The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-09-22
MISTAKE OF THE CHURCH.
Repentance, Pardon. Purity anu
POwer-A Key that opens the
Mysteries of the Scriptures.
BY N. T. COFFIN.

Christ, and having had the plain rec
ord of the same tor eighteen hundred
years, we find the General Church to-
day teaching pre-crueihxion expert
cnce-an experience that was def
nitely realized before the blood of
Christ was shed upon Calvary. This
is fact which no careful student of
the New Testament will dare deny.
She is preaching Christ and him cru
cited rs truth and fact, but not
preaching that experience which was
to follow the crucifxion, resurrection
and glorifcation of Christ. She is not
preaching that experience which was
prophesied of by Joel and many 9TH
ers in the Old Testament. (See Joel
/ 2, % -29.) Neither is she preaching
the experience that was prophesied
of by John the Baptist in the New
Testament Math. 3, 11-12. She. is
not preaching the experience that
Christ promised, both before and af-
ter his crucifixion and resurrection.
See Math. 2, 22-23; Luke IA. 4S-49;
ST. John Z, 81 80, and IA. 1926; Acts
7,49 She is not preaching the ex-
perienee that was commanded to be
preached to all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem, and which was received
on the day OF Pentecost. See acts D,
29-33;4 4, l9; 4. 81 SO; 5, 90 30; II, Is
II; Is, 8 g; Rom. Ia, 17-1S; 10, 13;
Heb. 1. 1914; 1st Thes /, 5 6; Heb.
3 4; 10. 14-16; 1st Peter l, IL IL; 1st
John 2, q.
Yet in the face of all this plain
Scripture testimony. the General
Church is teaching and preaching but
the beginning of the gospel Of Christ
and failing to teach the gospel OF
Christ completes; teaching repentance
and pardon, but not purity and power.
She is preaching the experience that
John s baptism calls for, namely: re-
pentance and the remission of sins,
being born of God, born OF the spirit,
justified, adopted into the family OF
God-an experience of pardon and
peace. But, excepting a very small
per cent. she is not preaching that
experience which Christ's baptism
calls for, which is purity and power.
with the Holy Ghost and with fire
whose fan is in his hand, and he will
thoroughly purge his floor and gather
his wheat into the garner, but the
chaff he will burn with fire unquench-
able" This is the purity that was
promised. s'Ye shall receive power
after that the Holy Ghost is come up
on you, but tarry We in Jerusalem un-
til We be indued with power from on
high" This is the power that was
promised.
The Church is laboring to bring the
word to Christ by securing the key to
the magazine of peace only. And so
al h,1-,1 l-aar hor +
ing on this line, he is not very much
alarmed about losing his kingdom,
for he knows there are good chances
for compromises, both with the min
istry and laity, until they get hold of
the KEY to the magazine of power,
which is purity. Gods plan to make
the Church strong is: First, repent
ance; second, pardon; third, purity;
fourth, power; and when the Church
gets possession of this key she may
come out of her peace quarters and
fight sin and wickedness in open field
| combat, instead of having large por-
ton of her artillerymen laying behind
the Entertainments all the week en-
gagged in loading up with paper cart
Ridges to shoot on the Sabbath ,lay al
| a few dozen professed Christians, who
scarcely know whether or not they
are spiritually dead or alive. With
the key to the magazine Of power She
can attack the enemy in his strong
holds.
j The Church has multiplied her ma
chinery far beyond her power Her
/ operatives have vastly increased. Yet
they are sluggish. Something is lack
ing. Presidents, secretaries, ever
the superintendents and engineers
seem to lack something. 1t is true
! that there are few of all classes who
have will to work, but they are sc
far in the minority that but little gooe
/ is accomplished compared with tht
need. They all profess degree o
peace, but they lack the ability OF
power to do that which is assignee
them. What kind OF power do they
lack? Is it intellectual power2 W.
think not. Is it monetary power
| No. for they have a vast amount o
that Is it political power? No, fol
that would do them no good. After all
is it not the key to the magazine o
power from, on high that they need
Will not this make the machinery o
the church more lively? Will it no
put new life into her operatives? On,
thing is certain, it will not cost any
thing to try the experiment, beeaus,
the key and the power are both offere,
without money and without price t.
every one who will accept it as a fre
gift. "Ye shall receive power afte
that the Holy Ghost is come upol
you" There are thousands in th
General Church to-,lay who are pray
ing for power who do not receive ii
Al. IL, fNlo
patent. They want to slip by one o
the most important stations withou
recognizing it. The name Of this sta
tion is Purity. and is the most nn
popular one on the whole line. Re
pentance is the first station. Multi
tudes crowd around it and some get
free pass to the next, which is Par
don, while many go away discourage,
because they cannot believe what tn
agent says. Many others lose thei
tickets after getting to the secon,
station, which is Pardon. The rea
son, think, is for the want Of quail
fed instructors to direct them how t
reach the third and fourth stations
which are Purity and Power. Their
4 are ten thousand instructors laborinl
to direct pilgrims how to gain tn
second station-Pardon-and VIII,
leave them there, because they know
not the way any farther themselves
Others attempt to point out the way
but fail to give proper directions t.
enquirers because they have not trav
eled the road themselves. TIL
Church, also, has left off the Apostol
ic usage, nameiy: Have you receive,
the Holy Ghost since We believed 2
or since ye were converted? In fact
the Church has but very little teach
ing in reference to what tn. gift O
| hon<,er, ~ tho ITolxy Gboe+ o0J Al