The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-06-07

that at HIS second coming they might
become His Bride and become associ-
ated with Him in His Throne.
1t will not be questioned that Papacy
became affiliated with the Roman EN-
pire and sat down on the throne of
Rome, nor that the Church of England.
ated with the British Government, and
now sits, representatively. in the
House of Lords. 1t would not be ques-
toned that the Greek Church expert
enced a similar betrothal and marriage
to the Russian Government. the Lu-
etc, etc. 1t is on this account and in
this sense that the Church Of Rome
and her Daughters-mother and daugh-
tiers, organizations of Protestants. are
fguratively called by the family name
Of Babylon.
Babyon's Golden Cup.
Under the figure of a woman clothed
in purple and scarlet the Mother Sys-
tenn of Babylon, long centuries ago.
made all the nations drunk with her
wine,'' the doctrines which she had in
her golden cup" Revelation xvii.
1-6.) The golden cup represents the
Bible. the Divine Standard, or authori-
ty. It was misused when the wine Of
false doctrine was put into it-when
the Bible was claimed as authority for
various erroneous teachings Of the
Dark Ages. The intoxicating wine
which made the nations drunk, and
which led them to support the ''wom
an" and to call themselves Christian
nations. Papacy still holds in her hand.
and still offers to all who will receive
1t. But the nations are gradually so
bering up. and becoming less and less
inclined to take more Of the wine.
1t is not necessary to suppose that
every doctrine presented by Papacy
was false and intoxicating. The
thought is rather that of commingled
wine-that a Supplying potion was
put into the wine already in the cup.
As the golden cup represents the Word
Of God and its Message. the Supplying
potion may well be understood to be
some Of the doctrines-for instance.
that Gods Kingdom had already been
set up. and that the papal throne in
the world is the Throne of Christ. that
the Pope reigns as Christ's Vicegerent.
or substitute. and representative 9th
er poisonous elements threatened the
people with purgatorial torture. or eter-
nal torment, if they failed to keep
in line with. the Papal authority this
claimed Vicegerent authority Of Christ
The Protestant denominations were
all born under these intoxicating influ-
ences and false theories. While they did
separate from the Mother system, and
did denounce her, nevertheless they
held doctrinally to many Of the intoxi-
eating errors of her cup. Consequently
they, too, claim that somehow, they
know not how, Messiah's Kingdom is
set up and is reigning. They, too, join in
giving the nations some Of the same
dope that the Mother gave them! telling
them that they are Christian nations,
even though they have anything but
the Christian spirit, and are building
great guns and dreadnaughts to blow
each other off the face of the earth.
So strong is the power of this intoxi-
cation that the inconsistencies of such
theories are not discerned by the in
toxicated ones. Only the few who are
gradually getting free from the stupefy-
ing potion are able, by Divine assist
ance, to see some of the mistakes along
this line These see that neither the
Church of Rome nor any of her Daugh-
ter systems are the true Church Of
Christ These see from the Divine
standpoint that these systems are Thar
lot" systems. Each Of them processes
to be the Bride Of Christ, yet each
knows that 1.-The marriage of the
Lamb" Is to take place at the second
coming of Christ. They have therefore
very generally lost sight of the fact
that the true virgin" of Christ, 'lit-
tie flock" who will be accounted
worthy to share the marriage and be-
come the Bride of Christ, must wait
for the Lord from Heaven"-must live
separate from the world, keeping her
self unspotted from the world. origin,
that she may be accounted worthy to
enter into the joys Of her Lord, become His
Queen and joint-heir in His Kingdom.
It is not to be expected that either the
Mother or the Daughters. who are now
claiming to reign with Christ. who are
now claiming that His Kingdom is al
ready set up. who are now claiming that
their unions with the Kingdoms Of this
world are legitimate unions. have the
Bridegroom approval. 1t is not to be ex-
pected that these realize their own con-
dtion-that they are disloyal to the true
Bridegroom and King. symbolical Thar
lots" in affiliation with the kingdoms Of
this world at this present time, and sup
porting the same and calling them by the
Bridegroom's name-Christendom which
means, Christ's Kingdom.
Babylon. the Great City.
In the symbolical language Of the Book
Of Revelation. as already indicated. the
name Babylon is applied. not only to the
typical woman. Papacy, and her mystical
Daughters, the Protestant denominations.
but also applied to the great CITY Mystic
Babylon The woman more particular
ly represents the ecclesiastical systems,
| and the "city" more particularly repre-
sents the governmental features-the
| sacerdotat mr. reIigiousE authority to gov