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August 2, 1911 ] T H E I
Editorial 1
It is what you may put into the church, not
what you may get out of it, that should be your
concern. When people complain that they are
getting nothing out of religion or the church,
be sure that they put nothing in. The church,
is a place for life and activity and giving, not
for the benefit it brings but for the opportunity
it offers.
Some people of pessimistic mind, are forever
predicting the failure of the Church. The only
tning 01 wmcn tney really convince others is
that they wish it to fail. Else why do they constantly
harp on the dark subject? The old story
of the bell and the clapper applies. "If I am
cracked," said the bell, "who cracked me? And
if you did not tell it out, who would know it?"
Unless the pastors and sessions shall take in
hand the raising of funds for the beneficent
causes of the Church, there is danger of a crisis
of unusual gravity in our financial affairs
for this year. Since the radical change in our
schedule and method of collections, our people
are bewildered as to the time and designation of
their offerings. Every session should get a copy
of the Assembly's minutes, study the plan carefully,
inform the congregation and let the good
work go forward. Already there has probably
been serious loss to our treasuries because of
confusion as to what is expected.
This, from an article by Rev. Dr. Webb, of
Louisville, is a fine and practical statement:
"The next thing for you to remember is that a
God who does not predestinate is an opportunist.
An opportunist is one who waits on circumstances,
and takes advantage of them, to accomplish
his ends. Among men he is a politician
who is without convictions. He is a person indifferent
to ways and means, and has his mind
set only on his object. Are you willing to. think
of the Moral Ruler of the universe as an Infinite
Opportunity?"
Southern scholarship and literary ability are
signally recognized in the preparation of "The
1911 Bible," the Authorized Vemion of 1611
with the text carefully amended by American
scholars, published by the Oxford University
Press. Of the thirty-three men who were asked
to take a part in the preparation of this commemorative
edition, nine are from the South.
Four are Baptists, three are Methodists, one is
an Episcopalian, and one a Presbyterian. From
the North nine Presbyterians were chosen.
In their bitter denunciations of the manner in
which their church is treated just now in Portugal,
our Roman Catholic contemporaries seem
not to realize the fact that it is their own coreligionists
who are doing all the mean things
attributed to the new administration in that
country, and that the new order of things is a
revolt on the part of their own people against
the ecclesir.stical conditions under which they
have lived for centuries.
The cry for a "National Presbyterian
Church," which was so common a few years
ago, has not been so loud of late, except on the
part of a very few who have tried to force the
name, "American Presbyterian Church" on the
people in certain quarters. People have come to
believe more generally that purity of doctrine,
homogeneity of membership, and the entire separation
of the chnrch from everything that is
not of a spiritual or religious nature are better
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE S(
Votes and
than bigness, that truth is more important than
extent.
A British antiquarian, Dr. Rendel Harris, has
been bringing to light some curious annotations,
wise and otherwise, found in the margins
of old Bibles. He quotes one marginal note
round in an edition printed in 1549, in which the
injunction "to dwell with a wife according to
knowledge" is followed by the expositor's exhortation,
"and if she be not obedient and helpful
unto him, he endeavoureth to beat the fear of
God into her head, that thereby she may be compelled
to learn her duty and do it." In our
modern annotations we may not be so "faithful
and diligent in acquiring the sense and dispensing
the same unto edification," but we have
some revised ideas as to what is "unto edification"
and are much disposed to respect a certain
maxim which is not found in the original text,
nor in a marginal note, but in the writings of
another sixteenth century sage, and after this
manner it readeth?"Discretion is ye better
parte of valour."
This is a remarkable statement made by Dr.
Hunter Corbett, the veteran missionary of North
jChina and vlate moderator of the Northern
Assembly, when last in America: " If we had the
literature we need in our field, the service of the
missionaries would be multiplied tenfold." Now
let our missionaries speak out on this proposition.
If the statement is true it is of tremendous
significance. Dr. Corbett is a man of superior
wisdom, extensive observation and wide experience.
If he is right then the executive committees
should set the printing presses to work and
flood China with the right kind of literature.
Printers ink and white paper are cheaper than
men and women and not subject to privation
and toil. Skeptical literature is eagerly read by
orientals; why not Christian literature? By all
means let the Bible Society, the Tract Society
and the great religious publishing houses supply
the literature. Think of multiplying our missionary
force tenfold by supplying literature. Send
it out by tons and cargoes if it will be equivalent
to a thousand missionaries for every hundred
now in the field. Our foreign mission policies
may be subject to amendment.
The value of tract distribution may not be
fully appreciated. It is a work in which all can
engage with slight expenditure of money or
time. Just ordinary daily life brings us into contact
with those who may be impressed and helped
by a concise, informing, clear, appealing presentation
of truth. Some of the strongest and
most fascinating expositions 01 the way of life
?nd of the riches of God's grace are to be
found in the form of tracts. The good that some
leaflets have been the means of accomplishing is
simply beyond comprehension. They have led
souls to Christ who in turn have led thousands
of others. The American Tract Society publishes
the names of eminent evangelists and
teachers who have been writers and distributors
~ XV. TXT 1 - < XYT 1
\jl uauiaj amuiig ixivm are wycni, VYesiey,
Whitfield, Moody and Ryle. John Wyclif's
tracts led to the Reformation in Bohemia. Rev.
J. Hndson Taylor, missionary to China was
saved through a tract. A leaflet written by
Martin Luther reached the heart of John Bunyan,
and as a result we have the immortal
"Pilgrims' Progress. Buchanan's "Star in the
East" brought life to the soul of Adoniram
Judson, the pioneer missionary to India. The ef1
) U T H (729) 9
Comments
fective work in saving the world must henceforth
be personal work. Tracts will help wonderfully
in fulfilling the great commission.
NOTES IN PASSING.
BY BERT.
The tithe does not belong to the symbolic or
ceremonial law. Tt came into being long before
those laws were instituted. The law of the tithe
like the law of the Sabbath was recognized as in
full force by Moses, and by him incorporated
into the body of regulations by which not Israel
alone but all peoples should be bound. The
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moral law which underlay it. The types and
ceremonies have passed away because the great
Antitype toward whom they pointed has come
and fulfilled them in Himself. But the laws
which regulate man's dealings with his Maker
have not passed away, of these "not one jot or
tittle shall pass until all be fulfilled."
Let it be granted, which it freely is, that the
law of the tithe is found incorporated amongst
many Mosaic regulations which are of only temporary
importance, and yet this will not prove
that this law is likewise merely temporary. For
have we not the Sabbath embraced amongst
the same Mosaic regulations? And is not murder,
and obedience to parents and honesty likewise
dealt with in levitical constitutions? But
as keeping the Sabbath and obeying parents and
refraining from murder and honesty between
man and man did not originate with Moses but
existed as God's laws from the beginning, and
were merely incorporated into the body of laws
which Moses gave the people for their guidance
in right living, so with the tithe. The expiration
of the Levitical or ceremonial laws does not
carry with it the end of all laws incorporated
with them. Every law already existing and recognized
when these Levitical laws were given
continues in full force after they are gone. Because,
according to one of the canons of law,
"A temporary statute, expiring by its own
limitation, leaves the law as it found it." "The
tithe is moral by Divine appointment."
Coming now directly to the New Testament.
We are told that the tithe is not now binding
because there is no New Testament enactment
upon the subject. Waiving for the moment the
question of New Testament enactment, I ask
is it necessary ? Are we to be guided in our conduct
toward God only by the enactments of the
New Testament? If so, then why keep the Sabbath
? There is certainly not a word in the New
Testament commanding us so to do. This argument
fails in that it proves too much. But we
are told we have our Lord's example in the
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approval of the tithe, and also Paul's in
more places than one as I shall try to show.
Here again the parallel between these two laws
of God is apparent.
But suppose there was not one word in the
New Testament about either the Sabbath or the
tithe would be justified in neglecting them?
Have not the New and Old Testaments nne nnd
the same God? And is not the will of this God
one through all the ages? Can His standard of
morals change, or can changes of dispensations
change places with right and wrong ? Is it necessary
for God to be continually repeating Himself
in order that we should be assured He has
not changed His mind ? Is there any break in the
continnitv of the human race, or any radical
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