The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-09-15

lPASIOR RUSSELDl understanding o
- all classes Of PEG
pie everywhere.
Pastor Russelps text today was, de
clare We among the nations, and pub
fish; set up a standard; say, Babylon
is taken. Jeremiah 500. He said:
While our message for today IL
"meat in due season" to the Household
of Faith, and in every way important
to be understood, it is nevertheless 9
subject difficult to treat without giving
offense, without seeming harsh. Beal
with me, then, while expressing what
believe to be the Divine Message IL
as kindly manner as / know how
The Scriptures which l may quote IN
support of my presentation seem harsh
almost to cruelty; but assure you, my
hearers, that am not responsible fol
the language of the Bible. My respon
sibility Is to speak the Word of the
Lord. In doing this shall endeavor tt
present the Lords words in as kindly 9
manner as possible, and so far as pos
sible explain some of the harsher ex
pressions; but | must not shun to de
clare the whole counsel of God-and al
fully as | believe He would now have
His people understand it.
In the days of Jesus and His Apos
ties there was no Mystic Babylon
Therefore the expressions in the Reve
lation of st. John bearing upon Mystic
Babylon were prophetic Of the systems
and conditions which have since riser
In the Church The word Babylon has
a double significance. 1t is derived
from the word Babel, and reminds us
of the time when the sons of Noat
lost faith in the Divine providentia
care and in the rainbow promise. an6
endeavOred to erect structure fol
their own preservation-the Tower OF
Babel. This attempt led to the con
fusion of tongues.
Similarly, following the days of the
Apostles and of the persecution of the
early Church, an attempt was made t.
erect a great religious system for the
protection of the Church, not waiting
for the fulf1lment of the Divine prom
Use that in due time Messiah woulC
come and establish His Kingdom fol
the blessing of the world.
The religious Tower of Babel was
primarily, Papacy. Sc far as it went
1t was a wonderful structure. but Il
never accomplished the designs of its
founders. 1t never mastered and estab
hshed the Church far above the power
and influence of the civil governments
and earthly monarchs.
1t was when the Tower Of Babel rose
to considerable height in dignity an6
grandeur that the Lord manifested His
Power amongst the workmen and con
founded their speech. Disconnected
the people ceased the further building
Of the Tower, and each set up for him
self. This corresponds well with the
Protestant Reformation Movement and
the various denominations into which
those once Catholic became divided
Babylon and Its Wall.
Another thought connected with oul
subject is that the literal city of Baby
Ion was a prototype, a prophetic figure
of Mystic Babylon. The name Baby
lon signifies 'sThe Gate Of God"-the
gateway by which access to God is to
be attained. This In effect was the
claim made by Papacy. and the claim
which she still makes-that she is a
great City, great Kingdom; that she
has great wall of Divine salvation
and protection round about her-a
great wall built of superstition and
ignorance, say her enemies.
In the Revelation Jesus prophetically
pictured the greatness of this City, this
spiritual Empire. 1t is essentially
religious. although it includes the great
kingdoms of earth. which unitedly are
styled Christendom This great "city,''
Babylon. is represented as being
divided into ten different wards, each
of which represents one of the king
doms of Christendom, and which cor
respond to the ten horns of the SYM
bolic beast" Compare Rev IL :13; 13: L.
As this great city" or spiritual king
dom, thus includes the chief mon
arches of Europe, so under another
figure Babylon, Papacy. is represented
rs a woman. in whose forehead Is
found the name. Babylon the Great,
the Mother of Harlots" Thus is
shown in some manner the various
Protestant systems of Christendom
which separated from the Mother
Church" of Rome, but which are still
her daughters. still related to her, par
takers of her character, traits and dis
position. Thus Babylon with her ten
wards includes practically all of Eu-
rope; and Mother and Daughters OF
this same family name include nearly
all of the Protestant denominations as
well as the Catholic Mother Church.
What is Meant by HarIotry?
1t should be remembered in discuss
ing this subject that the Scriptural
language is figurative-that it does not
signify that either the Church of Rome
or her Protestant Daughters are i'm
moral. The correct thought is this:
Primarily the Church of Christ was a
virgin company of persons, called
out separated from the world, its aims
and its mbitions-called to be saints
and joint-helrs with Christ In His
Kingdom. To whatever extent sys-
TENS rose amongst the followers of
Jesus and became affiliated with any
of the Kingdoms of this world-to that
extent, Scripturally, figuratively. they
committed harlotry; for they were
espoused to the King of kings and the
Lord Of lords, and were to wait for
Him, that at His Second Coming they
might become His Bride and His Assoc
ciate 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 Eng
land, as one of her daughters, be-
came affiliated with the British Govern
ment and now sits. representatively, in
the House of Lords. 1t would not be
questioned that the Greek Church eX-
perienced a similar betrothal and mar
rage to the Russian Government. the
Lutheran Church to the German Gov
eminent, etc. etc. 1t is on this account
and In this sense that the Church of
Rome and her Daughters-m mother and
daughters, organizations of Protestants
are figuratively called by the family
name of Babylon.
BabyIon's Golden Cup.
Under the figure of "a weman cloth
ed in purple and scarlet" the Mother
System of Babylon long centuries ago
made all the nations drunk with her
wine,' the doctrines which she had in
her Golden Cup. Revelation 17:1-6)
The Golden Cup represents the Bible