Spurgeon, the "Prince of Preachers," had as fruitful a ministry as any servant of God in modern times. Yet this mighty man of God found it necessary to break with a corrupt ecclesiastical body that was denying the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. The false doctrines of his day which he felt duty bound to denounce as contrary to Scripture are akin to the modernism so prevalent of the larger denominations today. Spurgeon would not be deceived by pious and fine sounding theological phrases. If one held to false doctrine that one was worthy of true fellowship in the household of faith.
The following excerpts are taken from his writings in "The Sword and the Trowel," 1887-88, concerning the Down-Grade controversy and are especially applicable in many circles in our day.
"A little plain speaking would do a world of good just now. These gentlemen (modernists) desire to be let alone. They want no noise raised. Of course thieves hate watchdogs and love darkness. It is time that somebody should spring his rattle and call attention to the way in which God is being robbed of his glory and man of his hope.
It now becomes a serious question how far those who abide by the faith once delivered to the saints should fraternize with those who have turned aside to another gospel. Christian love has its claims, and divisions are to be shunned as grievous evils; but how far are we justified in being in confederacy with those who are departing from the truth? It is a difficult question to answer so as to keep the balance of the duties. For the present it behooves believers to be cautious lest they lend their support and countenance to the betrayers of the Lord.
It is one thing to overlap all boundaries of denominational restriction for the truth's sake: this we hope all godly men will do and more. It is quite another policy which would urge us to subordinate the maintenance of truth to denominational prosperity and unity. Numbers of easy-minded people wink at error so long as it is committed by a clever man and a goodnatured brother who has so many fine points about him.
Let each believer judge for himself; but, for our part, we have put on a few fresh bolts to our door and we have given orders to keep the chain up; for, under color of begging the friendship of the servant, there are those about who aim at robbing the Master.
At any rate, cost what it may, to separate ourselves from those who separate themselves from the truth of God, is not alone our liberty, but our duty.
There are now two parties in the religious world. The party everywhere apparent has a faith fashioned for the present century - perhaps we ought to say for the present month. The sixteenth century gospel it derides, and that, indeed, of every period except the present most enlightened era. It will have no creed because it can have none; it is continually on the move; it is not what it was yesterday, and it will not be tommorrow what it is today. Its shout is for 'liberty,' its delight is invention, its element is change.
On the other hand there still survive, amid the blaze of nineteenth century light, a few whom these superior persons call 'fossils'; that is to say, there are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who consider that the true gospel is no new gospel, but is the same yesterday, today, and forever. These do not believe in 'advanced views,' but judge that the view of truth which saved a soul in the second century will save a soul now; and that form of teaching which was unknown till the last few years is of very dubious value, and is in all probability 'another gospel which is not another.'
A new religion has been initiated which is no more Christianity than chalk is cheese; and this religion, being destitute of moral honesty, palms itself off as the old faith with slight improvements and on this plea usurps pulpits which were erected for gospel preaching. The atonement is scouted, the inspiration of Scripture is derided, the Holy Ghost, is degraded into an influence, the punishment of sin is turned into fiction and the resurrection into a myth and yet these enemies of our faith expect us to call them brethren and maintain a confederacy with them!
Believers in Christ's atonement are now in declared religious union with those who make light of it; believers in holy Scripture are in confederacy with those who deny plenary inspiration; those who hold evangelical doctrine are in open alliance with those who call the fall a fable, who deny the personality of the Holy Ghost, who call justification by faith immoral, and hold that there is another probation after death and a future restitution for the lost.
Yes, we have before us the wretched spectacle of professedly orthodox Christians publicly avowing their union with those who deny the faith, and scarcely concealing their contempt for those who cannot be guilty of such gross disloyalty to Christ. To be very plain, we are unable to call these things Christian unions; they begin to look like confederacies in evil. Before the face of God we fear that they wear no other aspect. To our inmost heart this is a sad truth from which we cannot break away.
It is lawful to unite with all sorts of men for good and benevolent and necessary purposes, even as at a fire Pagan and Papist and Protestants may each one hand the buckets, and in a sinking ship heathen and Christian alike are bound to take turns at the pumps. For useful, philanthropical and political purposes united action is allowable among men of the most diverse views in religion. But the case before us is that of a distinctly religious communion, a professed fellowship in Christ. Is this to be so wide that those who contradict each other on vital points may yet pretend to be at once?
Furthermore, we should greatly object to the sniffing about for heresy which some speak of; but in this case the heresy is thrust forward in no diffident style., No words could be more explicit had they been selected as a challenge. We have not to deal with those tares which were like the wheat, but with thorns and thistles which declare themselves openly. Whether the Down-Grade evil has operated on few or many is a question which may be waived; it has operated manifestly enough upon some and they glory in it. Yet professedly sound believers are in full accord with these outspokenly heterodox men, and are linked with them in set and formal union. Is this according to the mind of the God of truth?
The largest charity towards those who are loyal to the Lord Jesus and yet do not see with us on secondary matters, is the duty of all true Christians. But how are we to act towards those who deny his vicarious sacrifice, and ridicule the great truth of justification by his righteousness? These are not mistaken friends, but enemies of the Cross of Christ. There is no use in employing circumlocutions and polite terms of expression where Christ is not received as to the cleansing power of his blood and the justifying merit of his righteousness he is not received at all.
It is our solemn conviction that where there can be no real spiritual communion there should be no pretence of fellowship. Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin. Those who know and love the truth of God cannot have fellowship with that which is diametrically opposed there can be no reason why they should pretend that they have such fellowship."
We see the sad results of declension from the truth, and yielding to the specious pleas of rationalism concerning inspiration, the Divinity of Christ, His death as an atonement for sin, justification by faith, the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion, and such like. These truths are like so many links in a chain: give up one, and, in effect, you give up all and you have nothing left but a cold, dreary, hopeless scepticism. Therefore, we must neither give them up ourselves, nor connive at or shelter those that do. Truth first, and friendship and charity afterwards."
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