What is meant by secular Christianity? What is a secular Christian?

It is important therefore to show that there yet will be a worldly sanctuary and worldly worship. This is very largely revealed in the prophets. (Ezek. 40 to 48.) Their subject of hope is the restored nation, restored polity, and restored worship of Israel; but all, when so restored, under and in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the Christian Church has in a great measure applied these predictions to itself, and hence we have the thought of a Christian nation, instead of the holy nation now to be gathered from out of all nations; hence too the thought of the union of the Church and the State — a thought to be most blessedly fulfilled when Christ as a King and Priest shall sit upon his throne; — hence too the antedating of the day when the kings of the earth are to bring their glory and honour unto the holy city hence the constant invitations which are given to the world to contribute its aid and patronage to the work of the Church. All this has secularized Christianity, and given a worldly character to its position and its worship.

It is important therefore to show that there yet will be a worldly sanctuary and worldly worship. This is very largely revealed in the prophets. Their subject of hope is the restored nation, restored polity, and restored worship of Israel; but all, when so restored, under and in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the Christian church has in a great measure applied these predictions to herself, and hence we have the thought of a Christian nation, instead of the holy nation now to be gathered from out of all nations hence too the thought of the union of the church and the State — a thought to be most blessedly fulfilled when Christ as a Ring and Priest shall sit upon His throne; — hence, too, the antedating of the day when the kings of the earth are to bring their glory and honour to the golden city — hence the constant invitations which are given to the world to contribute its aid and patronage to the work of the church All this has secularized Christianity, and given a worldly character to its position and its worship.

It is important therefore to show that there yet will be a worldly sanctuary and worldly worship. This is very largely revealed in the prophets. Their subject of hope is the restored nation, restored polity, and restored worship of Israel; but all, when so restored, under and in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the christian church has in a great measure applied these predictions to itself; and hence we have the thought of christian nations, instead of the holy nation soon to be gathered from out of all nations. Hence too the thought of the union of the church and the state — a thought to be most blessedly fulfilled when Christ as King and Priest shall sit upon His throne. Hence too the antedating of the day when the kings of the earth are to bring their glory and honour to the golden city. Hence the constant invitations which are given to the world to contribute its aid and patronage to the work of the church. All this has secularised Christianity, and given a worldly character to its position and its worship.

Who were these Philistines that held Israel in such bondage and brought them into such misery and poverty? And what do they represent? They sprang from Egypt (Gen. 10:13-14), but though they had left Egypt behind and got into the land which God had promised to His people, they had not taken His way into it; their way had been an easy and short cut by which they escaped the Red Sea and River Jordan. These things that prefigured deliverance and blessing by the death and resurrection of Christ had no place in their history. They were in the land of God's people, but they had not travelled into it by the God-ordained way (Ex. 13:17). Really they had no right in the land at all, for God had apportioned it to Israel (Deut. 32:8-9). They are figurative of what we might call secularized Christianity, religion made acceptable to unregenerate men. Ritualism and Modernism are some of the Philistines of our day, they are really pagan superstitions and philosophies that have invaded the sphere of faith and made it like a great house of mixed vessels (2 Tim. 2), and they are sorely oppressing the true Israel of God; they draw near to God with the lips, but are scornful of that heart exercise and spiritual life that have marked the revivals of former days. They have the form of godliness, but deny the power.

Who were these Philistines that held Israel in such bondage and brought them into such misery and poverty? And what do they represent? They sprang from Egypt, Gen. 10:13-14, but though they had left Egypt behind and got into the land which God had promised to His people, they had not taken His way into it; their way had been an easy and short cut by which they escaped the Red Sea and River Jordan. These things that prefigured deliverance and blessing by the death and resurrection of Christ had no place in their history. They were in the land of God's people, but they had not travelled into it by the God-ordained way, Exodus 13:17. Really they had no right in the land at all, for God had apportioned it to Israel, Deut. 32:8-9. They are figurative of secularized Christianity, religion made acceptable to unregenerate men. Ritualism and Modernism are some of the Philistines of our day; they are really pagan superstitions and philosophies that have invaded the sphere of faith and made it like a great house of mixed vessels, 2 Tim. 2; and they are sorely oppressing the true Israel of God. They draw near to God with the lips, but are scornful of that heart exercise and spiritual life that have marked the revivals of former days. They claim to be children of God, but they have no title to that relationship, for they have not received God's only begotten Son by faith, and have not been born again, John 1:12-13. They have the form of godliness, but deny the power.

God's Gospel is to the true believer His power unto salvation, separating to Himself, and thus sanctifying those whose hearts respond to the quickening revelation of His truth.5 'The Christian religion,' as men speak, is, on the other hand, a discretional acknowledgment of the name of Christ, presenting to our contemplation a wide and much diversified moral area, in which truth and falsehood, faith and unbelief, sincerity and guile, lie side by side. It is a thing both social and political; of mighty moral influence among men, but by no necessity divine. It is of and for men as denizens of earth, and concerns itself with heaven (which is the home and centre of the true believer's every thought and wish, because his life is there) remotely only, and as a vague though necessary hope. It is pleased with itself, and foolishly expects God to be pleased with it. For it sports with its own deceivings, while its words are stout against the Lord as it utters thoughts and practises observances which prove that earth has clean supplanted heaven in its heart. For it is a lover of itself, a lover of money, a lover of pleasures more than of God, yet an outward honourer of God, and namer of the name of Christ.6 Its activities and interests are the fruit mainly of humanitarian sentiment and utilitarian foresight rather than of a true zeal of God. The real Church of God's elect and Christ's redeemed exists, indeed, in Christendom, but cannot be identified with it, except through an utter falsifying of God's words.

The above title would, no doubt, offend many an eye, to others it would appear quite out of place at the present time; the growing goodness of the age, the increase of religion among men is pleaded on every side as a reason for rejecting the hard thought of the world becoming more wicked every day and man in general on it more hardened and indifferent. It may appear harsh to some who read this paper to have it stated that Christ is left out of the religion, or so-called Christianity of the great bulk of professors. Christianity is a word used to signify that a man is neither a Jew, Turk, infidel, nor heretic, but without any sense of a soul really brought out of the world to God. In the popular use of the word, a man is said to be a good Christian though he has never believed on Jesus, has never known the forgiveness of his sins, has never known Christ. Then religion, too, is said to be the common portion of nearly all decent professors. They attend their place of worship on the Sabbath or Sunday, they receive the sacrament once a month, or twice a year; they give their money to spread the scriptures, or to convert the heathen, and they feel better for it all: yet are they unchanged, the very same in every respect; or, if differing from those whom they term profane persons, it is by no means to their own credit, being as "whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." (Matt. 23:27.)

The Lord’s supper is the most prominent and fullest expression of Christian thankfulness and adoration publicly and statedly; but what Protestant minister does not look upon it as his official right to administer this? what "layman" would not shrink from the profanation of administering it? And this is one of the terrible evils of the system, that the mass of Christian people are thus distinctly secularized. Occupied with worldly things, they cannot be expected to be spiritually what the clergy are. And to this they are given over, as it were. They are released from spiritual occupations, to which they are not equal, and to which others give themselves entirely.

The Lord's supper is the most prominent and fullest expression of Christian thankfulness and adoration publicly and statedly; but what Protestant minister does not look upon it as his official right to administer this? what "layman" would not shrink from the profanation of administering it? And this is one of the terrible evils of the system, that the mass of Christian people are thus distinctly secularized. Occupied with worldly things, they cannot be expected to be spiritually what the clergy are. And to this they are given over, as it were. They are released from spiritual occupations, to which they are not equal, and to which others give themselves entirely.

The Lord's Supper is the most prominent and fullest expression of Christian thankfulness and adoration, publicly and statedly. But what Protestant minister does not look upon it as his official right to administer this? What "layman" would not shrink from the profanation of administering it? And this is one of the terrible evils of the system, that the mass of Christian people are thus distinctly secularized. Occupied with worldly things, they cannot be expected to be spiritually what the clergy are. And to this they are given over as it were. They are released from spiritual occupations to which they are not equal, and to which others give themselves entirely.