CHAPTER XIV. FIVE CONCLUSIONS.

THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF PROTESTANTISM INVOLVED IN PRESENT ISSUES.

Protestants must Accept the Bible in _Fact_, as well as in Theory, or be Overthrown--The Bible must be Reinterpreted in the Light of “Higher Criticism” and Deeper Spiritual Life--The Present Tendencies in Bible Study Mark the Opening of the Second Stage of the Protestant Movement--Baptism must Cease to be the Foot-Ball of Denominational Polemics and be Raised to a Question of Obedience to the Example of Christ--Protestants must Return to the Sabbath, Christianized by Christ, and to True Sabbathism, Which is as Undenominational as Faith--Such Sabbathism, and God’s Sabbath, must be Restored to the Place from Which Pagan No-Sabbathism and the Pagan Sunday Drove Them--“Sabbath” Legislation is Unchristian--All Union of Christianity with the State must Yield before the Normal Development of True Protestantism.

The facts which have been set forth in the foregoing pages form the basis for certain important conclusions. Unconsciously perhaps, but not less certainly, the Protestant movement was the beginning of a definite reaction against paganism in Christianity. Since humanity must learn all higher truth through long and sometimes bitter experience, errors and evils must ripen before those who have once accepted them will let them go. All great upward movements illustrate this fact. Reformatory action begins when error reaches so low a point that the best interests involved are confronted with strangulation and destruction. When the slow-beating heart threatens the death of the sleeping patient, nature arouses all her forces in a final struggle for life. Thus truth, stifled and trodden under foot by the pagan elements in the Church, awoke for the final struggle as the morning began to dawn, after the ages of midnight.

(1) Reinstatement of the Bible.

As the first step in perverting Christianity was to set aside the authority of God’s book, and to teach error for truth through false exegesis, so the first step toward reformation was the unchaining of that Word. Paganized Christianity had placed itself between men and God, and His Word. Faith, hedged and crippled, trusted in human traditions, forms, and ceremonies, and in priestly absolution from sin. Help could not come, neither could hope arise, until the pagan elements should be so far removed that men could stand face to face with the Bible, with Christ, and with God. Hence the central points in the first stage of the reformatory work were an open Bible, an accessible Christ, and a Father whose law was the ultimate appeal, and whose love was the ultimate source of hope and the foundation of faith. The upward movement started on the same plane of fundamental truth on which the downward movement began. Hence the first struggle, under Luther, centred around personal faith.

But it was in the nature of things that men whose inheritance had come from the centuries made dark and religiously corrupt through pagan residuum, could not rise above all these influences at once.

Though the leaders in such movements build better than they know, their work is always comparatively imperfect. The intensity with which they must pursue a single truth in order to make any progress, prevents them from seeing all truth. This the more, since the public mind, at such times, cannot grasp and hold more than one great truth at a time. The reformers could not wholly free themselves from the idea that “tradition and custom” have authority. They did not actually accept the Bible as the _only rule_ of faith and practice. Protestantism has never done this. As between Protestantism and Romanism, from which it revolted, there can be no middle or common ground. The Roman Catholic claims that the Church made the Bible, and formulated authoritative traditions, and hence that the Church, as law-maker and interpreter of the Bible, is the supreme authority. The Protestant begins by denying the authority of the Church, and appealing to the Bible as the ultimate authority. Logic and history combine to declare that Protestantism must make its theory good, or fail. Hence we draw

_Conclusion First._

_Protestantism must fully accept the Bible as the ultimate and only standard of faith and practice, or it must be broken between the upper millstone of Roman Catholicism and the nether millstone of irreligious rationalism._

The years are ripe for decision. The backward drift toward Roman Catholicism and rationalism has well set in. The loss already sustained by Protestantism, though an incomplete movement, can be regained only by prompt and vigorous action.

These conclusions relative to the future of Protestantism, having been published in a magazine edited by the author of this book, _The Sabbath Outlook_, were commented upon by the _Catholic Mirror_, Baltimore, under date of March 19, 1892, as follows:

“_Will ‘Scriptural Simplicity’ Save Protestantism?_”

“This development of Christianity--assumed to be pagan and, therefore, corrupt--is naturally cause of much anxiety to Christian people who so regard it. We have said a few words to show how groundless is this concern. But the power and extent of the development gives most trouble. It is seen that the Catholic Church holds the key to the present position; and so Christians are warned that they must return to ‘the simple truths of the New Testament,’ if they would not yield to the development. One of these people, a clear-headed, consistent Protestant, commenting upon Harnack’s researches, boldly proclaims: ‘Protestantism must go back of these Gnostic speculations and rebuild Christian faith and practice on the New Testament records of the first century, or remain hopelessly weak in its efforts to overcome the tide of Roman Catholic influence and history.’ He adds: ‘This is a vital truth which Protestantism must recognize and act upon promptly, or the next century will witness its crushing defeat between the forces of Roman Catholicism, Irreligious Rationalism, and Worldliness.’

“There is a striking admission in this note of alarm. ‘Roman Catholic influence and history’ is the tide setting in with overwhelming power. The warning is clear and strong. There is no uncertain sound.

“It goes without saying that we can have no pleasure (God forbid!), but only sadness in imagining the ‘crushing defeat’ of our Christian brethren by ‘irreligious rationalism’ or ‘worldliness.’ We will not apply the term ‘defeat’ to their being brought to see the truth and submit themselves to the Catholic Church. We are wondering just now whether there is any practical good in the warning given them; whether it is at all likely that Protestantism will ever go back to what are called ‘the simple truths of the New Testament.’ We don’t believe it will, or can.

“When it is considered what the Protestantism of to-day is,--how much it has learned of the Church idea,--the Catholic idea,--it may be seen how useless it is to expect any such thing. To begin with, all or the immense majority of Protestants, in the simple matter of accepting the change from the Sabbath to the Sunday--from the last to the first day of the week,--quietly admit an extra-scriptural authority, the authority of the Church. Chillingworth’s famous maxim, ‘The Bible only, the religion of Protestants,’ leaves this item at least out of the calculation. All unwittingly our separated brethren are here acting upon a Catholic principle, which does not deny or do away Scripture, but makes the Rule of Faith to consist of _Scripture and_--something else--even _Tradition_; and by this principle the ever-living voice of the Church speaks with an authority always equal to that of the written revelation, and sometimes apparently transcending it.”

The issue is not one of mere name, or of denominationalism, or of “Church” against “sects.” It is, as said above, a question of the _reinstatement of the Bible_ as the supreme rule of Protestant Christianity. The Protestant movement began in that issue. There can be no Protestantism outside of it. If it be not true, Protestantism is a failure. If it be true, Protestantism cannot remain where it is and survive. If it be not true, Romanism has the logical and historical right to the field. It is master of the situation, and its expectation that erring Protestants will return to “The Mother Church,” or wander hopelessly away from Christianity, will be realized in less time than Protestantism has already existed. These facts challenge the attention of all parties. They sound the same key as do the words of Professor Harnack, spoken in July, 1889. I said to him: “Will the Protestantism of the next century be more spiritual than now, or less?” He answered, “It will be more spiritual, or it will die.” I continued: “If it dies, what will be the next scene in church history?” He said: “Roman Catholicism will take possession of the world as a new form of paganism.” These are not the words of an alarmist, nor a sectarian polemist; they are the legitimate deductions made by a careful student of universal history. Will you ponder them?

(2) Biblical Interpretation; Higher Criticism.

Whoever has read the chapters on gnosticism, and the allegorical method of interpreting the Bible, and has traced the influence of these pagan elements upon the history of biblical interpretation, cannot fail to see God’s guiding hand in the movements of the last half of this century. The revival of Bible study, the development of the “International Lessons,” the call for something yet better, and the growth of exegetical literature form an epoch not less important, though less noisy, because less political, than the rise of Lutheranism, the development of Calvinism, or the birth of the English Reformation. The last half of this century has witnessed what no other century ever saw, the beginning of a systematic study of the Bible by the people. Such an epoch could not do less than create the “higher criticism.” That phase of this Bible-study epoch is as legitimate a result as the “Diet at Worms” was of Luther’s revolt, or as Puritanism was of the English Reformation. Therefore:

_Conclusion Second._

_Biblical study and biblical interpretation, including “Higher Criticism,” are ushering in the second great feature of the Protestant movement._

Luther and his coadjutors unchained the Bible and opened its pages. They did not, could not, eliminate traditional authority and influence from its exegesis. Traditionalism was largely pagan. It had held sway for centuries, and is yet regnant in many ways. All past exegesis needs retrial in the fires of a devout criticism. That criticism must introduce Christ’s norm,--“By their fruits ye shall know them.” Pour exegetical and theological traditionalism into that crucible. Heat it in the fires of the best and most devout scholarship. Let brave hearts and careful hands take away the dross, fearless as to consequences. The Bible and Protestantism are both on trial in the closing years of the nineteenth century. There need be no fear as to final results if Protestants are true and firm. If they are not, the closing years of the twentieth century will sit in sackcloth at the open grave of a Christianity which began the elimination of paganism well, but had not the bravery, and therefore the strength, to finish the work.

(3) Concerning Baptism.

The paramount question touching the residuum which came in from pagan water-worship does not lie primarily in the _mode_ of baptism; although historically, logically, and symbolically there were no _modes_ of baptism until they were brought in by paganism. Paganism immersed, affused, sprinkled. It immersed once, or three times. In the use of holy water it sprinkled repeatedly and indefinitely. According to the New Testament, baptism is submersion, as the symbol of death to sin and resurrection to righteousness. All beyond that was pagan-born.

The central point of the evil which came from pagan water-worship is found in “baptismal regeneration”; _i. e._, the idea that by virtue of the power and sacredness of water spiritual purity is produced, and the candidate is fitted for membership in the Church, and for heaven. In so far as this idea remains, paganism remains. The most prominent examples of this residuum which now survive are found in the use of “holy water,” in the theory that an unconscious infant to which water has been applied as a religious ceremony, is thereby made a member of the organic church, and its future salvation thus assured; in the idea, still held by some, that “regeneration” takes place only in connection with immersion; and in the general idea that baptism is a “saving ordinance.”

_Conclusion Third._

_The core of the question of baptism, as of salvation through faith, is obedience, conformity to the example of Christ; hence it does not follow that he who remains unbaptized, when thus remaining does not involve the spirit of disobedience and neglect, may not enter the kingdom of heaven._

(4) Sabbathism.

The Sabbath question is not merely “one of days.” The fundamental conception centres around the fact that _God must come to men in sacred time_. Eternity is an attribute of God, and the measured portion we call “time” is the point where God and man come together as Creator and created. It is here that we “live in Him.” Scriptural and extra-scriptural history show that man has always felt the need of communion with God, through sacred time, and that God has always sought to meet this want. Physical rest is not the primary idea of the Sabbath. It is only a means to higher ends, namely, communion with God, religious culture, and spiritual development. But since time is also the essence of human existence, so far as activities and duties are concerned, and since the use men make of time determines the character of each human life, specific sacred time which shall represent God, and draw men to Him, becomes an essential part of God’s moral and religious government for man. The Sabbath finds its origin in God’s desire and purpose to aid and culture men in holiness, and in man’s need of God, and spiritual communion. Incidentally, and subordinately, the Sabbath is also a physical blessing to man. But its primal, central thought is religious, and the physical good depends largely on the motive for resting. The Fourth Commandment embodies these deeper principles, and is God’s law concerning the Sabbath. The authority of the law is found in the reasons and necessities which lie back of it.

The Jews had never attained, or had lost sight of this higher law of the Sabbath, and had reduced its observance to unmeaning formalities and useless burdens. Christ brushed all these away, and glorified and established the Sabbath, enlarging and making it a blessing instead of a bondage. He taught His followers how to consider and observe it, by His example and His words.

Paganism, filled with anti-Jewish prejudices against the authority of the Old Testament, gave no heed to Christ’s teachings concerning the Sabbath, but proclaimed that it was a “Jewish institution with which Christians had nothing to do.” Borne on the waves of this false theory, Sunday, and its associate pagan days, gradually drove the Sabbath out. The Sunday of the Dark Ages, and the “Continental Sunday” of to-day, are the necessary results. So far as paganized Christianity could do it, sabbathism was slain and buried. A remnant, the denominational progenitors of the present Seventh-day Baptists, refused to accept the pagan theory, and remained true to the Sabbath through all the changes, from the Apostles to the English Reformation. They were not always organized, but they kept the light burning. In that Reformation the Seventh-day Baptists came to the front, demanding a recognition of the authority of the Fourth Commandment, and a return to the observance of the Sabbath. Opposed to them, Roman Catholics and Episcopalians continued to assert that the customs and traditions of the Church formed the highest authority in the matter of Sabbath keeping. Between these two the Puritan party sought a compromise, and invented the theory (first propounded by Nicholas Bownde, in 1595 A.D.) that the commandment, being yet binding, might be transferred to the Sunday. This Puritan compromise has been tested, its fictitious sacredness has gone, and much in the present state of the Sunday question is the fruitage of that baseless compromise.

Sunday legislation, which, as we have seen in a former chapter, was pagan in conception and form, has continued, being made a prominent feature of the Puritan theory. At the present writing (1892) strenuous efforts are being made in the United States to save the failing fortunes of Sunday by a revival of Sunday laws. If, by any combination of efforts, this can be done, no permanent good will ensue. The verdict of history and the genius of Christ’s kingdom combine to declare that men cannot be made good by act of Parliament, nor be induced to keep any day sacred by the civil law. If the “rest day” alone be exalted, the result is holidayism, rather than Sabbath keeping. If the enforcement of the Sunday laws is pressed it will result in their repeal.

_Conclusion Fourth._

(a) _No day has ever been kept as a Sabbath except under the idea of divine authority._

(b) _Everything less than this promotes holidayism._

(c) _There is no scriptural and therefore no truly Protestant ground for Sunday observance._

The only alternative is a return to the observance of the Sabbath, the Seventh day, under the law of obedient love, such love as Christ had for the will of His Father; or to go down with the tide of No-Sabbathism, which, checked temporarily by the Puritan compromise, is now rushing on more wildly than before. The issue is at hand, _Christian Sabbathism and the Sabbath, or Pagan holidayism and the Sunday_. Culminating events demand that choice, and in the ultimate, _universal Sabbathism_.

(5) Christianity and the State.

Certain superficial investigators have claimed that the union of Christianity with the civil power was the outgrowth of the Hebrew theocratic idea. The claim is groundless. The theocracy was a State within the Church. The pagan theory, applied to Christianity under Constantine and his successors, gave a Church dominated by the State, and regulated, as to polity and faith, by civil law.

History has written some plain and pertinent verdicts concerning the relations which ought to exist between Christianity and the civil power. Every verdict emphasizes the truth of Christ’s words: “My kingdom is not of this world.” The relations between Christianity and the civil power which began under Constantine have worked incalculable harm to Christianity as a spiritual religion. Its political triumph was a most disastrous defeat which became a large factor in producing the subsequent centuries of decline and darkness. Better conceptions of civil government, and increasing civilization have improved the status of State Churches since the Reformation; but spiritual Christianity everywhere and always, is calling for “disestablishment.” It is a singular fact that in the United States, where there has been the nearest approach to religious liberty, we are confronted with two phases of religio-civil legislation which are now coalescing, and which, however well meant, partake more of the spirit of the ninth century than of the nineteenth, or of the New Testament. These movements are “National Reform,” which seeks to Christianize the nation by putting Christ’s name into the National Constitution; and the now popular Sunday-law movement. There are several points aimed at by the National Reform Association, such as divorce, gambling, etc., which are within the province of the civil law; but its primary aim, to secure legislation on all points covered by the Ten Commandments, is fundamentally pagan in concept and intent. The good men who are pressing the movement think that their theory of government is the true one, and that great good would come if it were adopted. But the verdict of every century since the pagan conception was introduced into Christianity, forbids belief in their scheme as a means of Christianizing the nation.

As to Sunday legislation we have seen that its origin was absolutely pagan, and that it has been destructive of true Sabbathism at all times. If the highest hopes of the present agitators could be realized; if the civil law should compel all citizens of the United States to rest on Sunday, every year of such a system would sink the people deeper into the slough of No-Sabbathism. The “Continental Sunday” is the product of a No-Sabbath theology, and civil Sunday-laws. The Sunday-law advocates seek the supremacy of an unscriptural Sabbathism, linked with Sunday by civil law. This has been fully tried, at a time when men had far more regard for Sunday as a sacred day than they have now. But with all things in its favor, the strength of youth, and the honest ignorance of the masses concerning its true character, the “Puritan Sunday” has returned to its original holidayism, in spite of Church and State combined. It could not do less, even if a fortuitous combination of influences should exalt it temporarily again. Religion and conscience are entitled to the protection of the civil law, without regard to creed or numbers. If immorality is practised in the name of religion, it may be suppressed as immorality. Beyond such protection the State may not go.

_Conclusion Fifth._

_All union of Church and State, or of Christianity and the State, is pagan-born, and opposed to the genius and purpose of Christ’s kingdom._

Last Words.

Whatever prepossessions or conceptions the reader may have brought to the perusal of these pages, he cannot finish them without seeing that much which has come down to us as “Christianity” is so tinctured with paganism that it does not fairly represent what Christ taught. The purity of the earliest Christianity was the source of its wondrous conquering power. After it was paganized, and united with the State, it continued to conquer, but by the sword rather than by the spirit of God. It is clear proof of the divine character of Christianity, that it was not wholly destroyed by its contact with paganism. It is surpassing proof of that same divine origin, that it could rise from the grave of the Dark Ages, with such vigor as produced the Reformation, and has carried that work to the point already gained. But in the crises that await it, in the solving of the problems which confront it, Protestant Christianity must realize that its specific mission is to complete the work of eliminating the pagan residuum, a work well begun by the Reformers, but which must be carried on to higher victories, or sink back to lower defeats. When the last stain of paganism is removed, the world will see a Christianity which will be primarily a _life of purity_, through love for God and truth and men, rather than a _creed_, embodying speculations about the unknowable and abstractions concerning the unsolvable. In such a Christianity, the Bible plainly interpreted, without allegory or assumption, and in the light of its own history, will hold the first place. The Sabbath, as God’s day, free from burdensome formalism, and filled with good works and spiritual culture, will be restored; and this recognition of it as God’s ever-recurring representative in human life will do much to bring in that universal Sabbathism towards which God is patiently leading his truth-loving children. The pagan Sunday, with its false claims, will be a thing of the past. Baptism as the symbol of entrance to Christ’s kingdom, through spiritual life and faith in Him, will be no longer the foot-ball of polemic strife, nor the many-formed image of pagan water-worship, nor the creator of a false standard of Church membership through “baptismal regeneration.” In that better day, the civil law will give all religion full protection and full freedom, without regard to majorities or creeds. It will neither oppose by persecution, nor control under the name of protection. The persecution of Jews in Russia, and useless efforts to make the world holy by act of Parliament, will pass away. To hasten that time, be it far or near, these pages go forth; and he who writes them will be thankful if they bear some part in freeing our holy religion from the poison of pagan residuum, and in giving that higher spiritual life, to the attainment of which all forms, ceremonies, times, and agencies ought to bring Christ-loving men.

INDEX.

A

Abespine, on use of “lights” at tombs, 264.

Achamoth, gnostic idea of, injected into N. T. exegesis, 45.

Alabaster, Henry, describes Brahmanic baptism, 93.

Allegorists, the “Fathers” as, 44.

Allegory, the mediator between philosophy and religion, 39; existed among the Greeks before the Christian era, 39; united paganism and Judaism, 39; corrupted the earliest methods of Scripture exegesis, 42; perverted the true doctrine of “inspiration,” 43; great influence of, on “Christian exegesis,” 46; destructive examples of, 49, 50; foolish application of, to clean and unclean food, 51, 52; unmeaning application of, to the “cross,” 53; much used by Augustine, 64, 65; prevailing influence in Scripture interpretation, after the second century, 66; used by Barnabas in combining pagan and Christian ideas concerning baptism, 133 _f_; destructive application of, to the Decalogue, 184 _f_.

Alzog, historian, describes the character of Constantine, 212.

Anointing, in baptism, borrowed from pagans, 123; use of, in baptism, as shown in apostolic constitutions, 138.

Antinomianism, wholly unscriptural, 166.

Anti-Sabbathism, appeared contemporaneously with Sunday observance, 159; wholly unscriptural, 166.

Apollo, the counterpart of Mithras and Baal, 156; the patron deity of Constantine, 219.

Apostolic Constitutions, teach pagan theories concerning baptism, 137 _f_.

Aringhus, on similarity between paganism and Roman Catholicism, 11.

Aruspices, Constantine’s law concerning, associated with his Sunday edict, 222.

Astarte, worship of, reproduced in worship of the “Virgin Mary,” 28; the worship of, at Rome, 199.

Augustine, influence of, on formation of Christian doctrines, 64; evil effect of allegorizing Scriptures by, 64, 65; describes corrupting influence of paganism on Christians, 224, 225; excessive superstition of, regarding miracles wrought by baptism, 258.

Aurelian, Emperor, “Triumph” of, 199; costly offerings to the Sun-god, 200.

Aztecs, baptism as practised by, 109 _f_.

B

Baal, the worship of, corrupted the Israelites, 156.

Baptism, character of, in the N. T., 71, 72; pagans sought spiritual purity by it, 77; mithraic and gnostic, 77; gnostics called it a “purifying fire,” 79; pagans initiated candidates to their “mysteries” by it, 82; by blood, a feature of mithraicism, 82; administered at death as a means of salvation, 83; performed for the dead, 83; associated with serpent worship, 85; pagan, in Egypt, 87; of young children in Thibet and Mongolia, 93; pagan, of the dying, 93; modern Buddhistic, 94 _f_; various forms of, in Oriental paganism, 97; an ancient Aryan rite, 103; pagan ideas and forms of, reproduced in the early Church, 128; pagano-Christian theories of, taught by Methodius, Clement of Alex., and others, 136; sign of the cross, and anointing connected with, 249; deemed invalid without sign of the cross upon the water and the candidate, 252; miracles said to be wrought by it, 253; believed to cure physical diseases, 255; delayed until near death, 256; “orientation” in connection with vows, 257; superstitious acceptance of miracles in connection with, 258 _f_; magical power of, 258; cancer, paralysis, and gout cured thereby, 258, 259; evil spirits exorcised by, 259; conclusions concerning, 290; pagan elements yet remaining in, 291; should be the symbol of new spiritual life, 300.

Baptists, seventh-day, prominent in English Reformation, 293.

Barnabas, closely allied to the Gnostics, 38; “Epistle” of, shows evil effect of allegorical interpretation, 43; foolish exegesis of Scripture by, 49; pagan fancies applied to the “cross,” and to baptism, by, 133 _f_.

Baronius, Cardinal, defends the transfer of pagan ceremonies to Christianity, 8; on “lights” used in worship, 263, 264.

Baur, F. C., describes influence of gnosticism on Christianity, 38.

Benares, city of, surrounded by sacred wells, 89.

Bible, the, written wholly by “Jews,” 177; must be more fully reinstated as the standard of Christian faith and practice, 283.

Bingham, Rev. Joseph, compares Sunday with other pagan festivals, 222; uses “Lord’s day” where it does not belong, 222, 223; on sign of the cross as an enchantment among Christians, 246 _f_; on “unction” and sign of the cross in baptism, 249; on baptism as a cure for disease, 255; on “delayed baptism,” 256; on “orientation” at baptism, 267.

Blake, W. W., the cross as a pagan “standard,” 241.

Blood, mithraic baptism in, 82; baptism in, practised by the ancient Germans and Norsemen, 100.

Blunt, Rev. John James, describes pagan use of human saliva as a “charm,” 124.

Boissier, Gaston, describes Constantine the Great, 205; describes Chi-Ro standard of Constantine, 245, _note_.

Bonwick, James, describes Egyptian baptism, 87.

Brock, Rev. Mourant, describes kinds of “holy water,” and how prepared, 148; quoted on pre-Christian cross in Mexico, 242.

Bryant, Jacob, describes pagan water-worship, 73.

Buddhistic baptism, described by Sir Monier-Williams, 94 _f_.

Bunsen, C. C. J., summarizes teachings of Apostolic Constitutions concerning baptism, 137 _f_.

“Buns,” hot cross, a remnant of pagan phallicism, 238 _f_.

Burmah, the “New Year” in, is a great water-worship festival, 95.

C

Centuries, the early ones often misjudged, 1.

Child, Mrs. Lydia M., describes Hindu baptism, 96 _f_.

Children, pagans named them at baptism, 100.

Choul, de, William, defends the transfer of paganism to Christianity, 9.

Christ, his resurrection allegorically foreshadowed in the deluge, 56; allegorically typified by a bullock, 63; the central character in both “dispensations,” 166; did not destroy the law, 167; taught full obedience to the Decalogue, 167, 168; resurrection of, not associated with Sunday observance, in the Bible, 173; did not rise from the grave on Sunday, 173; did not live and teach simply as a “Jew,” 176; his attitude toward civil power, 188; His kingdom, spiritual, 189.

Christianity, weakened in the work of reform, because corrupted, 6; deeply corrupted by pagan influence before the fifth century, 23; contrast between that of the N. T. and that of the fourth century, 31; first developed within the Jewish Church, 32; primarily and essentially a new life, born of love, 32; immensely changed in character under influence of Greek thought, 33; fundamentally corrupted through allegory, 48; passed a terrible ordeal when it became united with the State, 68, 196; first recognition by Roman law was not full toleration, 195; was controlled and regulated by civil law under Roman Empire, 195, 196; new era in history of, began with fourth century, 203; deeply corrupted by paganism, 231 _f_; united with the State, according to pagan theories, 295, 296; Christ forbade its union with the state, 296; tendency towards union with civil power in the U. S. A., 296; proved its divine origin by surviving the conflict with paganism, 299; what it will be when paganism is fully eliminated, 299 _f_.

Christians, comparatively few in number when Sunday legislation began, 218.

Christian, the, needs to be broad-viewed, 1.

Christmas, date of, borrowed from sun-worship festival, 278, 279.

Chrysostom, on the use of water for cleansing, 147; condemns low standards of life in the Church, 232; considers the sign of the cross the greatest of all magical charms, 247, 248.

Circumcision, spiritual meaning of, according to allegory, 50.

Clement of Alex., his philippic against the Sophists, 46, 47; his gnostic exegesis of the N. T., 47; his gnostic exposition of the Decalogue, 60; gives pagan reasons for observing Sunday, 181; defends “orientation,” 266.

Clement of Rome, examples of myth and allegory from the writings of, 59.

“Conclusion,” First, 285; Second, 289; Third, 291; Fourth, 295; Fifth, 298.

“Conclusions,” 282-300.

Congregations, the earliest Christian, were guilds for holy living, 32; had no settled form of doctrines, 33.

Constantine the Great, was a superstitious pagan, 4; character of, 206 _ff_; murdered his own son, 206; baptized on his death-bed, 207; his Christianity loose and accommodative, 207; objectionable interference with affairs of the Church, 207; a pagan while favoring Christianity for political purposes, 214; falsely praised by Eusebius, 214, 215; his character not transformed by Christianity, 215; was by no means a Christian emperor, 216; his legislation touching Christianity was pagan, 217; always remained pagan _Pontifex Maximus_, 217; character of his Sunday edict, 321 A.D., 218 _ff_; special worshipper of the Sun-god, 219; favored Christianity from “policy,” and not from principle, 227; made no effective legislation against paganism, 228; established Sunday as a “market day,” 229; how he placed the cross on his military standard, 244 _f_.

Creed, early Church had none, 33; an elaborate one used at baptism, as shown in _Apostolic Constitutions_, 139.

Criticism, the higher, offers cure for false interpretation of Bible, 288 _f_; together with study of Bible, is bringing the second stage of Protestant movement, 289; ought to be fully applied to Bible, 290.

Cross, the, allegorically found in the O. T., 53, 54; an ancient pagan symbol, 237 _f_; known among Assyrians, Egyptians, Etruscans, etc., 239; pagan origin of, shown in _Edinburgh Review_, 240; how Constantine combined it on his military standard, 244, 245; the “handled cross” the ancient phallic symbol of Egypt, 246; sign of, used as a “charm,” 246 _f_; the sign of, in baptism, 249; made on all occasions, 250.

Cumbhacum, a sacred lake in Hindustan, 97.

Cyprian, condemns Christians who frequent public shows, 233; extremely superstitious concerning baptismal regeneration, 252.

D

Dead, baptism for, of pagan origin, 83; was transferred to Christianity, 84; praying for, was borrowed from paganism, 275.

Decalogue, gnostic exposition of, by Clement of Alex., 60; allegorically compared with man’s senses, 61; Christ enforced obedience to it, 167, 168; Paul declared it to be binding, 169; if it be abolished there can be no sin, 170; how it was perverted by gnostic exposition, 184.

Demi-gods, the pagan, were the progenitors of Christian “saints,” 16.

Demiurge, the, was creator of “matter” and author of evil, 48.

Devil, the, cast out by anointing one possessed, with oil, and tears of a presbyter, 261.

Diocletian, emperor, a devotee of the Sun-god, 200.

Diseases, miraculous curing of, in connection with baptism, 258 _f_.

Domville, Sir William, shows that early Sunday observance was not Sabbatic, 180.

Dyer, Thomas H., describes introduction of paganism into Christianity, 3.

E

Earth, sacred, from Jerusalem, cures paralysis, 260.

Easter, grew in part from Jewish passover, 279 _f_; changed so as to coincide with festival of Goddess of Spring, 279 _f_; primarily a Chaldean sun-worship festival, 280.

“Eighth Day,” pagan origin of argument for, 184, 185; a day of “indulgence for the flesh,” 187.

Eleusis, city of, the chief seat of Greek “mysteries,” 117.

Elviri, synod of, condemned use of “lights” in cemeteries, 263.

Empire, the Roman, disintegrated under decay of pagan religion, 203 _f_.

Europe, Northern, pagan water-worship in, 98.

Eusebius, his dishonest eulogy of Constantine, 215.

Exorcism, used in baptism, 138; resorted to in preparing “holy water,” 149.

F

Facts, denying does not remove them, 29.

Farrar, Canon, describes corruption of Christianity through syncretism, 22; on Cyprian’s theories concerning baptism, 252.

“Fasts,” the pagan, transferred to Christianity, 26.

“Fathers,” the, were uncritical in exegesis of Scripture, 66, 67.

Fauchet, defends the introduction of paganism into Christianity, 8.

Festivals, those of pagans transferred to Christianity, 5, 28.

Fires, “Easter,” borrowed from sun-worship, 267; described by Grimm, 268, 269; “Midsummer,” a pagan festival identical with “St. John’s Day,” 270; “Baal,” yet continued in Scotland, 271.

G

Gale, Theophilus, on pagan origin of “orientation,” 265.

Galerius, emperor, persecution of Christians by, and death of, 205.

Ganges, the most sacred stream in India, 88 _f_.

Geikie, Rev. Cunningham, shows union of sun-worship _cultus_ with Christianity, 201.

Gibbon, Edward, describes sun-worship under Heliogabalus, 197 _f_; recounts devotion of Aurelian to sun-worship, 199 _f_.

Gnostics, the link between Christianity and Greek culture, 37.

Gnosticism, the product of Oriental philosophy, 34; effect on Jewish thought, 34; claimed a hidden meaning in all things, 34, 35; destroyed authority of the O. T. by false exegesis, 35; permeated Greek philosophy, 35; assailed infant Christianity, 36; Schaff’s description of, 36, 37; generally antinomian, 36; “vulgarized” Christianity, and made it “worldly,” 37; Baur’s description of, 38; introduced allegory into N. T. exegesis, 40, 41; sought a hidden meaning in N. T., 44; applied numerical mysteries to the Psalms, 58; widely spread in second century, 69; complete supremacy would have annihilated Christianity, 69; fundamentally antinomian, 159; destructively applied to the Decalogue, 184.

Gould, S. Baring, describes pagan baptism in Scandinavia, 100; on baptism among the ancient Greeks, 114.

Gratian, Emperor, edicts of, against paganism, inoperative, 212.

Greeks, named and “purified” children when seven days old, 102; water-worship among, 112.

Greek thought, thoroughly permeated by gnosticism, 35.

Grimm, Jacob, on superstitions concerning water, 104; on use of sacred water in Germany, 105, 106; on “Easter fires” in Northern Europe, 268 _f_; on “Midsummer fires,” 270; on “Baal fires” in Scotland, 271.

H

Hall, Rev. E. E., on paganism in Roman Catholic Church, 208 _f_.

Hardwick, Rev. Charles, on the reproduction of paganism in early Christianity, 14.

Harnack, Prof. Adolph, on influence of gnosticism on Christianity, 37; on the future of Protestantism, 288.

Hatch, Prof. Edwin, D.D., describes pagan elements in early methods of exegesis, 42; on the rejection of O. T. by many Christians, 48; describes effect of “Greek mysteries” on early Christianity, 119; shows identity between the Eleusinian mysteries and Roman Catholic baptism, 122; declares pagan origin of anointing in baptism, 123.

Heifer, the red, allegorically made a type of Christ, 49.

Heliogabalus, emperor, submitted to pagan baptism in blood, 83; degraded character of, 197; his costly offerings to the Sun-god, 198; triumph of sun-worship at Rome under his reign, 199.

Herodotus, describes sun- and water-worship by Xerxes, 76.

Hippolytus, fanciful commentary on the Psalms, 57, 58.

Hislop, Rev. Alexander, on corruption of Christianity by pagan sun- and water-worship, 150; describes pagan origin of “Mariolatry,” 274; on “prayers for the dead,” 276; on pagan origin of “Lent,” 281.

Holda, a German water-goddess, 107.

Holy water, pagans refused it to wrong-doers, 144; magical virtues attributed to, 144; catalogue of its effects, 145; animals sprinkled with, 146; Roman Catholics defend its use, 146 _f_; methods of preparing, salt, ashes, and wine used, 148.

I

India, extent of water-worship in, 88 _f_.

Isis, extensively worshipped at Rome, 19.

J

Jairus, Gnostics made raising of his daughter a type of Achamoth, 45.

Jamblicus describes sacred fountains, 73, 74.

Janus, God of the Keys, and prototype of St. Peter, 277 _f_.

Jew, a paralytic, reported cured by means of baptism, 254; an impostor detected by a miracle at baptism, 254.

Judaism, Christ enlarged and purified, without destroying, 31, 32; strongly opposed by the pagan-bred “Fathers,” 165.

Justin, Martyr, educated a pagan philosopher, 44; perverted the Scriptures by false exegesis, 54; teaches much pagan error concerning baptism, 134, 135; the first to teach anti-Sabbathism, and to tell of Sunday observance, 159, 178; always partially pagan, 160; no-Sabbathism taught in his “Dialogue with Trypho,” 161; taught the abrogation of the Sabbath law, 162.

Juvenal, describes baptism of Roman prostitutes, 77.

K

Kabbalists, were Jewish gnostics, 81.

Keys, St. Peter’s, borrowed from pagan god Janus, 277 _f_.

Killen, Prof. W. D., shows that there was no paganism in the earliest Christianity, 20; tells how baptism was corrupted by pagan influences, 21; declares the incompetency of the “Fathers” as critics or exegetes, 67; on character of Constantine, 206.

King, C. W., describes Mithraic baptism, 78-81; on pagan baptism for the dead, 83; on serpent worshippers, 85; on Egyptian water-worship, 87.

L

Labor, prohibited on many pagan days besides Sunday, 225.

Lechler, G. V., shows the relative influence of paganism and Judaism on Christianity, 29.

“Lent,” originated in pagan fast, 280; early character of, 281; devoutly observed by many at present time, 281.

Lightfoot, Bishop, on the tendency to misjudge early history, 2.

“Lights,” use of in worship borrowed from pagans, 263.

Lord, Prof. John, on paganism in the early Church, 4.

M

Maitland, Dr. Charles, shows worship of martyrs borrowed from paganism, 15; on pagan origin of “lights” in worship, 264.

Mallet, P. H., describes pagan baptism in Scandinavia, 99 _f_.

Mariolatry, pagan origin of, 273.

Martyr-worship, the product of paganism, 15.

“Mass,” the, derived from paganism, 274.

Maurer, Konrad, shows similarity between pagan and Christian baptism, 101 _f_.

Maurice, Rev. F. W., describes corrupted Christianity under Constantine, 210.

Merivale, Charles, on corruption of Christianity under Leo the Great, 23; on Constantine’s relation to Christianity, 211 _f_; on paganism under Gratian, 212.

Mexico, pagan baptism in, 109 _f_.

Middleton, Rev. Conyers, on paganism in the early Church, 11; on pagan origin of “holy water,” 141 _f_.

Milman, Rev. H. H., describes Diocletian’s sun-worship, 200; shows pagan character of first Sunday law, 223; shows Constantine made little opposition to paganism, 228.

Miracles, reported as wrought through baptism, 253; newly baptized persons reputed to work, 258 _f_.

_Mirror, The Catholic_, on paganism in Christianity, 286 _f_; on inability of Protestantism to return to Bible alone, 287.

Mithraicism, extent of, in the second century, 19; had ceremonies of purification, and a “holy table,” 119.

Monasticism, the product of Oriental paganism, 14.

Mongolia, pagan baptism in, 93.

Moses, his rod made a type of Christ, by allegory, 54-56.

“Mysteries,” the Greek, supposed to bring salvation, 117; embodied confession, baptism, and sacrifices, 117 _f_; did much to corrupt baptism and the Lord’s Supper, 120.

Müller, Prof. Max, paganism of first three Christian centuries, 11.

N

_Nation, The_, quoted on Teutonic baptism, pagan and Christian, 101.

Neale, E. V., shows non-Christian character of Constantine’s Sunday law, 224 _f_; designates other pagan days with similar restrictions, 225.

Niebuhr, historian, shows that Constantine was not a Christian, 229.

Nile, the river, regarded as highly sacred by the Egyptians, 88.

O

“Orientation,” the product of pagan sun-worship, 157, 257; defended by Clement of Alexandria, 266; explained and defended by Tertullian, 267.

Osiris, regarded as the counterpart of Noah, 150.

_Outlook, The_, quotations from, 208, 285.

Ovid, describes water-worship and sun-worship at feast of “Pales,” 75; describes water-worship at temple of “Themis,” 76; describes Grecian baptism, 116; describes god Janus, 277 _f_.

P

Pagans, many baptized without conversion, 24; eminent ones as semi-Christians, 25.

Paganism, not found in Catholic Church alone, 3, 143; some of its lowest forms mingled with Christianity, 6; “Oriental,” in early Christianity, 6; much, in Christianity before the “Papacy,” 18; in “Alexandrian” Christianity, 22; extent of, in early churches, 68; customs of, continued under Christian names, 210; employed various forms of baptism, 290; opposed Sabbath-keeping, 293.

“Pales,” feast of, a combination of sun-worship and water-worship, 75.

Paul, observed and upheld “the law,” 169, 170.

Penance required for sins after baptism, 253; demanded by pagan theory of “baptismal regeneration,” 272.

Persecution of Christians under Diocletian, 204.

Perseus satirizes the pagan use of spittle as a “charm,” 124.

Phallicism, associated with water-worship in India, 90; a department of sun-worship, 157.

Philo blended Greek philosophy with O. T. exegesis, 40.

Phœnix, fable of, used as a type of man’s resurrection, 59.

Pilgrimages, made to sacred streams for salvation, 90.

“Pistis-Sophia,” the gnostic gospel, 78.

Pliny, the historian, describes virtue of spittle, and its use as a charm, 125 _f_.

Potter, Rev. John, D. D., describes Grecian water-worship and purifications, 112.

Poynder, John, quoted in “Pagano-Papismus,” 9.

Prescott describes Aztec baptism, 109.

Priestley, Dr. Joseph, on pagan origin of “holy water,” 141.

Protestants, do not understand their relation to Catholicism, 2; work of, but fairly begun, 3.

Protestantism, an unconscious reaction against paganism in Christianity, 282 _f_; has never wholly discarded “tradition,” 284; must accept Bible wholly or be overcome, 285; must act promptly to overcome loss already sustained, 285; cannot survive except on purely Biblical basis, 288.

Psalms, “Fathers” made whole number of, a type of the “Trinity,” 57, 58; meaning of, perverted by gnostic allegorizing, 65.

Purgatory, borrowed from paganism, 275.

Purification, Greeks sought, by dipping and sprinkling, 115.

Purity, spiritual, pagans sought, by bathing in sacred streams, 88 _f_.

R

Reformations begin when evils reach their lowest point, 283.

Regeneration, baptismal, 87.

“Relics,” faith in, borrowed from paganism, 235; became widely spread in the Church, 236 _f_.

Religion, Roman, conception of, as a department of civil government, 190; all forms recognised in Roman Empire, were regulated by civil law, 201.

Renan, Ernest, on Oriental paganism and Christianity, 18.

Residuum, pagan, minor forms of, in Christianity, 231.

_Review, The Edinburgh_, on pagan origin of the cross, 240.

Reville, Albert, on civil character of Roman religion, 192 _f_.

Rivers, confluence of, makes water sacred, 92; banks of, sacred, 92.

Roman Catholic writers, honesty of, 7.

Romanized Christianity identical with paganized, 17.

S

Sabbath, the, observed by Christ, 168; observance of, 174; never associated with Christ’s resurrection, 172 _f_; “change of,” never spoken of in the Bible, 173; its recognition in the New Testament, 174; observed by the Apostles, 174; abolition of, taught by Tertullian, 186, 187; divine authority necessary to create, 295.

Sabbathism, 291; sacred time, the essence of, 292; spiritual life the end of, 292; Jews did not understand, 293; Christ exalted it, 293; destroyed by Sunday legislation, 297.

Sahagun de Bernardino, describes pagan baptism in Mexico, 110 _f_.

Saints, worship of, a revival of pagan mythology, 27.

Sandars on “civil” character of Roman paganism, 191, 192.

“Saturnalia,” disorder of, at Burmah’s “water-festival,” 95.

Scandinavia, ancient baptism in, 99, 100.

Schaff, Dr. Philip, description of gnosticism, 36, 37; on Roman idea of state religion, 190 _f_; describes Heliogabalus and Severus, 197; on Constantine’s attitude towards Christianity, 213 _f_; on the origin of “penance,” 272, 273.

Scotland, “Baal fires” continue there, 271.

Serpent-worship, a branch of gnosticism closely associated with water-worship, 85.

Severus, Alex., emperor, character of, 197.

Seymore, Rev. Hobart, on heathen origin of saint-worship, 16; on pagan origin of “holy water,” 140, 141; on virtues of “holy water,” 144; sprinkling of animals, 146.

Simeon, a type of the Demiurge, 44.

Simon Magus, on gnostic baptism, 81.

Socrates, historian, superstition of, concerning baptism, 253 _f_.

Sozomen, had great faith in “relics,” 236; relates foolish myths as facts, 236, 237.

Spelman, Sir Henry, finds origin of English “court terms” in paganism, 225 _f_.

Spittle, use of, in baptism borrowed from pagans, 124; more efficacious if “fasting,” 125; various superstitions related by Pliny, 125-7.

Springs, water of, specially sacred, 98.

Sprites, water-, superstitious fear of, 108.

State-religion, pagan origin of, 188.

Sunday law, text of Constantine’s first, 220; permitted manumission of slaves, 220; associated with one for consulting soothsayers, 220 _f_; not unlike laws concerning other pagan days, 222 _f_; designates only the “Venerable Day of the Sun,” 222; purely pagan in form and spirit, 227.

Sunday, observance of, weakens Decalogue, 158; first observance coupled with anti-Sabbathism, 159; observance based on tradition, 171; popular errors concerning, 171 _f_; observance unknown before middle of second century, 171 _f_; never called Sabbath in the Bible, 172 _f_; definitely referred to in N. T. but three times, 172; only six passages from N. T. quoted in favor of, 173; observance originated outside of the Bible, 177; first mentioned by Justin Martyr, 150 A.D., 178 _f_; pagan reasons for its observance, 181 _f_; the “puritan,” a compromise between the Sabbath and the Sunday, 294; legislation concerning a prominent feature in the puritan movement, 294; earliest laws concerning, pagan in form and concept, 294; no scriptural or Protestant ground for its observance, 295.

Sun-worship, a myth of, used as a type of man’s resurrection, 59, 60; excessive and costly under Heliogabalus, 197 _f_; a popular cult at Rome, 201.

Superstitions, excessive pagan, associated with baptism, 258.

Syncretism, tendency to in early centuries, 12; a large factor in corrupting Christianity, 194.

Synesius, Bishop, uncertain whether a pagan or a Christian, 24.

T

Tammuz, worship of, condemned by Jeremiah, 238.

Taylor, Isaac, on pagan element in Christianity, 6.

Tertullian, sometimes opposed allegorical interpretation of the N. T., 46; unmeaning interpretation of “types,” 62; teaches pagano-Christian theory of baptism, 129 _f_; denies the power of pagan gods to sanctify water, 132; taught abrogation of the Decalogue, 163 _f_; ideas concerning the Sabbath, 163 _f_; superstitious faith in the sign of the cross, 248; explains “orientation,” 267.

Testament, the Old, rejected by many Christians on gnostic grounds, 48.

Teutons, pagan baptism among, 101 _f_.

Thebaud, Rev. Aug., on paganism at Rome in fifth century, 13.

Thibet, baptismal customs in, 93; autumn water-worship festival in, 96.

Tiele, C. P., on Oriental paganism in Christianity, 6; on political character of Roman religion, 193, 194.

Traditionalism largely pagan in origin, 289.

U

Uhlhorn, Dr. Gerhard, on corruption of Christianity by gnosticism, 68, 70.

Usages, pagan, adopted almost without stint by Christians, 26.

V

Virgil, Polydore, claims that Christianity “meliorated” pagan customs by accepting them, 8.

Virgil shows union of water-worship and sun-worship, 74, 75.

W

Water, pagans believed it contained divine power to cleanse the soul, 72, 73; power to inspire, 74; river, especially sacred, 91; changes to wine on Easter and Christmas at midnight, 99; “holy,” if drawn at sacred seasons, 99; “holy,” cures evils and averts danger, 104; “sacred,” prevents physical disease, 105; superstitious value of, from mill-wheel, 106; endued with divine power at creation, 129; produces life by divine power, 131; “holy,” borrowed directly from paganism, 140; used at doors of heathen temples, 140, 142; use of, by Christians condemned, 143; use of, defended by Cardinal Wiseman, 146, 147; “baptismal,” prepared according to pagan formula, 152; sanctified by the sign of the cross, 251; at first used as a “charm,” 252.

Water-worship, the pagan, corrupted Christianity fundamentally, 71; of Oriental origin, 72; prominent among serpent worshippers, 85; a special feature in Egyptian religion, 86; associated with Osiris worship, 87; superstitions connected with, in time of drouth, 106 _f_; universal in Northern Europe, 109; coupled with sun-worship among the Greeks, 112; summary of its influence on Christian baptism, 153-155.

Wells, “sacred,” described by Sir Monier-Williams, 89.

Westropp and Wake on gnosticism in Christianity, 27.

Wilkins, W. J., describes water-worship festival of “Dasahara,” 94.

Williams, Sir Monier-, on water-worship in India, 88; on baptism in Thibet and Mongolia, 93; on Buddhistic baptism, 94.

Wiseman, Cardinal, value of his testimony, 10; defends the introduction of paganism in early Christianity, 10; on retention of paganism in English Church, 10; defends the use of “holy water,” 146, 147.

X

Xerxes describes water- and sun-worship at the “Hellespont,” 76.

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Transcriber’s Notes:

Footnotes have been moved to the end of each chapter and relabeled consecutively through the document.

Punctuation has been made consistent.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

The following changes were made:

p. 78: ἐριδᾶιοι changed to ἐριδαῖοι (of Contentions (ἐριδαῖοι)[70])

p. 86: Footnote anchor inserted (of carnal concupiscence.’”[75])

p. 113: πεῤιῥαίνειν changed to περιῤῥαίνειν and περιμάττεοθαι changed to περιμάττεσθαι (thus: περιῤῥαίνειν, περιμάττεσθαι, περιθειοῦν)

p. 121: φωτιξεσθαι changed to φωτιζεσθαι (ψωτισμός, φωτιζεσθαι, “enlightenment)

p. 142: περιρραντηριον changed to περιῤῥαντήριον (called περιῤῥαντήριον; two)

p. 193: Footnote anchor inserted (essentially political motives.”[177])

p. 197: Footnote anchor inserted (patroness of Origen.”[179])

p. 236: formerly inserted, as in the quoted source (city formerly called)