W. B. Godbey - Enter His Rest

A presiding elder, making a speech to raise a princely sum of money to build a church edifice, with a cost
twenty times the amount necessary for comfort and convenience, nineteen-twentieths of the money actually
being due to the poor heathens who have never heard the name of Jesus, eloquently referred the people to the
Temple of King Solomon, which he ornamented with gold, expending uncounted millions. The queen of Sheba
traveled five thousand miles on a camel to hear his wisdom, see his glory and bring him a million dollars worth
of gold. Now what was the matter with that presiding elder? Sad to say he had actually gone into idolatry, I. e.,
church worship.
Ecclesiolatry is a specious form of idolatry which is fast capturing the great Protestant Church, which God gave
to the world through His noble heroes, Luther, Bunyan, Fox, Knox and Wesley, the immortal leaders of the
Holiness Movement in their day and generation. Oh, how fearful are the inroads of these alien gods this day!
Eucharolatry has just about captured the Lutherans and is making awful inroads into the others.
I am personally acquainted with a great holiness leader, once an evangelist, the flash of whose keen New
Jerusalem blade electrified many warriors to redoubled heroism on the battlefield. He is now a pastor and
building for himself an institutional church, having accommodations not only for all religious people, but an
Atheneum well supplied with reading matter, not only religious but secular, and a billiard room and ten-pin alley
for the entertainment of the worldly people. He says this is so they will not have to run after Satan, but so he can
have them under his influence with a chance to lead them to God. The last time I heard from him, my informant
told me that he saw him walking around bossing the work with a great big Havana cigar in his mouth. So you
see he is worshipping at the shrine of two alien gods, ecclesiolatry, the Church god, and tobacco, the filthy god.
Therefore, though he yet claims to be a loyal holiness man and sanctified, I need not tell you whither he has
drifted, and the end is not yet.
The downward trend in religion never means anything short of damnation, because Satan is manipulating it, and
he is making his full calculations upon taking all who tinker with him to Hell.
Now while we investigate the mode of baptism, remember I am feeling great concern for the dear holiness
people who are the hope of the world. God has raised up this great latter-day Movement, with which He is this
day girdling the globe, to preach the everlasting Gospel to all nations and to call out the bride from every
kindred and tongue and people; to get her robed and ready for the speedy return of His glorified Son to this
world, for Him to put the devil out and reign forever. I am now, in the providence of God, one of the living
fathers of this Movement. I am so glad that this great revival of Holy Ghost religion represents all churches and
denominations, with their diversified ecclesiastical views and ceremonies.
While in India those memorable three months, in the providence of God, I traveled and preached night and day
to multitudes of the dear Indians through interpreters, and to the missionaries and English-speaking people viva
voce. I did not discriminate by hunting up the Methodists, who, in the good providence of God, have a hundred
and fifty thousand members in that country. I went to all, not passing by the German-Lutherans, who are doing
noble work. We fellowshipped with them as holiness brethren most cordially, and I never did receive a more
fraternal welcome as they made me feel free as Gabriel. I also went and served our feetwashing holiness
brethren with great delight. We had the blessed consolation that we enjoy the glorious freedom which forever
saves us from a fault-finding spirit, for the fires of the Holy Ghost burned up the critic's cap, and if any of you
are still wearing one, I hope the Lord will pour the fire on you and burn it up and that you may never buy
another one. Satan has a variety on hand very fantastical and beautiful; he charges you neither silver nor gold if
you should desire to purchase one. You can have your choice, as he has but one price and that is your soul.
After God took Hezekiah to Heaven, his own son and successor led the people back into idolatry; after Josiah,
the great holiness leader, had gone to Heaven, his son, Jehoiakim, burned the Word of the Lord. God in signal
mercy took those loyal kings to Heaven before they saw the evil that was coming. God is still going to have a
people on the earth, who will hold up the banner of holiness and give the Gospel trumpet no uncertain sound.
After you and I have laid the armor down and gone to our account with God, people of whom we have never
heard nor thought will still lead the embattled hosts to victory. The thing for us to do is to wash our own hands
from the blood of souls, rising triumphantly above the wild clangor of Satan' s musicians celebrating the orgies
of alien gods, whether hydrolatry, ecclesiolatry, pyrolatry, eucharolatry, or some other strange god, whose name