The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-10-25

kN6SlOS NO2SlLLl tneiT hummer AS
we have been get
ting rid one after another OF the doctri-
nal errors of the past, and see their fool
tshness. and learn that they are not
supported by Bible testimony. we won.
der how they originally got fOothold in
Christian faith. But glance back ward
L. 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.
all this changed as soon as the ApOs-
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-nigh
choked ont the good seed of the King
dom-Christ's sanity followers. The
nominal wheat-6eld might almost be
tares predominant. -, -;
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 iii general.
Judas Place improperly Filled. a..
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 reprOvfng them
God ignored their choice: thenceforth
we hear no more Of Matthias. In His
own time tiCd brought forth the sue
cessor OF Judas. and we all recognize
at once st. RAUL. of whom it is written
that be was mot one whit behind the
chiefest of the Apostles" and that he
had visions aud revelations more than
they ALL
mai portion Of the New Testam ent.
and are invaluable gifts Of God to His
people. There nerer 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.
ferentiated them from His other fol-
lowers. saying. Neither pray for
these alone. hut 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 all
Of His followers to know this.
Furthermore. after our Lord had as
cended to glory. He sent message 10
the Church through St John the Reve-
lator. In that message BE pictured
the Twelve Apostles as crown of
twelve stars. upon the head or the
Woman. the Church. Again. I'D the
symbolical picture of the New Jerusa-
I'm, which ranresents the Church in
glory beyond the veil. he pictures the
Twelve Apostles as the twelve founda
ton stones. There never were to be
any more. nor any less. From this
standpoint we see that we are not To-
expect an additional revelation Of any
kind Gods people are not to trust Ell,
Their iu their own speculations and
mental gymnastics. or in visions and
dreams: for. as St. Paul declares. IF
any man preach any other Gospel than
that which we have preached. let him
be accursed." Galatians |. 3. g., So.
too. he declares. 1.-The Word Of His
grace is able to build you up." and to
snake you wise unto salvation"
Again he said. 1.-THE Word Of God is
sufficient. that the man Of God may
be thoroughly furnished" facts TX.
30: II Timothy Iii. 1919 We see.
then. that the Church needed no more
than the Twelve Apostles. nor any
further revelation Of any kind than
those given to hei through this in-
spired~ apostleship. But that there