Now, brethren, if you dare drop the scales from your eyes and look squarely at the Holy Bible, you must admit that every one of those sect organizations which you call churches are schisms, just what God condemns and forbids. Unless you are shamefully blind, you know it to be the truth and nothing but the truth, and your slurs and sarcasms can not revoke that truth nor enable you to stand when you are judged by it.
There are other exchanges that have uttered hard things against the Rock on which I stand. Now, I simply want you to know what you are doing, then if you wish to continue kicking against the goads, you may do so. Do you believe that Christ purchased and founded one church of the living God? Do you believe that the "body of Christ" is the church? Do you believe that Christ is the only door to the church, and that "by him if any man enter he shall be saved"? Do you believe that the Holy Spirit sets the members in the body, the church? Do you believe there should be "no schisms in the body"? Do you believe that believers are "made perfect in one" and that "thorough holiness destroys sects and denominations"? Do you believe that 'divisions and offences are contrary to the doctrine we have received' of Christ? Do you believe that Christians should not be "unequally yoked together with unbelievers"?
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I ask any paper to speak out and tell me which of these points you dispute. And if you say you believe them all, as some of you have, then I ask, Why do you object to my believing the same? for that is just what I believe. The only difference is, I act consistently with my faith, while you say and do not.
You admit there is but one church of God, still you think hard of me for not allowing that all your "churches" are of God. This is God's truth and you can not deny it. You say that sects are wrong, but advise God's children to continue in the wrong. I claim that sects are wrong, and therefore say, Come out from among them, as saith the Lord. Men professing godliness should act consistently with their belief.
If you believe that Christ is divided and there are many folds, many bodies, many Lords, many faiths, instead of "one fold," "one body," "one Lord," and "one faith," then you may consistently with your faith antagonize the Gospel Trumpet; but you must abide the consequences of fighting against God's Word. And remember this, that in the day of judgment it will do you no good to have put false colors on the truth you are opposing. You will not plead before the bar of God that I taught "no-churchism," "no organization," etc.
If you are ignorant of the Trumpet's teaching, you will be condemned before God for opposing and speaking evil of the things you do not understand. You should hold your peace until you know what you are talking about.
If you do know what we—myself and contributors—teach, you know that every paper insists on organization, the very organization set forth in the New Testament, and you do know that we all advocate the church, and never have encouraged anybody to leave her; but we chose to learn from the simple Word of God what the church is, and not from your Dark Age creeds and confused tongues. Now, all you who have lifted up your heel against Christ and his body, the only true church in heaven and earth, have done so because you have some sect idol in your heart and can not receive the truth or endure sound doctrine, or else you have not the moral courage to assault the devil in his stronghold of divisions. What does Satan care for your clamor against the "sin in the sects" so long as you give him the best means of bringing God's house or kingdom to naught—the sin of sects? I pity your sad confusion. May God give you all repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.
An editorial in the July 25 number answers an objection by the editor of the Sword.