, 1874-10-04

It IL noteworthy that among al the sects, big
and lutte, that have derived tneir name from the
New Testament. the1o is not one named after
Dlotrephes- Some claim TO be ''of Paul, some
Of Apouos, and some OF James. but none OF
Dio:rcphes. who. in Glowing the pro-emineuce,"
had All object OF attachment more common than
any other amoug Christians. Some again, Who
ta1c tho New Testament At second hand rather
than ba at tie trouble Of investigating it for
themselves, betray feeling Of vehement salts
f2c.lon in shouting for Luther, or Calvin, ct
Ar1nenius, or Brigham Young, or Smith, the
founder of the English Analaptists. but not
man or wo man Of them all ever lifts q voice FOR
Diotzephes, OF drops tear upou lis grave. OF
devutes sermon to lis memory,-upless It te
to repudiate lis conduct, while Initiating his ex
ample.
And yet who OF tho whole range Of Biblical
celebrities has 30 many followers +? What man
Of them can pretend to compare With this Lead
ing member OF the early Church, who "loved tho
pre- cmuencc y for himself, more than LIE desired
ascendcucy for his Master? III fact, there can
be no more conducive evidence Of this than that
OF there beiuS so u1auuy banLe1a and slib-
bolaths in the camp which has grown u, since
the days OF Diotlarhcs- If any one should
wonder Why tho Apostle Paul d1d rot intte ri,
ep;stlo to tho Dlotrepleslaas, let it be rcnem-
bered tlat all of his letters &re freighied with
edn,ouit4ons for th@t rising body Of Christians.
They are oue unin1eriu;t:ent ezpostu*tiou with
thoae WAC seek tLeir own advancement at tho
forcbodings which have been fulfilled be-
yond anything their author could have
anticipated. Tue APOSTLE John warned his
renders against the Diotrcpiloslaus, who we're
nothing less tnau auti-C1rst in his estimation;
Peter accuses them OF teaching s"da,nnabIe
hcrcses" for their own aggracdizcment; and
Jude plainly intinates that tic devil was Do
t1ephes,an when coutoad:ny with Michael about
the body Of Moses. Tue Apostle James arraisued
the Diotrcrhcsians for ueiu: tue cause Of all
the ''wazs aud hgLtiugs" that menacod the
unity Of tho new society," Ue told them that
they talked too much with their mouths, and, ID
it detecting the pew eyHtcm in its inc!picucy
among the eca.tered tribes Of tho Christian
Israel, cautioned them agaiust social dis
elimination in the public assembly. His
Reproduction Of "gold rings" in tho
Church was equally caustic aud prophet;cal.
Nothing could be more decisive or iucislvo than
this Apostles opposition to corner OIL pers.
When he euioined his readers not to be- many
masters " ho had an eye upon MISREPRESENTATION.
which, although ihen only infancy. gayo ouli
nous promise Of growing bolder as it grew older.
Tho founder Of Christianity exercised tho samo
foresight sud forothought to- divine degree. HIS
most trcuchant rorElmauds wore pointed ut the
Dio1rophesiaus Of hH personal following. When
they disputed by the way Us 10 who Of them
pez1eyered in this DiotrephesiaAs:n at the ex-
pense oi Ills little ones, it were better that !
milestone vera banged about their mock and they
we're cast into the sea. This WAS because in so
far as they were Diotrephcs1ans they wero max
ing themselves milestone to tho CEu1ch-Thich
they have been ever since.
Christb veto Of the U1otrephesiau spirit which
thus early and impudently asserted isss.t is one
OF the most effective as well IS unalstakab}e
incidents to be found upon the pages Of the
Now Testament. Aud get what riso and spread
the Diotrcphesians have had, beginning thus.
there. and then, in the very presence Of the au-
thor and fniEher Of the meek and lovly Chris
tim religion! From the first Catholic Popo
down to tue last Protestant Deacon. how have
the Diotyephesl&us magnided and multiplied
their Offices! From the rows in the churches 1t
Corinth and Romo, to the rova IN tho churches
Il Geneva and C1,ieaGol tKam tha htAula In tho