"When Constantine made Christianity the religion of Rome the apostatizing processes were greatly accelerated. The constitution of the church was patterned after that of the civil government. The Holy Spirit had to retire from the active government of the church because forms and legality had taken place. The Word of God ceased to have authority, its place being taken by the laws and decrees of the councils. The clergy arose to great power and pomp and there was a long line of graduations made in the ministry, some of these offices given much more authority than others."
"Is that the way the papacy was formed?" asked Robert.
"Indeed it was," said the preacher. "The chief minister of large cities obtained control of the ministry of that city and surrounding towns. These chief ministers were called diocesans. Ministers in still more prominent places came to have a still wider authority and were called metropolitans, those over large districts were called patriarchs, and so the grasping for supremacy went on. When the Mohammedan conquest had reduced the importance of the other patriarchates, the conflict for supremacy lay between the Patriarch of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople. At last the Patriarch of Rome gained the greater prestige and authority and was called pope, and became supreme head of the Western or Roman Catholic Church.
"The great apostasy lasted twelve hundred and sixty years, or until A.D. 1530. This time was foretold in Rev. 12:6; 14-17, where the woman, under which figure the church is presented, fled into the wilderness for 1260 days or 'a time, and times, and half a time,' and in chapter 13:1-10, the beast, under which figure Roman Catholicism is represented, had power to continue 'forty and two months,' (forty-two months) or 1260 days, which, taking the usual Biblical method of interpreting prophetical time (see Dan. 4:25; Num. 14:34; and Ezek. 4:6) means 1260 years.
"The Roman Catholic supremacy was broken by the sixteenth-century Reformation. The Augsburg Confession of Faith, prepared by Melanchthon and Luther, was formed in A.D. 1530. This was the first Protestant creed.
"Then followed the great day of Protestantism when creeds and denominations sprang up in every direction and upon many pretenses. God's sheep were scattered and divided, as it was foretold in Ezek. 34:11-25. The true church of Jesus Christ was lost sight of. It was spoken of as the invisible church, while the denominations were the visible churches. Men joined churches because they thought that it was the right thing to do.
"About the year 1880, or 350 years after the Augsburg Confession, A.D. 1530, a deep conviction seized a number of earnest, sanctified people that the denominational system was wrong, utterly unscriptural. They began to preach a pure Bible church of which salvation alone makes men members."
"When these prophets began to teach the unity of God's people thousands saw the wrong of remaining in the denominations; so they came out. In fact, Brother Davis, God's sheep would naturally stay together if they were not induced to separate. The denominations have good Christians in them, but there are many members who do not have an experimental knowledge of grace and these have led many churches into worldliness and formality."
"I see it," said Robert. "The church was hidden down through the Catholic and Protestant ages and is just now again coming out and standing aloof and clear for God and her blessed founder, Jesus Christ. Oh, praise God! it is all so plain now. Thank God."
On the third night of the meeting a mob formed to frighten the minister out of town and to destroy the meeting. Old Peter Newby helped organize it. The ammunition consisted of a vast assortment of ancient eggs, also stones, brickbats, and a few clubs and sticks. The mob stormed the house about the time of the close of a powerful sermon on A Better Testament. Windows crashed, portions of egg bespattered many, several persons were struck by missiles, and a great hubbub was created. The evangelist was the quietest person in the house, though his clothing bore mute evidence that the egg-brigade had singled him out as their target.