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December i, 1909. THE PRESBYTER!
vin and Calvinism; in which addresses, the great truths
of Calvinisrr), which are the truths of the gospel, have
been as scarce as "hens' teeth." We have books on the
Presbyterian creed, in which everything good about
the creed is said, but the creed itself is omitted.
Who ever hears the Calvinistic eschatology set forth,
the eschatology of the Bible, of the Presbyterian Standards,
of the Creeds of Christendom ? The typical man
of the world has little or no fear of anything that can
happen to him in a future life. The typical church
member has no desire to die and go to heaven. He is
not even "in a strait betwixt two." He has no per
sonal interest in a Millennium, of which the Scriptures
say nothing, of which our Standards say nothing, and
which, if it ever comes, will come when he is dead
and gone. Of the coming of the Lord, of the tremendous
events connected with that coming, of the glories
and blessedness then to be experienced by God's people,
he hears little and knows and cares less. He has
no hope that is at once Scriptural and inspiring. In a
word, the church has substituted, not in its creed, the
creed is Scriptural, but in its practical teaching, a millennial
reign of Christ for his eternal reign; and, so
far, is teaching another gospel, with no real blessed
Scriptural Hope in it: "the Hope of righteousness by
faith."
The preaching that most people hear is very good
preaching, so far as it goes; but it does not go very
far with respect to the gospel itself, in its simplicity,
purity and power. The appalling nature of sin, in all
its forms and phases; the strange, the unique nature
of Christ's work as the sinner's substitute; the strange,
the unique work of the Holy Spirit in His effectual
call; the nature, warrant, origin and results of faith in
Jesus Christ; the nature aud results of repentance, of
regeneration and sanctification, which make salvation
real; the coming of the Lord and the glory and blessedness
of His people in the new heavens and the new
earth, are to a great extent left out.
To sum up: the matter with the church is that it is
neglecting the great commission, and is devoting itself
too much to some interesting and important, yet wholly
subordinate, things.
The recently published volume of the Calvin Memorial
addresses has a large number of very fine
things in it. Among these, I cite an utterance or two
of the Rev. Dr. A. M. Fraser. In response to the
question, "What is the effect we should wish Calvinism
to produce?" he says:
"It is not to make the gospel popular. Christ did
not do that. It is not to adorn religion with artificial
attractions, . . . and so to make it pleasing to the
natural heart. . . . It is not to multiply adherents,
aHtnifA-c ~ J C ~ * *
.umiiviii, jviuicssui? cinu miitiiciai supporters. Ui what
advantage is it that we have plethoric church rolls and
houses of worship crowded with enthusiastic listeners
if men do not forsake sin and selfishness for God and
service, and if there be in men no power to transform
the life and no foretokens of the perfect life in heaven?"
Then, in response to the question, "How may the
principles of Calvinism be rendered most effective under
modern conditions?" he says:
"Let Calvinism be boldly avowed and aggressively
pressed. It is not a time for cowardice. . . . Let
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[AN OF THE SOUTH. 7
not the Church be afraid of it nor afraid to preach it.
As some has said, 'The truth needs no caretakers, it
needs only witnesses.' Let not the truth be suppressed
or concealed. Let it not be compromised nor amended
at the dictation of its enemies. Let it not be glossed
to please an unbelieving world. It has always done its
work in the open field and not in hiding and not by indirection.
It has done its work as a whole and not as
a mutilated system. Then let it be proclaimed with
confidence."
Lexincrton Miccrmri
WORLDLINESS.
Some one has said that in modern times Jesus is
being crucified afresh between two thieves, namely:
"Commercialism and Worldliness." Well, this is true
to a very great extent even among professing Christians.
The apostle in his letter to the Romans warns
them against this danger. Says he: "Be not conformed
to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind." In the very beginning of this chapter
he says: "I beseech you therefore brethren by the
mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice." In one breath he suggests a remedy for
worldliness, namely: self-consecration to the service
oi Uod. In order to get rid of worldliness we should
have some high ideal before our minds and labor to
that end. Worldliness consists in laying our souls upon
the altar of flesh and sacrificing the spiritual to the
carnal. Spirituality is the laying of our bodies upon the
altar of the soul and sacrificing them to the glory of
God. Now to my mind worldliness is the fruit of unbelief,
which spirit manifests itself in adopting the
principles that are carnal and not spiritual; in employing
worldly and carnal methods to accomplish certain
ends, which ends are rather designed for one's own
glory than that of God. In our narrative to the Presbytery
the question is asked: "Does worldly conformity
prevail in your church?" If the members of that
church attach more importance to worldly pleasures,
which do not edify the soul, than is attached to the
service ot uod, then we might truthfully say that it
prevails.to an alarming extent. There are three classes
of people in the church, namely: those who have given
themselves to pleasure, those who have given themselves
to commerce, those who have given themselves
a living sacrifice to God. That the last mentioned are
wisest and happiest can not be doubted when we consider
the fact that the Bible does not forbid us either
enjoying harmless pleasures nor engaging in legitimate
business; but it does say that we should neither eat
flesh nor drink wine, nor do anything whereby thy
weak brother is oflfended. However innocent a thine1
in and of itself may be, if we realize that we are placing
a stumbling block in one's way, we should be willing
to make the sacrifice.
The Bible informs us that "if any man loves the
world the love of the Father is not in him; that she
that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth; that
the friendship of this world is enmity with God; that
we should come out from among them and be .separate
; that we should abstain from fleshly lusts which
war against the soul; that we can not serve God and
mammon; that we should let our lights shine before