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8 THE PRESBYTER]
ceit, all unreality, all compromise with evil. This is
what the world expects from the Church.
Seventh, the Church must ever emphasize the spiritual
reality. Our age is often defined as a materialistic
age, and a surface view of prevailing conditions
might lead to that conclusion. But the spirit of the
acrp ran nrror Kn ? f
xaiiitu uy <x amidtc view or a superficial
survey of conditions. There are deeper tones in
our life than the clamorous ones that are clanging
about us day by day. These deeper tones are spiritual.
Men are crying out, not audibly, not consciously perhaps,
but none the less really, for the spiritual. Theosophy,
Christian Science and such wild and worthless
cults are but Ihe expression of this cry. Such
systems find a welcome in human hearts because of
the emphasis which they put on the spiritual. They
teach men to find the spiritual reality within themselves.
Much of the teaching is deceptive and deluding,
but it is capturing multitudes. The duty of the
t Church, in the presence of this drift of men toward
the occult and the psychic, is not criticism and censure.
It is the business of the Church to direct this
drift toward the spiritual reality in Jesus Christ, which
can be found nowhere else.
Eighth, the Church ^must ever realize that her
strength is in the measure in which the Divine Power
is operative in her life and work. The tendency of
the day is toward organization within the Church. We
have societies and associations and guilds and clubs
without number. These may be necessary and valuable,
but we must ever remember that power is not
created or multiplied by adding machinery. All that
the levers and pulleys and wheels do is to transmit
power. The power of the machine is always the power
that sets it in motion and keeps it in motion. Without
the dynamic all the clever adjustments of levers
and wheels and pulleys are useless. The dvnamir nf
the Church is the Spirit of God. Without the Spirit
of God informing, transforming and controlling us,
all our organization is unavailing. Our common and
comprehensive need is the enduement of the Holy
Spirit.
These are the eight elements which must obtain in a
Church that meets the demands of the age. Eight is
the octave number. These eight make a full octave
producing the chorus music of an effective Church?
loyalty to the Divine Lord, knowledge of the Divine
Truth and fidelity to it, appreciation of the conditions
of the age and adaptation to that condition, appreciation
of man as man, consciousness of man's condition
in sin and effort to save him, appreciation of the worth
of character, emphasis upon the spiritual reality and
dependence upon the Holy Ghost?all these together
sound out in perfect unison the grand composition of
an* effective Church that wins and blesses a needy
world.?The Westminster.
"What countless devices have they framed to escape
from the lofty truths and spiritual piety of the Gospel 1
Hence every science is ransacked for facts to neuItralize
all religion. Men's consciences do not permit
them to throw off all the forms of religion, and,
therefore, they are satisfied if they can only tear out
its heart."?Prof. Hitchcock.
[AN OF THE SOUTH. November 24, 1909.
| Devotional and Selections
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JESUS WANTS THEM.
"The harvest is plenteous," the Master said,
But his face was sad as he bowed his head;
"Yet they are so few, ah, so few," said he,
"Who labor to garner the sheaves with me."
And the workers are few! Oh, girls and boys.
With your many blessings, your countless joys,
It is Jesus who wants you most of all.
Will you listen and heed to his loving call?
By the Savior who came from his home in heaven
The greatest of earthly tasks is given.
He knows the need upon every shore,
He has counted your powers and talents o'er,
And he calls you forth in your strength and youth
To hear his message and teach his truth.
?Selected.
HOW CAN WE HELP OUR PASTOR?
By Robert E. Speer.
We can all help our pastors by not criticising them.
We would not think of going to others with criticisms
of our parents or our brothers and sisters. If there
is a n vt 1*1 in or in tVinco nrVintn ~ j _ i i
J - & ... TOIUIII VY V. IUVC WHICH WC UlbllKe
we may tell them so, if it will help them, but we will
never tell any one else. And the same rule of family
honor should include our pastor. We should never
listen to or report one word of gossip or criticism
regarding him.
We can pray for him in his work. In the preparation
of his sermons, while he is preaching to us; in
his pastoral work, in his own discovery of truth for
his own soul and for us, we can render him invaluable
help by prayer. Even if by reason of sickness or
weakness we can do nothing else to help him, we can
in this way do more than any one can do in any
other way.
We can help to prepare people to be won openly to
Christ's discipleship and service. We can talk to them
and make them ready for his message and appeals.
Or, perhaps, by God's grace we can win them to Christ
and bring them to our pastor for his reception into
the church. The pastor is not to be the only Christian
worker in the Church. He is the leader of others in
work who will also try to win souls. We can be
among those ready to be led and anxious to do all that
we can to win others.
We can be' on hand promptly, and with as many
others as we can bring, at the church service and at
the prayer-meetings. Being there in the spirit of love
and prayer is in itself a great work. It is the accomplishment
of something. It is a positive contribution.
Whoever brings a true and open soul to a
gathering of Christians helps them all to see truth
more clearly and to draw nearer to Christ.
We can help by never refusing to do what we are
asked to do,, find by not waiting to do what we see
ought to be done and what we can at least help in
doing. If we are called upon for any service at all
in any part of the work of the Church, we can help
greatly by saying at once, "Of course, I Shall be delighted
to do it."
We cap help by giving what we can to the work of
the Church. It may not be much but it cannot be less