THE Lord Jesus says to all, "If any man serve Me, let him follow Me."
To the Roman governor, who under- stood Him not, and before whom He stood, the Lord said, "My kingdom is not of this world"; and many who profess Christ's name, like Pilate, understand not the kingdom of the Lord. Again, the Lord's thoughts concerning His own people are thus expressed in His words to His Father': "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." We do not forget that as He uttered these words He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and away from the world and its kingdoms and glory.
With such unmistakable teaching before us, it is a fact of intense sadness, that the professing Church of Christ, which assumes to represent Him on the earth, is so determined to emulate and outdo the world's kingdom in pomp and glory. The cardinal princes of "the Church" may be seen in Rome officiating in divine service, and as they do so, they themselves are the objects of adoration and prostration on the part of lesser dignitaries. These men may also be seen at their evening airings, proud and self-confident, walking in their solitary dignity, followed by their servants, and again by their carriages. The poor and the miserable shrink into their rags as these eminences pass by. Such are the proud dignitaries of "the Church" which bears Christ's name. How different from the Master, who said: "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart.”
Amongst all English cardinals Wolsey was the greatest. His pomp and estate were truly magnificent. Even nobles enrolled themselves amongst the hundreds of his servants; priests marched before him bearing silver crosses as he paraded London's streets; and his robes were crimson velvet and gold, and his silken shoes glittered with jewels. He would speak of the King and himself as "I and my King," and really he governed both Church and State in England for a time. He became Papal Legate; but his ambition was the Papal tiara, and this led him to intrigue with kings and emperors. But Wolsey had in Henry VIII. a man more ambitious and less scrupulous than himself; and thus Wolsey in the end died in disgrace and a failure. Such was the man, just prior to the Reformation, that England had to regard as the expression and the representation of religion in his country.
Wolsey's service of himself and Papal power led to the destruction of that power over England; but we are not now dealing with history, save as it communicates its moral lessons. Prelate princes with their worldly glory are incompatible with the example of the Lord Jesus. Their pride and His meekness cannot be united. Oneness with the world and also oneness with Christ is an impossibility. Thus, when we see cardinals asserting themselves in our land, and speaking of subjugating the English to the Italian Pope, and when we see the dignitaries of the English Church adorning themselves after the manner of Rome, the fatal issue is too plainly evident. Those who love these things know not the meaning of Christ's words, "My kingdom is not of this world;" they comprehend not His language to His Father: "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world," and they miss the end: "If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be.”