New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1918-07-22
GREED SATAN'S GAME
To SEPARATE Men
Evangelist Declares Denomina-
lions ThWart Will Of God

! 1t was not the purpose of God
| that there should be so many denomi-
nations" declared Evangelist F. L.
| Abbott at the Gospel Tent last eve-
ming.
I'm the early Christian church the
| pure, unperverted truths of the gos-
pei were taught. And the preaching
| of the gospel was attended by great
| power. But in fulfllment of the
words of Paul (Acts 2O:29) men
| arose speaking perverse things. There
| occurred the failing away of which
| Paul spoke in 2 Thess. 2:3, 4. During
| that time of failing away many
pas gan and heather customs entered
| the Christian church. The decline of
| Christianity continued until the papal
power was finally established. Under
that system of religion every phase
! Of gospel truth was perverted.
During the years that followed
the establishment of the papal church
the light of the gospel was obscured
by the darkness of Catholicism. Satan
made his greatest attempt to rid the
earth both of the truth of God and the
people Of God.
But beginning with the sixteenth
century the light of gospel truth which
| had been hidden for SO many years
began to shine forth. It was Gods
purpose through the reformation to
bring his church out of darkness into
| the full light of the gospel. Christ
| said, This gospel Of the kingdom
| shall be preached in all the world for
| a witness unto all nations, and then
shall the end came" Matt 24:14. Be
| fore Christ como to redeem his peo-
!
| gospel will go to all the world. That
| means the pure unpreverted gospel
| truths that when He comes every one
| may be without excuse.
LAS God brought his church out of
darkness, light upon the gospel truths
was revealed gradually. He didn't give
| all the light to any one Reformer.
1t was like leading a man out of a
! dark dungeon in which he had been
for a long time. He could not be led
into the full light Of the sun imme-
diately. Light must come to him
| gradually lest he be blinded thereby.
| And the church had been in such
| dense darkenss for SO many centuries
| that it was necessary to reveal light
| to it gradually.
but as God revealed light grad
| ually to his church the mistake was
J made in the followers Of each Re-
| former forming a creed and eventual
| ly a denomination from that partial
| revelation of truth. For instance
| Luther had his followers. Those peo-
pie formed a creed out of his teach
| ings, and there they are to this day.
That man of God did not have all
the light. The reformation was just
| beginning. SO the Lutherans of to-
day are really only one step away
| from the darkness of Catholicism.
| The Calvinists formed their creed
| from the teaching of Calvin, who yet
| saw not all things
"As Knox and tho Wesleys came
| with advanced light as the church
| seemed able to bear it, those who
had formed creeds from the teachings
Of the earlier Reformers failed to ac-
cept the additional light. And the
same mistake was made in the time
of the " esleys and after Creeds were
made out of their teachings, and de-
nominations thus formed have failed
to accept advanced light that God has
revealed since. The path Of the just
is as a shining light that shineth moro
and more, even unto the perfect day
Prov. 4:18. The creed power is a
device of Satan to keep the people
from accepting advanced light as God
reveals it. And since the Reformers
did not receive the full light Of the
gospel, the people who founded their
creeds and denomina tions upon their
teachings have within their creeds
part of the gospel truths restored,
but retain many Of the forms and per-
versions OF the Roman church.
But before the end comes God will
have his Everlasting gospel proclaim
! ed to all the world. If Protestant de-
nominations are so bound down by
creeds that they cannot do this work
God will raise UP g. movement that
will fulfill his purposes. 1t was nee
essary for God to go outside Of the
churches to raise up a movement to
| proclaim the truth concerning his
second coming. But many of the Ad-
Ventists made the same mistake as
others. Some thought that that light
was all there was to be given. But
since then light has been revealed on