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May 12, 1909. THE PRESBYTER]
ROMANISM AND CITIZENSHIP.
The following paragraph from the resolutions of the
litaptist ministers of Philadelphia are worthy of careful
reading and thought. They express the exact facts of
the case strongly from both a practical ami n nliiin.
sophic standpoint:
"The Roman Catholic Church claims infallibility, centered
in the Pope when he speaks ex cathedra. This
necessarily involves his right to define the sphere of
his own authority. In his so-called infallible teaching
the Pope has condemned the separation of Church and
State, the legal equality of all sects, the unrestricted
circulation of the Bible, liberty of conscience, and freedom
of thought and investigation. Everv true C
is bound by his profession of faith to accept these
teachings. When Catholics favor religious freedom,
and the separation of Church and State, in this country
it is avowedly or tacitly as a matter of necessity or expediency.
Thus is secured to them tilt largest liberty.
But should they ever attain an overwhelming majority,
their own statements show that they might feel in duty
bound to carry out, as far as possible, not American
ideas of civil and religious liberty, but the teachings
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Ui liiw j. upc. ivioreover, tne rope stubbornly maintains
his claims to the temporal power. as against the kingdom
of Italy; he desires to be recognized as a great
power in the earth by the nations, and as such to have
diplomatic relations with them. The Church of Rome
is hostile to our system of non-sectarian public schools,
and demands a portion of the public money to support
its parochial schools. Furthermore, history shows that
Rome has approved of persecution for the suppression
of heresy ; and the doctrine of I'apal infallibility would
seem to preclude the iden nf ?
VJI UUgllld Ol
decree.
"Recognizing, therefore, that the Roman Catholic
Church is not merely a religious organization, but an
astute and persistent claimant of political influence,
and the foe, on principle, of the American idea of civil
and religious liberty, we assert that American citizens
may be justified in declining to vote for Roman Catholics
for high office, in the State, at least, until the
Romish Church shall officially and frankly change its
attitude. The same principle applies to arlii.>rpn^
of the Mormon hierarchy or in any similar case.
'"We regard the attitude of the high officials of the
Roman Catholic Church toward both our school system
and our separation of Church and State as unwise for
the best interests of their own membership and hostile
and disloyal to the country, and we appeal to the
great mass of our Roman Catholic fellow citizens,
whose intelligent loyalty we do not desire to question,
to assert their right to think and act in harmony with
me ciiiiiicmai uiea ot their own country, instead of
the un-American ideas of the old countries. We remind
them that our Government has already given
them greater religious liberty than any Government
where Church and State are united W? ?? "?
t f V Ui^V IKILIII IU
stand by the free public schools, that bulwark of our
liberties, which a generous Government provides for
them, and to help us maintain the perpetual separation
of Church and State."
*
AN OF THE SOUTH. 9
Minister's Corner
A SUGGESTION TO MINISTERS.
.1 .1
i .it tmci uitn^ci (ji me ministry is the lack in it of
incentives to application and to strenuous, steady work.
Churches complain, and, we fear, with justice, of the
neglect of pastoral duties and of the readiness of ministers
to listen to outside claims. Most ministers will
agree with us that these claims have become exacting
to the point of impertinence, but very few have the
courage to resist them in favor of the humdrum spade
work of visiting and pulpit preparation. A quickening
of the ministerial conscience in regard to these matters
would do more than some of us have any idea of in improving
the prospects of our churches.?British Congregationalist.
SERMONS THAT SAVE.
Sermons that save must sound an alarm. Knowing
the terrer of the law, we persuade men. No glittering
generalities, no rhetorical niceties, the messaee must
ring out like a fire Dell, it must echo like a drum heat
before the battle, it must peal like the shrill blast of
the watchman's trumpet when danger is near, it must
declare the whole counsel of God. That means denunciation
of sin, the necessity of repentance, the certainty
of a judgment throne, an eternal hell for the finallv im
penitent, salvation by faith, and cleansing through the
blood of the Redeemer. May the walls of our churches
resound with such preaching. Then will they be filled
with people and with salvation.?Ex.
A PRESSING DEMAND.
Brethren, the pressing demand of our churches is a
revival of the preaching of the old truths of sin and salvation.
We must get back to Christ, back to Pentecost,
back to the courage and faithfulness of the fathers.
in tnose days the sword of the Spirit cut its way
through to marvelous victories. Conviction was judgment.
Mourning for sin meant tears and groans. Repentance
involved the surrender of every sin. Conversion
was a translation. People were gloriously saved.
To this high end the church-house must be a means
We gather funds to build churches so that the people,
the people might be saved.?Ex.
ELEVATING THE MINISTRY.
Elevate the ministry and encourage the best and
brightest of our young men to enter it. Estimate ministers
by what they are, rather than by where they are,
and by what they give, rather than what they get.
Honor them because they are ministers of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and doing- his work in the world. Let
it be as great an honor, at least, to be a minister of the
church as a "priest of the church." The cultivation of
this sentiment will bring into the ranks of the ministry
many of our best men. It should he considered a great
honor to be a minister, whether one is a rich or a poor
minister. Place and price are entirely too much emphasized
at the present moment even by Christian people.?David
Wylie, in the New York Observer.