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the great apostasy considered in the light of scriptural and secular history james e talmage deseret book company salt lake city utah copyright 1958 deseret book company all rights reserved this work is not an official publication of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints the views expressed herein are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the church or of deseret book company about this book the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints commonly known as the mormon church claims the restoration of the gospel and the reestablishment in these latter days of the church established by the savior himself in the meridian of time why should there be need of a restoration if the church of jesus christ has continued among men with unbroken succession of priesthood and power because declares james e talmage in the great apostasy the original church was changed and an apostasy did occur the restored church affirms that a general apostasy developed during and after the apostolic period and that the primitive church lost its power authority and graces as a divine institution and degenerated into an earthly organization only he writes dr talmage writes of predictions concerning the apostasy the condition of the church in the apostolic period the persecutions of the early-day saints internal problems in the church and some of the external problems that led to apostasy from the teachings and organization of christ s church he then concludes with a discussion of the reformation and revolts against the church of rome culminating in the restoration of the church of jesus christ through the prophet joseph smith in the nineteenth century about the author few writers in the history of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints have made as great a contribution to church literature on doctrinal subjects as james e talmage jesus the christ the articles of faith and the house of the lord as well as the great apostasy are classic best sellers even today nearly half a century after his death dr talmage also prepared for publication some of the latter-day scriptures including the pearl of great price which he divided into chapters and verses elder talmage was born in england september 21 1862 and immigrated to utah in 1876 he received a b.s from lehigh university in l884 and a ph.d from illinois wesleyan university in 1896 he was professor of chemistry and geology at brigham young academy in provo utah 1884-88 president of the lds college in salt lake city 1888-93 president of the university of utah 1894-97 and then professor of geology at the u of u until 1907 when he resigned to spend full time as a consulting geologist and mining engineer next 4 iiipreface

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iiithe church of jesus christ of latter-day saints proclaims the restoration of the gospel and the re-establishment of the church as of old in this the dispensation of the fulness of times such restoration and re-establishment with the modern bestowal of the holy priesthood would be unnecessary and indeed impossible had the church of christ continued among men with unbroken succession of priesthood and power since the meridian of time iiithe restored church affirms that a general apostasy developed during and after the apostolic period and that the primitive church lost its power authority and graces as a divine institution and degenerated into an earthly organization only the significance and importance of the great apostasy as a condition precedent to the re-establishment of the church in modern times is obvious if the alleged apostasy of the primitive church was not a reality the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints is not the divine institution its name proclaims iii ivthe evidence of the decline and final extinction of the primitive church among men is found in scriptural record and in secular history in the following pages the author has undertaken to present a summary of the most important of these evidences in so doing he has drawn liberally from many sources of information with due acknowledgment of all citations the little work has been written in the hope that it may prove of service to our missionary elders in the field to classes and quorum organizations engaged in the study of theological subjects at home and to earnest investigators of the teachings and claims of the restored church of jesus christ ivjames e talmage salt lake city utah november 1 1909 next 4 1chapter 1 1introduction the establishment of the church of christ 11 a belief common to all sects and churches professing christianity is that jesus christ the savior and redeemer of the human race established his church upon the earth by personal ministration in the meridian of time ecclesiastical history as distinguished from secular history deals with the experiences of the church from the time of its establishment the conditions under which the church was founded first claim our attention 12 at the beginning of the christian era the jews in common with most other nations were subjects of the roman empire fn they were allowed a considerable degree of liberty in maintaining their religious observances and national customs generally but their status was far from that of a free and independent people 13 the period was one of comparative peace a time marked by fewer wars and less dissension than the empire had known for many years these conditions were favorable for the mission of the christ and for the founding of his church on earth 24 the religious systems extant at the time of christ s earthly ministry may be classified in a general way as jewish and pagan with a minor system the samaritan which was essentially a mixture of the other two the children of israel alone proclaimed the existence of the true and living god they alone looked forward to the advent of the

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messiah whom mistakenly they awaited as a prospective conqueror coming to crush the enemies of their nation all other nations tongues and peoples bowed to pagan deities and their worship comprised nought but the sensual rites of heathen idolatry paganism fn was a religion of form and ceremony based on polytheism a belief in the existence of a multitude of gods which deities were subject to all the vices and passions of humanity while distinguished by immunity from death morality and virtue were unknown as elements of heathen service and the dominant idea in pagan worship was that of propitiating the gods in the hope of averting their anger and purchasing their favor 25 the israelites or jews as they were collectively known thus stood apart among the nations as proud possessors of superior knowledge with a lineage and a literature with a priestly organization and a system of laws that separated and distinguished them as a people at once peculiar and exclusive while the jews regarded their idolatrous neighbors with abhorrence and contempt they in turn were treated with derision as fanatics and inferiors 2 36 but the jews while thus distinguished as a people from the rest of the world were by no means a united people on the contrary they were divided among themselves on matters of religious profession and practice in the first place there was a deadly enmity between the jews proper and the samaritans these latter were a mixed people inhabiting a distinct province mostly between judea and galilee largely made up of assyrian colonists who had intermarried with the jews while affirming their belief in the jehovah of the old testament they practiced many rites belonging to the paganism they claimed to have forsaken and were regarded by the jews proper as unorthodox and reprobate 37 then the jews themselves were divided into many contending sects and parties among which the principal were the pharisees and the sadducees and beside these we read of essenes galileans herodians etc 38 the jews were living under the law of moses the outward observance of which was enforced by priestly rule while the spirit of the law was very generally ignored by priest and people alike that the mosaic law was given as a preparation for something greater was afterward affirmed by paul in his epistle to the saints at galatia wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto christ fn and the fact that a higher law was to supersede the lower is abundantly shown in the savior s own teachings ye have heard that it was said by them of old time thou shalt not kill and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment but i say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment ye have heard that it was said by them of old time thou shalt not commit adultery but i say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart 4 again ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time thou shalt not forswear thyself but shalt perform unto the lord thine oaths but i say unto you swear not at all ye have heard that it hath been said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth but i say unto you that ye resist not evil ye have heard that it hath been said thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy but i say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you fn

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49 these teachings based on love so different from the spirit of retaliation to which they had been accustomed under the law caused great surprise among the people yet in affirmation of the fact that the law was not to be ignored and could only be superseded by its fulfilment the master said think not that i am come to destroy the law or the prophets i am not come to destroy but to fulfil for verily i say unto you till heaven and earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled fn 410 it is very evident that the master had come with a greater doctrine than was then known and that the teachings of the day were insufficient for i say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven fn 4 511 jesus himself was strict in complying with all rightful requirements under the law but he refused to recognize an observance of the letter alone however rigidly required as a substitute for compliance with the spirit of the mosaic injunction 512 the excellent teachings and precepts of true morality inculcated by the christ prepared the minds of those who believed his words for the introduction of the gospel in its purity and for the establishment of the church of christ as an earthly organization 5 613 from among the disciples who followed him some of whom had been honored by preliminary calls he chose twelve men whom he ordained to the apostleship and he ordained twelve that they should be with him and that he might send them forth to preach fn again and when it was day he called unto him his disciples and of them he chose twelve whom also he named apostles fn the twelve special witnesses of him and his work were sent out to preach in the several cities of the jews on this their first mission they were instructed to confine their ministrations to the house of israel and the burden of their message was the kingdom of heaven is at hand fn they were told to use the power with which they had been invested by ordination in preaching in healing the sick in raising the dead even and in subduing evil spirits the master s admonition was freely ye have received freely give they were to travel without money or provisions relying upon a higher power to supply their needs through the agency of those to whom they would offer the message of truth and they were warned of the possible hardships awaiting them and of the persecution which sooner or later would surely befall them 614 at a later date christ called others to the work of the ministry and sent them out in pairs to precede him and prepare the people for his coming thus we read of the seventy who were instructed in terms almost identical with those of the apostolic commission fn that their investiture was one of authority and power and no mere form is shown by the success attending their administrations for when they returned they reported triumphantly lord even the devils are subject unto us through thy name fn 615 the specific commission given unto the apostles at the time of their ordination was afterward emphasized they were the subjects of the particularly solemn ordinance spoken of as the washing of feet so necessary that in reply to peter s objection the lord said if i wash thee not thou hast no part with me fn and unto the eleven who had remained faithful the risen lord delivered his parting instructions immediately before the ascension go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature after our lord s departure the apostles entered upon the ministry with vigor and they went forth and preached everywhere the lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following fn

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6 716 these scriptures indicate the authority of the apostles to administer the affairs of the church after the ascension of the resurrected messiah that peter the senior member of the apostolic council was given a position of presidency appears from the savior s special admonition and charge on the shores of the tiberian sea fn 717 that the apostles realized that though the master had gone he had left with them authority and command to build up the church as an established organization is abundantly proved by scripture they first proceeded to fill the vacancy in the presiding council or quorum of twelve a vacancy occasioned by the apostasy and death of judas iscariot and the mode of procedure in this official act is instructive the installation of a new apostle was not determined by the eleven alone we read that the disciples or members of the church were gathered together about a hundred and twenty in number to them peter presented the matter requiring action and emphasized the fact that the man to be chosen must be one who had personal knowledge and testimony of the lord s ministry and who was therefore qualified to speak as a special witness of the christ which qualification is the distinguishing feature of the apostleship wherefore said peter of these men which have companied with us all the time that the lord jesus went in and out among us beginning from the baptism of john unto that same day that he was taken up from us must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection fn we are further informed that two men were nominated and that the divine power was invoked to show whether either and if so which was the lord s choice then the votes were cast and the lot fell upon matthias and he was numbered with the eleven apostles 7 818 it is evident that the apostles considered their council or quorum as definitely organized with a membership limit of twelve and that the work of the church required that the organization be made complete nevertheless we read of none others subsequently chosen to fill vacancies in the council of twelve paul who previous to his conversion was known as saul of tarsus received a special manifestation in which he heard the voice of the risen lord declaring i am jesus whom thou persecutest fn and thereby he became a special witness of the lord jesus and as such was in truth an apostle though we have no definite scriptural record that he was ever made a member of the council of twelve as showing the importance of ordination to office under the hands of duly constituted authorities we have the instance of paul s ordination though he had conversed with the resurrected jesus though he had been the subject of a special manifestation of divine power in the restoration of his sight he had nevertheless to be baptized and later he was commissioned for the work of the ministry by the authoritative imposition of hands fn 819 another instance of official action in choosing and setting apart men to special office in the church arose soon after the ordination of matthias it appears that one feature of the church organization in early apostolic days was a common ownership of material things distribution being made according to need as the members increased it was found impracticable for the apostles to devote the necessary attention and time to these temporal matters so they called upon the members to select seven men of honest report whom the apostles would appoint to take special charge of these affairs these men were set apart by prayer and by the laying on of hands fn the instance is instructive 9as showing that the apostles realized their possession of authority to direct in the affairs of the church and that they observed with strict fidelity the principle of common consent in the administration of their high office they exercised their priestly powers in

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the spirit of love and with due regard to the rights of the people over whom they were placed to preside 920 under the administration of the apostles and others who labored by their direction in positions of lesser authority the church grew in numbers and influence fn for ten or twelve years after the ascension of christ jerusalem remained the headquarters of the church but branches or as designated in the scriptural record separate churches were established in the outlying provinces as such branches were organized bishops deacons and other officers were chosen and doubtless ordained by authority to minister in local affairs fn 921 that the commission of the lord jesus to the apostles instructing them to preach the gospel widely was executed with promptness and zeal is evident from the rapid growth of the church in the early apostolic times fn paul writing about a d {ad}64{ad approximately thirty years after the ascension declares that the gospel had already been carried to every nation preached to every creature under heaven fn by which expression the apostle doubtless means that the gospel message had been so generally proclaimed that all who would might learn of it 1022 details as to the organization of the church in apostolic days are not given with great fulness as already shown the presiding authority was vested in the twelve apostles and furthermore the special calling of the seventies has received attention but beside these there were evangelists pastors and teachers fn and in addition high priests fn elders fn bishops fn etc the purpose of these several offices is explained by paul to be for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of christ fn the church with its graded offices and its spiritual gifts has been aptly compared to a perfect body with its separate organs and its individual members each necessary to the welfare of the whole yet none independent of the rest as in the human organism so in the church of christ no one with propriety can say to another i have no need of thee fn 10the church of christ on the western hemisphere 10 1123 we have seen on the evidence of the jewish scriptures how the church was established and made strong in asia and europe in and immediately following the meridian of time the scriptures cited are such as appeal to all earnest christians the authority is that of the new testament we have now to consider the establishment of the church amongst those who constituted another division of the house of israel a people inhabiting what is now known as the american continent 1124 for the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with the nephite scriptures published to the world as the book of mormon a brief historical summary is here presented fn in the year {bc}600{bc b c in the reign of king zedekiah a small colony was led from jerusalem by an inspired prophet named lehi these people were brought by divine assistance to the shores of the arabian sea where they constructed a vessel in which they crossed the great waters to the western coast of south america they landed {bc}590{bc b c the people were soon divided into two parties led respectively by nephi and laman sons of lehi and these factions grew into the opposing nations known in history as nephites and lamanites the former developed while the latter retrograded in the arts of civilization nephite prophets predicted the earthly advent of the messiah and foretold his ministry crucifixion and resurrection.

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1125 the record states that the messiah appeared in person among the nephites on the western continent this was subsequent to his ascension from the mount of olives a foreshadowing of this great event was given by christ in a declaration made while yet he lived on earth comparing himself to the good shepherd who giveth his life for the sheep he said and other sheep i have which are not of this fold them also i must bring and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd fn 11 1226 according to the nephite record certain predicted signs of the savior s death had come to pass destructive earthquakes and other dread convulsions of nature had taken place in the west while the supreme tragedy was being enacted on calvary the people of the land bountiful comprising the northern portion of south america were still marveling over the great convulsions that had so terrified them a few weeks earlier and on a certain occasion were gathered together discussing the matter when they heard a voice as from the heavens saying behold my beloved son in whom i am well pleased in whom i have glorified my name hear ye him fn looking up they beheld a man descending he was clothed in a white robe and as he reached the earth he said behold i am jesus christ whom the prophets testified shall come into the world arise and come forth unto me that ye may thrust your hands into my side and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet that ye may know that i am the god of israel and the god of the whole earth and have been slain for the sins of the world fn 12 1327 having thus declared himself christ proceeded to instruct the people in the plan of the gospel as he had preached it and in the constitution of the church as he had established it in the east he visited the nephite people on subsequent occasions taught them many of the precepts previously given to the jews emphasized the doctrine of baptism and other ordinances essential to salvation instituted the sacrament in commemoration of his atoning death chose and commissioned twelve apostles on whom he conferred authority in the church explained the importance of designating the organization by its proper name the church of christ and announced the fulfilment of the law of moses and the fact that it was thenceforth superseded by the gospel embodied within the church as established by himself in plan of organization in doctrine and precept and in prescribed ordinances the church of christ in the west was the counterpart of the church in palestine 1328 thus in the meridian of time the church of god was founded on both sides of the earth in its pristine simplicity and beauty is exhibited the majesty of a divine institution it is now our saddening duty to consider the decline of spiritual power within the church and the eventual apostasy of the church itself 13chapter notes 131 conditions at the beginning of the christian era at the birth of christ this amazing federation of the world into one great monarchy had been finally achieved augustus at rome was the sole power to which all nations looked no prince no king no potentate of any name could break the calm which such a universal dominion secured it was in such a unique era that jesus christ was born the whole earth lay hushed in profound peace all lands lay freely open to the message of mercy and love which he came to announce nor was the social and moral conditions of the world at large at the birth of christ less fitting for his advent than the political the prize of universal power struggled for through sixty years of plots and desolating

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civil wars had been won at last by augustus sulla and marius pompey and caesar had led their legions against each other alike in italy and the provinces and had drenched the earth with blood augustus himself had reached the throne only after thirteen years of war which involved regions wide apart the world was exhausted by the prolonged agony of such a strife it sighed for repose cunningham geikie the life and works of christ new york 1894 vol i p 25 13 14 the roman empire at the birth of christ was less agitated by wars and turmoils than it had been for many years before for though i cannot assent to the opinion of those who following the account of orosius maintain that the temple of janus was then shut and that wars and discords absolutely ceased throughout the world yet it is certain that the period in which our savior descended upon earth may be justly styled the pacific age if we compare it with the preceding times and indeed the tranquility that then reigned was necessary to enable the ministers of christ to execute with success their sublime commission to the human race mosheim ecclesiastical history cent i part i ch 1:4 14 15 2 paganism at the beginning of the christian era every nation then had its respective gods over which presided one more excellent than the rest yet in such a manner that this supreme deity was himself controlled by the rigid empire of the facts or what the philosophers called external necessity the gods of the east were different from those of the gauls the germans and the other northern nations the grecian divinities differed widely from those of the egyptians who deified plants animals and a great variety of the productions both of nature and art each people also had their own particular manner of worshiping and appeasing their respective deities entirely different from the sacred rites of other countries one thing indeed which at first sight appears very remarkable is that this variety of religions and of gods neither produced wars nor dissensions among the different nations the egyptians excepted nor is it perhaps necessary to except even them since their wars undertaken for their gods cannot be looked upon with propriety as wholly of a religious nature each nation suffered its neighbors to follow their own method of worship to adore their own gods to enjoy their own rites and ceremonies and discovered no sort of displeasure at their diversity of sentiments in religious matters there is however little wonderful in this spirit of mutual toleration when we consider that they all looked upon the world as one great empire divided into various provinces over every one of which a certain order of divinities presided and that therefore none could behold with contempt the gods of other nations or force strangers to pay homage to theirs the romans exercised this toleration in the amplest manner for though they would not allow any changes to be made in the religions that were publicly professed in the empire nor any new form of worship to be openly introduced yet they granted to their citizens a full liberty of observing in private the sacred rites of other nations and of honoring foreign deities whose worship contained nothing inconsistent with the interests and laws of the republic with feasts temples consecrated groves and such like testimonies of homage and respect mosheim eccl hist cent i part i ch.1:7-8 15 3 rapid growth of the church eusebius who wrote in the early part of the fourth century speaking of the first decade after the savior s ascension says 15 thus then under a celestial influence and co-operation the doctrine of the savior like the rays of the sun quickly irradiated the whole world presently in accordance with

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divine prophecy the sound of his inspired evangelists and apostles had gone throughout all the earth and their words to the ends of the world throughout every city and village like a replenished barn floor churches were rapidly abounding and filled with members from every people those who in consequence of the delusions that had descended to them from their ancestors had been fettered by the ancient disease of idolatrous superstition were now liberated by the power of christ through the teachings and miracles of his messengers eusebius ecclesiastical history book i ch 3 15 16 4 divine instrumentality in the apostolic ministry when we consider the rapid progress of christianity among the gentile nations and the poor and feeble instruments by which this great and amazing event was immediately effected we naturally have recourse to an omnipotent and invisible hand as its true and proper cause for unless we suppose here a divine interposition how was it possible that men destitute of all human aid without credit or riches learning or eloquence could in so short a time persuade a considerable part of mankind to abandon the religion of their ancestors how was it possible that an handful of apostles who as fishermen and publicans must have been contemned by their own nation and as jews must have been odious to all others could engage the learned and mighty as well as the simple and those of low degree to forsake their favorite prejudices and to embrace a new religion which was an enemy to their corrupt passions and indeed there were undoubtedly marks of a celestial power perpetually attending their ministry there was in their very language an incredible energy an amazing power of sending light into the understanding and conviction into the heart mosheim ecclesiastical history cent i part i ch 4:8 16 17 5 nephites and lamanites the progenitors of the nephite nation were led from jerusalem {bc}600{bc b c by lehi a jewish prophet of the tribe of manasseh his immediate family at the time of their departure from jerusalem comprised his wife sariah and their sons laman lemuel sam and nephi at a later stage of the history daughters are mentioned but whether any of these were born before the family exodus we are not told besides his own family the colony of lehi included zoram and ishmael the latter an israelite of the tribe of ephraim ishmael with his family joined lehi in the wilderness and his descendants were numbered with the nations of whom we are speaking the company journeyed somewhat east of south keeping near the borders of the red sea then changing their course to the eastward crossed the peninsula of arabia and there on the shores of the arabian sea built and provisioned a vessel in which they committed themselves to divine care upon the waters their voyage carried them eastward across the indian ocean then over the south pacific ocean to the western coast of south america whereon they landed bc}590{bc b c the people established themselves on what to them was the land of promise many children were born and in the course of a few generations a numerous posterity held possession of the land after the death of lehi a division occurred some of the people accepting as their leader nephi who had been duly appointed to the prophetic office while the rest proclaimed laman the eldest of lehi s sons as their chief henceforth the divided people were known as nephites and lamanites respectively at times they observed toward each other fairly friendly relations but generally they were opposed the lamanites manifesting implacable hatred and hostility toward their nephite kindred the nephites advanced in the arts of civilization built large cities and established prosperous commonwealths yet they often fell into transgression and the

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lord chastened them by making their foes victorious they spread northward occupying the northern part of south america then crossing the isthmus they extended their domain over the southern central and eastern portions of what is now the united states of america the lamanites while increasing in numbers fell under the curse of darkness they became dark in skin and benighted in spirit forgot the god of their fathers lived a wild and nomadic life and degenerated into the fallen state in which the american indians their lineal descendants were found by those who re-discovered the western continent in later times the author articles of faith lect 14:7 8 footnotes 1 see note 1 end of chapter 2 see note 2 end of chapter 3 galatians 3:24 4 matthew 5:21-44 read the entire chapter 5 matt 5:17 18 6 verse 20 7 mark 3:14 8 luke 6:13 compare matt 10:1 2 9 matt 10:7 study the entire chapter 10 luke 10 compare with matt 10 11 luke 10:17 12 john 13:4-9 13 mark 16:14-20 compare matt 28:19 20 14 john 21:15-17 15 acts 1:21 22 read verses 15-26 inclusive 16 acts 9:5 read verses 1-22 17 acts 13:1-3 18 acts 6:1-7 19 see note 3 end of chapter 20 see philip 1:1 compare i tim 3:1 2 8 10 21 acts 6:7 12:24 19:20 22 col 1:23 compare verse 6 23 eph 4:11 24 heb 5:1-5 25 acts 14:23 15:6 i peter 5:1 26 i tim 3:1 titus 1:7 27 eph 4:12 read also verses 13-16 28 see i cor 12 see note 4 end of chapter 29 see note 5 end of chapter 30 john 10:16 read verses 1-18 inclusive compare iii nephi 15:21 31 iii nephi 11:7 read the entire chapter 32 verses 10 14 next 4 18chapter 2 18the apostasy predicted 181 in proceeding with our present inquiry we accept as demonstrated facts the establishment of the church of christ under the savior s personal administration and the rapid growth of the church in the early period of the apostolic ministry 182 a question of the utmost importance is has the church of christ thus authoritatively established maintained an organized existence upon the earth from the

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apostolic age to the present other questions are suggested by the first if the church has continued as an earthly organization where lies the proof or evidence of legitimate succession in priestly authority and which among the multitude of contending sects or churches of the present day is the actual possessor of the holy priesthood originally committed to the church by the christ its founder 183 again have the spiritual gifts and graces by which the early church was characterized and distinguished been manifest on earth through the centuries that have passed since the meridian of time and if so in which of the numerous churches of these modern times do we find such signs following the professed believers fn 18 194 we affirm that with the passing of the so-called apostolic age the church gradually drifted into a condition of apostasy whereby succession in the priesthood was broken and that the church as an earthly organization operating under divine direction and having authority to officiate in spiritual ordinances ceased to exist 195 if therefore the church of christ is to be found upon the earth today it must have been re-established by divine authority and the holy priesthood must have been restored to the world from which it was lost by the apostasy of the primitive church fn 196 we affirm that the great apostasy was foretold by the savior himself while he lived as a man among men and by his inspired prophets both before and after the period of his earthly probation and further we affirm that a rational interpretation of history demonstrates the fact of this great and general apostasy 197 before we take up in detail the specific predictions referred to and the evidence of their dread fulfilment we may profitably devote brief attention to certain general considerations 19 208 respecting the foreknowledge of god let it not be said that divine omniscience is of itself a determining cause whereby events are inevitably brought to pass a mortal father who knows the weaknesses and frailties of his son may by reason of that knowledge sorrowfully predict the calamities and sufferings awaiting his wayward boy he may foresee in that son s future a forfeiture of blessings that could have been won loss of position self-respect reputation and honor even the dark shadows of a felon s cell and the night of a drunkard s grave may appear in the saddening visions of that fond father s soul yet convinced by experience of the impossibility of bringing about that son s reform he foresees the dread developments of the future and he finds but sorrow and anguish in his knowledge can it be said that the father s foreknowledge is a cause of the son s sinful life the son perchance has reached his maturity he is the master of his own destiny a free agent unto himself the father is powerless to control by force or to direct by arbitrary command and while he would gladly make any effort or sacrifice to save his son from the fate impending he fears for what seems to be an awful certainty but surely that thoughtful prayerful loving parent does not contribute to the son s waywardness because of his knowledge to reason otherwise would be to say that a neglectful father who takes not the trouble to study the nature and character of his son who shuts his eyes to sinful tendencies and rests in careless indifference as to the probable future will by his very heartlessness be benefitting his child because his lack of forethought cannot operate as a contributory cause to dereliction 209 our heavenly father has a full knowledge of the nature and dispositions of each of his children a knowledge gained by long observation and experience in the past eternity of our primeval childhood a knowledge compared with which that gained by

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earthly parents through mortal experience with their children is infinitesimally small by reason of that surpassing knowledge god reads the future of child and children of men individually and of men collectively as communities and nations he knows what each will do under given conditions and sees the end from the beginning his foreknowledge is based on intelligence and reason he foresees the future as a state which naturally and surely will be not as one which must be because he has arbitrarily willed that it shall be 20 2110 but it may be argued that in the illustrative instance given above that of the earthly parent and the wayward son the father had not the power to change the sad course of sin whereby his son is hastening to ignominy and destruction while the omnipotent father can save if he will in reply this is to be said the father of souls has endowed his children with the divine birth-right of free agency he does not and will not control them by arbitrary force he impels no man toward sin he compels none to righteousness unto man has been given freedom to act for himself and associated with this independence is the fact of strict responsibility and the assurance of individual accountability in the judgment with which we shall be judged all the conditions and circumstances of our lives shall be considered the inborn tendencies due to heredity the effect of environment whether conducive to good or evil the wholesome teachings of youth or the absence of good instruction these and all other contributory elements must be taken into account in the rendering of a just verdict as to the soul s guilt or innocence nevertheless the divine wisdom makes plain what will be the result with given conditions operating on known natures and dispositions of men while every individual is free to choose good or evil within the limits of the many conditions existing and operative fn 21 2211 another matter worthy of thought in the present connection is this is the fact of the great apostasy the virtual overthrow and destruction of the church established by jesus christ to be regarded as an instance of failure in the lord s plans is it a case of defeat in which satan was victor over christ consider the following what mortal has yet measured the standard by which omniscience gages success or failure who dares affirm that what man hails as triumph or deplores as defeat will be so accounted when tested by the principles of eternal reckoning 2212 the history of the world abounds with instances of the temporary triumph of evil of justice seemingly miscarried of divine plans for the time being frustrated of god s purposes opposed and their consummation delayed 2213 we read of the lord s covenant with israel unto abraham isaac and jacob he declared that their descendants should be a people chosen for his special service among the nations through that lineage the savior of mankind was to be born in the posterity of abraham all nations of the earth were to be blessed blessings beyond the heart of man to conceive beyond the mind of man to comprehend were promised on condition of loyal allegiance to him who proclaimed himself their god and their king moreover the lord predicted calamity and suffering individual affliction and national disgrace if israel departed from the service of jehovah and yielded to the enticements of their heathen neighbors who knew not god think you that the lord was ignorant of the course his people would choose did he fail to foresee that israel would follow the evil way forfeiting the blessings and reaping the harvest of sorrow jehovah s plans failed not though the realization of the blessings so abundantly promised has been long delayed equally forceful with the prediction of calamity in case of sin was the promise of

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eventual restoration to favor the dispersion of israel already accomplished was to be followed by the gathering of israel now in progress fn 22 2314 what would have been the world s verdict as to the success or failure of the mission of the christ had a vote been taken at the time of the crucifixion seemingly his enemies had triumphed he who proclaimed himself the messiah the son of god the resurrection and the life over whom death could not prevail had suffered the fate of malefactors and his body was in the tomb but the verdict of the centuries which is the verdict of the eternities to come acclaims that failure as the greatest triumph of the ages the victory of victories 2315 even so with the church for a season the powers of evil triumphed and the spirit of apostasy ruled but beyond the darkness of the spiritual night the glorious dawn of the restoration was seen in prophetic vision and both the night with its horrors and the awakening day with its splendor were foreseen and foretold 2316 in our study of the predictions of the apostasy as embodied in scripture and of the realization as attested by later history we shall recognize two distinct phases or stages of the progressive falling away as follows 23 1 apostasy from the church and 2 the apostasy of the church 23 2417 in the first stage we have to deal with the forsaking of the truth and severance from the church by individuals at times few at other times many such conditions can scarcely be considered otherwise than as natural and inevitable history fails to present any example of great undertakings upon which multitudes enter with enthusiasm and from which many do not desert unless such cases of individual abandonment are so numerous as to show the operation of some vital cause of disaffection we would not need the authority of divine prediction and inspired prophecy to explain the occurrence we find however that apostasy from the primitive church was widespread and general and that the causes leading to such a condition were of vital significance 2418 in the second of the two stages already specified we are confronted with conditions of far greater import than those attending individual secession from the church for here we find the church sinking to the degraded level of a human institution with plan of organization and mode of operation foreign to the constitution of the original without priesthood or authority to officiate in spiritual ordinances and devoid of the gifts and graces with which the savior endowed his church at the time of its establishment in short we find the church itself apostate boasting of temporal power making its own laws teaching its own dogmas preserving only a form of godliness while denying the power thereof fn 24specific predictions of the apostasy 2419 the lord foresaw the great and general departure from the principles of righteousness and from the beginning knew that men would set up their own forms of worship wrongfully claiming divine authority for the same through the mouths of his chosen prophets he has repeatedly predicted the inevitable event fn 24 2520 among the prophecies antedating the birth of christ the following may be noted isaiah beheld in vision the condition of the earth in the era of spiritual darkness a period in which all classes would be involved in a general condition of unrighteousness a time when the world of mankind would be in a helpless and practically hopeless

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condition he pictures the earth as mourning and languishing in desolation and assigns the reason for the sad condition as follows the earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws changed the ordinance broken the everlasting covenant fn 25 2621 it may be thought that this prophecy has reference to a violation of the law of moses under which ancient israel lived let it be remembered however that the mosaic law is nowhere called an everlasting covenant the covenant between the lord and abraham antedated the giving of the law by four hundred and thirty years and as pointed out by paul fn in his epistle to the galatians whom he designates as foolish because of their confusing the law of moses and the gospel of christ the law could not nullify the earlier covenant the fulfilment of which could come only through christ the law by which the inspired apostle plainly means the mosaic statutes was but a preparation for the faith by which latter expression the gospel as revealed by christ is clearly intended but before faith came says paul we were kept under the law shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto christ that we might be justified by faith but after that faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster for ye are all the children of god by faith in jesus christ for as many of you as have been baptized into christ have put on christ there is neither jew nor greek there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in jesus christ and if ye be christ s then are ye abraham s seed and heirs according to the promise fn 2622 it is evident from the tenor of the entire chapter that while the gospel was preached unto abraham and covenant made with him relating to the coming of the messiah through his posterity the gospel did not abide with israel and this because of transgression fn but in lieu thereof the mosaic law was instituted as a disciplinary measure temporary in character destined to be superseded by the gospel of christ and assuredly not an everlasting covenant on the other hand the blood of christ through the shedding of which the atoning sacrifice was wrought is distinctively called the blood of the everlasting covenant fn 2623 it is evident then that isaiah s fateful prophecy relating to the breaking of the everlasting covenant could have no reference to a departure from the mosaic requirements but must refer to a then future condition of apostasy following the establishment of the everlasting covenant moreover part of the great prediction referring to the burnings and widespread calamities fn yet awaits its complete fulfilment 26 2724 another prediction applicable to the period when there should be no church of christ to be found and when in consequence there should be lamentation and suffering is that of amos behold the days come saith the lord god that i will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the lord and they shall wander from sea to sea and from the north even to the east they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the lord and shall not find it fn 2725 christ instructed his followers in terms at once direct and conclusive as to the apostasy then impending in reply to certain inquiries concerning the signs by which his second advent would be heralded he said take heed that no man deceive you for many shall come in my name saying i am christ and shall deceive many fn then he told of approaching wars and political disturbances and added and then shall many be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another and many false

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prophets shall rise and shall deceive many and because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold but he that shall endure unto the end the same shall be saved fn 2726 further specifying the conditions incident to the growing apostasy christ declared to his disciples then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you and ye shall be hated by all nations for my name s sake fn and again then if any man shall say unto you lo here is christ or there believe it not for there shall arise false christs and false prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect behold i have told you before wherefore if they shall say unto you behold he is in the desert go not forth behold he is in the secret chambers believe it not fn 27 2827 after the departure of christ from earth his apostles continued to warn the people of the darkness to come in that memorable address to the elders at ephesus when as he told them they were looking upon his face for the last time paul reminded his hearers of the instructions he had previously given them and then charged them with this solemn warning for i know this that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them fn 2828 not only would outsiders ingratiate themselves with the saints for purposes of selfish gain wolves entering in and not sparing the flock but schisms and divisions were imminent and these dissensions were to come through some then present men who would aspire to leadership and who would set up their own doctrines thus drawing disciples away from the church and unto themselves 2829 the same apostle warns timothy of the approaching apostasy and refers to some of the erroneous teachings that would be impressed upon misguided people teachings which he calls doctrines of devils he admonishes timothy to put the brethren in remembrance of these things as is becoming in a good minister of christ nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine note the inspired prediction now the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils speaking lies in hypocrisy having their conscience seared with a hot iron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which god hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth fn 2930 in a second epistle to his beloved timothy while laboring under the premonition that his martyrdom was near at hand paul urges zeal and energy in the preaching of the gospel for the shadows of the apostasy were gathering about the church his admonition is pathetic in its earnestness i charge thee before god and the lord jesus christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom preach the word be instant in season out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables fn 29 3031 in addressing the thessalonian saints paul warns them against the error strongly advocated by some that the day of christ s second advent was then near at hand it appears that deception was being practiced and that even forgery was suspected for the apostle instructs the people that they be not deceived by word nor by letter as from

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