Westcott, Hort, and a few thoughts.....

At the age of 23, in late 1851, Fenton John Anthony Hort wrote to a friend:

I had no idea till the last few weeks of the importance of texts, having read so little Greek Testament, and dragged on with the villainous Textus Receptus....Think of that vile Textus Receptus leaning entirely on late MSS.; it is a blessing there are such early ones.

Scarcely more than a year later, "the plan of a joint [with Brooke Foss Westcott] revision of the Greek Testament was first definitely agreed upon." And within that year (1853) Hort wrote to a friend that he hoped to have the new text out "in little more than a year." That it actually took twenty-eight years does not obscure the circumstance that though uninformed, by his own admission, Hort conceived a personal animosity for the Textus Receptus, and only because it was based entirely, as he thought on late manuscripts. It appears Hort did not arrive at his theory through unprejudiced intercourse with the facts. Rather, he deliberately set out to construct a theory that would vindicate his preconceived animosity for the Received Text. 

Colwell has made the same observation: "Hort organized his entire argument to depose the Textus Receptus." And again, 

Westcott and Hort wrote with two things constantly in mind; that Textus Receptus and the Codex Vaticanus. But they did not hold them in mind with that passive objectivity which romanticists ascribe to the scientific mind.

As the years went by, Hort must have seen that to achieve his end he had to have a convincing history of the text - he had to be able to explain why essentially only one type of text was to be found in the mass of later manuscripts and show how this explanation justified the rejection of this type of text.

The above is copied verbatim from pages 31-32; The Identity of the New Testament Text by Wilbur N. Pickering, with a foreword by Zane C. Hodges.

In the above short extract there are 8 source footnotes.

What are we to make of all this? that an educated man such as Hort could say such about my beloved 1611 KJV! Textus Receptus is just the Latin for Received Text. Now, I had come to learn, and believe the notion (and rightly so!) that God had faithfully, through human instrumentation preserved His word down through the ages, and this in spite of the Roman Church! Forever O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven. Ps. 119. 89. What spirit could empower such an one to say "that vile Textus Receptus"? Even as an unbeliever, I don't believe I ever thought of, or uttered any such thing about God's written word, let alone the majestic KJV! I was given an RSV version in 1971,when I was 11 at secondary modern, it was a practice the state education authorities adhered to from days of old in this ere once great Christian nation, sadly not any more! Apart from looking at the images in this version when first given it, (I still have it today!) I never once read it. It was but a "sealed Book" to me, it looked too hard, and it seemed everyone around me, at school and home, never took a blind bit of notice of it, so why should I? It was deemed irrelevant in the so-called modern world I was now part of, and I knew that this Book was ancient, so what good was it to me? It was only the so-called religious types that read it, a Sunday thing, that these folk took into a church building with a spire protruding up to the clouds, in their "Sunday best"; so, no I didn't want to be part of that set! I do remember harbouring resentment of the fact that nothing was open on a Sunday, only one newsagent in the whole town for an hour in the morning for the Sunday papers; how times have changed! 

Time passes by, and to cut a long story short, after becoming awoken by the Spirit of God, I started to read my Bible, and buy expository books, showing me how to understand what God was saying. This was circa 2002, for until then I had never read a book before of any type, not even a novel, only Penguin Books, short stories and car magazines. It was hard work, and it still is!

As I was attending churches back then, I had an NIV Bible, because, apparently it was 'easier' to understand, and didn't have all that unnecessary archaic English as in the AV 1611! I remember reading online on a site somewhere, about the "Westcott & Hort Controversy", and as a result, got hold of a AV 1611 KJV, which was based on the Received Text. It was a real struggle, initially, but eventually the olde worlde English became part of me! All the modern English versions are based on the Revised Version, on principles developed by W & H, and these are erroneous on many counts. What really put the matter to bed for me, was about 2009, when having a conversation with a Jehovah's Witness on my doorstep, for he was extolling the Bible scholarship of Westcott and Hort! Simply put, they have a corrupt bible that denies the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The 1611 KJV is the best English translation, it has the "longer version" of Mark's Gospel, with verses 9-20 included. The modern versions omit these because the two oldest Greek manuscripts and some other authorities don't include them. Verse 9 starts with; Now when Jesus was risen.... are we to doubt this veritable fact? Most modern Bibles will have a small footnote denoting that that there is a longer version, but, the prominence is given to the misleading so-called "Majority Text" principle of the revisers. 

How different it would have been, if only the Received Text was behind our Bibles? No doubt these many and varied newer versions have been instrumental in the great apostasy. 

An exposition of 1 Samuel 28.15. The seance.

1 Samuel 28.15; The seance - The Mother of All seances.

And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

Saul knew that consulting the woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor. 1 Sam. 28.7, was expressly forbidden by God, for he even cut off those that hath familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land, as the woman so reminded him! (1 Sam. 28.8). There shall not be found among you any one...that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD. Dt. 18.10-12. Regardless of the clear testimony of Scripture, consult her, he did. The woman brought Samuel up, and upon doing so, suddenly *realized that it was Saul who was consulting her! saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. The proceedings caused her **to cry out with a loud voice. 1 Sam 28.11-12.

What has baffled theologians over the years with this incident, is whether it was actually Samuel, or a demon masquerading as Samuel. But, really, why is this so? The Bible says in no uncertain terms that Samuel said, 1 Sam. 28.15, and Saul was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel, 1 Sam. 28.20 (my emphasis). If it were a demon speaking in this seance, then surely the narrative would have said, "the demon said" and "Saul was sore afraid, because of the words of the demon." Interestingly, Samuel's mother, Hannah prophesied of this event (which seems to have escaped the radar of Christian theologians) in her great prayer; The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. (My emphasis) 1 Sam. 2.6. I realize that this verse has a far wider application! nevertheless? We should also remember that demons did not exist in the OT dispensation as us moderns are wont to think. In the OT scriptures, the word "demon" is nothing more than a pejorative term referring to the idols of Baal worship. They were offering sacrifices to the "he-goats" in the same vein as apostate Israel did to the physical  molten calf. Demons didn't come into existence until just prior to the First Advent of Christ (Rev. 12.4) unless, of course, we believe the ancient Jewish fable of the Nephilim (giants), of which Augustine firmly repudiated. This is the theory that the sons of God in Gen. 6.2 were fallen angels which impregnated human women. However, chapters 4 and 5 of Genesis describe the ungodly lineage of Cain, and the godly lineage of Seth, and what happened in Gen. 6.2 is the result of these two lineages coming together.
The apostates of old were literally worshipping idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk. Rev. 9.20, Ps. 115.4-7, Dan. 5.23 etc. So how could a 'demon' of a literal physical constitution, thus described in God's written word be capable of masquerading as Samuel?

*But, how come this sudden revelation? Who but the Almighty God can reveal such things? One moment, the woman was absolutely clueless as to whom sought her services, the next not! Think on these things!
**This sudden exclamation is particularly noteworthy, and not inserted to make the 'story' more interesting, as some think. No! the Bible is concise, sharp, and to the point, there is no "fat on the bones" as it were (Reminds me of Heb. 4.12!). The woman was genuinely shocked, and no doubt, when seances became common place in the Victorian times, this type of 'performance' became the blueprint to all subsequent seances.

BBC: Scammers targeting more elderly people. 23rd Sept.

According to the BBC, the "reports of frauds on the elderly are 'tip of an iceberg'". They go on to say, "Fraudsters scammed nearly 49,000 older people across the UK in the past year, equivalent to almost six reports every hour, a BBC investigation has found. The total number of reports has nearly doubled in the past three years, 5 live investigates has learned. But one expert said the true number of elderly victims was likely to be in the millions. Police said more victims were coming forward but admitted they were the 'tip of the iceberg'".

How do we define an "elderly victim" today? as a youngster I thought anyone who was over the age of 60 was ancient, now I am less than two years from that milestone! It seemed to me to be a great privilege or rather 'lucky' to reach 65 and draw your state pension! Not having a Christian education, I didn't realize that God was in control of all events. The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. Prov. 16.33 (a little believed verse!). Now, computers as we know them today didn't exist when I was a teenager in the seventies, they were nearly the size of Africa! In 1986 I paid just under £3000 for a 'mobile' phone, and all it could do was make phone calls! the batteries would last only about an hour or two, and you had to go about with a spare, and the charger! Mobile phones (effectively mini computers), lap tops, tablets, and hand held devices of all sorts are now available at literally a fraction of the cost of that first mobile of mine. And how technology has advanced since that time! In the western world, at least, it seems everyone young and old has one of the aforementioned devices. Today's youngsters seem to be on their gadgets 24/7, walking into lamp posts, for they are glued to their screens! and behind closed doors, even the elderly are perhaps not lonely anymore, getting up to all sorts on-line? We have been led to believe that getting "connected" is the "best thing since sliced bread", but is this so? The government, HMRC, DVLA, the Banks, and the rest are encouraging everyone to go "paperless", yet, in reality, we do the printing at the other end! I get letters and e-mails from my bank all the time encouraging me to go paperless, so they can close even more high street branches! It seems that we are being pushed into this cyber-world, and will be powerless to do anything about it, for most want to participate in it.

Going back to BBC article above;

"Among those to have been repeatedly scammed is a farmer in his 80s from Norfolk who has lost £450,000 over six years after fraudsters convinced him he had won £1.5m in a lottery. His daughter in law who asked not to be named, said: 'They said all he had to do was send them an administration fee, it started small about £300 and then he should receive the money. But they didn't stop at that, obviously he didn't get his money and they kept ringing. Its gone out of all proportion since that initial contact.' Police and trading standard officers in Norfolk have been involved in his case but his family believes he is now "addicted" to his pursuit of a big-money payout and is still trying to send money. 'I think the scammers are absolutely evil,' she said. 'But they are also very clever in how they do it and they make it sound very plausible, so much so that it sucked him in and probably hundreds of other people.'"

I agree, "the scammers are absolutely evil", but what of her father in law? is not the love of money the root of all evil. 1 Tim. 6.10 as well?
The article, which is well worth reading, goes on to say last year alone, 1140 victims of cyber crime were aged over 90, and 13 over 100! Professor Keith Brown from Bournemouth University, an 'expert' studying all of this, said "these reports represented as few as 5% of the true total. Its hugely under reported, we're talking about millions of victims," he said. "If this were burglary or street crime there would be a huge outcry, but its hidden behind closed doors. Over the next few years this will become the next big scandal like the dawning realisation of the scale of child abuse." I think he may be right.

I myself must get dozens of scam e-mails from many and various sources, some are blatantly obvious, you really do wonder how folk could fall for them! others not so. I get sent e-mails from scammers representing organisations saying they will close my account if I don't respond, and this from organisations that I don't even have accounts with! - so they are easy to bin!
I fear a lot of people won't come forward because of the shame factor, it is embarrassing for many to admit they are 'stupid'.

All of this is taking place in "cyber space" this is the realm of darkness, where the prince of the power of the air, Eph. 2.2, rules supremely. This virtual reality or cyber-world, where these on-line acts of evil are taking place, are in actual fact only extensions of the world that the 'victims' want to partake in. Take for example the aged Norfolk farmer, he would, if he could, pull down my barns, and build greater, Lk. 12.18, he is obviously not content with such things as ye have, Heb. 13.5.
To a certain extent, I have no sympathy with this man, for he doesn't sound like he was penniless, and no doubt the daughter in law is trying to protect the family inheritance! don't get me wrong, I would rather these internet gangsters did not exist, but, sadly they do. Internet/cyber crime is doubtless vastly under reported and will increase, the 'clever' crooks don't need to rob banks and jewelry shops anymore, it is so much more 'clean' and 'bloodless' to do it on-line. But, is it really bloodless? how many suicides, or premature stress related deaths have been caused by these criminals? at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Gen. 9.5. The wicked, *evil spirit of the devil that worketh in the children of disobediece (Eph. 2.2) in this cyberspace crime will in my opinion, bring in more on-line control, regulation, and censorship, all in the name of security! In the history of man, has man ever made one good law? Is our wicked ungodly government (and police force) capable of doing anything for our good in this regard? And lets not forget, the next government is going to be even more wicked! It is strange, this paradox; wicked laws will be drawn up for our 'benefit', no doubt in the name of bringing wicked people to justice! The Professor in the above article said "fraud is costing UK consumers £10bn  a year in losses, up from an estimated £4-6bn annually in 2016." I believe, in the name of security, the internet cyber-world will be a completely different place in 5-10 years time, judging by all the updates I presently get, how long will it be before you try to enter certain sites, or type in certain words, and names when a RED FLAG gets thrown up? who knows, the internet thought police may come knocking on our doors.

*When I say the "evil spirit" I mean that the children of disobedience are not possessed, literally, with a demon as in the NT; only that by the act of disobeying God's commandments, are they disobedient! Disobedience, in and of itself is an "evil spirit", rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft 1 Sam. 15.23!

Silly question; Is the sun a planet or a star?

One of the silliest things I have done recently is comment on Quora (can't remember how I started-perhaps someone sent me a link), and as a consequence, I get sent the most inane questions one can think of! For example I was asked "Is the sun a planet or a star?" to which I replied "it is neither; it is what the Bible says it is - the sun!"
I do realise that I once thought the sun may have been a star when an unbeliever, but having said that, I don't really think I ever cared one whit what it was! But, some of the questions people ask! If only they would read the Bible! On Quora, whenever I quote from Scripture, I very, very, rarely get an "up vote", but I am not doing this to win a popularity contest - only to preach the truth in Christ!
I quote from the creation narrative in Gen. 1.14-19:

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Subsequently, in God's Book, the greater light, and the lesser light, came to be known as the sun and the moon. The first mention of the sun being in Gen. 15.12, and the moon in Gen. 37.9. As can be seen from the above creation account, the sun is mentioned as a separate entity to a star, which rules it out from being one, for there is but one sun, and many stars (whom I believe to be the angelic host, not giant balls of gas). Can the sun be a planet? again the Bible makes a clear distinction, for in the KJV 1611, the word planet is mentioned once, and that in 2 Ki. 23.5, and it is plural, I quote the verse in full:

And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.

We also see that the sun, moon, and the *stars, (host of heaven) became objects of worship to those who apostatized from the God who created them. In the 1884 Revised Version (RV) of the 1611 Authorized Version (AV), in the marginal notes, the word planets is also rendered the twelve signs, and/or, the constellations. It is therefore easy to infer that the planets in the aforementioned verse must be a special group of stars. Job 38.32 shines some light here, I quote:

Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?

In the RV margin of this verse, Mazzaroth is rendered the signs of the Zodiac  or the twelve signs.

It is not too difficult to see why we should not consult the stars, most especially Christians; for the 'science' of astrology assumes and attempts to interpret the influence of the heavenly bodies on human affairs, and will no doubt lead us astray from God, who is upholding all things by the word of His power, Heb. 1.3 (my emphasis). He says of His glory; will I not give to another, Is. 42.8, 48.11. It was only the heathen nations that practiced such prognostications; Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. Dan. 2.2. (my emphasis). Of course, only Daniel as God's true servant, could tell Nebuchadnezzar the dream, because it was God who put it there in the first place, and who subsequently revealed to Daniel the interpretation thereof; Dan. 2.26-30! The earthly king of all the world at that time (Nebuchadnezzar) was but a puppet in God's hands! (see Prov. 21.1). It was true then, and it is as true today. The present kings (for we have now descended to the feet of Nebuchadnezzar's great image, see Dan. 2. 31-35) are fulfilling to the exact minutia, what God has predetermined, though they know it not! Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so, Is. 10.7 (a). Isaiah was speaking of  the Assyrian, who foreshadows the coming Antichrist, who will also be fulfilling God's predetermined decrees, yet, likewise, he meaneth not so.

Hath God said (the words of Satan Gen. 3.1!) the sun is the sun, the moon the moon, the stars the stars? We would end up believing anything left to the wiles of men!
Should not a people seek unto their God? Is. 8.19. To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Is. 8.20. Sadly many Christians are deceived by what passes for science falsely so called. 1 Tim. 6.20.

*As the observable stars are not gigantic balls of gas, thousands or millions of miles across, and I believe them to be the angelic host; this being the case, those who worship them (knowingly, or indeed, unknowingly), do so through prognostication. They would 'advise' the gullible through their monthly horoscopes, and charts, thus leading them away from God and His written word, by causing them to put their faith in their 'wisdom' as Nebuchadnezzar did in his astrologers. Truly, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, Hos. 4.6, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? Lk. 6.39.

Statements of Faith and Soteriological Theology.

When you visit Christian website ministries, you will notice that their "Statement Of Faith", or "What We Believe" is often prefixed by the words "We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, that it is inerrant and infallible". This particular aforesaid quote was lifted from the PWMI (Prophetic Witness Ministries International) website, a ministry which is heavily focused on unfulfilled prophecy. They are pre-millennial; teach and promote the pre-tribulational return of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, how helpful is such a claim? would not the arch deceiver himself also agree with the aforementioned prefix? Many of these ministries (I would term as biblicists) are at war with one another, claiming that their particular interpretation of Scripture is in fact truth. However, It is written that God is not the author of confusion, 1 Cor. 14.33, so the confusion must originate from those who nave not been rightly dividing the word of truth, 2 Tim. 2.15. In the case of pre-tribulationism, it is noteworthy that the professing Christian Church knew absolutely nothing of such a doctrine until circa 1830, aside from the fact that there is no exegetical scriptural support for a rapture heavenwards, seven or so years before the Lord's Second Coming in glory, which the PWMI believe and teach.

Since the Reformation, which began in earnest through the actions of the great reformer Martin Luther, the controversy of predestination/election vs free-will, in the course of time came to be known as Calvinism vs Arminianism, which has raged some three hundred years longer than the aforementioned rapture controversy. Many will declare opposing views on whether it was they who chose the path to salvation, or whether it was God who predestined it. The rapture controversy and the Calvinism/Arminianism debate is inextricably linked to what every (I hope!) Christian would consider to be the most important of doctrines in the Bible, that is Soteriology (the scriptural teaching of salvation).  But, which is true, post-tribulationism or pre-tribulationism? predestination/election or free-will? But, more than all of this, does it matter what we believe in this theme? Regardless of whether a  Christian believes in pre-destination/election or free-will, the most important thing is to believe in the precious atoning blood of Jesus Christ, the Saviour who said I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Jn. 14.6. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.  Acts 4.12. The Saviour said, No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. Jn. 6.44(a). You would think just that one verse uttered by the incarnate Deity Himself would settle the matter for once and for all! but no, not even the most careful and systematic theological dissertations by men far more capable than the present writer will persuade the Arminian mindset! I see the doctrine of predestination/election stamped on practically every page of Holy Writ. It is suggested by some, that the theology I hold to, makes me to be a blasphemer; that what I believe Scripture plainly teaches makes God out to be the author of sin. The plain fact of the matter is that God is in control, nothing can, or has happened that God hasn't permitted, 'good' or 'bad', to say otherwise would be to deny the thrice Holy One's omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. The Lord Jesus plainly said that even a sparrow shall not fall on the ground without your Father, Matt. 10.29! Our attitude as believers, should be to bow down to His awesome majesty in obedient subjection and not say unto Him, what doest thou? Dan. 4.35. Regardless of  the Arminian protestations to His absolute sovereignty, He will do His work, His strange work: and bring to pass His act, His strange act. Isa. 28.21. To any that may 'chance' upon this ere post, that would desire to understand more on this deep subject, I can do no better than recommend Zanchius's Absolute Predestination. J.C. Ryle said of this work, over 120 years ago, that it cannot be disproved, and I believe it never will.  So, this is as far as I will go on election/predestination in today's post, but one last thing on this! Most assuredly, a believer has far more assurance of his eternal bliss in Christ if he believes in the biblical doctrine of predestination/election (that it was God who chose him or her)  as opposed to it being the individual's choice to be saved! Nevertheless, whatever we believe  in regards to predestinaion/election/free-will and post-tribulationism/pre-tribulationalism, we must believe in the blood of Christ alone for our eternal salvation, and walk according to His commandments, see Luke 6.46. We are not robots, we can make 'choices' with our 'free-will', but ever remember that if we decide to walk contrary to God's word and presume on election, not only may we lose blessings this side of eternity, we may be found not to be one of His children! a sobering thought? Holiness, and obedience is the key! Walk uprightly according to the truth of the gospel Gal. 2.14! Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, Heb. 12.14! For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. 2. 8-9. How some hate "Lordship Salvation"! Luther struggled with James's letter, and his treatise on works, but the apostle was only teaching that once we are saved, we walk according to the royal law, see Jam. 2.8. Luther believed that James was somehow teaching "works salvation" which was contrary to "justification by faith", ever remember that he came out of great darkness and popish superstition and no doubt must have held to what his Romish tutors taught him in respect to the epistle of James, for I believe he questioned whether this book should have been in the Bible!

Coming back to the rapture question, PWMI's principal founder Dr. F.B. Meyer, also a proponent of the "Higher Life Movement" who preached regularly at Keswick, would not have been Calvinistic in his theology, nevertheless, he was a good man preaching salvation by Christ's blood alone. At the end of the day, be we skewed on our understanding of unfulfilled prophecy and the biblical doctrine of predestination/election, we must believe with all our heart, soul and minds that Christ is our only hope, through His precious atoning blood, that He is God, very God, and walk according to His commandments, and more importantly, don' t plead our own righteousness to Him on the last Day, for He will have absolutely none of it! Matt. 7.22-23, 25.44, Lk. 13.26-27.

Was Zacchaeus there by chance? Luke 19. 1-10.

Was it by random chance that Zacchaeus met Jesus as He entered and passed through Jericho. Luke 19.1? The narrative goes on to say behold (we should take extra note when this word is prefixed!), there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. Now, when the Bible says he was rich, it doesn't just mean he had a nice detached house in Judaean suburbia! no, he would have had wealth, beyond the "dreams of avarice" as the saying goes! He was chief among the publicans! Now, he was little of stature, in other words, he was much shorter in height than the average man, for he climbed up into a sycomore tree to see Him, for He was to pass that way. Certainly, Zacchaeus must have heard of the fame of our Lord, to find out what He was all about, for the Scripture says he sought to see Jesus who He was. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must abide at thy house. Now when the crowd saw it, they all murmured, saying, That He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. Then Zacchaeus made a pretty amazing statement, he said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wrongfully exacted aught of any man (RV), I restore him fourfold. On this most heartwarming of statements, the Saviour said unto him, This day is salvation come into this house, for as much as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. 

Philanthropy is no new thing! certainly modern philanthropy is, where exceedingly rich men and women give away vast amounts of money out of their even vaster fortunes, no-doubt securing taxation advantages, recognition, and favour with the government of the day, for the various awards on offer; O what a cynical man I am! There may be another reason! for the above inspired narrative says nothing about Zacchaeus's repentance and faith, per se, so, perhaps the thinking may be that if Jesus and the Bible is true, these folk may have it in mind to remind the Lord of their wonderful acts of human kindness, pleading one's own acts of righteousness on judgment Day! How they would do well to heed the Lord's words; Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thine doest thine alms do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you they have received (RV) their reward. Matt. 6. 1-2.

The Scripture says that whomever Zacchaeus wronged (and no doubt there were a great many!) that he would restore him fourfold, this being the Scriptural requirement as written in Ex. 22.1 and 2 Sam. 12.6, but he went further than this, for he gave away half of everything he owned to the poor. It may be that he ended up himself among the poorer folk of Judea! A much 'poorer' man but rich in faith, for it is written, Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him? Jam. 2.5. (my emphasis).

No, it was not by random 'chance' as some venture to think; that Zacchaeus underwent this miraculous change of heart! this is the hand of God, and nothing less! It was ordained in eternity past that God would place Zacchaeus in that place at that time to fulfill His purposes, yet it was Zacchaeus's own 'free-will' which led him to do the things he did! In the very same way that the dying Saviour saved the repentant thief on the cross in Luke 23. 39-43, for moments earlier, the repentant thief that was *crucified with Him, cast upon Him the same reproach (Matt. 27.44 RV) as  that of the chief priests, scribes, and the elders! What of the large upper room furnished (Lk. 22.12)? and the ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straight away he will send them. Matt. 21. 2-3? I would like to see some presumptuous Pentecostal Churchman to try a similar 'stunt' in our day, he might like to try walking up to a man as he is entering his car with its contents, and say The Lord hath need of them! 

Many other incidents might be multiplied countless times throughout the Bible, yet many cannot see ELECTION and PRE-DESTINATION taught throughout God's word.

*The language of the 1611 AV really does present this scene in a more vivid and graphical way;
The thieves also, which were crucified with Him, cast the same in His teeth. We can but imagine the insults, and blasphemous words he must have uttered! But, how remarkable the transformation! How, how, can this malefactor be railing on Him one minute, and in the next say to his partner in crime, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. Upon this repentance the Lord said Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23. 39-43. Knowing what I know about the hardness of the human heart, I believe such a transformation in so short a time is impossible from human reasoning! As if the thief could reason and rationalize the whole situation, and then think to himself, "It seemeth a good idea to me to acknowledge this man hung up like myself, as the Son of God, and repent forthwith!" Lets not forget, that the thief hadn't witnessed the earth shattering events that happened shortly afterwards to enable the centurion and those with him to say Truly this was the Son of God. Matt. 27.54! Truly, The wind bloweth where it listeth, Jn. 3.8!

Will Turkeys vote for Christmas?

Further to the posting I put up on 2nd Sept. re. THE CLERGY; the unnatural distinction that has evolved over the years between the clergy and the laity really has elevated certain Pastors, Reverends, Bishops and the like to a kind of worldly celebrity status, most especially in the US mega churches. The lions share of this unbiblical "them and us" system is most predominant in the US, but even here in the UK, we have our fair share of celebrity pastors, and no doubt there are many wannabes, if they could a be's!

There, is however, a tension that exists between the biblical exhortations in the Pauline writings to the brethren (1 Tim. 5.18, 1 Cor. 9.4, 7-14) that flow from the Lord's words in Matt. 10.10; the workman is worthy of his meat, (the context being payment for preaching the coming kingdom of heaven), and those paid hirelings who exist within organised Christendom. Hebrews 8.11 sheds much needed light here, as it says in no uncertain terms that; they shall not teach every man his neighbour,  and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. Also the parallel OT verse in Jeremiah 31.34, And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, Jer. 31.34. Strictly speaking, I believe these Scriptures will not have their ultimate fulfillment until the return of the Lord Jesus when He will convert the remnant of Israel as depicted in Zech. 12.10, I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, on this Day, Christ's millennial reign will be inaugurated. And His grace will no doubt be the reason to preserve those whose names are in the Lamb's book of life (Rev. 13.8) from Satan's last great deception on the nations when he shall be loosed out of his prison, see Rev. 20. 1-10. It is my understanding from God's word that this'tension' exists because we are taught by the Master Himself that the Gospel must have free course (unhindered), for when the disciples questioned Him regarding one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us, they forbad him, because he followeth not us. Mk. 9.38 (my emphasis). His reply was, Forbid him not: for there is no man that shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. Paul exhorted the Thessalonian believers (and us today!) to pray that the word of the Lord may have free course, 2 Thess. 3.1. We might see what we consider heretics quoting Scripture verses, but it is written, My sheep hear my voice, Jn. 10.27, and faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom. 10.17. If a heretic were to quote Scripture verbatim (as they do) God's Holy Spirit will convict His chosen ones if they are within earshot. Even the 'best' of us are but dust! of Paul it is written, his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible, 2 Cor. 10.10! How could this great preacher have done what he did without the power and the grace of God in Christ? The Lord said, without me ye can do nothing, Jn. 15.5!

The clergy, even those who faithfully preach the way of salvation, Acts 16.17, (wherever they are?) are hardly likely to "vote for Christmas" by telling the truth to the 'laity', are they? They have a vested interest to keep the wheels of motion on the bus as it were - for their livelihoods sake "the coin in the coffer" must keep ringing! But, why the need for organised religion/churchianity today? The predicted apostasy is well and truly upon us (2 Thess. 2.3), nevertheless those lovely old church buildings and chapels (the ones not yet converted to mosques!) still stand as a visible testimony, I think! But, what exactly is going on in these church buildings today? are not 'preachers' preaching to the converted (if indeed they are converted at all, and that goes for the 'preachers' as well!), it would seem impossible for any to hear the true gospel in today's 'cafe culture' church where a synthetic gospel (which is no gospel) is now the order of the day! So-called reformed Christian churches on this island have been infiltrated by the false neo Calvinists preaching a gospel without sin, faith and repentance! How bad things are? much to Satan's joy!

A friend e-mailed me an excellent YouTube video entitled The False "Church System" Deception, it "hits the nail on the head" on what the visible Church has degenerated into, will you pay into their coffers, or sign a direct debit to keep the show going?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EiZVY1Cgsk

Now, where is that concordance; are the words "Order of Service" to be found anywhere in my Bible?...

WILL IT SUIT?

When a certain portion of the truth is brought before a child of God, the flesh enquires, "How will this affect my position among men? - if I obey this truth, will it entail self-denial and reproach?"
It is to be feared that these considerations often determine a believer to have nothing at all to do with certain clearly-revealed truths of Scripture. The question with them is not, "Does God say I am to do this?" but, "Will it suit me to do this?" When subjection to the Lord becomes a matter of mere personal convenience with us, we may rest assured that we are entrenching ourselves in our own self-will, and know little of subjection to the Lord Christ. If our supreme object is to please Him, we shall be ready to say, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." And, like the Psalmist, we shall be found declaring, "I made haste, and delayed not, to keep Thy commandments."

Page 447, THE BELIEVERS TREASURY, Feb., 1896.

If we are to be brutally honest with ourselves, how often has this been the case with us? No wonder separation from the world is a biblical warrant! As a fledgling believer I would often take the wrong course, could it be otherwise? As we grow in in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 2 Pet. 3.18, then surely, growing in this grace and knowledge, will, if we have the Spirit of Christ, Rom 8.9, enable us to speak as the Psalmist did in the above extract? Let us remember (as marvelous as it is!) that the Lord Jesus also increased in wisdom and stature, Lk. 2.52. How can it be that God can increase in wisdom and stature? The omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, thrice Holy One can increase in wisdom and stature! How baffling is this? Yet this is His human nature, He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich, 2 Cor.8.9. Truly, His condescension to become one of us is brought home by the apostle in Heb.7.26; For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens. The Lord Jesus was not only the Offering, but the Priest who offered It! He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him. Heb.5.9 (My emphasis).

Obedience! How antinomians must hate that word! yet, I too was one as a 'young' believer, but, time and again the Lord's words, Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Lk. 6.46, would trouble me greatly. Those who would attack what is known as Lordship Salvation err greatly, they accuse believers that adhere to it of works salvation! The truth is that we teach the way to life is the cross, and the way of  life are the Commandments, it is that simple!
It is said that the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, Jn. 1.17, but! Who gave the law to Moses? Of course, it was Jesus Christ! for it is said of Him that He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever, Heb. 13.8, who but the pre-incarnate Christ spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3? Before Abraham was, I am, Jn. 8.58.
It surely is a very great sin for a believer to have a low view of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20.1-17), which are the same as the Two Commandments (the Ten paraphrased into two) in Matt. 22. 36-40. The Saviour said think not that I am come to destroy the law and the prophets. Matt. 5.17, yet some think otherwise! The oft repeated mantra is "We are not under the law, but under grace"!
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Sam. 15.22! Obedience, surely is the key! Before the first giving of the law Israel said, All that the LORD hath spoken we WILL do, Ex.19.7, and after the second giving in Dt. 5.27, Israel said, we WILL hear and DO it. (my emphasis's). What did God say in response? O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, Dt. 5.29. We know that Israel didn't do, they apostatized! hence their long and sorry history, is it any different today? You could say that Israel 'hung a noose' round their necks by promising to keep the law, perhaps they would have been better off saying "we won't do it" then changed their minds to "do it". The Lord said, A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of the twain did the will of his father? Matt. 21.28-31.
Oh if only Adam had obeyed in the garden! But, then, what of redemption?

An old time writer well said "If you can't see Jesus Christ on every page in the Bible, you won't see Him on one page."

Burt Reynolds 1936-2018

What unregenerate teenage boy (or most men!) would not have wanted to have what this Hollywood megastar had? Back in the seventies if I were offered what Reynolds had, or Christ, I know what I would have chosen! O how things change in but a short lifetime!

Probably best remembered for Smokey and the Bandit which shot him to super-stardom; he really did have it all, the looks, charisma, women, cars, planes, helicopters, mansions, restaurant chains, and whatever else one could desire! He spent his millions as fast as they were coming in! A pet saying of mine always used to be, "it doesn't matter how much you spend, as long as there is more coming in!"

Reynolds became a bankrupt, but subsequently emerged from it when his career re-established itself later on, but not to its former 'glory', and a quick scan through his obituary revealed that he was making films right up to his last hour, it is said that he died just before his scenes were due to be shot.

From what I have read nothing is said on whether he had a faith of any sorts, but I doubt that living such a fast, full and busy life that he gave much thought to The Way. It is marvelous that you can have everything, and yet at the last have nothing! likewise the reverse is true! Paul said; I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, but do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. Phil. 3.8. Unregenerate men and women can only see what is tangible and it is through their own lust that they desire what the world has on offer, and the Scripture compares Reynolds and his ilk with that of a flower..the grace of the fashion of it perisheth; so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. Jam. 1.11. What are the wealth and trappings of the world to be compared with Christ? and what does He say on this wise?  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matt. 16.26. Though God in His wisdom and providence gives men earthly riches, fame, and glory; His riches are unsearchable! read Eph.3.8. They cannot be found, lest one be born of the Spirit. Jn. 3.8; and that only through hearing by the word of God, Rom. 10.17, nevertheless, all that the world has to offer is not of the Father, but is of the world, 1 Jn. 2.15-17, yet, He is upholding all things by the word of His power. Heb. 1.3 (my emphasis).

I cannot know for certain where Reynolds is now, though, no doubt he does, though from what I have read, I have a very good idea. Would any dare to say such a one hadn't, at any time, heard the Gospel of Christ?

He really did have it all, all the world could offer! yet without Christ, a man will, at the last day have nothing, and in fact, a whole lot worse  than nothing.

The world rulers of the darkness of this world.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph. 6.12. (heavenly places RV)

On page 128-129 of THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS (a verse by verse exposition) F.F. Bruce writes;

"The appearance of Christ on earth was the signal for an unprecedented outburst of activity on the part of the realm of darkness controlled by these world-rulers, as though they knew a mortal threat was being presented to their dominion."

Who then, are the world rulers of the darkness of this world? The RV renders the word high to be heavenly in this verse, which though both versions give the thought of these world rulers being high above us, the AV might, on its own, lead us to the conclusion that we are wrestling only against earthly governmental power. Satan is variously called the prince of this world, Jn. 12.31, the god of this world, 2 Cor. 4.4, the deceiver of the whole world, Rev. 12.9 (RV), and *the prince of the power of the air, Eph. 2.2, these titles reliably inform us that the whole world is under the sway of the evil one, 1 Jn. 5.19 (RV). But, the heavenly places (RV), where exactly does that realm extend to above us? It must be limited to the domain in which man has his existence, in the first heavens; the air in which we breath, up to, and beyond where the clouds exist. This must be the case, for Satan has been cast down to the earth, (down from the realm high above where the holy angels serve God, exist), see Rev. 12.8-9. Satan's minions were also cast down with him. Rev. 12.9 (RV) Also Jn. 12.31 tells us **Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. The Lord said I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Lk. 10.18. (some believe that the Lord was here describing Satan's original fall at the dawn of time). Paul said to the Romans, the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. Rom. 16.20. Did he mean back then? For obviously Satan had been defeated by the cross, yet, the night is far spent, and the day is at hand. Rom. 13.12. The Day of the Lord is coming  upon us, when Satan will be under your feet, deep down in the bottomless pit. Rev. 20.3 for the duration of Christ's Day on earth! Many believe that Rev. 12. 8-9 is yet future, and the earthly scene pertaining to this event will yet be, but we should remember that the unseen spirit world is not regulated by time, that time is a parenthesis that will cease to exist. When the angels were created they instantly became immortal, outside of time, as it were, be they holy or fallen, likewise with man; though the body dies through Adam's fall, the soul nevertheless, is immortal: And will receive the resurrection of life, or in the case of the wicked, the resurrection of damnation, Jn. 5.29. Of the great defining Moment of all His-story it is said; which things the angels desire to look into 1 Pet. 1.12. Is it any wonder? The Creator descending down to the world to save SINNERS,1 Tim. 1.15! (my emphasis). Angels and mankind have an intimate, irresistible, and inextricable parallel relationship/existence that many fail to discern. In the resurrection we will be as the angels of God in heaven. Matt. 22.30, and the opposite is true for the non-elect of humanity and fallen angels alike, for their lot will be in the lake of fire, Rev. 20. 10-15. Christ's elect shall judge angels, 1 Cor. 6.3, quite a thought! Though the angels excel in strength, Ps. 103.20, and have attributes we can but wonder at (as taught through their manifestations throughout the Scriptures), it is only through redemption that we will be elevated to sit in judgment over them.

But, how do these events happen in eternity yet manifest themselves in time? It is said that one day is with the Lord, as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 2 Pet. 3.8, and I believe the same must apply to the unseen spirit world where the angels, demons and departed humankind currently reside. Using 2 Pet.3.8 & Ps. 90.4 as our yardstick, we may say that the Saviour hasn't yet gone 48 hours without drinking of the fruit of the vine. Matt. 26.29! Similarly, the souls of them that were slain for the word of God in Rev.6.9, those martyred saints at the time of the Reformation, have been awaiting recompense for 12 hours, the martyred OT prophets barely 48-100 hours and so on. Yet the impression we are given in Rev. 6.10 would seem to imply, that they were in for a long wait, for they said, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? This question would, I assume, have been asked upon entry into paradise, to which the answer was given; a little time (RV, my emphasis). Time has no meaning in eternity, so I believe, for the here and now will always be! But, at the present when we are shackled to time it is hard to put the 'square peg' of time into the 'round hole' of eternity. As a child, I used to watch Dr Who, who was also known as the 'Time Lord', this fictional character fascinated me, as he had control over time! Zapping to and fro, from past to future and back to past all at a whim in an instant! As fictional as this nonsense most assuredly is, nevertheless, it is strange how "truth is stranger than fiction" as the saying goes! (Mark Twain). 

Regarding the world rulers of the darkness of this world, they are obviously earthly powers, authorities, governments, and principalities that have given themselves over to Satan, for in the Lord's absence, his citizens hated him, and sent him a message after him saying, we will not have this man to reign over us. Lk. 19.14. But, surely His citizens are flesh and blood? As individuals, no doubt they are, but collectively they take on a faceless persona as indeed all institutions inevitably do when they increase in size. Try and communicate with the Civil Service, HMRC, GCHQ, HM Police etc, and you will know! Even the 'local' bank is now centralized! Many High Street branches continue to be sold off. I remember when I started in business my Lloyds Bank manager (after being impressed with my first two years trading accounts) saying "if you need an overdraft, I'll give you up to £50k, and if you need to go beyond just give me a ring." It was personal, does this exist anymore? Without exception, all the institutions, including the state churches (and others!) will not have this man to reign over us. There was a time in this nation when many institutions had a Christian bias, but such is now the apostasy. Satan's spiritual wickedness, through his subtlety, wiliness, and charm has now practically claimed the ***seven mountains (Rev. 17.9) for his own, it is only a matter of time before his man of sin (2 Thess. 2.3) comes to rule over them. At this juncture, I would say; if as individuals we bend 'just a little' from what some would consider to be our rigidity to be followers of the Lord Jesus, who knows ^where we would end up? (read Dt. 5.32-33, Prov. 4.27, Is. 30.21, Jer. 31.33-34, 1 Cor. 5.6 etc). Few Christians with a level of discernment would deny that Satan is now in total control of our state education system where children from the age of five or less are now taught the new norms, perhaps the worst being; that you can select whatever gender you please for yourself, and the voices of protest, even among unbelievers ever seem to get drowned out. The satanic LGBT agenda is backed by HM Govt, and woe betide if you challenge it! many MP's even if they are not 'gay' accept the new norms, those that speak against it, have invariably backed down, such is the power (Satan) behind it all.

So when we are in battle as it were with the spiritual wickedness in heavenly places, we are not fighting actual demons per se, (as some think!) but the wickedness that has developed as a result of the powers that be, apostatizing from God, for the powers that be are ordained of God; Rom. 13.1.
Many Christians blame Satan and demons for their ills, forgetting that every man is drawn drawn away of his own lust. Jam. 1.14 (my emphasis). Satan's spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience (Eph. 2.2) is not some tangible ethereal thing that takes possession of a body as it were, it is just that if man chooses to walk contrary to God's word, then by definition he has that spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

*The air is the place that man can breathe in, too high above and the air apparently becomes very thin and he will die for lack of oxygen/air. The region below this imaginary line above (wherever it is) is Satan's kingdom.


**Those in opposition to Christ's pre-millennial Coming say that the now in this verse is the emphatic word, and indeed, I agree with them.

***The seven mountains are what the seven heads are to the Beast in Rev.13 - all the ruling systems of the world - the sources of authority. B.W. Newton (Facts of prophetic Scripture, Daniel & Revelation).

^Some get a little confused here. Many think that those who hold to biblical pre-destination/election aka Calvinism etc, are fatalists! That we wallow around in our security, that we are robots and such like, no! we believe in personal responsibility, we make choices, and that as we grow in grace, knowledge and truth we will be ever more sanctified, meet for heaven. Nevertheless we will never be perfect this side of the resurrection! not like those in the so-called Higher Life Movement/Keswick Pentecostal Perfectionists!

THE BELIEVER'S TREASURY

THE CLERGY

 It is said that by long usage people get accustomed to anything; and no doubt it is this "long usage" that has so accustomed many of God's people to certain heresies, that these are held as "truth" which must not be questioned. Take, for example, the word clergy. In the religious world that term is used to describe a certain select class in the Church - or, at least, supposed to be in the Church. In fact, the religious world, by universal consent, has divided the Church into two classes, namely, the clergy, and the laity.

 The clergy are held to be the privileged few, who are alone warranted to assume "ministerial functions" - who do all the preaching, who control public praise and prayer, and who alone are deemed duly qualified to baptize, and "dispense the elements" at the Communion. They are reckoned far above the laity.Between them and the laity a great gulf is fixed. The laity are taught that they themselves are only "ordinary believers"! The clergy are viewed as so eminently superior that a special garb is assumed in order to give emphasis to the distinction, while a special title ("reverend," "very reverend,"  "right reverend,"  & c., & c.) is prefixed to their name, to let it be known beyond a doubt that they belong to the clergy.

 Now, the simple question arises here - "Is it in accordance with the revealed mind of God that His people should be thus divided into two classes-clergy and laity?" The answer is an emphatic No. There is not such a thing revealed in the Scriptures of Truth. But is there nothing about clergy in the Scriptures? Assuredly there is. We find the kleros (the clergy) referred to in 1 Pet. v.3, where the word is translated heritage, and, significantly enough, the elders whom Peter is addressing are warned not to lord it over God's heritage, which comprise all the people of God. This is instructive and conclusive. It clears the ground of a great deal of the dust of tradition which is associated in many minds with the high-sounding title, clergy.

 If you will have the term clergy, you must apply it to every saint on earth, else you will not be in the current of God's thoughts on this point. He never divided His clergy (His people) into two classes; and we may surely say, "What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." But man has put them asunder. Man found it desirable to establish a select few in ministerial functions; and, to invest the order with a kind of Scriptural authority, they took from God's people a title which He had given to them all, and they have appropriated it as the exclusive title of a few. Believers have been so long taught they are "only the laity," and not the clergy, that many of them actually believe that these distinctions are due to a divine arrangement. This lets us see how completely the Word of God is sometimes set aside by the traditions of men. It is thus clear that such a distinction as "clergy and laity" is utterly opposed to Scripture; while everything  that tends to emphathise that distinction must be as completely opposed to the mind of God.

 It may be asked, Why did the translators not give "clergy" as the rendering of the word in 1 Pet. v.3 - giving an English form to the original word, in the same way as they did the word they translated baptize? Simply because the word has already been Englicised  and appropriated by the "clergy"for their own exclusive use;  and, if they had given clergy as the rendering, believers would have said, "Then it is we who are the clergy after all!" This would have let the people of God know too much! Nevertheless, they are awaking up to their privileges as "God's clergy" - the true clergy - the only clergy recognised  by the Scriptures. The grave-clothes of tradition are being thrown off; and not a few, bound, lo! these many years, by laws, which God never made, are discovering their birth-right privileges. Here and there numbers of the clergy of 1 Pet. v. are arising to the dignity of their calling, are repudiating distinctions which are opposed to the revealed will of God, and are gathering in the one great Name of the Lord Jesus, to offer unto Him the sacrifice of praise.

 We gladly admit that among clergymen there are to be found good men and true, according to their light - men who have proved themselves to be able ministers of Jesus Christ. But this does not justify the existence of an order called "clergy" within the precincts of the Christian Church. And these ministers would have been no less able to men of God although they had repudiated the "clergy" heresy, and simply taken their stand as servants of Jesus Christ. It is well known that a few of the most eminent preachers of modern times have refused the titles and peculiarities of the clerical position; and we have yet to learn that they have thereby weakened their power as servants of the Lord. No true loss can be sustained in honouring God; and there can be no real gain, either to the Church or the world, in fostering the class distinction of clergy and laity - a thing utterly opposed to the Scriptures of Truth. Let us pray that the true clergy - the blood bought people of God - may, in increasing numbers arise to the dignity of their calling, and stand alone by that which will stand the light of God.

Page 529-531 THE BELIEVER'S TREASURY No 169 September 1896 Vol. XI.

I copied verbatim, the above excellent article from the aforementioned publication. It is a wonder that those who would call themselves mature Christians will still sit under the teachings of men (and women!) with flattering titles, most especially in the Roman and Anglican Churches. Of these Nicolaitan institutions that would lord it over us, God says of their works which I also hate, Rev. 2.6 & 15.

The apostolic Christian Church would meet in the church that is in their house (my emphasis) Rom. 16.5, 1 Cor. 16.19, Col. 4.15, Phile. 1.2. The Lord rounded on those who elevated the tradition of men above God's commandments, see Matt. 15.1-6, Mark 7. 3-13.

We would also do well to remind those who errantly think that all was well and good in the apostolic Christian meeting houses, that there were those back then which caused divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 16. 17-18. And, They went out from us, but they were not of us. 1 Jo. 2.19 etc.