The Present Truth, vol. 10
June 14, 1894
“How to Oppose the Papacy” The Present Truth 10, 24, p. 375.
THE secret of the great advantage that the Papacy holds is that peculiar “policy” by which she can so fully and constantly “cause craft to prosper” in her hand. She is such a perfect mistress of every kind of deceitful invention that there is no kind of human working that can successfully contend with her. To attempt to oppose her by any kind of crafty method is not only to be so far just like her, but at the last to find yourself so far outdone in craftiness as to be made ashamed that you ever tried it. To attempt that you ever tried it. To attempt opposition to her now by any political or governmental method, even though it be right, is to find yourself at such an immense disadvantage as to make all such effort practically useless. PTUK June 14, 1894, page 375.1
What shall be done? Shall we sit still and do nothing?—No, no. We are to be more active, and do more than ever before. How then shall it be done?—There is one way to do it, and only one. That is with the word of God, the everlasting Gospel. This method gives to him who employs it every advantage of position and of power over the Papacy and all her workings. PTUK June 14, 1894, page 375.2
It gives every advantage in position, because the Papacy knows nothing of the Gospel, and in contending with him who uses that method only, she is all at sea. It gives every advantage in power, because the Gospel itself is the power of God, and in contending with him who depends upon the power of God, and is allied to it only, the Papacy is impotent. PTUK June 14, 1894, page 375.3
This is the true Christian way, this is the true Protestant way, to oppose the Papacy; and in this way there is no such thing as defeat or failure; for what seems to be failure is victory, and what appears to be defeat is triumph. This has been closely and abundantly proved in history. PTUK June 14, 1894, page 375.4
This is true of the time of Luther and the rise of Protestantism. So long as Protestants held faithfully to the Gospel alone, and depended only upon its power, the Papacy which then possessed all the power of Europe, was powerless before them. Martin Luther, the chief and leader of the opposition to the Papacy in that day, was attacked with all the power, cunning, and craft, of the Papacy; by the published decree of the emperor in behalf of “holy Church,” he was outlawed in all Europe, and everybody was commanded, under penalty of treason, to take him and deliver him up, and receive the reward due to so good a work. Yet for all this the Papacy was unable ever to lay a hand on him or do him harm, and he died at last peaceably and in his bed, an everlasting victor over all the power of the Papacy; and, living and dying, a proof to all the world of what a man can do in opposition to the Papacy, who depends upon the Gospel alone and is allied to the power of God only. PTUK June 14, 1894, page 375.5
And so long as Protestantism was faithful in its allegiance to the Gospel and the power of God only, so long the tide of the Reformation swept irresistibly onward. But the moment this allegiance was slackened, this tide was checked; and as this allegiance lessened, the tide was reversed. But the Gospel has not ceased. The word of God is not bound. The power of God is not slack toward those who believe. The everlasting Gospel abides, and is to be preached with the attendance of the power of God in such measure as the world has never seen, and which is to accomplish indeed what Luther longed to see—the complete overthrow and engulfing of the Papacy and all her abominations. PTUK June 14, 1894, page 375.6
A. T. JONES.