Jottings

by N/A | Category: Jottings | May 1950

This is undoubtedly an age of reading. One can quite conceive that much that is printed is never read, except, perhaps, by the writer and the proof reader, Corning through New York, and having some hours to wait at a New York station until the time for the departure of our train, we bougbt a copy of one of the papers at the bookstall. It ran into the fantastic number of 64 pages. Sixty four pages of pictures and closely printed newspaper type. One felt wearied before one began to look upon this conglomeration of tliings (shall we call them?) good, bad and indifferent. Certainly it would have been a task tbat would have taken a person the better part of the week with a large measure of spare time to have read all that was dished up for the weary-eyed reader. Much that is printed can never be read. One sees readers pick up large magazines in train and bus, and scan the pages, with what can be no more than a most supedicial look.

Besides the modern trash there are some books that will well repay the Christian reader for many hours of thoughtful reading. Amongst such I would place that book, "Foxe's Book of Martyrs." As a young Christian I devoured the moving accounts of the faithful men and women of Britain, both English and Scotch, who faithfully stood against the deceptions of Rome in their day. Many of these endured the agonizing death of being burnt at the stake. The fires of Smithfield were often kindled to burn the bodies of living saints, and all this systematic and legalized murder was carried out to forward the cause of Christ according to Rome's teaching. Where in all the acebunt of the life of Christ did the Lord cause to be put to death any one who did not accept what He taught?

But Rome sent mere boys and girls to the stake and had them burned to ashes' because they believed in Christ and would not accept the teaching of the Roman Mass, her confessional, the value of candles, and of ashes on Ash Wednesday, and many other unscriptural practices. Rather would those boys and girls, those men and women, suffer the most agonizing tortures than submit their consciences to the lies of this lying system.

Rome is stretching out her hand again to those who are deemed to be Protestants. Many may believe in "the confession of faith" who have no faith to confess, and when men sleep Rome creeps out of her lair like a wild beast to destroy men's religious liberty so dearly bought by faithful men in past days. This cruel and implacable tyrant comes~with chains and fetters to enslave men with her religion of fear. She claims power that the apostles never dreamed of. She created purgatory and claims power over this place of fearful torment. Fortunately for her dupes there is not and never was such a place. She claims to have power over the gate of heaven supposing that the gate of the kingdom of heaven is the same as heaven. A slight consideration of the subject of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew's Gospel will show that the kingdom of heaven is not heaven. Heaven's kingdom is on earth, not in heaven at all.

Foxe's Book of Martyrs will show the reader what Rome really is and what she would do again if she had the power that she once had. She can still persecute, though perhaps not at the moment as she did in the days of the martyrs. Rome is not converted; let men know this, and let them be careful that they do not listen to the spider as she sits in her web and invites the unwary to visit Jesus Christ on her altars. Some want Jesus Christ, but He is not to be found on the altars of Rome in the form of a piece of bread. A piece of bread is not Jesus Christ, never was nor could be. No Romish priest has the power to create Jesus Christ out of a piece of bread. It was bread before the priest spoke and bread after the priest has spoken. What the Lord took was bread and wine, and it remained bread when the Lord Hirnseff had spoken, and of bread His disciples ate.

J.M.

We wrote very briefly a little while ago on the idolatry of the Roman Catholic Mass. Great efforts are being made to woo unwary Protestsints into the Fold of the Romish Church. In Canada Rome is coming out boldly and advertislng itself in the Press. The following is an extract from one of such advertisements :"Many will enter the church at any hour of the day to visit Jesus Christ

present on the altar, mindful of His invitation: 'Come to Me, all you who labor

and are burdened, and I will give you rest.'"

This is the old evil and pernicious doctrine of Transubstantiation, that the bread used in the Mass becomes the real and literal body of Christ which was born of the Virgin Mary, and that hung on the Cross of Calvary. Many English martyrs died by being burned at the stake because they would not accept this lie of Romish priesteraft. They even burnt mere boys because such boys had been enlightened by the treth of the gospel and would not accept the doctrine ot the real presence of Christ in the sacrament of the altar, as it is ealled. Thomas Drowry, a blind boy of the city of Gloucester, a lad only 15 years of age, was burned at the stake in that city because he refused to accept the idolatry of the Romish Mass. He was asked by Dr. Willlams the Chancellor, "Dost thou believe that after the words of consecration spoken by the priest, there rernaineth the very real body of Christ in the sacrament of the altar?" The boy held that the sacrament was to be received spiritually by faith, and not carnally as the Papists taught He was thereupon condemned to be burned, which was duly carried out, and this mere boy, a poor blind lad, was burned along with a working man, a bricklayer, of the name of Thonnas Croker. This took place, this legalized murder, on the 5th May, 1555.

Has Rome chan~ed in all these years? Not one whit! And all will do well to observe this wolf in sheep's clothing as it comes out again and speaks of many meeting Jesus Christ whom they say is present in a piece of dough that has been baked in an oven. They say of this dough that it came from the womb of the Virgin Mary. Can it be so? Just let the reader think of the thousands of Roman Catholic churches. On each of the altars of these churches there is the reserved elements of the wafer of the Mass. This they say is the real Jesus Christ that once lived and died here on earth and then ascended to the right hand of God, where He now sits and where He was seen by Stephen the first Christian Martyr (Acts 7.56). If all these wafers were gathered together from all Romish Churches there would be enough dough to naske a statue as big as the Statue of Liberty at New York harbour.

But why should all this lying about a bread-god be foisted upon people? The reason is not far to seek. The Devil, the deceiver of the whole world, sowed tares among the wheat (Matthew 13. 2~8O, 86-48). The tares are tl'e product of a spurious gospel; that is, no gospeL Rome's gospel is one which will bring the curse of God 'ipen all who accept it (see Galatians 1.9), and those who preach it. The Devil will send men away from the real Christ to that which is not Christ. Christ is not on Romish altars. He is on the throne of God in heaven. The Scriptures are most emphatic on the point: "When He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10.12, 1.8, Mark 16.19, Romans 8.84, etc). Christ made one sacrifice once for all that does not need to be repeated, but Romish priests continue to make lying sacrifices, that are no sacrifices, for the Scriptures are quite clear, that apart from the shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9.22), and there is no blood-shedding at the altars of Rome, hence there can be no remission. We ask again, who is behind all this lying and deception? None other than the father of lies, the old serpent, the Devil!

The Devil will maize salvation by hunan works instead of by faith alone, and he will send men to Rome's altars instead of by faith to the Cross of Calvary. Salvation is not by eating Jesus Christ in the mouth and swallowing Him into the stomach, but He is received by faith in the heart. Christ said, "I ain the Bread of Life: He that cometh to Me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst" (John 6.85). He also said, "He that believeth bath eteraal life," and again, "He that eateth My flesh and duinketh My blood hath eternal life" (John 6.47, 54). Quite clearly from these scriptures, coming and believing are the same a', eating and drinking. When one comes to Christ believing He receives Hirn, and Christ dwells in the heart by faith.

N/A | May 1950
Jottings