Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
— Matthew 5:13
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
— Mark 4:16-17
And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
— Isaiah 1:28
And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
— Mark 15:29-32
The Reasons and Causes of Apostasy From the Truth or Doctrine of the Gospel, by Its Uncured Enmity, by John Owen. The following contains Chapter Four of his work, “The Nature of Apostasy From the Profession of the Gospel and the Punishment of Apostates Declared, In An Exposition of Hebrews 6:4-6; With An Inquiry Into the Causes and Reasons of the Decay of the Power of Religion in the World, or the Present General Defection From the Truth, Holiness, and Worship of the Gospel; Also, of the Proneness of Churches and Persons of All Sorts Unto Apostasy. With Remedies and Means of Prevention.” London: 1676.
Search the Scriptures — John 5:39
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify again to themselves the Son of God, and put him to open shame.
— Hebrews 6:4-6
Chapter Four.
The Reasons and Causes of Apostasy From the Truth or Doctrine of the Gospel, and the Inclination of All Sorts of Persons Thereunto In All Ages, Inquired Into and Declared — Uncured Enmity in the Minds of Many Against Spiritual Things, and the Effects of It in a Wicked Conversation, the First Cause of Apostasy.
For an introduction to the following discussion, I will establish a principle that I assume everyone will agree with: namely, that a departure from the truth of the gospel once professed is a sin of the highest guilt and one that will result in the most harmful consequences. In the past, God frequently complained through his prophets that his people “had forsaken him” and had turned away from him – that is, from the doctrine and institutions of his law, which were the only means of connection and communion between him and them (Deuteronomy 28:20; 1 Samuel 8:8; 2 Chronicles 34:25; Jeremiah 5:7,19, 16:11). To convince them of their terrible folly and wickedness in this regard, he asks them what wrongdoing they had seen in him, what unfairness in his ways, and what disappointments they had encountered that would cause them to grow tired of his laws and worship, to the point of abandoning them for things and practices that would ultimately lead to their temporal and eternal ruin (Jeremiah 2:5, Ezekiel 18:25). For if there was nothing in God’s laws and ways that they could legitimately complain about; if they were all holy, just, and good; if there was great reward in obeying them; and if through them God brought them good and not evil all their days, then there was no justification or excuse for their foolishness and ingratitude.
It is universally acknowledged that their defection from the law and institutions of God represented the highest level of folly and the greatest imaginable wickedness. This acknowledgment even comes from those who, at the same time, are guilty of an even greater sin of the same kind. For people’s judgments are often so swayed by their current interests or corrupted by the power of their depraved affections that they justify themselves in committing worse evils than those they condemn in others.
But as it was with the people of old, the same applies to those who deviate from the mysteries or reject the doctrines of the gospel, after they have been accepted and professed by them or have done so at any time. In fact, their guilt has even greater consequences than the idolatrous revolts of the Jews of old, because the gospel is a clearer revelation of God and much more glorious than that made by the law. There is therefore no reason to be found within the gospel itself for anyone to abandon it, either in its doctrines, commandments or the worship it requires. Nothing can be attributed to the gospel or anything contained in it or produced by it, which should encourage anyone to defect from it.
The gospel is, in itself, a blessed outpouring from the eternal source of wisdom and truth, and bears more marks and characteristics of divine excellence than the whole creation combined. It has no proper effect on the souls of people other than being the means and causes of their release from their original departure from God, with all the evil that followed, which is all that is evil. The recovery of lost humanity from a state of darkness, bondage, and misery into one of freedom, light, and peace, the present favor and future enjoyment of God, with order and mutual usefulness in this world while they remain in it, is the primary and immediate purpose of the gospel’s truths. Moreover, there is nothing truly good, holy, just, kind, or useful among people that is not influenced by the gospel’s truths and derived from them.
There have been some in every age, who, claiming to have the liberty the gospel offers, have in reality been slaves to corruption, and have turned the grace of God into debauchery. Some have accused the main doctrines of the gospel of freeing people from the necessity of holy obedience and the utmost use of their own efforts in that regard. There are those who, given over to a sensual lifestyle, live under the power of darkness, pursuing worldly goals and view the gospel as only tormenting them before their time. Some even believe that the world would be a more peaceful and orderly place without the gospel, blaming it for the disturbances people themselves create through envy, anger, and malice, as well as the persecution of others.
It is well-known that some have falsely claimed certain privileges granted by the gospel to justify their cunning acquisition and violent possession of worldly power, grandeur, and wealth, expressing themselves in ambition, cruelty, luxury, and the pride of life. However, the wickedness and folly of all these abominations, the cursed schemes of the father of lies and source of malice, will be, if God permits, exposed elsewhere. For now, I will assume that the gospel is a glorious representation of divine wisdom, goodness, grace, and love, and that it only produces effects for which God is the immediate author and will be the eternal rewarder. Therefore, the reasons and causes for apostasy from the part of the gospel currently under consideration – that is, the mysteries and truth of its doctrine – must be sought in the minds of those who abandon it, along with any external factors that accompany them.
It is not unnecessary to engage in such an inquiry, as the current state of the Christian world is such that if it were assumed that the lives of professed Christians accurately represented the gospel, and that the majority of people were led and influenced into the way of life and behaviour they openly pursue by the gospel’s doctrines and principles, it could hardly compete with pagan philosophy for usefulness to the glory of God and the benefit of mankind. It is not the gospel, but rather apostasy from it, that has produced so many unfortunate effects in the world, and which, by engulfing humanity in wickedness, paves the way for their misery and ruin. In defending the gospel, this will be somewhat demonstrated in the revelation of the causes and reasons for this apostasy. For regardless of what people claim, unless they have first abandoned the gospel in their hearts and minds, they would not, and could not, also abandon all rules of holiness and morality in their lives.
Moreover, the prevalence of this defection is so significant, and the neglect of people (either focused on their private matters, desires, and interests or captivated by the power of this apostasy to the approval of the most significant and most dangerous evils) is so apparent and disgraceful that every sincere attempt to warn them of their danger, to encourage them to fulfil their duty, or guide them in its performance, with the aim of obstructing the progress of this outcome of hell’s counsels and defeating it, should receive a fair reception from all those who hold a proper regard for the interest of Christ and the gospel in the world, or the eternal concerns of their own souls.
These are the general aims of the following discussions; and if someone with greater abilities for this work is inspired by this, or takes the opportunity from it, to conduct a more diligent inquiry into the causes and reasons for the defection from the glory and power of Christian religion that prevails in the world, and subsequently prescribes more suitable and effective remedies for healing this widespread ailment, I will be thoroughly satisfied with the success of this attempt and essay. The reasons that come to mind are as follows:
I. The deep-rooted enmity that exists in the minds of people by nature towards spiritual things, remaining uncured despite professing the gospel, is the original and primary source of this apostasy. As the apostle tells us,”the carnal mind is enmity against God,” Romans 8:7; meaning the revelation of God’s will and mind in Christ, along with the obedience he requires. The nature of this enmity and how it affects the minds of people have been extensively discussed elsewhere, so I will not repeat it here. It is enough for our current purpose that people, for various reasons, may adopt the profession of the gospel’s truths while this enmity towards spiritual things remains uncured or even dominant in their minds. This was the case with those the apostle complained about, who, through their wicked lives under their profession, showed themselves to be “enemies of the cross of Christ,” Philippians 3:18; as well as those who,”professing that they know God, yet in works deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and to every good work reprobate,” Titus 1:16.
Thus, when the gospel was first preached, many were convinced of its truth and adopted its profession, mainly due to the miracles performed to confirm it, even though their hearts and minds were not at all reconciled with its content. See John 2:23-24; Acts 8:13.
Some people are persuaded enough to acknowledge its truth due to the efficacy of its dispensation as a divine ordinance for their conviction and instruction, yet they don’t let go of their enmity towards it. For example, John was among the Jews as “a burning and a shining light,” and they rejoiced for a while in his ministry, John 5:35. So much so that the majority of the people were initiated into his doctrine with baptism as a token and pledge, Matthew 3:5-6.
However, although all of them confessed their sins according to his direction, very few actually abandoned their sins as was their duty.
When both preaching and miracles were combined in an exceptional manner, such as when Jesus preached after feeding five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish, people were so affected by his doctrine about “the bread of life that came down from heaven,” that they cried out,”Lord, always give us this bread,” John 6:34. However, since their natural enmity towards spiritual things remained uncured, when Jesus continued to instruct them in heavenly mysteries, they raised objections to his teaching (verses 41, 52, 60) and immediately abandoned both him and his teachings (verse 66). Jesus explained that the reason for their defection was their unbelief and that it had not been granted to them by the Father to come to him (verses 64-65), which means that the enmity of their carnal minds was still present. Hence, what they considered a difficult and incomprehensible saying (verses 52, 60), his true disciples understood to be “the words of eternal life” (verse 68). Over time, many people become predisposed to the truth of the gospel through their upbringing and the external means of instruction applied to them. However, despite this advantage, they may still remain under the influence of this corruption in their minds.
When people embrace the truths of the gospel through these or similar means, their minds are affected in various ways, prompting them to move and act towards the gospel’s ultimate goal. There are three parts to this goal:
1. The gospel aims to prevent people from finding rest and satisfaction in themselves, both in terms of their present peace in their current state and their hope for future happiness through their own efforts. This is because neither of these outcomes is achievable in our fallen, apostate state. Therefore, the gospel’s initial work is to influence, guide, and direct people’s minds to renounce these aims and instead seek righteousness, life, peace, and happiness through Jesus Christ.
2. Another part of the gospel’s purpose is to renew our minds, wills, and affections in the image or likeness of God. It does this by presenting spiritual things to us in such a way that we are transformed into their likeness, or so that the substantial image of these spiritual things is imprinted on our entire souls (2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:23-24; Colossians 3:10).
3. The gospel also engages the entire soul, with all its powers and faculties, throughout its entire range of activities, or in everything it does, to live for God in all aspects of holy obedience (Romans 12:1). But when this work, or any part of it, is urged on people’s consciences and practice, they don’t appreciate it to any extent. The uncured hostility we’re talking about rises in opposition to all these things. It starts to think that it has allowed a troublesome guest to enter, who came in, as if to stay temporarily, but now wants to be a judge. While the mind is occupied only with the notions of truth in speculation and reasoning, it is satisfied and pleased with them; in fact, it will agree to be guided by them in various matters and duties that it can perform while still relying on its old foundations of self sufficiency and satisfaction (Mark 6:20). However, when the gospel, in pursuit of the aforementioned goals, presses people to abandon their old foundations and natural principles completely, to bring about a comprehensive change in their powers, faculties, operations, and goals, and to make them new creations, it becomes irritating to the prevailing hostility within them. This hostility, in turn, stirs up all the mind’s lusts and the flesh, all the deceitful tactics of the old self and the powers of sin, and all carnal and unrefined affections in opposition to the gospel. Consequently, spiritual truths are first neglected, then scorned, and finally, easily abandoned.
Indeed, people may be convinced of something as truth, either on rational grounds or through natural or spiritual motives, and may give their assent to it, but when it comes to putting that truth into practice, their will and affections will not comply. So it is said of some that they did not see fit to acknowledge God or to hold on to the knowledge of Him (Romans 1:28). The ingrained ideas they had by the light of nature, along with their contemplation of creation and providence, provided them with thoughts and perceptions of God’s existence and power (verses 19, 20). In this respect, they are said to “know God,” meaning the essential properties of His nature – “His eternal power and Godhead” (verse 21). This knowledge, these notions and conceptions, immediately directed them to glorify Him as God through holy worship and obedience, as expressed in the same verse. But they did not like this, due to the corruption of their minds and affections, and therefore would not retain this knowledge of Him. Instead, they surrendered to all sorts of abominable idolatries and animalistic lusts, which were incompatible with this knowledge, as the apostle extensively explains. Therefore, even concerning divine things conveyed to us by natural light and those that are unavoidable for all humankind, the will, the affections, and the practical understanding are more tainted and corrupted than the mind’s prescriptive and directive powers. Hence, the entire world, which had nothing to guide it but the light of nature, turned away from its guidance and lived contrary to it. They all rebelled against the light they had, and without God’s special grace, all humanity will do the same.
In the same way, this applies to truths communicated through supernatural revelation. It is said of those who were to carry on the great apostasy from the mysteries and worship of the gospel that “they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10). They acknowledged the truth itself in terms of its profession for a time, but they never had, nor sought, the kind of appreciation or love for it that would lead them to obedience or the use of it for its intended purpose, so they might be saved. This made them prone to abandoning and renouncing the profession of the truth on any occasion or temptation, exchanging it for the vilest errors and grossest superstitions. In such a state of mind, people’s corruptions will overcome their convictions. First, they will suppress the truth in terms of its operation, and then reject it in terms of its profession. Let other notions be proposed to them that better suit the vanity of their minds or the sensuality of their affections, and they will readily accept them.
There are examples among all sorts of people showing that when they have adopted beliefs and opinions, even false, vain, and foolish ones, and have them deeply embedded in their minds through powerful interests or entrenched prejudices, neither the evidence of truth nor the fear of danger can persuade them to renounce or abandon those beliefs. All false paths in Christianity and the path of Islam give us examples of this. However, we have two general instances that may well fill people’s minds with astonishment. The first is that of the Jews, who, for so many generations, despite all manner of difficulties and calamities, continue to stubbornly persist in the most irrational unbelief and apostasy from the faith of their forefather Abraham and the expectations of all their ancestors that anyone could imagine. For many generations, the number of Jews who have been so convinced of their error as to genuinely and sincerely embrace the gospel is scarcely one per century. The other instance is the Roman Catholic Church. It is well known that this religious community is abundant with otherwise wise and learned individuals, including kings and rulers of the earth who adhere to it. They continue to do so, and will do so, despite the numerous and evident errors, impieties, superstitions, and idolatries of that church. There are enough other examples to prove that no religious opinions can be so foolish or contemptible that some people will not stubbornly cling to them, despite all efforts to help them, either in God’s way through rational and spiritual convictions or in the world’s way through persecution.
It may be that more people will be found to be stubborn in error when faced with trials, difficulties, dangers, and opposition than those who will be constant in professing the truth. This applies to those who, along with an external profession of the truth, have not embraced its internal power and effectiveness, nor have the love for it in their hearts. Both groups form their notions and understanding of things in the same way, based on apparent reasons, even though the understanding is deceived in one and not in the other. However, once an error is accepted as truth, it takes a firmer root in the minds of people than the truth can while their minds remain carnal. The reason for this is that all errors are somehow suited to the mind in its depraved state, and there is nothing in error that is hostile to it. The mind does not dislike error in itself or in its effects because, having fallen from the first Truth and Goodness, it wanders and delights in wandering through twisted or side paths of its own. As the saying goes,”God made humans upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). The mind finds pleasure in these paths and conforms to them, as there is something in every error that appeals to the vanity, curiosity, pride, or superstition of the carnal mind. However, the case is different with evangelical truths, which the mind dislikes due to its innate hostility towards the things they propose and present. Therefore, it is often easier to draw away thousands from the profession of the truth, who have no experience of its power and effectiveness in their souls, than to turn one person from an erroneous path, especially if they are entrenched in it due to self-interest and prejudice. This is the current situation in the world. Every group or party of false believers, such as Catholics and others, successfully draws multitudes of ordinary believers away from the truth they had acknowledged, but we rarely hear of anyone being rescued from their traps. Seducers could not ask for a greater advantage than to be allowed to work among those who outwardly profess the truth but harbour an internal hostility towards it. They will be able to attract converts to their hearts’ content.
This was the fundamental cause of the apostasy from the doctrine and truths of the gospel, which has prevailed in almost the entire visible church. If most people had embraced the truth with love and had not harboured a secret enmity in their hearts and minds against it, if vain, curious, and superstitious things had not appealed to the prevailing principles of their minds and affections, they would not have so easily and universally forsaken the gospel for human traditions, nor abandoned Christ to follow Antichrist, as we know they did. However, when an external profession of the truth became transmitted from one generation to another, and the spirit and power of it were wholly neglected, people were merely waiting for opportunities to gradually part with the truth and give it up for anything else suggested to them. Many, in the meantime, employed their intellect to find out inventions that catered to their desires and corrupt affections. That those who were swept away by the great apostasy outwardly manifested this attitude in their lives and actions will be shown later; had it not been so, the event in question would not have occurred.
This danger currently affects individuals, churches, and nations that today profess the gospel. If a pressing trial or strong temptation or a combination of various means of seduction confronts those who have received the truth but not its love and power, they may struggle to avoid a general apostasy. When external attempts are made upon them, they also face treachery from the deceitfulness of their own hearts, as their untreated hostility towards the truth waits for an opportunity to part with and reject it. Anything that frees them from the effectiveness of their convictions or the power of the traditions that hold them captive to the profession of the truth will be gladly embraced and complied with. The danger of this situation is evident in the open dislike of the rule and guidance of the truth that most people demonstrate throughout their lives.
It is clear, then, that unless this hostility is conquered or expelled from the mind, unless the mind is freed from its corrupt influence and effects, unless the truth achieves real power and effectiveness on the soul, unless it is learned “as it is in Jesus,” allowing people to “put off their old selves, which are being corrupted by deceitful desires, and are renewed in the spirit of their minds, putting on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness;” unless they love and value it for the effects of spiritual peace, power, and freedom it produces in them, there will be little consistency or perseverance in their profession when temptations coincide with opportunities for revolt. For who can guarantee that what has previously occurred among the majority of humanity will not happen again in any place where the same causes converge?
Having identified this first cause of defection from the gospel, we can easily discern the only true and effective ways and means of preserving and maintaining the true religion in any place or among any people where it has been professed, particularly if temptations to revolt abound and the situation is made dangerous by advantageous opportunities. Love of the truth and experience of its power in people’s hearts will produce this effect, and nothing else will. All other means, where these are lacking, have failed in all places worldwide and will do so again when a time of trial comes. True religion may be established by law, supported by authority, have a long-standing tradition or be so ingrained in people’s minds that many promise the firmest stability in its profession; however, there is no guarantee in such things, and we will soon see all the hopes built upon them vanish into nothing. Convictions or traditions, where a secret enmity is retained, may create a commotion and noise for a while, but every gust of temptation will sweep them away. If it were not so with most people, would it have been possible for so many nations to fall into Arianism in less than a generation after the truth had been known and professed among them for so long? Or would it be possible for the majority of this nation to revert to Catholicism after a blessed reformation, as in the days of Queen Mary, when many who had professed the gospel cast others into flames for continuing to do so?
It is widely complained that Catholicism is increasing in this nation, and some express their fears of its further prevalence, perhaps not without reason. Although there are several other ways people may and do apostatize from the truth, those who take any other measure of things besides their own secular interests, with the corrupt affections of their minds, in anger, envy, and revenge, see this as the most dangerous. It is most compliant with the dominant desires of the present age and most comprehensive to accommodate the majority of people. Besides, by what it has done in the past, it sufficiently shows what it is likely to do again. Therefore, many are working diligently to prevent its spread, as it would prove disastrously ruinous to the nation and their descendants if it were to prevail. To this end, some call for the aid of authority to enact strict laws to prohibit it. This, according to the opinion of recent ages, some believe to be the most effective means for preserving the truth; for if they can destroy all who think differently, the rest of humanity will appear peaceful to those who benefit from it. Some write books refuting its errors, and they do so with good purpose. But in the meantime, if there is any truth in reports, the work is progressing as effectively as if no opposition had been made to it; and we can be sure that these and similar means, if left on their own, will never keep Catholicism out of England if it ever has an advantage and opportunity for a return, nor prevent the entrance of any other false religion.
As for the use and severity of penal laws, I do not interfere with it, as it is a matter for the wisdom of our leaders. However, I must say that it does not seem to be to the advantage of truth, or at least not to the reputation of those who profess it, that they should only be able to preserve its position among people in this way. It cannot be honourable for any religion that, while claiming all the advantages and rights of truth and being in actual possession of all external benefits and support, it cannot secure itself or maintain its profession without outward force and violence, which are so far removed from the first introduction and planting of truth in the world. But these matters are not our present concern. As for refuting the errors, superstitions, and idolatrous practices of the Catholic Church in books of controversy, it is undoubtedly a good, useful, and necessary work in its kind; but after all is said and done, these things reach only a few, and not many will divert from other matters to seriously consider them. Therefore, another way must be chosen and pursued to secure the truth and interest of Protestant religion among us, and this is none other than effectively communicating the knowledge of it to people’s minds and implanting the power of it in their hearts. This is the only thing that will root out the hostility towards evangelical mysteries and spiritual matters which leads people into apostasy.
Unless people know what they should value religion for and what benefits they genuinely receive from its profession, it is unreasonable to expect that they will remain committed when faced with a trial. If they start to think,”It’s pointless to serve God like this” or “What benefit is there in following His ordinances?” they will easily accept the burden of any falsehood or superstition that claims to provide them with greater advantages. At some point, this will be the case for those with a dominant hostility towards religion.
On the other hand, when God, through the gospel,”shines in the hearts of people, giving them the light of the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ;” when they find their consciences set free from the unbearable burden of superstition and tradition; and when the word of truth they profess leads to their rebirth in the hope of eternal life, their inner selves being renewed and their lives reformed as a result; and when their expectation of a blessed eternity is well founded and securely anchored in it, they will, through the effective help of Christ’s Spirit, remain steadfast in their profession, regardless of what may happen to them.
On these terms and with these experienced evidences of truth and goodness, the gospel was first embraced by people, and the reformation of religion was first introduced in this nation. Although various other factors contributed to its acceptance and establishment, if the minds of many had not experienced its power and effectiveness for the purposes mentioned, it would never have achieved lasting presence among us. The mere external form of true religion cannot compete with the appearance that error and superstition present to people’s minds, as they know how much they need it.
These things, I know, are dismissed by some. They think they have more reliable methods and better solutions for preserving the profession of the gospel among us than its own power and efficacy. We don’t need to guess what those ways are, as they continually declare them; but they won’t be discussed here. However, it is to be feared that they may be filled with the results of their own imaginations when those things on which they have placed their confidence fail them. Therefore, if there is neglect in the ministry and others whose duty it is to promote these matters, the outcome will be sorrowful, perhaps beyond what is anticipated. If the majority of people are allowed to live without any evidence of familiarity with the power of the truth they profess or any tangible fruits of it in a holy manner of living, we may cry out,”Popery, Popery,” as long as we want; but when temptations, opportunities, and interests align, their profession will fall from them like dry leaves from a tree when shaken by the wind. The apostle tells us that those who “went out from them were not of them, for if they had been of them they would have continued with them,” 1 John 2:19. They were among them by the profession of the truth, or they could not have gone out from them; but they were “not of them” in experiencing the power of the truth and “communion with the Father and the Son;” for if they had, “they would have continued with them,” remaining steadfast in their profession.
This is what should be fixed in the minds of all individuals involved, of all who are passionate about the truth of the Protestant religion, or are obligated, to the best of their abilities, to provide for its preservation. When things have reached the appointed time and are moving towards their natural outcome, all other strategies and ideas will be ineffective. A diligent communication with the majority of people, through the dispensation of the word or preaching of it, about the power of the truth they profess in all its blessed effects – allowing them to have an experience and inner witness of the reasons why they should remain constant in its profession – will alone secure the continuation of the gospel in future generations. All other means will be ineffectual for that purpose; and to the extent they are or may be effective without this, it will be of no advantage to the souls of people.
There is always a danger of defection among professed Christians from the truth, as has been shown before. The fact that this danger currently has many unique circumstances making it particularly dangerous is likewise acknowledged by all those who seriously consider these matters. And it won’t, I assume, be disputed that every person, as they are called and warranted by special duty, is obliged to make their utmost efforts to prevent a revolt from the truth. The whole inquiry is, what is the best way, means, or strategy to be employed for this purpose? And I say, it is only through the diligent ministerial dispensation of the word, combined with such an exemplary zeal and holiness in those who dispense it, as well as all other things required for the completion of that work, that the hearts of the people can be reconciled to evangelical truths, a delight in obedience can be instilled in them, and the power of the word can be implanted in their entire souls. A lack of this was what lost the gospel in previous eras and will continue to do so wherever it is, in this or future ages. And I believe I won’t stray too far from my current topic if I support this opinion with a few simple considerations; for:
1. It is the way, the only way, which God has ordained and which he blesses for this end and purpose. No one will claim, I suppose, that God has appointed any other way to bring people to the profession of the truth other than through the preaching and dispensation of the word alone. When individuals are influenced or convinced by this, to the extent that they commit themselves to its profession, it will be challenging to find an ordinance of God of another kind for their preservation therein. When the apostle took his last farewell of those who were converted by his ministry in Ephesus, he “commended them to the word of God’s grace, which,” as he judged,”was able to build them up, and to give them an inheritance among all those who are sanctified,” Acts 20:32.
One might think it would be more challenging to convert people from Judaism or Paganism, or any false religion, to the profession of the gospel, than to keep them in that profession once they are introduced to it. In the initial work, there are all sorts of prejudices and difficulties to contend with, and no advantage from any recognized principles of truth. In contrast, preserving people in the profession of truth they have already received and acknowledged seems to be more straightforward and easier on many accounts. If, therefore, the dispensation of the word, as God’s ordinance for that purpose, has been a sufficient and effective means for the former, what reason can be given that it should not also be so for the latter, without further force or violence? It will be argued that the first preachers of the gospel were equipped with extraordinary gifts, making their ministry effective in initially converting the nations. However, since those gifts have ceased, the efficacy of the ministry has as well, and therefore it requires external support that the former did not. I say, for my part, I wish it all the assistance that those entrusted with it could desire, provided no force is imposed on the consciences or persons of others. But why shouldn’t we believe that the ordinary gifts of the ministry are as sufficient for the ordinary work as the extraordinary gifts were for the extraordinary work? To be honest, the difference lies in individuals in carrying out their duty, not in the things, gifts, or duties themselves. If all those who are called, or claim to be called, to preserve the truth of the gospel in the work of the ministry were as conscientiously diligent in fulfilling their duty, as well-equipped according to the gospel’s rules with the ordinary spiritual gifts necessary for their work and calling, and as fully represented the purpose and nature of their message to people through a holy conversation, as the first individuals appointed to convert the nations were and did, according to their greater measures of grace and gifts, the work would have a proportionate success in their hands compared to what it had at the beginning. However, while those entrusted with this responsibility neglect the use of this means, which is God’s ordinance for the purpose of preserving the truths of the gospel among people; while they either believe that the primary aim of their office is to qualify them for worldly advantages, and to grant them external peace therein, along with the enjoyment of those things which seem desirable to most people in this world; and meanwhile, consider it suitable to resort to other methods for preserving the truth, which God has neither appointed nor sanctified for that purpose, it is no surprise if faith and truth vanish from among people.
The Apostle Paul foresaw that a time would come when some people would “not endure sound doctrine, but after their own desires would gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear,” who would “turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths,” 2 Timothy 4:3-4. We can see the approach he recommends for preventing this evil from leading to a general apostasy. It should also be noted that the advice he gives in this case, though initially directed to one individual person directly involved, applies to everyone who is or will be called to the leadership or ministry in the church. He proposes this course in verses 1, 2, and 5 of that chapter: “I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. Watch in all things, endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” This is the approach and way he prescribes for preserving the truth against the corruption of people’s minds and the cunning of deceivers. He gives this duty’s charge with such great solemnity and emphasizes it with many emphatically expressed motives, revealing how crucial he believed it to be.
Perhaps this method of preserving the truth and saving people’s souls through constant laboring in the word and doctrine, while enduring all the difficulties that accompany it, is not considered as advisable as it once was. For what good would people’s lives or advancements do for them if they were obliged to labor in this exhausting type of preaching? But if that’s the case, they must eventually be willing to part with the truth and all the benefits they gain from professing it. For no matter how people may try to turn things around, explore their methods, and multiply their strategies to secure religion according to their understanding, even if they can chain their idols, as the pagans did with their gods in the past to prevent them from leaving, and establish a profession of lies, the truth of the gospel, for any useful purpose, will be preserved in a nation, church, or people only through this means of God’s appointment.
2. This is such a method and strategy for preserving the truth and the profession of the gospel that no one can have the audacity to complain about or object to. In all places and among all sorts of people, there is a claim of zeal for retaining what they perceive to be the truth or correctness in religion. However, the means they have chosen for this purpose have mostly been full of scandal for the Christian religion. They are so far from being rational means of preserving people in it that they effectively deter them from it. Such is the external force that has been tested in this nation, as elsewhere by all sorts of people; and wise individuals can easily observe what it has led to. In the meantime, it is blatantly evident that, regardless of how good the intended outcome may be, the means used to achieve it come with much harm. I am unsure of the peace or satisfaction those who pursue this approach have within themselves. It is beyond my comprehension how the minds of any Christians can be entirely at ease, rejoicing in God through Jesus Christ, while causing others to be terrified, pursued, ruined, and destroyed solely for their faith and hope in Christ Jesus. However, I do not know the principles of other people’s minds, the makeup or constitution of their consciences, the rules of their walk before God, or the dominant prejudices and interests that influence them beyond all evidence of reason to the contrary. Therefore, they may have satisfactory peace in this way, even though I don’t understand how. On the other hand, those who are subjected to and forced to suffer in this course of action become alienated from those who inflict suffering and their profession. As a result, we see the mutual animosities, hatreds, disputes, harsh reflections, and dreadful scandals that accompany this approach. We witness the clamors and conflicts raised about it today, the arguments presented against such actions, and how difficult it is for human nature to endure all extremities for what people are fully convinced they deserve well in from mankind. Moreover, no one can guarantee that, at some point, wheat will not be plucked up instead of tares.
But as for the method now proposed, of preserving the truth through diligent, effective dissemination of the gospel’s word to the general population, who can claim to be provoked by it or take offense at it? No mortal will be harmed by it in anything they dare admit to being concerned about. The devil, indeed, will be enraged by it, not only because it aims to destroy his influence and kingdom in the end, but also because he has no part in it, nor can he intervene with his efforts. He is a spirit as restless and active as he is malicious, and he does not like to be excluded from any business happening in the world.
Therefore, although he equally hates the truth in the hands of all people, in the method of preserving it mentioned before, he can and does visibly involve himself and his effective workings in it, making him quite satisfied with it. For what he may potentially lose on one side regarding truth, he gains ten times more on the other in the loss of love, peace, holiness, and all the fruits of goodness, meekness, and kindness that should exist among people. As long as he has a hand in promoting this loss and has the opposite fruits to feed on, he is not overly concerned with the profession of truth in one way of worship or another among people.
Therefore, even if he is or will be enraged at this way of preserving the truth, we know that Christ’s kingdom will only be maintained in the world through conquering his rage. As for those who share the same goal with him, their hidden wrath and envy will only torment and consume themselves.
3. Apart from a few instances of violence and bloodshed, involving the loss of human lives, as among the Waldenses, Bohemians, and some others, which were never entirely successful, and government revolutions accompanied by similar cruelties, as in the days of Queen Mary in England, which only lasted a short time, no example can be found of any church or nation turning away from the truth without there being a neglect of instilling the power of the gospel into people’s minds and hearts by those responsible for this task. This sinful neglect was always what paved the way for apostasy. Therefore, the foundation of any meaningful profession of the gospel among us depends on this.
If God is willing to inspire all those involved in this duty to work effectively in it, and to show people the power of the gospel through their own holy, humble, useful, and fruitful interactions with them, and if He is also willing to provide them with the gifts of His Spirit, enabling them to successfully carry out their duty, the truth of the gospel would certainly become unshakably established among us. It might be that it is not appropriate for this time that any of those who are called and enabled for this work, being willing to devote their utmost in defense of the truth, especially in this way of preserving it by imbuing people’s minds with a sense of its power and worth, should be prevented from fulfilling their duty. But God’s purposes in all things must stand, and He must be humbly worshipped, where “his judgments are unsearchable, and his ways beyond understanding.”
Again, this deep-rooted and yet unaddressed hostility towards spiritual and heavenly matters becomes a cause and means of turning away from the truths of the gospel, by filling people’s hearts with a love of sin and their lives with the results of it in wicked actions. For people are “alienated and enemies in their mind,” in or “by wicked actions,” Colossians 1:21. The hostility in their minds operates and manifests itself in wicked actions. And the alienation that comes with this hostility is from the “life of God”: Ephesians 4:18,”Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God,” that is, from the spiritual, heavenly life of faith and holiness, which God requires, and of which He is the goal and focus. The truths of the gospel are the source, rule, and measure of this life. See Acts 5:20; Ephesians 4:20, 21. Therefore, when people are “alienated from the life of God” and through the love of sin are given up to wicked actions, they can’t help but secretly dislike and hate the truth, the spiritual and heavenly doctrine, which is the source and rule of holiness and which eternally condemns both the love of sin and the results of it in wicked actions. So, no matter what people claim or profess, while this hostility remains within them as a dominant principle of sin and wicked behaviour, they are, in practice and reality, enemies of the gospel itself. And where any individuals are in this state, it is easy to see how ready and prone they will be to abandon it whenever the opportunity arises, as no one will retain something in their minds that is useless to them and troublesome to their main inclinations any longer than they have a fair chance to let it go. That this mindset is an effective barrier to properly accepting the gospel, our Saviour explicitly states: John 3:19, 20,”This is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, for fear that their deeds will be exposed.” Wherever the power of sin remains and people are involved in practising it, to the point where their actions are evil, they will not accept the light of the gospel – that is, in its own nature and power, and for its proper purposes. And when they are, through conviction or other means, moved to comply with it, they do so only partially and hypocritically, and cannot do otherwise while their actions are evil. So it was with those who are said to believe in Christ. Being somewhat convinced of the truth of His teachings, they would not acknowledge Him because “they loved the praise of people more than the praise of God,” John 12:42, 43. The ruling power of this single sin of ambitious hypocrisy prevented most of them from even agreeing with the gospel; as our Saviour says to them,”How can you believe, who receive honour from one another, and do not seek the honour that comes from the only God?” John 5:44. With the rest, who could not entirely resist their convictions, it prevailed to the extent that they would not accept it sincerely, but only partially and hypocritically. Now, that which so effectively prevents most from allowing any admission to the gospel at all, and which allows none to receive it in a proper manner, will easily lead, where it remains in its power, to a total abandonment of it when the opportunity arises.
Seeing, therefore, that all those whose actions are evil, and who through the hostility in their minds give themselves up to wicked deeds in their lives, are genuinely alienated from the truths of the gospel, they are and will be ready at all times to turn away from them. For being under the control of sin, they gain no real benefit from these truths, but rather find them incompatible with their main interests and greatest joys.
Hence, we have the description the apostle gives of those who were converted to God through the gospel: Romans 6:17, 18,”God be thanked, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of teaching which was delivered to you. Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness.” There is no obedience from the heart to the gospel, no possibility of being shaped by the teachings delivered in it unless we are set free from the service of sin.
We may, therefore, without hesitation, establish this as one main reason and cause of the turning away from the truth of the gospel that has occurred in the world and which is still regrettably progressing. People who love sin and live in sin, whose actions are wicked and whose deeds are evil, are all of them in their hearts alienated from the spiritual, holy teachings of the gospel, and will undoubtedly, in the face of any temptation or trial, abandon their profession of these truths.
What reason do we have to hope or believe that drunkards, those who swear, unclean individuals, the covetous, proud, ambitious, boasters, vain, sensualists, and similar enemies of the cross of Christ would stick to the truth with any consistency if a trial should befall them? “Look diligently,” says the apostle,”lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright,” Hebrews 12:15, 16. Esau’s birthright was his right to and interest in the promise of the gospel made to Abraham. Being a profane person, when he was hungry, he gave it away for one morsel of food. If others, says the apostle, are like him, profane individuals, fornicators, or those who live in any course of sin, if a temptation befalls them, and their desires call to be satisfied, they will for mere morsels of bread, for the smallest earthly benefits, part with their interest in and profession of the gospel. So he tells us of those who, having abandoned a good conscience, made shipwreck of the faith, 1 Timothy 1:19. After people have corrupted their consciences by living in sin, they may for a while continue their journey with full sails of profession; but if a storm comes, if a trial befalls them, if they encounter a rock or shelf in their way, they quickly make shipwreck of the faith, losing that, whatever else they strive to preserve.
What should secure such individuals to any consistency in their profession? While they are in this condition, it is entirely irrelevant to them, regarding their present or future advantage, what religion they belong to or whether they have any at all. It’s true that one way of religion may harden them more in sin, create more prejudices against and hindrances to their conversion than another; but no religion can benefit them or yield them the slightest eternal advantage while they remain in that condition. It will make no difference at the end of days what religion wicked and ungodly sinners have followed, unless it’s that the profession of the truth will prove an aggravation of their sins, Romans 2:11, 12.
Moreover, when a temptation to abandon the truth befalls them, it has nothing but a few traditional prejudices to contend with. When they move away from those prejudices and begin to search within themselves for reasons to stick to the truth they have outwardly professed, they quickly find in their own hearts a dominant dislike and hatred of the light and truth they are urged to let go of; for every person, as our Saviour asserts, hates the light when their deeds are evil.
This is what has caused the loss of the gospel to so many princes, nobles, and great individuals who, for a while, professed it. This is what is so alarmingly present today regarding the danger of a general apostasy. People from all walks of life give themselves up to the service of sin. The complaint of the prophet is not ill-suited to our situation, Isaiah 1:4-6. Many are openly wicked, beyond precedent or example among the heathen. Worldliness, pride, ambition, vanity, in all its variety of situations and objects, along with sensuality of life, have overrun the world. Most dreadfully, the sins of many are accompanied by the highest aggravation of all provocations – namely, that they proclaim them like Sodom, do not hide them, but glory in their shame. In all these actions, people essentially, although not in words, announce that they are tired of the gospel and are prepared to abandon it; some for any pretence of religion, others for none at all.
This is the most dangerous position that any place, church, or people can be found in; for whereas individuals are naturally prone to a spiritual revolt and defection, when this arises from and is encouraged by the love of sin and a life therein, God is also ready to give them up, as a punishment, to such delusions that will turn them away from the gospel. The apostle puts it this way in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12,”They did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be condemned who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.” Where people, under the profession of the truth, will continue to be profligate in sin and take pleasure in unrighteousness, God will not always allow the gospel to be exploited to provide them with support in their wickedness but will judicially give them up to such delusions that will sweep them away into open apostasy from it.
This was the main cause of the widespread and almost universal apostasy that occurred before the Reformation. The majority of Christian people, through various means and situations, had become worldly, sensual, wicked, and stubborn in sin. The complaints about this are left on record in the writings of many from those days. It was futile for anyone to try to bring them back to conformity with the gospel, especially considering that most of their guides were no less tainted than they were. Chrysostom was almost the only person, or at least the most prominent, who dedicated his ministry to counter, if possible, the rising tide of impiety and wickedness among all sorts of people; but instead of success, his holy efforts ended in his own exile and death. All levels and orders of people took on the role of defending public sinning against him, leading to his downfall. As a result, there were only two ways to deal with the majority of people in such a condition. One was, following the apostle’s advice, to “turn away” or withdraw from them (2 Timothy 3:5), thus leaving them out of the church’s communion. The other was to adapt religion to their temperament and desires, thereby preserving an appearance of Christianity among them. The majority of their leaders, prioritising their interests over their duties, chose the latter approach and gradually promoted it.
From this point, opinions and practices were invented, advanced, and incorporated into religion that might accommodate people in their desires or provide support and supposed relief to those determined to live in their sins. Such practices included auricular confession, penances, absolutions, commutations of all sorts, Masses for the living and the dead, the church’s treasury of merit and power of pardon, intercession and help of saints, and especially purgatory, along with all its related aspects.
This led to the completion of the apostasy; for as people became more carnal and wicked, the only way to maintain their profession of the gospel seemed to be by corrupting its entire doctrine and worship so that their desires might be somehow accommodated. To this end, external things were substituted for internal ones, with the same names assigned to them; ecclesiastical things took the place of spiritual ones; outward offices, orders, and multiple sacraments, along with their efficacy through the act performed, replaced genuine conversion to God, purity of heart, and strict, universal holiness; disciplines and physical hardships replaced evangelical repentance and self-denial. It would be impossible for people’s desires to be more highly accommodated while still maintaining a pretence of religion. In this way, wickedness of life led to apostasy from the truth. The entire papal apostasy can be reduced to two main aspects: first, adapting the doctrine and worship of the gospel to the carnal minds and desires of people, along with the resulting state of their consciences; and secondly, adapting the desires, ignorance, and superstition of people to the interests and worldly advantage of the pope and his clergy. The danger of this age lies within this issue. The primary aim of most people is to live in sin with as little trouble in the present and as little fear of the future as they can achieve. There are only two ways to attempt such a mindset.
One way is by eradicating all notions of good and evil, all sense of future rewards and punishments, or of God’s governance in the world. In all ages, some people have attempted this: “The fool has said in his heart,’There is no God’;” and as a result,”they are corrupt and do terrible deeds” (Psalm 14:1). No age could provide more examples of this chosen atheism than the one in which we live. No one deceives themselves into it except with the intention of living in sin without self-control, the last restraint they can free themselves from. Some even take pleasure in achieving the state described in Psalm 10:4: “The wicked, in their arrogance, will not seek God: God is not in all their thoughts.” However, God has embedded the minds of people with such a persistent and undeniable witness to the contrary that it is challenging for anyone to find satisfactory peace in this way. This is because “what may be known about God is evident within themselves” (Romans 1:19), whether they like it or not, and they cannot escape the prevailing belief that “God’s judgment is that those who commit sin are deserving of death” (verse 32). Therefore, there are not many examples of people who claim to be unaffected by these things on principle or who find no discomfort in sin. For most of them, this is just a pretence. Their outward boasting is a poor cover for their internal fears and anxieties, and the alleged security of such impious individuals cannot withstand even the smallest of life’s surprises, calamities, and dangers to which human nature is vulnerable, let alone death itself. The desired outcome cannot be achieved through this method.
Another way must be found to achieve the same goal, and this must be through religion. Only religion can turn people away from sin, and only religion can secure them in it. The apostle Paul highlights this point: “In the last days, perilous times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, greedy, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). If they had the power of religion within them, they could not surrender to the pursuit of such animalistic desires; and if they did not have some form of religion, they could not be secure in their behaviour.
Sin and conscience have a stubborn conflict when directly opposed, with conscience arguing that there should be no sin and sin contending that there should be no conscience. However, as human nature is corrupted, both will agree to a compromise. A method to satisfy sin and deceive conscience will be readily accepted, and this is the aim, in part or whole, of every false path in religion that people turn to when they abandon the purity and simplicity of the gospel. See 2 Peter 2:18,19. One way or another, the aim is to remove the need for regeneration and the renewal of human nature in God’s image. This is the obstacle that deters all sorts of lazy people from taking religion seriously. While Jesus Christ has placed the need for regeneration at the very entrance to the kingdom of God, every false religious path first seeks to destroy its nature or remove its necessity. Some claim that it is only baptism with its conferred grace through the act itself, while others substitute a moral reformation of life in its place, which they believe is sufficiently strict. The inner light makes all thoughts of it unnecessary.
If this point is not well secured, all subsequent attempts to provide people with a religion will be in vain. The requirement for internal sanctification, the mortification of all sinful urges within the flesh, and the universal obedience required for a godly life must also be accounted for while satisfying conscience. If people living in sin and determined to continue doing so can believe that they may be eternally secure in the religious path you offer them — that their shortcomings will be compensated for by absolutions, masses, and various supplies from the church’s treasury, with the last resort being purgatory — there is little fear that you will not find them easily influenced and compliant with your desires. Additionally, the methods by which one may benefit from these effective means of eternal salvation — namely, confession, penance, and almsgiving — are possible and even easy for those who never intend to abandon their sins. Most of those who visibly defect to the Roman church every day are of this sort. It would be desirable if the wickedness of people did not provide grounds for fearing additions to their number. If there is no assurance of people’s constancy in professing the truth unless their souls and lives are transformed in its image (which there isn’t), then those paths where people are passionately pursuing their desires must indeed be perilous and may, without the special help of divine grace, lead to a disastrous defection.
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