The Golden Chain - Robert J. Wieland
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If we were to hold strictly to Melville's and<br />
Winslow's position we would have to conclude<br />
logically that Christ can "rescue" us only from<br />
"hunger, pain, weakness, sorrow, and [physical]<br />
death." "<strong>The</strong> third angel's message in verity" must<br />
go further. Jones's plea in behalf of sinners is as<br />
follows:<br />
<strong>The</strong> papacy ... puts God and Christ so far away<br />
that nobody can come near to them.... Mary ... and<br />
... the Catholic saints ... have to come in between<br />
God and men.... But... Christ is not so far away as<br />
that.... God wants us to view Him,—so near that it<br />
is impossible for anything or anybody to get<br />
between.... He is not far from every one of us, even<br />
the heathen.... <strong>The</strong> false idea [is] that He is so holy<br />
that it would be entirely unbecoming in Him to<br />
come near to us and be possessed of such a nature<br />
as we have,—sinful, depraved, fallen human<br />
nature. <strong>The</strong>refore Mary must be born immaculate,<br />
perfect, sinless, and ... Christ must be so born of<br />
her as to take His nature in absolute sinlessness<br />
from her....<br />
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