Birth of a Reformation; Or, The Life and Labors of Daniel S. Warner

by A. L. Byers

SQUARE COME-OUTISM

"Probably this means the doctrine of coming out of all the sects, and giving the church of Christ no visible organization."—Christian Harvester.

I wish to ask the editor of the Harvester if human sects are essential to the visible organization of Christ? The above language so implies.

Then, according to this statement, the church of Christ was without a visible organization hundreds of years, until the present-day sects arose. And if the visible organization thus provided is a necessary adjunct to the church, then the apostle Peter made a mistake when he said that God had already "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness."

Again, if the formation of sects gives the church of Christ a visible organization, will the Harvester please point out the time, in the history of the church, when that important event occurred?

Was it when the first sect was formed, namely, the Roman Catholic sect, in the beginning of the apostasy? Did she give the church of Christ a visible organization? If so, what need of subsequent efforts at organization?

We presume that the Harvester does not admit that this corrupt hierarchy is the church of Christ. So there was one sect formed, and Christ's church still not visibly organized.

Out of her came the Church of England. She claims to be the identical church of Christ. Does the Harvester admit the assumption? If not, then he must admit that a second sect failed to organize and represent the Church of Christ.

Again, from the old mother of sects came forth the Lutheran sect and her daughters—granddaughters of Rome. Did any of them organize the visible church of Christ? If so, which one?

Or was it left for John Wesley to organize the church of Christ in the formation of the Methodist Episcopal sect? If that sect is really the identical church of Christ, then the editor of the Harvester is in a hopeless condition, since severed from that body; but we presume that he still felt that he was in the church of Christ after dismembered from that great sect, therefore it is not identical with the church of Christ, and her organization was not the organization of Christ's church at all.