present among all nations in the world. The resemblance he looked for, its there today.
[150] Here are some of the scriptures which are spoken of in this sermon: God's word says, "But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you." Jer. 7:23; words echoed by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:6.
Or the phrase "his steps," how is that used in the Bible? See 1.Peter 2:21; Jer. 10:23; Prov. 16:9; Ps. 85:13; 37:31; Job 23:11.
The applicable word sojourner is found here: Gen. 23:4; Ps. 39:12.
The phrase "lay his head" is found in Matth. 8:20; Luk. 9:58.
Taking "no thought" for life's necessities we find in Matth. 6:25,31,34; Luke 12:22.
"Give us this day" is found in Matth. 6:11; Lk. 11:3.
"I command you" is found in John 15:14,17.
The point is, before we follow all these steps and admonitions, we first of all have to be obedient to the clear commands of God - the rules, if you will, the law of God, the transcript of the character of God. How do we establish that God's law(s) is the transcript of His character? - Back in Psalm 19:1 we learn that "the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork," God rules His creation through rules or laws. This includes physical laws as here declared, and spiritual laws as implied here in John 11:4,
"When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."
Or here in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" as well as Phil. 2:10,11 illustrate that in the Bible "the glory of God" has to do with the character of God. It is His power and His nature, all of which is expressed by laws. God rules everything He made by laws.
Bible Topics