in the eyes of John. For when Cornelius falls down to worship (Acts, x. 25, 26), Peter forbids him, saying, “Stand up, I myself also am a man. And when John falls down to worship (Rev. xxii. 8, 9), the angel says, “See thou do it not, I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets. Worship God.” Neither Peter nor the angel would incur the guilt of allowing their own worship. Consequently, as those who fell down and worshipped Christ “had not the least idea of owning Him as God,” and only gave Him homage, He must have been in their eyes inferior to what Peter and the angel were in the eyes of Cornelius and John. Does Mr. Darby believe this, or do any of his followers believe it? Yet this shocking doctrine is insisted upon in Mr. Darby’s preface, and carried out in Mr. Darby’s Bible.
But let us look at the statements, Mr. Darby has “no doubt of the justness of the change.” And why? Because in three fourths of the cases they had not the “least idea of owning him as God.” All the cases are given above, and which of those cases constituted the one-fourth in which they did own Him as God? for whether it be in showing His power over creation—walking on the sea, stilling the tempest, ascending up to heaven in presence of His disciples, or the Lamb in the throne (Rev. v.), it is “homage” all the same throughout.
It would be well if Mr. Darby can explain this, and more also; for if it “falsifies the sense in a material point to use the word worship towards Christ in the vast majority of instances,” how is it that it does not falsify the sense of “homage” in any instance? Yes, how is it that this lower human word is falsified in no instance. We shall be glad if Mr. Darby can explain this also.
But Mr. Darby adds, “That we worship Christ who know He is God, is another matter.” What other matter is it, if not sustained in the New Testament? And what is to prevent any of the simple followers, when Mr. Darby is dead and gone, from saying, “I don’t see that I am called on to worship Christ, when it is not sustained in the New Testament.” And this will be the more likely, for the community does not even now revolt from such teaching “They are not used to such questions,” Mr. Darby says, and it is true—for the poor people are used to take in all without questioning—so true, indeed, that when these statements were questioned by others, their teachers searched up old dictionaries with a view to level up the word “homage,” and make it all the same; but the difficulty increased as they tried the French language, and so they had to consent that it was all right, and give in, though they knew not why.
