ELDER JONAS C. SIKES (1901)
Tom Adams
Dear Brethren and Friends,
I was reading another Elder Trott communication this morning and he mentioned an old periodical entitled the "PREDESTINARIAN BAPTIST". Out of curiosity I attempted to find maybe an old copy online. Unfortunately to no avail, but I did locate another periodical from 1901 entitled "The Advocate of Truth" whose editors were Elder Jonas C. Sikes and Elder J. R. Hardy. And right underneath the title it states: "Devoted To The Old School Baptist Cause" and I am pretty sure that Elder Sikes had some of his communications posted in the "Signs". So, I downloaded the few copies that I could to check out. In the first volume and the first number I found a very interesting and good article that I wanted to share. This is not to stir up anything, just sharing what someone else was given to write on this subject.
I hope it will prove to be edifying and a blessing!
A Sinner in Hope,Tom
(p.s., as you read this you will notice a few "(?)" within the document. Unfortunately the old periodical wasn't in the best shape and where that symbol is, I couldn't make out the word, words or phrase. Especially the ending! There was some clear tape across most of it which caused a glare to register because of the scanner
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Shall a man put away his wife for every cause, and marry another, and be entitled to membership in the church of Christ?
The above question is one of great importance to the Primitive Baptists at the present time. It used to be answered invariably, by them, in the negative. But of late it seems that they are getting very slack on this matter, and in some instances are taking in parties, having two or thee living companions. Jesus says, “Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for the cause of fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whosoever marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” Here we have the testimony of King Jesus, from whose righteous decision there is no appeal. He is our law giver, and our governor, and His word should be final in all things. He does not say that if he is converted after he has put away his wife, and married another, that she then becomes his rightful wife, and he may continue to live with her, and not be an adulterer. This, however, seems to be the view taken by some on the matter: and as a result, they are stocking the churches with adulterers and adulteresses, and causing wide-spread confusion and dissatisfaction among our poor people. Now in order to make the matter clear before my readers, I will ask a few questions.
Which one of the two women to whom he is married is his scriptural wife before conversion? I think all will say the first one. Then, does his conversion disannul his first marriage, and destroy his relationship to his real scriptural wife? She is said to be flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. Does conversion destroy this relationship? If it does, then, why not every newly converted married man look him out another wife, seeing that his relationship to the first one is dissolved? If conversion does not destroy his first marriage but does change his relationship to the one that is not scripturally his wife, and make her his; then is it not a fact that a man may have two or three Scriptural wives at the same time? (?) is, it marriage, and consummate another, then, an alien sinner might leave his wife and take up with another woman, without any formal ceremony; and when he is converted she becomes his scriptural wife; and the church could not refuse to receive him into the fellowship of the body. On the same hypothesis, a man might steal a horse, and afterwards be converted, and the horse would be his rightful property. Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.
Jesus said, “Have ye not read, that He which made them at the beginning, made them male and female, and said, this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh, what therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” This putting asunder by man, refers to the divorcing of them by law; and shows that there is no law on earth that can destroy their nuptial relationship. When He had said this, the Pharisees asked Him, “Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?” He answered them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives; but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her that is put away doth commit adultery.” It was because of the hardness of their hearts, that Moses suffered it. Shall we suffer adultery in the church, because of the hardness of men’s hearts? Israel was not a spiritual kingdom, but the church of Jesus Christ is. It should be composed of spiritual subjects, whose hearts have been made tender by the operation of God’s spirit. Hence, there is no reason for suffering adultery in the church, on account of the hard-heartedness of her subjects; and to do so is to violate the law of Christ, and bring the church down to the level of the world, and make it a cage for every unclean and hateful bird. As for me, I would not pastor a church that would tolerate it.
We have always claimed that the Scriptures were our only rule of faith and practice; and the are very clear on this subject. So let us, as the church of Jesus Christ, follow its teachings on this subject. “Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O, Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O, Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come unto thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.” May we all awake to our duty, and let each one say, “For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.”
If, because a man obtains a hope while living in adultery, makes it right for him to continue therein, and have a home in the church; then one might be running a saloon, a gambling house, or any other sinful practice, and obtain a hope, and have a right ton continue therein, and have a right to continue therein, and become a member of the church. If this be so, then dear brethren, why exclude a man standing guilty of these things? But righteous (?) are unto the church, where she is unto the decision that we should exclude our (?) members for, in they were also themselves in the same condition? “O, consistency, thou art a jewel!”
S. (Elder Jonas C. Sikes)
The Advocate of Truth
Volume 1, Number 1; April 1, 1901