Neither ministers, their flocks, nor the entire human family now on the Earth, have long to live, nor time to delay in this great matter. One decade of ten short years, and about one third of all now living will have passed away, while thirty years will close the drama of life with one thousand millions, or most of the present inhabitants of this globe, and all must find their future state of existence. Many of us can look back over thirty years past, and realize that the time has been short. So, also, will be the few remaining years allotted to any of us. Therefore, it becomes all to heed well the warning voice of Him who hath said:
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
All the different church organizations cannot be right in their present faith and practice, however lenient they may profess to be toward each other, or even hope that such is the case. This were impossible. God has designed to establish one true universal Church on this Earth, and He will do it, though it should sweep away every such organization now in existence, and even obliterate their every land-mark. We do not say that there is not now in each, more or less, of the germ of truth, nor that from these scattered fragments may not yet be gathered that which shall constitute the body and life of the whole. There may be a struggle first with the powers of darkness, yet this Great Church will be established and prevail.
The lights of true science, which are revealing more fully God's own revelations, we believe, will force a change to a more universal system of religion. The mind will comprehend more of the Great Jehovah, and of His will and plan of salvation. Therefore, we believe it to be the duty of all Christian ministers to move in this matter. They should investigate and comprehend all the new lights afforded them, and thereby be enabled to make plain the revelations of God; remove all mystery; establish His Eternal Truth, and teach all minds and hearts to "look up through Nature to Nature's God."
This will not be the work of only a day, or a week, nor yet of any one individual; but the work of time, with the united efforts of leading minds of the age, and we hope that its commencement will not long be delayed.
It must be acknowledged that the plans of salvation, as now taught by the many different Protestant Church organizations, are all, more or less, mystery to the outside world. Hence, Infidelity has in this highly colored reasons—at least to sustain their assertions against the truth of the Christian religion, and so also have the Jews. This fact no one can reasonably deny. The mind of man—his thinking, reasoning faculty—must be convinced by evidence before he can be brought to believe, and in this great and important matter he must believe before he will act.
The Mind must be left free and untrammelled, and governed only by enlightened reason. This should be the course pursued by all teaching ministers. Light, Liberty, and Eternal Life should be the watchwords of those who stand upon the "Walls of Zion!" The mind must be taught to love God in all His Immaculate perfections, and to serve Him through that love which "casteth out all fear." St. Paul says, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE and of a sound mind." John tells us, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out all fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." And yet in PERFECT LOVE, we shall always have the "fear of God before our eyes;" we shall ever fear to offend Him, and thereby fulfil every commandment given us to fear Him. But "he that dwelleth in God, dwelleth in love."
We believe that if the Christian ministry throughout would properly present the claims of God to the love of the human heart, there would soon be a turning of the masses to Him, such as has never been witnessed since the beginning of the world.
That by the teachings of so many different creeds, their widely different faith and doctrines, the mind of man in general has become bewildered; and that mystery, deep, dark, almost impenetrable, hangs—more or less—over all, we cannot deny. See the numerous different Church organizations, founded and presided over by men of intellect and learning; each claiming to be established by Scriptural authority! and yet in their faith and teachings, all conflicting, more or less, with each other. We cannot doubt the honesty and sincerity of these ministers, nor of their church members; yet may not many of them be "blind leaders of the blind?" To each of these, all other organizations, faith, and doctrine seem a mystery; and if a mystery to those who are striving after light and truth in the way of life and salvation, is it not far more of mystery to those outside, who have not been educated into any system of religious belief? The truth is, enlightened reason condemns this exhibition as the "Church of God," for it has become "a stumbling block" in the road to truth and the way of salvation. When we go to the founders and leaders of these different organizations, and ask, why all these conflicting elements? the majority of them will answer, remember that Christ hath said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches," and add a garbled quotation from the writings of St. Paul, "Great is the mystery of godliness."
Now there is but one true vine, and all its branches will bring forth the same "good fruits of righteousness" by which all shall be known. And as to mystery, let us see what the great apostle of the Gentiles did say.