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? THE PRESBYTERIi
Contributed
SPRING.
By Gecrge Carrington Moselty.
Tlir hlnol.i-a -
ouais m me morning hour,
And the bee is at the bud;
Soft breezes bring from far and near,
Fragrance of rteld and wood.
Pansies are blooming and buttercups, too,
And lilies fair and violets blue,?
For spring is here
Daisies are waving in the mead.
The grass is green again;
And dandelions are blossoming near,
After the gentle rain.
T.lu lilll. "
. ..-..v uiv.un ii{i|ii?T3 merrily.
Singing its song so cheerily,?
Foi spring is here.
i love the life '.he spring sun. brings,
The birds that sweetly sing;
And all the wondrous world of May,
With its every waking thing.
Oh the drys aie happier and brighter, too,
When the grass is green and the skies are blue,
And spring is here.
THE DISCIPLINE OF THE CHURCH.
By Rev. T. E. Converse.
Printed at requ est of Presbytery.) .
We were asking a minister the other (lay about the
progress and the prospects of his church. "Excellent,"
was his reply, "we are growing right along; we expect
to receive into the membership tomorrow the general
manam'r "1 ' "
v?? iiic railroad."
"How can you receive him? Is he not giving orders
daily for ilie desecration of the Sabbath with his
trains?"
"Oh, you are far too straightlaced. The Church has
far outgrown any such limitations on her membership."
We fear that that pastor told the truth. The Church
has far outgrown the maintenance of discipline. Memllpr
aftpr _cc
? ...vmuti, uuiccr auer omcer. have made the
same report. Except for outbreaking, disgraceful public
wickedness, there is little discipline or none. Indeed,
in recent years many persons have been admitted
to the membership of the Chutch merely on their
momentary impulses, and without making sure of conversion,
and, as a consequence, in the Church there are
many who care little for the Savior, who habitually
neglect his house and concern themselves but little
about consistency of life. One pastor remarked in our
hearing lately that even some nf his ?
...w ..uviu U11U UVdLUI15
fail to give evidence of a change of heart.
God has chosen his Church on earth to be the bride
of Christ. Is such a Church as we find here in our
midst, fitted to occupy the chair of the bride at the marriage
supper of the Lamb? Is such a Church an honor
to the Redeemer? Ought the officers of the kingdom
on earth to be content to let such a condition continue?
The remedy for this evil is twofold. One is the
\N OF THE SOUTH. May 12, 1909.
preaching of the Gospel. The other is shepherding, or
the government of the flock by the rulers of the Church.
The question can be considered in two ways. One
is the human standard. What do we think to be wise
and right? The other is the divine standard. What
rlnoe A ? ? * *
v.^o vjuu ia|uirc or nis church officers? We propose
to consider only the latter question.
There are three forms of discipline recognized in
God's Word:
1. Training to do right.
2. Admonitions to the erring.
3. Censure to the obdurate.
The best illustration of this that we can find is in the
dealings of Christ with the twelve disciples. It was
marked by the intermingling of these three lines of
discipline.
rirst. Jesus severed the twelve from their common
associations with other men that he might train them
to a higher standard of personal life. The men of that
day taught, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate
thine enemy." But Jesus taught the twelve, "Love
your enemies." John would call down fire from heaven
on the village that refused to receive Christ. Jesus
iejjncu, re know not what manner of spirit ye are
of." The child of a Jew was impressed that whatever
should enter into the mouth would defile the man.
Jesus trained them in the truth that that which proceeds
out of the heart defileth the man. The three years of
his abiding with them was full of development of personal
character.
Secondly. In his dealings with the twelve, Jesus,
went further and frennpntlv
, .j uviiwuiusiicu mem ot their
wrong. Just after the transfiguration, the disciples
(Mark 9:34) "had disputed among themselves who
should be the greatest." Jesus rebuked them with the
words, "If any man desire to be first, the same shall
be last of all." Again, at the time of the last Supper, when
Jesus told them that they all should be offended because
of him, Peter replied: "Although all shall be
offended yet will not I." At once Christ put forth this
second form of discipline, admonishing him for his
rashness. "Verilv I sav unto ti-i#>*? 4.u:_ -?
x wen mis uay even
in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt
deny me thrice."
Thirdly. If we read the Scriptures aright, Jesus did
not hesitate to exercise the third form of discipline, censure
on the obdurate even to the exclusion from the
privileges of the Church. In the thirteenth chapter ofT~1?
? ? ? '
juiui we reau tnat Jesus began to deal with Judas in the
form of admonition. Verse 10, "Ye are clean, but not
all." Verse 21, "One of you shall betray me." In Matthew,
"He that dippeth with me in the dish, the same
shall betray me." "Lord is it I?" "Thou hast said,"
which means Yes. Judas heeded not the admonitions.
Already he had in his pocket the contract of betrayal.
He was obdurate and Jesus proceeded with the decree
oi exclusion, "That thou doest, do quickly." And from
that moment Judas remained excluded from discipleship.
So then in the life of Jesus we have an example of the
three forms of Church discipline.
(To be Co irtinued.)