The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-10-29

ed our differences
~ and wondered at
tlRASl9k kUSStllJI their number As
we have been get
ting rid one after another of the doctri-
nal errors OF the past, and see their fool
ishness. and learn that they are not
supported by Bible testimony. we won
der how they originally got foothold In
Christian faith. But glance backward
is sufficient to explain the situation.
During the ministry of our Lord and
the Apostles the faith of the Church
was kept pure. but as Jesus prophesied
In the parable of The Wheat and Tares.
ties fell asleep. He says. While men
slept. the enemy came and sowed
tares" amongst the wheat The tares
Of error sown by Satan shortly after
the death of the Apostles have yielded
an abundant crop and well-nigb
choked out the good seed of the King
dom-Christ's sanity followers. The
nominal wheat-tield might almost be
called tare- field. SO greatly do the
tares predominate.
But in the Harvest. the end of this
Age. the dawning of the New Age of
Messiah's Kingdom. the Lord will ia
vor such conditions as will effect thor.
ough separation between the wheat
and the 'tares" he will gather His
wheat into the garner All imitation
Christians will. by the fiery troubles
Of that day. be reduced to the ranks
Of the world in general
Judas Place improperly Filled.
Whilst the eleven Apostles were
waiting as directed for the Pentecostal
blessing. they. contrary to direction.
busted themselves by appointing sue
cessor to Judas They chose two men,
and of the two selected one by lot
and then supposed that they had made
an apostle Without reproying them
God ignored their choice: thenceforth
we hear no more Of Matthias. In His
own time God brought forth the sue
cessor of Judas. and we all recognize
at once st. Paul. of whom 1t Is written
that he was mot one whit behind the
chiefest of the Apostles" and that he
had visions and revelations more than
they all.
st. Paul's writings constitute the
major portion of the New Testament
and are invaluable gifts Of G - to His
people. There never were to be more
apostles than these Twelve. Jesus de-
clares that He chose The Twelve
Again He declares that God gave them
to Him and that He lost none Of Them
save Judas. whose disloyalty had al
ready been foretold
When Jesus prayed for these He diff
ferentlated them from His other fol
lowers, saying. Neither pray | for
these alone. but for all those also who
shall believe on Me through their
word" Their words are His words
They have been His mouthpieces to the
Church OF these Twelve, and of none
others. He declares. Whatsoever
things ye shall bind on earth shall be
bound in Heaven" and whatsoever
things We shall declare loosed all shall
know are loosed and not binding IN
the sight of Heaven. So carefully did
the Lord intend to supervise these IN
their utterances. that their words
would be infallible; and He wished al
of His followers to know this.
Furthermore, after our Lord had as
cended to glory. He sent a message I"
the Church through ST. John the Reve-
lator. In that message He pictured
the Twelve Apostles as crown of
twelve stars. upon the head Of the
Woman. the Church. Again. in the
symbolical picture Of the New Jernsa
lem, which represents the Church IN
glory beyond the veil. He pictures the
Twelve Apostles as the twelve founda
ton stones There never were to b.
any more. nor any less. From this
standpoint we see that we are not t.,
expect an additional revelation of any
kind Gods people are not to trust Ell
Their in their own speculations and
mental gymnastics or In visions and
dreams: fer. az ST. Paul declares. III
any man preach any other Gospel than
that which we have preached. let him
be .accursed" Galatians |. 4 ~ Snc
too. he declares. "The Word of His
grace is able to build you np." and tn
make yon wise unto salvation
Again he said. THE Word of God is
sufficient. hat the man of God may
be thoroughly furnished" (Acts TX.
81; II Timothy iii. 1917 We see,
then. that the Church needed no more
than the Twelve Apostles. nor any
further revelation of any kind than
those given to her through this In
spired apostleship. But that thers
would be some who mistakenly would
claim to be apostles. the Lord Jesus
clearly indicated. declaring that there
would be false apostles. who say that
they are apostles and are not."-Reve-
lation II. 2.
The First Pseudo Apostles.
When we speak of pseudo-apostles-
false apostles-we should not be IN
derstood as charging intentional fraud.
Rather, alphabetically. let us sup
pose that the early bishops. In accept
ing the title of apostles and in claim
ing for themselves succession to the
Apostolic office. were honestly deluded,
as much as were the people who thus
acknowledged them. Let us remem-
Der, further. that the matter grew
gradually. just as titles and dignities
grow at this day.
Let us remember that the early
Christians were not generally educat-
ed-that remarkably few people In old
en- times were able to read. Indeed
general ability to read belongs only to
our generation. to those living in this
our wonderful day-the dawning Of the
New Era of Messiah's Kingdom Let
US remember also that at that time
books were very scarce. because very
expensive The Jews did. indeed. en-
deavor to have a copy of the Holy
Scriptures In each synagogue. there to
be read once a week. In portions. from
large and costly scrolls.
Christians. expelled from the syna
gogue. had no longer the opportunity
OF the Jews for gtudving the Old Tesla