Each one of the men by whom The Reformation came, had found, in a personal experience of the grace of God and the power of Christ, redemption from sin.
This redemption was upon the divine principle that "there is no difference." Thus each one of them knew by the heart's experience that "there is no respect of persons with God."
In this there consists essentially the equality of all believers. Thus the perfect equality of believers is essentially a principle of The Reformation.
Wicklif denounced the distinctions that were made among Christians, such as "spirituals and seculars," "secular and religious," and all "the manifold gradations of rank among the clergy," as "utterly foreign to Christianity."
He declared that it is all an invention of "the fiend" by which there has arisen "sectarian animosities and the spirit of domination."
"All of this came of men's forsaking the rule of the New Testament, according to which it were better that there should be but one order."
Matthias said: "To style Christians the world and seculars, is a calumnious misrepresentation"; because by the New Testament "Every Christian is an anointed man and a priest.
"The hitherto separating wall between priests and laymen must be broken down.
"The distinction of an inferior and a higher position in Christian life must be done away with.
"The universal priesthood must be revived, and the priestly character restored to the entire Christian life.
"Christianity must be made to appear as a principle of purification from all that is of the world.
"The priest, singing, praying, and administering the sacraments, thereby serves our common Lord, Jesus Christ, and is therein useful to the church.
"So the peasant, in ploughing and pasturing his cattle, as long as he stands fast in the common love, serves the Lord Jesus Christ and is necessary and useful to his family or to the Holy Church.
"The same holds good of other laymen, such as tradesmen and artisans in civil society. As the manner of calling and the works of the priest are necessary, so too are the various callings and works of the peasant.
"As the calling of the priesthood and its exercise comes to them from Jesus Christ, so the various callings and employments of the peasantry have come from God and Christ.
"Indeed the calling of the peasant is more primitive and more indispensable than that of the priest, since the occupation and practice of husbandry and of the other trades existed earlier than that of the priest.
"Countrymen and soldiers do not exist for the sake of priests, but priests for the sake of the peasantry and the soldiers."
At this the clergy cried out, "You put the laity on a level with the clergy. And in so doing you cause the dignity of the priesthood to suffer diminution."
Matthias: "The man who speaks thus, plainly evinces that he is a man actuated by a zeal without knowledge. For he censures as an impropriety what he would certainly wish to take place if he were animated by the good Spirit of God."
"They who begin with despising the common manners of their fellow-Christians, who begin with extolling in particular their own societies and brotherhoods as compared with others, mar by this course the unity of the Christian Church and disturb Christian peace.
"They begin by thinking highly of themselves, and would exalt themselves above the common mass of Christians, hold themselves to be the only spirituals and apostolicals, and call the great mass of other Christians 'Babylon' and 'the world.'
"They pretend that they alone fulfill the counsels of Christ: that the people neither can attain nor ought to attain the same perfection.
"And when a Christian, whatever he may be, man or woman, virgin or widow, living in the Christian community, consecrates his life to Christ with a view to live more perfectly in the simplicity of the Spirit, and for suitable reasons does not enter one of these monastic orders, he must at once suffer persecution from them and from his associates.
"Such an one must be looked upon as a heretic, and be called by the vulgar a Beghard, a Beguine, a Turlepinus, or by some such reproachful epithet. He must be called up and put on trial to determine whether he is a heretic. Hence it comes about that among the common laity, no pious people are to be found."
All Christians being equally the sons of God, each one according to his ability was free to make known whatever truth of God he knew. And those who were called of God wholly to the preaching of the Gospel, freely did so.
Wicklif had a school from which he sent forth everywhere through the land traveling preachers, because, as he said, "The Gospel relates how Jesus went about in the places of the country, both great and small, as in cities and castles or small towns; and this to teach us to profit generally unto men, and not forbear to teach to a people because they are few, and our name may not as a consequence be great."
These traveling preachers called themselves "poor priests"--the word poor used not as boasting of poverty, but in the sense of "deficient in desirable or essential qualities."
However they soon acquired from the people the name of "lollards," because of their singing: from lollen or lullen, to sing with a low voice as in a lullaby lulling to sleep. They were also called "Bible men" because of their large use of the Bible.
As these went forth to preach, Wicklif said to them: "If begging friars stroll over the country preaching the legends of the saints and the History of the Trojan War, we must do for God's glory what they do to fill their wallets: and form a vast itinerant evangelization to convert souls to Jesus Christ. [1]
"The highest service that men can arrive at on earth is to preach the Word of God.
"Go and preach: it is the sublimest work. But imitate not the priests whom we see, after the sermon sitting in the ale-house, or at the gaming-table, or wasting their time in hunting. After your sermon is ended, do you visit the sick, the aged, the poor, the blind, the lame, and succor them according to your ability."
In Prague, Militz had the same kind of a school composed of from two hundred to three hundred young men. All of these "resided under the same roof with himself, were trained under his influence, and by his society.
"All here was to be free: to flow spontaneously from the one animating spirit by which all were governed. An internal tie was all that held them together: no outward discipline or rule, not vow, no uniformity of dress. They soon distinguished themselves by their serious, spiritual lives, and by their style of preaching."
All of these preachers of the Gospel were discredited by the clergy as having "no right to preach," because they were not "recognized" by "the church"; and as having "no authority to preach," because they were not "authorized" by "the church." Even Wicklif, Militz, Conrad, and Huss, were all held as having "no authority to preach" when "the church" had discountenanced or excommunicated them. The Pope in a bull spoke of Militz as having, "in the spirit of temerity and self-confidence, taken upon himself the calling to preach, which does not belong to him." The theological faculty of the University of Prague said that such preachers "ought to be silenced."
But none of these people cared anything at all for any or all of that. They would not be silenced by anything but death. And even dead they still spoke, and will forever speak.
Wicklif said: "Those who forbear to preach the Word of God, to perform divine service or to assist at it, on account of any excommunication or interdict, incur thereby excommunication."
That is to say, "Excommunication and interdict" by "the church" is nothing and effects nothing. But he who yields to it and is ruled by it so as to stop preaching the Word of God or performing divine service, thus puts upon himself an excommunication that is something.
Militz was not at all disturbed by the Pope's bull. He calmly said, "I trust in God and the power of the truth. These will triumph over every assault."
Conrad said: "The divine call moved me to preach in Prague. He who is afraid to speak the truth is not a true preacher sent of God. Unmoved, therefore, will I praise the Word, O Lord, in thee, and not be afraid. I long after the glory of our Saviour.
"While I am willing to answer them who say that Christ has not sent me, I am greatly at a loss when I ask what the proof is of their own mission. For if we look at the heart and the conduct as the proof of those who are sent of God, it will be evident that by them the rules of Christ are not at all obeyed.
"For Christ said to His preachers, when He sent them forth, Freely ye have received, freely give. But no sooner have they a congregation than they set up a money-table to make money out of their hearers.
"Simony is heresy. And there is still worse heresy than that of those who declare the Holy Ghost to be a mere creature: namely, when by simony the Holy Ghost is employed as a means of getting money." [2]
Huss said: "He who lives conformable to the law of Christ, and, animated by a disposition of sincere love, has singly in view the glory of God, and his own and his neighbor's salvation, and preaches not lies, not ribaldry, not fables, but the law of Christ . . . such a person never arrogates to himself the call to preach without authority. It is not to be doubted that the man in such case is sent of God.
"The internal divine call which springs from the work of the Holy Spirit on the soul, is of more authority than any outward call proceeding from men. And a person may be constrained by this internal call from God to stand forth even in opposition to the ordinances of man. Where the Spirit of God is, there is Liberty.
"It is evident that every priest or deacon who confesses the truth and practices righteousness, has a virtual testimony in this very thing that he is sent of God. And he needs not prove this divine mission by miracles, nor by an express passage of Holy Writ relating personally to himself, as one sent of God to preach the Gospel.
"It is a greater miracle to confess the truth and practice righteousness, than to perform marvelous works to the outward senses.
"The priest or deacon who loves his enemies, despises riches, esteems as nothing the glory of this world, avoids entangling himself in worldly business, and patiently endures terrible threatenings, even persecutions, for the Gospel's sake--such a priest or deacon performs miracles, and has the witness in himself that he is a genuine disciple of Christ.
"A good death is better than a bad life. One ought never to sin through fear of death. He who fears death, loses the joy of living. He who speaks the truth breaks his own neck.
"Truth triumphs over all. He triumphs who dies for the truth; for no calamity can touch him, if no sin has dominion over him. Blessed are ye when men curse you, says the Truth.
"This is the foundation on which I build. This is the food for my spirit: recruiting it with fresh vigor to contend against all adversaries of the truth."
Zwingle said: "All Christians are the brethren of Christ, and brethren of each other; and they have no fathers on the earth. Thus orders, sects, and parties fall."
Luther said: "All Christians belong to the spiritual estate; and the only difference between them is in the functions which they fulfill. We have all but one baptism, but one faith: and these constitute the spiritual man.
"Hence it follows that laymen and priests, prices and bishops: or, as we have said, ecclesiastics and laics: have nothing to distinguish them but their functions. They have all the same condition; but they have not all the same work to perform."
"They call upon me for moderation: and they themselves, in the judgment which they pass upon me, trample it under foot! Truth will no more gain by my moderation than it will lose by my presumption. I desire to know what errors have been found in my theses.
"Who knows not that a new idea is seldom advanced without an appearance of 'arrogance,' and an accusation of disputatiousness? Were Humility herself to undertake something new, those of an opposite opinion would charge her with pride.
"Why were Christ and all the martyrs put to death?-- Because they were deemed proud despisers of the wisdom of the time; and advanced new truths without previously taking counsel of the organs of ancient opinion.
"Let not the wise of the present day, then, expect of me humility, or rather hypocrisy, enough to ask their opinion before publishing what duty calls me to say.
"What I do, will be done not by the prudence of men; but by the counsel of God. If the work is of God, who can arrest it? If it is not of God, who can advance it? Not my will, nor theirs, nor ours, but Thy will be done, O holy Father, who art in heaven."
For that plain and simple loyalty to God and His word, and to God in His Word, each one of these men without exception was denounced and pursued by "the church" as--
"dangerous,"
"hostile to the church,"
"overthrowing all ecclesiastical order,"
"showing contempt of church jurisdiction,"
"subverting civil order,"
"inviting the people to rebellion against the church,"
"countenancing revolution,"
"in rebellion,"
"insurrectionist,"
"revolutionist,"
"destructionist."
All of that came to such men as those, from Popes! from Popes in the time of the double and triple-headed papacy!! and from the Council of Constance!!!
Yet all that these men preached, all that they stood for, is but the simple Christianity of the plain word of Scripture: not alone of the New Testament, but of the whole Bible: in the original creation, no less than in the new creation which is redemption.
"Have we not all one Father? hath not one God created us?" "If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me, what then shall I do when God riseth up? and when He visiteth, what shall I answer Him? Did not He that made me make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?" Mal. 2:10; Job 31:13-15.
"Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the prophets: even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference." "For there is no respect of persons with God." Rom. 2:21,22:2:11.
"He which sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one. For which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren." Heb. 2:11.
"Be not ye called Rabbi; for One is your Master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." Neither be ye called masters; for one is your Master, even Christ." Matt. 23:8, 10.
Therefore, "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." Jas. 3:1. Many masters means greater condemnation. Any masters at all, means condemnation.
There is no exercise of authority, there is no place for domination, among Christians: neither by Christians upon other Christians, nor by Christians upon people who are not Christians.
For it is written: "The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you." Matt. 20:25.
Note that it is "the princes of the Gentiles" that exercise dominion and authority over people; and it is "them"--the Gentiles--over whom this dominion and authority are exercised.
And even though dominion and authority be exercised by men in "the church," they are still "princes of the Gentiles" who do it. Christians do not do it, for, "It shall not be so among you."
And even though they be members of "the church," over and upon whom this dominion and authority are exercised, and who allow it to be exercised over and upon "them," they are Gentiles all the same. Christians do not allow it to be done: for, "It shall not be so among you."
It is none but princes of the Gentiles who do it; it is none but Gentiles over and upon whom they do it; and it is none but Gentiles who allow it to be done over and upon them, in The Church.
It cannot be done over or upon Christians: they will not allow it: for these have the word of their "Leader and Commander," "It shall not be so among you."
No man can be loyal to Christ, nor true to His word, who allows any man in "the church" or in the field of religion and faith to exercise any dominion or authority over or upon him. For Christ has commanded, "it shall not be so among you."
Whosoever among Christians exercises such dominion or authority puts himself in the place of Christ. And whosoever allows it to be done to him, allows man to be to him in the place of Christ.
"Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men." 1 Cor. 7 :23.
Wherever such thing appears, he by whom it appears is a prince of the Gentiles; and a prince of the Gentiles in the place of Christ. Whoever submits to it is a Gentile, and submits to a prince of the Gentiles in the place of Christ.
That is the whole story of the papacy. And whenever that thing is manifest in any church, it is just so much of the papacy there.
It is a fundamental principle of The Reformation that "the ecclesiastical power is exercised only by the ministry of the Word."
Any ecclesiastical power ever, anywhere, that is exercised in any other wise than "only by the ministry of the Word" is not Christian, is not Reformation, but is papal.
Amongst Christians the only government in which man has any governing to do is self-government. Each one governs himself only, in the realm of his own spirit. And "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." Prov. 16:32.
Each one governing himself in God through Christ by the Holy Spirit according to the will of God, there is no room for any other government. Acts 24 :25.
And for any who profess the name of Christian but are not Christians and so cannot govern themselves in righteousness, but must be governed from without, there is an established and divinely recognized "power" for the governing of all such--the "power" of "Caesar."
And in the Scriptures there is nowhere recognized any third power beyond God and Caesar, but that is neither God nor Caesar, to come in and gather people together who cannot govern themselves and so must needs be "governed" by this interloper that is neither God nor Caesar but tries to be both God and Caesar and so can play the devil only.
All duty that is ever to be rendered by men pertains either to God or to Caesar, and is to be rendered respectively to these accordingly: just these two. There is no other. Matt. 22:21.
Beyond this governing of himself by each individual, the only activity of Christians is in worshipping God and serving God and men.
Serving God is manifested in ministering to men that which we have received of God: first, His grace; and secondly, all His other gifts of every kind.
And this great office is to all alike. As it is written: "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 1 Peter 4:10.
Every soul who has received, and knows in his own heart and life, reconciliation to God, in that has received the ministry of that reconciliation. To him, for this ministry, God has committed the Word of reconciliation. And he in this ministry is in Christ's stead in the world, praying men to be reconciled to God. Cor. 5:18-20.
Not every one is called to devote all his time and effort to this. But except in the devotion of all his time and effort to it, the one who is called is in nowise different from the Christian who is not so called.
The difference between them is not in a difference of ministry. It is only in the difference in the time and effort that can be occupied in the ministry, each in his place.
From the time when He was twelve years of age in the world, the Lord Jesus spent six times as long in the work of a carpenter as He spent in His preaching ministry.
And He was just as much the Saviour of the world when He was sawing boards and making benches as He was when He was preaching the Sermon on the Mount.
And forever there is just as much Christian dignity--true dignity--in the carpenter's shop or any other honest occupation as there is in the preacher's study or in the pulpit. Titus 3:14, margin.
For every soul, in every honest occupation, and from birth to death onward to the right hand of the throne of Christ and of God, every step of the way is consecrated by the life of the blessed Christ in the flesh. "There is no difference," and "There is no respect of persons with God." Heb. 10:19,20.
Among Christians in truth there simply cannot be any distinctions. There never can be any such thing as either "clergy" or "laity": that is, neither aristocracy nor commonalty: but simply Christians--"a royal priesthood," "kings and priests" all. 1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10.
Thus it was in the beginning. All were ministers of the Word of God's grace in reconciliation to Him, and in service to men. For, from Jerusalem "they were all scattered abroad" except the apostles, and these all "went everywhere preaching the Word." Acts 8:1, 4-8.
Here, then, were the whole body of believers, all brethren; all workers together with God; all fellow-workers in and unto the kingdom of the one God; all having but the one Lord and Master; all moved by the will of their one Head; all actuated and guided by the one Spirit; and all thus busy as bees, each and together, honoring God and blessing men.
But this was too much to be endured by Satan. It meant too much against his kingdom and dominion over men. He would move everything outside of heaven to throw into this heavenly family on earth the spirit of discord and confusion. The mystery of iniquity began to work.
Through the spirit of Pharisaism in those who had not drunk deep into the Spirit of God as had those at the first, traditionalism and the Mosaic order were continued. This gave opportunity to make distinctions among Christians. Acts 11:2, 3; 15:1,5; Gal. 2:11-13; Acts 21:20- 25.
Among the elders, who were all equally bishops, one arrogated to himself the title of bishop. This made the three orders--bishops, presbyters or elders, and deacons: with the bishop corresponding to the high-priest, the presbyters corresponding to the priests, and the deacons corresponding to the Levites, of the Mosaic order.
Then these all were distinguished as "the clergy," while the people in general, of the churches, were but "the laity."
The word "clergy" comes from the word kleros in Greek. It signifies literally "a lot": and so, of a person, an official chosen by lot. The word kleros also signifies "a mischievous insect in bee-hives"--Clerus apiarius.
The word "laity," "laic," "lay," comes from laikos and this from laos in Greek. It signifies "the people at large": not the people as composing a State or a political body, but merely as "a mass of men"--and these the "unlearned."
With this aristocratic spirit of the distinction of "the clergy," in the nature of the case there entered also the spirit of rivalry for the "dignity" and "offices" that pertained to "the clergy"; and of self-exaltation, arbitrary "authority" and domination by the "higher clergy" over the "lesser," and by all "the clergy" over the "laity." The actual working out of this spirit was first manifested in the church at Ephesus. To the elders of that church, in his last talk with them, Paul said, "Of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:30.
About thirty years later it had developed to the point where Diotrephes would assume the place of Christ: by asserting "the pre-eminence," by rejecting Christ's apostle, by refusing Christ's word by His apostle, and by "casting out of the church" all who would not yield to his dictation and domination. 3 John 9, 10.
Then about six years later than that, the Lord Jesus, in His closing words to all, exposed and denounced all this as the hateful thing that it is. In the first of His seven letters to "the churches"--the one to "the church of Ephesus"--He mentions this evil thing.
That church had "left her first love," the "falling away" had begun; but this one thing she yet had for which He heartily commended her: "This thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." Rev. 2:6.
The word "Nicolaitans" comes from the two words nikao and laos: nikao means "to conquer," to get "the upper hand," to have "the ascendancy, in all relations"; and laos--"the people at large" as distinguished from "the clergy."
The word then signifies that conquering or conquest of "the people" of the churches by that mischievous insect of the kleros or "clergy" in the Christian beehive: that persistent spirit of the princedom of the Gentiles that must exercise among Christians dominion and authority.
In the Ephesus period of the churches where this thing was first manifested it was hated. But when we come only to the third period, that of Pergamos, it was actually held. "So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate." Rev. 2:15.
The Pergamos period of the churches centred "where Satan's seat is," "where Satan dwelleth," and where "Antipas" was Christ's "faithful martyr." Rev. 2:13.
The word "Antipas," like the word "Nicolaitanes," is a symbolical word. It comes from the two words anti and pas: anti signifying "against" or "opposed to," and pas the plural of "pa," which is the abbreviation of pa-pa, from which come the words "pa-pa-cy" and "pope."
The Pergamos period of the churches, then, was the time of the rise and formation of the system of the pa-pa-cy. Those who opposed it are symbolized in the word "Antipas." And to oppose it meant martyrdom then, as it did also in The Reformation, and as it always does.
These two statements made by the Lord Jesus show the growth of the clerical spirit and power in its conquest of the people. In the first period, it was hated in the churches. But in only the third period that pernicious "doctrine" was held. Yet in the first period, in the third period, and in all periods, the divine Christ sets forever His holy word, "which thing I hate." And let all people forever say, Amen.
Serving God in ministering all His other gifts that we have received, in addition to and along with the ministry of the Word of reconciliation, makes the Christian the free and loving servant of all: as it is written, "Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." Gal. 5:13.
Christian liberty is loving service. And loving service is Christian liberty.
Therefore, Jesus said: "Whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be you servant"--"servant of all," "at everybody's call." Matt. 20:26, 27; Mark 10:43,44.
He who can best serve the most people is the greatest. And in the nature of things, just by virtue of that grace, he is chief.
The reason that Jesus is the supremely greatest of all is that He was and ever is able to do most for most people. And whoever is nearest like Him, most nearly does most for most people.
The grace willingly to serve most people, the grace to be most cheerfully at everybody's call, is the badge of greatness, the certificate of chieftancy. And this is the primary and highest qualification for the "office" of elder or deacon.
An official "elder," one who had obtained the "dignity" by ecclesiastical politics, when brought into the presence of this truth of Christian service at everybody's call being the chief qualification for the responsibility of elder or deacon, exclaimed: "Why, if that were so, nobody would ever want the office!"
It is true. It is not a dignity to excite human ambition or political rivalry. It is not an office to be gained by political method.
It is the opportunity for greater service to more people; and is the result of the grace of God already upon the Christian, qualifying him for the place of larger opportunity for the enjoyment of the Christian liberty of loving service.
It is found only in the fellowship of Christ. For, when He had said, "Whosoever will be chief among you let him be servant of all," "at everybody's call." He continued: "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many"; and "I am among you as he that serveth." Matt. 20:28; Luke 22:27.
The Church is not in the world to reign, but to be subject: not to reign over anybody in anything." but to be "subject unto Christ in everything." Eph. 5:24. The Church is not in the world to rule, but only to minister. The Church is not here to command anybody, but only to obey her Lord and to serve everybody.
And this Christian liberty of the ministry of salvation and of loving service to men, is The Reformation principle as to the place and work of The Church as in the world.
Wicklif "took special pains to get the hearts of Christians interested in works of charity, and to look after such as were neglected as to their spiritual wants and provide for the welfare of their souls."
He said: "Men who love not the souls, have little love for the bodies, of their neighbors. Hence the work of Christian instruction is the best service that man may do for his brother."
And with this ministry to the souls of men, Christians are told to "visit those who are sick, or who are in trouble, especially those whom God hath made needy by age or by other sickness, as the feeble, the blind, and the lame, who are in poverty. These thou shalt relieve with thy goods, after thy power, and after their need; for thus biddeth the Gospel." The service of Militz to the poor and the afflicted, in their temporal needs as well as spiritual, was boundless.
Huss said: "In the last times The Church is to go about only in the form of a servant. She is to be tried by patience.
"The Church of Christ must appear in greater lowliness, and the righteous venerate her on account of the hope of heavenly good: not on account of visible signs.
"This servant-form of the true Church, in which the invisible godlike is all that attracts, as contrasted with the abundance of lying wonders in the worldly church of Antichrist, appearing in glory, serves as a means of separating the elect from the reprobate."
Not in vain was Christianity in its heavenly integrity put into the world. Not in vain was it revived in The Reformation.
It was hidden by the first falling away in a false Catholicism. It has been hidden by the second falling away in a false Protestantism.
But the divine and heavenly life is in it, and again revived in its native integrity and rid forever of the mischievous insect of the spiritual Clerus apiarius, the original, revived, and ultimate, Christianity will shine forth in her native glory and beauty, and will go on gloriously unto the perfect finishing of the Mystery of God in the day and fact of the glorious Presentation. Isa. 60:1,2; Rev. 18:1.
All Christians again one; the whole Body of believers again all brethren; all working together with the one God; all fellow-workers in and unto the one kingdom of God; all having but the one Lord and Master; all moved by the will of their one Head; all receiving the word from the "one Shepherd"; all actuated and guided by the one Spirit; all again will be busy as bees, each and together honoring God and blessing men in the joyous fulfillment of the whole Law in the one word"; and God "will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." Gal. 5:13,14; Rom. 9:28.
Please read Judges 9:7-20.
Notes:
1. D'Aubigne, Book XVII, chap.
2. The Reformation and Christian principle of the support of the exclusive preaching of the Gospel, as well as of all Christian giving, is voluntary and unsolicited giving. Wicklif: "Thou shalt help according to thy power, that he may have a reasonable sustenance when he doeth well his office." Conrad insisted that "Christ never begged." Huss: "Whatever they obtain for their support, should be regarded simply as a gift of free love from the spontaneous affection of those for whose spiritual benefit they labor. Scripture: "As a matter of bounty and not as of covetousness. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give: not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver." 2 Cor. 9:5-7.