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September 13, 1911 ] THE
Editorial 1
The beneficent effects of missions is being in
creasingiy percieved Dy the representative thinkers
and leaders in foreign lands. Prosperity, patriotism,
intelligence, industry and virtue are
stirrtulated by the presence of the missionary and
the light that shines from his message. One of
the leading newspapers of Japan has this to say
of the influence of Christianity upon that nation,
as quoted by Mr. John T. Evans: "Look
all over Japan. More than forty millions of peohave
a higher standard of morality than
^^ver known. Our ideas of loyalty
re higher than ever, and we inquire
i?. <?rcat moral advance. We
can find it in Wn the religion of
Jesus Christ.**
A Very wise and capable pastor remarked that
he felt constrained in almost every sermon he
preached to emphasize the doctrine of the divinity
of Christ. Upon this rock rests the
whole structure of gospel truth. In current
religious literature there is a strong tendency
to extol the human virtues of our Lord, commending
his example for our imitation and his
counsel for our instruction, with little or no well
defined recognition of his diety. Beautifully
worded prayers are printed without any address
to Christ as God, and without supphoation offered
in his name. The present state of religious
thought calls for well defined opinions on this
supreme doctrine and a readiness to affirm those
opinions clearly, reverently and positively. He
who is vague or evasive in expressing his beliefs
at this point may well be suspected of being
lacking in firm conviction of essential doctrine,
or of its positive rejection.
What a splendid study we have lately had, in
the life of Jeremiah! How little the grand old
prophet deserves the name of "the weeping prophetH
which is sometimes given him! How little
justified is the word "Jeremiad," which is often
applied to doleful utterances or predictions! If
ever there was a stern character, wonderfully
hopeful, persistent, tender, fearless, it was the
man who feared not the face of any man, who
was faithful to the trust committed to him, who
was willing to do anything for the sake of his
testimony, and yet who held out hope all the
time if Israel would only repent and obey God.
Jeremiah was the Paul of the Old Testament.
The conditions about him were enough to put him
in despair, but he was an optimist all the while.
If there is one thing that is more characteristic
of the rationalistic and destructive critics than
their sophistical reasoning, it is the arrogance
with which they present their notions and the
supercilious manner in which they would pose
as the only wise and scholarly people on earth.
Everybody else is to them old fogy, moss back,
baek number, out of the procession, dead in or lin/l/wtr
^Aficiilo 'TViotf OIAWA O I?A J
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wisdom will die with them. But the truth is
mighty and will prevail. The destructives have
not yet succeeded in putting the Bible out of
commission, and they never will. The Word of
Ood will stand forever.
If the church would see an increase in the
numbers of those seeking the ministry, and would
hear of parents encouraging their sons to look
in that direction, there are several things that it
can do that will bring about this happy result.
One will be to get rid, as far as possible, of the
".de^d lixve'' idea which has got hold of many
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE S <
Notes and
minds. Another will be to smpport the
ministers a little more fully. Another will be to
provide comfortably for their old age and infirm
ity. Another will be to help in a generous way
the widows and helpless children of such as have
fallen by the way. The general support of the
Ministerial Relief Fund will have an immense
influence in solving the problem of recruts for
the ministry.
It is a noticeable fact that men never contribute
liberally towards tlin support or propagation
of ideas which are negative. Negation in
either philosophy or religion makes no appeal to
the hearts of men, and their hearts must be enlisted
if their support is to be sought. They give
where they feel, not where they are merely intellectually
convinced. Hence the utter lack in
self-propagating power of the many cults whose
chief tenet is the denial of something positive
which others have taught.
We congratulate The Baptist Chronicle, of
Alexandria, La., on having attained its twentyfifth
anniversary. The Chronicle is the organ of
the Baptists of Louisiana. It is an ideal local organ,
living and working always for its constituency.
Naturally we cannot agree with all
it has to say when it is dealing with denominational
matters, but when it touches on the great
evangelical principles of the Christian faith it
gives no uncertain sound. We cordially wish it
another and many more periods of twenty-five
years of a most useful life.
It is thought by many that no class of men
seek as constantly for the praise of men as ministers.
It is well that they be on their guard
lest they increase this impression. They need
the encouragement and help that come from judicious
words of commendation, but like anybody
else, they can be spoiled by adulation. Their
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praise of men, and too great to admit of anyj
thing on their part which may indicate that
they love praise. Their praise is of God. Paul
was wise when he said, "With me it is a very
small thiing that I should he judged of you, or of
man's judgment." The praise of a satisfied conscience
surpasses all else. Those who have it can
well afford to do without men's adulation if the
latter be not forthcoming.
A day at a time is enough for any one. "As
thy day shall thy strength be." Duties are numerous
and sometimes tremendous, but they
come one at a time, so far as obligation is concerned.
To do just one thing at a time is all
that ds required of us. If one can do that
thing rapidly and move to the next with dispatch,
all the better, but one duty well done
eases the way for the next. One has well said
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many claiming attention, is like going uP-stairs.
The staiirway is like an obstniction, many feet
high, hut if we lift one foot and step up on the
lowest step, we are in good position to lift the
other foot to the next step, and before we know
it we are at the top.
In Oosta Rica the other, day, a soldier who
eked out his scanty pay by making little images
of the saints, was careless enough while engaged
in melting the lead for his images, to set
off an enormous store of dynamite, the explosion
killing fifteen people. Comment is unnecessary.
DOTH (873) 9
Comments
PLAYING WITH FIRE.
On a recent Sunday the lesson was studied
which described Jehoiakim's cutting to pieces
the scroll written by Jeremiah and Baruch and
burning the leaves, three or four at a time in
his brazier. Beginning that same day before
large gatherings at Monteiagle, the great Southern
Chautauqua, a University of Chicago professor
sought to parallel Jehoiakim's act. His acceptance
of the most advanced and destructive
form of the radical criticism of the Bible was
shown from the initial discourse on the fortieth
chapter of Isaiah,, which he made, with all that
section of Isaiah, history instead of prophecy,
the product of some pseudonymous Isaiah, "the
great unknown," an exile prophet, to hour and
a half discussion of questions propounded to
him. The most radical position taken by him
was the reference to the doctrine of inspiration
and to the miracles of Christ. Inspiration, according
to the brilliant Chicago professor, does
not amount to even so mueh as genius, as some
hold, but it is simply the outpouring of the
passion of the soul. This would make it as pos
sible for one to be inspired now as in the days
when our present Scriptures were given. Of the
miracles of Christ, he made four groups. The
first group was of those which are absolutely
impossible of belief, and impossible of performance
by Christ, upon moral or other grounds,
such as the so-called miracles of sending of
the devils into swine, the finding of the money
in the fish's mouth, the cursing of the barren
fig tree. The second group was of those which
may be accounted for by suggestion, the effect
of vigorous command or manifestation of
will power, the absence of any real trouble,
or tne HKe, such as the miracle of the man sfck
of the palsy, the man at the Pool of Bethesda,
the man with the withered arm, the raising of
Jairus' daughter, the restoring of sight to the
man upon whose eyes the clay was put. The
third groupe was of those which may be accounted
for by the impartation of the life,
vigor and strength of a stronger person to a
weaker, such as most of the cases of healings, the
curing of some "mental lesion," rather than
physical ailment. The fourth group Avias of
those which are unaccountable for upon any of
the preceding theories and tOAvard which, like
the biologist who in the ltight of modern development,
is prepared for any new wonder which
a score of years ago he would not have accepted,
one may be willing to believe. He Avas unequivocally
convinced of the great miracle of
the resurrection of Christ. To such others, like
me virgin uirwi, me needing oi the multitudes,
the raising of Lazarus, as belong to this class
he had an "open and hospitable mind." or a
readiness to accept good evidence if it is presented.
He asserted that many of the wonders of
the modern world, such as wireless telegraphy,
the aeroplane, are more than comparable to
the miracles of the New Testament. As a corollarV
of all bp ?K<?Prtnrl hiss hnlinP +Viiot mi'ool"'"
of the same kind as Jesus wrought are wrought
today, and could be wrought under conditions
similar to those surrounding these modern miracles,
by himself! He utterly ignored the great
principle of the miracle, as divine attestation,
and made of it simply a wonder work.
In a lecture, or whatever it might be called,
in which he attempted to answer questions previously
submitted to him in writing, he was as
usual brilliant, mellifluous, adroit, specious, dextrously
avoiding the main issues while skll