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Show "00 TEACH ALL NATIONS" ;j God Cornmissions His Ministers to Preach J Obligation on the Part of Mankind to i Hear Them How to Know a True and f a False Teacher. J j Order is heaven's first law. and the affairs of man, as regards the salvation of his soul, are founded on the most perfect order, an order which j man, in regulating society, faintly imitates. j The President of the United States commis- sions its representatives to foreign governments, ; I and he, who does not hold his commission, has no authority. The general, who commands an army, f is commissioned by the proper person and without that commission from the regular authority, he would have' no right to assume command, and an inferior officer or soldier would not be in duty I bound to obey his orders. . God chose His ministers, commissioned them to teach in His name, ami make known His gospel to ; the whold world. This commission carries a correlative cor-relative obligation on the part of mankind, namely, to listen to the gospel expondded and obey God's laws. They, who assume to teach in His name, or make known His gospel without His sanction, are styled false teachers of whom the gospel warns all to beware. "Beware of false prophets, who come ti you in clothing of sheep," Mat. vii, 15. Why beware? Not because they will inflict any bodily injury; but, because their teaching will not conduct con-duct one in the path which leads to heaven. This being the most important of all affairs in man's life, the solemn warning was frequently uttered. Many there are who.sthrough indifference, or be-ng be-ng too much engrossed with affairs of the world, or slaves to their passions, regard the salvation of the soul as a trivial matter which should not disturb dis-turb man's conscience. But the fact that very many think so, does not make it any less true that man's salvation, the securing of heaven is tbe most important affair in man's life. "What doth it ; profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own srml i Or what exchange fhall a man give for his soul? Mat. xvi. 6. "Riches shall not profit in the day of revenge." Henee the frequent fre-quent warnings of the scriptures to choose religious teaehers commissioned by God, for a St. Paul says: "How can they preach unless they are sent ?" All. who separated from the synagogue, the true representative rep-resentative religion of God, were called false prophets, and the faithful wore cautioned to beware of their teaching. "I did not send prophets, yet . they ran : I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied," Jer. xxiii, 1. The same solemn warn- , : ing was given by the founder of Christianity: "Be- ware of salse phophets who come to you in cloth- . ing of sheep." whilst the apostle. St. John, ad- : vises, "Not to believe every spirit; but try the spirits whether they be of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world." By a careful study of the Old Testament, one i can learn, that after the confusion of tongues at Babel, and the dispersion of the human family, the unity of speech was lost, and with it went unity in religion. Those, who apostatized from the Patriarchal Pat-riarchal religion, or the synagogue, lapsed into all forms of idolatry, worshipping -the gods fashioned . according to their fancies, and clothed with their own passions; but in the modst of their many strange and conflicting doctrines, it can be seen that the Patriarchs and the synagogue, the chosen people of God commissioned to teach the truth, turned neither to the right or left, but moved onward, on-ward, preserving pure and undef iled God's word as it is given in the Old Testament. On their onward march they hoped. The ob- jj ject of their hope came. Christ is born. The Mes- I siah, for whom they yearned and prayed came, not 5 as they expected a Buler in Israel, but a poor, helpless help-less babe. Then Christianity, which is the out- ; 1 growth, or continuation of the synagogue, becomes be-comes the religion of the human race; but at its . very threshhold, and down for twenty centuries . : . of its existence it has to contend against false i teachers. Twenty centuries have passed since Christianity Chris-tianity was born, and the same solemn warning of St. John "not to believe every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the Avorld," applies ap-plies to our age and country more forcibly than at any time since first uttered. But how know who is the true and who is the false teacher? A very proper and important question ques-tion is this. Some, to justify their indifference and lukewarmness, will tell that they have associated with members of all churches, and found good and bad members in all of them. There is no doubt of that. There was a Judas among the twelve apostles. It is also true that good persons wilfbe found in the ranks of those who profess no religion. Man can judge only by external acts, but God. the Su- j preme Judge, will oidy judge the motives or in- terior sentiments, which prompted the exterior actions. ac-tions. But the important, yes, the essential ques- s tion, who is the true, and who is the false teacher? remains unanswered. Or which of the many con- : flicting churches, claiming to be the legitimate successors suc-cessors of the synagogue is the true church of God ? This question concerns all who believe in the im- I mortality of the soul, and that, in that eternal t abode, unending bliss or woe awaits the soul. To I decide so important a question there must be some f standard to which all can appeal. Let the Bible decide. Its decision will be given in our next issue. f F. D. f |