APOSTACY FROM THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH.

Liverpool, July 12, 1847.

Reverend and Dear Sir,—The subject of my sixth letter is APOSTACY FROM THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH.

If modern christianity is only an enlargement of the system of early apostacy from the true Apostolic Church of Christ, it certainly deserves the most serious consideration. It shall be my direct object in this epistle to show, that modern christianity possesses such a faint resemblance to that system of faith established by Jesus Christ and his apostles, that it cannot be called a likeness, or a copy, or even an imitation.

Startle not, reverend sir, if I unhesitatingly declare that a counterfeit bill of currency, that should have no more resemblance to a true emission from the bank, than modern christianity does to the ancient religion, would never be likely to do much harm. Modern christianity is the very opposite extreme and counterpart of the ancient order of "apostles and prophets." If you will read patiently, I will show clearly the proof of my position.

In the Primitive Church, the Holy Ghost, after Jesus left the earth, came and took possession, and constituted the grand main-spring, life, light, and power of it. And the apostle Peter (of indisputable authority) declares, in the Second of Acts, that the promised gift of the Holy Ghost SHOULD CONTINUE even to "all the Lord our God should call."

But this wonderful agent is not known in modern christianity. His powerful agency, as foretold by Joel in prophecy, in tongues and interpretation, in discerning of spirits and in healing, is not now recognised as being any part of the present christianity. That Spirit that was to make amends for the departure and absence of Jesus, by acquainting believers with all truth—past, present, and future—that they might be comforted with knowledge and light, such as could not be obtained from books, whether inspired or uninspired, was the great sine qua non or essential thing in ancient christianity; but in modern christianity, the fruits of such a spirit would be sneered at, even by divines! What! exclaims one, prophecy in these days! speak in tongues now! heal the sick now! have visions of future things, and even heavenly things like unto the ancients! The exclaimant stands aghast with astonishment, as a perfect stranger to the most obvious and conspicuous principles of ancient christianity.

Modern christianity professes to derive all its light, and its various clashing creeds, from the Old and New Testament. If modern christianity is, indeed, the offspring of the Bible, it is a prodigy with many hundred heads; but ancient christianity drew its light from the ROCK of immediate revelation, and previous scriptures were only confirmatory of the Spirit's testimony. Illiterate fishermen, like Peter, traditionated by a corrupt priesthood, could know next to nothing of the written manuscripts of the Bible. What he learnt was not from flesh and blood, but from the spirit of revelation; and let it be always in your mind, sir, that Christ has said, that on "THIS ROCK" of immediate revelation "He will build His church."

A christianity contained exclusively in a small volume like the Bible, is an insult to the capacious revelations of the Eternal Spirit of God, that even searches the deep things of God—a mere drop compared with the mighty ocean! The full biography of Jesus Christ contained in the New Testament? Nonsense! Preposterous mockery! You certainly are not ignorant of the last verse in John's gospel—"The world itself could not contain the account, if written, of the acts and doings of Jesus Christ." But shall the knowledge of Christ be buried in oblivion because his acts and sayings cannot be written? No, by no means; God forbid! What saith the scriptures? the all-wise "Spirit shall bring all things to your remembrance, even the deep things of God—things that the tongue cannot utter nor the heart conceive."

Without the Holy Spirit of revelation, to take of the things of Jesus and convey them to the knowledge of men, I boldly aver that NO man can harmonize a consistent system from the Old and New Testament, or find eternal life. Every man must be born of that spirit which gives revelation and knowledge of Christ, or he can never see the kingdom of God. But a prominent feature in the creed of modern christianity is, that there is no further need of revelation, consequently the distinct office-work of the Spirit, to bring to mind unwritten acts and doctrines of Christ, and harmonize those which are written and scattered promiscuously through the Bible, is abrogated and deemed superfluous by modern christianity!

O thou benighted advocate of modern christianity, how long shall thy eye be veiled in reading the New Testament, and thine heart be too gross to perceive the beauty, and comfort, and power of that blessed Spirit that gave life and salvation to ancient christianity? Hast thou lost all admiration for the Spirit's miraculous gifts, power, and blessing? settled down under reconciliation to a load of doubts and fears, hoping that death will remove thy tormenting burden? Vain hope! No longer then do despite to that Eternal Spirit of revelation that is freely promised to all that will honestly receive it. If Gentile christians are ashamed of the Jew, because a veil was before their eyes in reading the Old Testament, has not the Jew equal cause to be ashamed of the Gentile, that has so soon turned away from the primitive path of the Spirit's gifts of visions, prophecies, healings, &c., and thereby been "cut off for not continuing in His goodness," according to the warning threat of Jehovah against Gentiles.

Where, sir, are the splendid gifts of apostles and prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, that Christ gave to men and set in his church, forever to continue in the ministry, edifying "the BODY of Christ till we all come to the unity of faith," and to such a knowledge of God, and fulness of power and wisdom as dwelt even in Jesus? They are nowhere to be found in modern christianity! Modern christianity has the effrontery and shamelessness even to say that she does not need them; consequently she says that she does not need "to come to unity of faith," and to that full and potent knowledge of God that Jesus in the flesh possessed, and had decreed that all Saints should possess and be like their "elder brother."

Not one of these great and precious gifts are retained. The bare name of evangelists and pastors is retained in modern christianity, without the shadow of the power and prophetic knowledge of the Holy Ghost, with which these officers were obliged to be endued in the primitive church. She admits, indeed, the form of the office, "denying the power." She says, indeed, that she can come to "unity of faith," &c., without apostles, and without the help of the good old-fashioned Almighty Holy Ghost.

But how long a time does she want to run for this prize of "unity of faith, &c.?" She has been running for the stakes nearly EIGHTEEN HUNDRED YEARS, and is further from the goal than when we started. When she started, "false apostles and deceitful workers" were her champions. In order to win the prize, these shed the blood of true apostles, and the blood of saints was found in their garments. And when her followers found that she had only the form or name of apostles and prophets without the power, she said, we have no further need of apostles, they have done their work and miracles have ceased. Oh, thou blood-guilty, "lying," Gentile christianity! thy lineage takes hold of the mother of abominations, clothed in scarlet! How great will be the severity of God's judgments upon all that are accessory to modern christianity, except they repent and obey the gospel!

She has also changed the ordinances. Where is now the ordinance of anointing with oil? Where the ordinance of imposition of hands? The healing of the sick is given up to medical men, whose reliance is on anything but the power and established ordinance of God. Is it not written for the benefit of the sick, that they should call for the elders of the church, whose duty it is to "anoint the sick with oil and lay on hands and they shall recover?" Now the consequence of changing this one ordinance of the Bible to the medical nostrums of men, is the literal death of thousands, who change the ordinance and contribute to make this whole earth the burying ground of nations.

Sir, may I not significantly ask, will the priests of the day return unto the Lord and teach his "law and his testimony," or will they with hearts of stone see the inhabitants of the earth perish under the curse of "trusting in medical man and making flesh an arm?"

The prophet Isaiah says, the consequence of changing the ordinances is, to make the earth empty and desolate! But this is not the only ordinance that is changed. By laying on hands for the gift of the Holy Spirit, the authority to prophecy, speak with new tongues, and cast out devils, is conferred. Now, unless boasting christianity has secured peace and fellowship with the devil, it is of much importance to know how to cast him out. Unless they have wisdom and power, and the spirit of prophecy, to supersede the need of the Holy Spirit, it is very essential to observe the ordinances by which, alone, it is conferred.

But it is certain, that if the Holy Spirit, in all its supernatural office-work of miraculous omnipotence and wisdom, does not come and reign on the earth, then the kingdom of God will never come on the earth as it exists in heaven. But the scriptures assure us that the kingdom of God will break in pieces all other kingdoms, and be established on earth, even as it is in heaven, and the palace of God (tabernacle) be in the midst of the human family.

The Holy Ghost is the grand agent by which the different orders of priesthood, have all their authority, wisdom, and power, to teach and administer the laws and ordinances of heaven to men on earth. The "MANIFOLD WISDOM OF GOD" flows through these orders of priesthood from heaven to earth. But modern christianity has abolished these orders of priesthood, as no longer necessary; consequently, the communications from heaven to earth have been stopped for nearly eighteen hundred years; and from this cause, our race has witnessed the most appalling picture of the progress of crime and wretchedness, that has ever pervaded the earth since the dawn of creation. No man has sufficient knowledge of figures to enumerate THE MILLIONS that have been slain in war, since the Gentiles were cut off for unbelief. The pestilence has never slumbered since man rejected the healing ordinance of God, for the aid of physicians that are of no value. Famine has locked hands with pestilence, causing rot, and blast, and mildew to lead many to fear that God had repented himself of the "promised seed time and harvest."

The social virtues that ought to be and ever would be, under the reign of God, like salubrious breezes of heaven, have become like the antagonistic and forked teeth of a picking cylinder, that turned ever so much, will still be picking either in the offensive or defensive. The number of the oppressed is becoming so fearfully great and vast, that the captors know not where to find either room or keepers for their prisoners. The yoke of intolerance must have fresh iron fastenings of unheard of tenacity and rigour. The oppressor feels the danger of an awful outbreak from desperation that can be smothered no longer. The elements of revolution and self-destruction, are sown deep in every government, and in every religious and social system that has not for its basis truth, immediately and continually revealed from heaven!

Now, all this direful state of things is because that men have "forsaken God, the fountain of living waters, and hewn them out cisterns that can hold no water." "From the crown of the head to the soles of the feet," modern christianity, whether Protestant or Catholic, "is full of wounds and bruises, and putrifying sores."

The prophets and apostles foresaw the Gentile apostacy that would spread over the earth, under the plausible name of christianity, obliterating the knowledge of God, and "denying the power of God, and changing his laws and ordinances," till "gross darkness should cover the people." They saw the "mystery of iniquity" working, and boldly foretold the "falling away"—the exaltation of the man of sin,—the removal of the priesthood and light of truth from the seven churches of Asia,—the refusal to "teach all things that Jesus commanded,"—the irresistible fact, that men would not "endure sound doctrines," but would multiply discrepant teachers to suit "itching ears,"—the introduction of "damnable heresies," and the "doctrines of devils," and the church becoming like a blood-guilty "harlot," that had exterminated the whole order of apostles, and prophets, and spiritual gifts, and even denied the need of any such order of gifts and ministry as existed in the primitive church!

The first doctrine of the devil in the garden was that it was not necessary to obey God concerning a particular tree of the garden; and the same doctrine of devils has, by inches and by piece-meal removed and broken every command of Christ, and put bishops and doctors in the seats of apostles and prophets, and the ordinance of sprinkling infants, in place of baptism; virtually saying, "that God doth know," that without the aid of apostles and the gift of the Spirit by laying on of hands, you can know truth enough; and without baptism "for remission of sins," you can be forgiven through prayer at the altar.

Permit me, sir, in the conclusion to remind you of the reproof given by an inspired wise man. "Say not thou what is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this." The true and only rational revealed cause why modern christianity is so weak, contentious, discrepant, and so unlike the majestic, almighty christianity of apostolic days, is, because apostate uninspired men "HAVE TRANSGRESSED the LAWS, CHANGED the ORDINANCES, and BROKEN the EVERLASTING COVENANT." Therefore, the "earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof." "Gentile" christianity will yet be compelled to come from the "ends of the earth and say, surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit."

And God has said, sir, because "your (Gentile) fathers have forsaken him and have not kept his law," "therefore," says God, "behold, I will this once cause them to know mine hand and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord." The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled; for the Lord hath spoken this word, the earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate; therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."

In view of these things, dear sir, my fervent prayer is, that you and all my brethren in the sectarian ministry will, from this day forth, stay their hand and voice from upholding modern boasting christianity—that is a "stink" in the nose of Jehovah—that is depopulating the earth and abrogating the laws, and ordinances of God, and sin no more, and thereby follow the humble example of

Your obedient servant,

ORSON SPENCER.