666
riage of Ahab with this princess was one of
those turning points in the history of a nation,
where a new influence entered and ran like
poison to the uttermost end of the land.
Shrewd, yet reckless, luxurious and licentious,
fierce and cunning, was this oriental queen.
Under her rule arose the first long series of
like events in ecclesiastical history — the first
great persecution — the first persecution on a
large scale, which the church had witnessed in
any shape.”
In the last book of the Bible, the book of
Revelation, the book which foretells and re-
cords the great apostasy which began while
the apostles were vet alive, and is to continue
to the end of time, this Jezebel is cited by the
I.ord as an illustration of that verv corrupt,
deceiving, itself. And
here a warning is given against the seductions
destroying apostasy
of “that woman Jezebel,” which has direct
reference to the workings of the papacy. And
that the expression “that woman Jezebel”
fits the papacy with a nicety to be found only
in the Scriptures, can be seen in a moment
by a glance at the history of the times.
In the counsel which Christ gave to his
church against this apostate power which he
designates under the name of Jezebel, warning
is given against two things in particular —
Both
of these sins were inculcated by the papacy.
fornication and the honoring of idols.
As we study the history, we shall see that
for years the Church of Rome kept up a con-
stant warfare against the institution of mar-
riage. Primarily it was the marriage of the
clergy, but indirectly it was the marriage of
all.
And by this doctrine and warfare this
WORLD-POWER-CHURCH filled all Europe with
fornication and adultery.
Still further it is written of “that woman
Jezebel ” that she ““calleth herself a prophet-
ess” Now a prophet or prophetess is a
spokesman, a mouthpiece for God; one es-
pecially commissioned to give direct messages
from God to men. (Ex. 4:15-16; Deut.
18:18) And who has made this claim so
loudly as the Church of Rome? She it is
who styles herself the one and only interpreter
of the Scriptures, “the infallible channel of
the divine will to man.”
“That characteristic of the original Jezebel
manifested in her ruling the king and stirring
him up to do more than the usual evil of
kings, and more than he would otherwise have
done, is seen displayed throughout the whole
course of the papacy after her establishment
as a world-power; and is specifically fastened
upon her by the Scripture in describing her as
“the woman... which reigneth over the kings
of the earth.” And the unanimous voice of
history for a thousand years witnesses to the
truth of that word. The further characteristic
of Jezebel manifested in herself doing in the
king’s name, and under his seal, enormities at
the which even the king balked, will equally
2 Dean Stanley, “History of the Jewish Church,” Lect 30.
ll
THE WATCHMAN
appear in the history which we will trace: so
also that supreme characteristic of Jezebel, the
persistent persecution of the worshipers of the
true God.”
It 1s perfectly plain that in essence, Europe
in the Middle Ages was but the papacy in the
Middle Ages. 1t is equally plain that it would
be dithcult to conceive a worse condition of
human society than was this papacy in the
Middle Ages. All know that the papacy
claims to have been in the Middle Ages, not
only Christianity, but the only Christianity.
None can hide the fact that the condition of
human society under the sole dominion of
the Church of Rome —and more than any-
thing else the product of her genius — was
about as bad as 1t could be and survive.
Because of this, many people justly repu-
diate the papacy. And accepting the state-
ment that the papacy was then Christianity,
when they repudiate the papacy they think that
they repudiate Christianity. Others, accept-
ing the claim that the papacy was Christianity,
and also desiring to hold fast to Christianity,
are at an utter loss to find their bearings as
to Christianity, in view of the indisputable
character of the papacy in the Middle Ages.
The difficulty in both these cases centers in
their acceptance of the premise, that the pa-
pacy was Christianity,
This is an utter error. The papacy was
not Christianity in the Middle Ages, nor at any
The papacy and Christianity are
antagonistic systems. How far the papacy is
from being Christianity is made plain by the
words of Christ in his third letter to his own
church, in which he designates as his faithful
martyr, those who believe in him who were
against the papacy —“ Antipas . .. my faith-
ful martyr.” The papacy in the Middle Ages
was only “that woman Jezebel.” Pp. T. M.
IE
THE ‘GIFT OF TONGUES’ MOVEMENT
NE who has fallen in with the move-
ment of which “speaking
tongues” is the leading characteristic,
accounts of which have frequently been
in the papers of late, writes in this vein of his
other time.
with
experience :—
“While praying in our place of worship,
we all felt very happy, more so than common.
We were praying for the baptism of the Holy
Ghost, and we prayed at least two hours, and
suddenly there appeared a light to me such
as I never before saw, and something power-
ful took possession of my vocal organs, and
I never spoke in so many different tongues
in my life, and my soul was so filled with
power that I shouted at the top of my voice
for joy, and ever since I am a new creature
for Christ and speak in three or more different
tongues that I never knew before. . .. God
our Father knows how happy I am since I
got this blessing.”
We give this quotation in order to call at-
tention to two things. First, according to the
Bible, speaking in an unknown tongue is not
in itself any evidence of the presence of the
Spirit of God. According to all reports, in
no instance has any one been benefited by
No-
body understood what was being said, and
the talk given in an unknown tongue.
of course no one could be edified by listening
On the day of Pen-
tecost, the disciples spoke with tongues, but
to unintelligible jargon.
it was for a purpose. They were heard by
“devout men out of every nation under
heaven,” and “every man heard them speak
Acts 2:5, 6. These
devout men, who would not have understood
mm his own language.”
the disciples if they had spoken in the Jewish
tongue, heard the gospel proclaimed to them
When the
rain” 1s poured out, the gift of tongues will
in their own language. "latter
doubtless be seen again; but it will be for the
accomplishment of a quick work in the procla-
mation of the gospel, as it was on the day
of Pentecost. Of the mere speaking in an
unknown tongue, the apostle Paul said: 1
had rather speak five words with my under-
standing, that by my voice I might teach oth-
ers also, than ten thousand words nn an un-
known tongue.” 1 Cor. 14: 10.
Secondly, feeling is not in itself any evidence
‘of nearness to God on the part of the one
experiencing it. There is nothing more de-
ceptive than feeling. The basis of Christianity
Faith holds the soul
to God when everything looks dark, and when
feeling is all on the wrong side. Consider as
an illustration the case of Jacob wrestling
with the angel. Jacob supposed he was con-
tending with a robber, and might lose his life.
Satan was on hand to try to make him feel
that God had forsaken him on account of his
sins. It is very evident that Jacob's feelings
during the hours of his wrestling were far
from pleasant. But it was right there that
Jacob showed true faith. He held fast to the
promises God had made to him, and would not
vield to the temptation to give up in despair.
And at last, finding his antagonist to be an
angel and not a man, he cast himself on the
mercy’ of God and claimed his blessing. And
the angel, who was the Lord Jesus Christ,
said to him: “Thy name shall no more be
called Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [prince
of God], for as a prince hast thou power with
God and and hast prevailed.”
Gen. 32:28 That experience of Jacob is left
us as an illustration of the
faith.
Wlien people speak with an unknown
tongue, and are carried away with a happy
flight of feeling, it is time to ask, What of
their teaching This is the important point.
Do they magnify and make honorable the
law of God, as Christ did? What about the
fourth precept of that law, which commands
the seventh-day Sabbath? Do they believe,
practice, and teach that? Or do they teach
that God's holy law has been changed, or that
it is done away? ‘To the law and to the
testimony; if they speak not according to this
word, it is because there is no light in them.”
Isa. 8:20. This is an infallible rule by which
the spirits are to be tested, as to whether or
not they are of God. 1 John 4:1.
1s not feeling, but faith.
with man,
nature of true