The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-09-25

uctU ouh
Of woe.
The Christian Church has been fire
quently aud justly rebuked for her in
difference to the great reforms of TIA,
age. These reproois are justifable il
the United States only. In almost ev
cry other country, some other religion
dominates, and the Christian Church
as yet in infancy, can stand only on tn,
defensive, but here the Chris. spirit is
nourished, aud the Christian religion is
largely predominant, and the Church
has no excuse for either standing upon
neutral ground, or rendering tardy as.
sstance to all measures having for their
object the uplifting, purifying, refining
aud spiritualizing the human race.
Judgment begins IA the house of God
says the Word; aud the Church to do
herself justice, and cx rcise her sure
prerogative, should tax the aggressive
sword of the spirit int, ner own hands,
and be quick to rebuke evil, first turn
ing its point in upon herself, giving
sharp, incisive blows until neither mote
nor beam remains, that she may see
clearly to rebuke evil in the individual,
state aud nation.
Those who Judge the Church from the
outside and from the appearance of
things, charge her with moving only as
outside pressure forces her to move, and
as adapting herself to popular belief, iu.
stead of adhering to fixed principles and
drawing all men unto her, There is a
measure of truth in these charges, nor
can the Church escape them until non.
essentials are surrendered, and organiza
zion authorizing spiritual control ceases
The warranty Christ gave, that Who.
soever sins We remit, they are RENTED
unto them, and whatsoever sins We retain,
they are retained" was not giyeu unto
Peter the ma" but to the Holy Ghost
which was to abide with, and III Peter,
or withdraw at will.
Every Apostle aud Prophet who la
bored to produce the Bible, claim to be
fallible men, and Jesus was careful to
delegate infalIibiiity to no one lest man.
kind in their short sightedness and prone
ness to idolatry, and desire for yisiJic
God to worship, should worship the man
instead of the Maker, the creature in.
stead of the Creator. The Catholic
Church stumbles here believing that
Christ established priesthood by Peter,
after the similitude of Aaron and his
sons; and Protestants fall into the same
error, slightly modified, looking to pastor
or priest as spiritual advisor aud guide.
Whereas God in Christ established no
priesthood on earth, but the Holy Ghost,
promised and sent to eUer.y believer in
Christ, establishing every one of us, who
have received the gift of the Holy Ghost,
land every believer "has received &C.
cording to the measure of the gift of
Christ,') members of the Holy priest.
hood to offer up spiritual sacrifice to
God and by the Holy Ghost, through
Christ, every person can hold direct con.
verse with the living God, every day and
hour of their lives There is no author
ICED spiritual control over mankind but
the Lord Christ, and every man and
woman must stand or fall to their own
master. And that the world may cease
from idolatry, God takes deliberate
pains to humliate every man and wo.
man who having received the ten tai.
ents, makes use of them to their own
agrandizement, instead of to Gods glory.
To-day, after the lapse of eighteen
hundred years, | find the world living
under the old Mosaic reign and dispen-
sation. much more than under the gen
tie, forgiving, benign reign of Jesus and
the new dispensation Whereas, Christ
fulfilled the Mosaic dispensation, and
abolished all laws contained in ordi-
nances, in his own body on the Cross.
" IT'S finished" was his cry, and fulfilled
to the letter, the spiritual law, rendering
his life in one sense, detailed instruc.
tive example for us and God has prom
ised from that time forward and forever,
to write them no more on tablets of
stone, but M the hearts Of all his chl.
dren, making every person in Christ, "a
law unto themselves. Christ himself ill.,
augurating the new reign of things, es
tablishing himself High Priest over all,
himself Mount Zion, to which the whole
world may come. For the children of
Israel, under the Christ dispensation, in
escaping from the Egyptian bondage of
physical, mental and spiritual servitude,
have not come to that mount that might
not be touched, before which Moses said
he did exceedingly fear and quake
but they lace come "to Mount Zion, to
Jesus, and to an innumerable company
of angels, and to God, the Judge of all -
and each man and woman, for them.
selves, III the spirit of prayer, by the
Holy Ghost, through Christ, can in love
fearlessly approach, and entering within
the veil, open up spiritual sacrifice for
themselves and others.
l speak of these things at length, so
as to withdraw as far as possible the
false idea that has so extensively oh.
tanned that the Pope of Rome for the
Catholic, aud the Minister for the Prot
estant christian has delegated control