An Almost Imperceptible Decline

In a booklet entitled Remove Not the Ancient Landmarks, a message by Ostis Wilson, he addressed the subject of apostasy and compromise from the standpoint of landmarks, established standards, which God forbade to remove.

Brethren, let us realize that when we cut loose from our moorings and start drifting, there is no knowing where we will drift to. The only safe place for us is to stay anchored to the old landmarks and never take the first step away from them….

[Ostis B. Wilson, Jr.; Remove Not the Ancient Landmarks, “The Deficiencies of the Conscience”]

Now we know that no religious movement ever fell to the bottom all at once. The greatest apostasy of them all that led to the establishment of the Roman Catholic hierarchy came by a gradual process and was 260 years in developing, even after it got a good start, and the leaven of it was working actively but gradually for a long time before that.

But stop at any point in that gradual decline and apostasy from the original spirituality and glory of the early church and name any one thing that was coming in and it by itself would appear to be of too little consequence to be worthy of much attention, let alone create a controversy. This would be especially true in the first stages of the decline because such things always start on very minor points.

[Ostis B. Wilson, Jr.; Remove Not the Ancient Landmarks, “The Seeds of Apostasy”]

He goes on to apply these little things of apparently little consequence to small changes in the outward standards of people’s lives, and it certainly applies there. But is it not even more true that it also applies to the small and apparently insignificant changes in people’s spiritual attitudes and values? Indeed, out of the heart are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). If the devil can gain an advantage inwardly, most certainly this will translate into an advantage outwardly, as well.

But, even though the first steps were small and insignificant, those first fruits of it are a part of it the same as the later fruits are a part of it. The little minor points on which it started are as much an important part of it as the bigger things that came later. Without the little things, there never could have been the bigger things. Little drops of water make the mighty ocean. Little grains of dirt make this great earth. And a conglomerate accumulation of little things make a great apostasy, the result of which is a fallen movement.

[Ostis B. Wilson, Jr.; Remove Not the Ancient Landmarks, “The Seeds of Apostasy”]