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September 13, 1911 ] THE
Editorial 1
The beneficent effects of missions is being increasingly
percieved by tbe representative thinkers
and leaders in foreign lands. Prosperity, patriotism,
intelligence, industry and virtue arc
stintfulated by tbe presence of the missionary and
the light that shines from his message. One of
tbe leading newspapers of Japan has this to say
of the influence of Christianity upon that na
tion, as quoted by Mr. John T. Evans: "Look
all over Japan. More than forty millions of pco*
have a higher standard of morality than
" v.ever known. Our ideas of loyalty
' **o higher than ever, and we inquire
u. "reat moral advance. We
can find it in -r: '"in the religion of
Jesus Ohrist."
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. Tn 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 supplication 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. lie
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 splehdid study we have lately had, in
the life of Jeremiah! ttow little the grand old
prophet, deserves the name of "the weeping prophet
** which is sometimes given him ! How little
just meet is tne wora deremiaa, wincn is oiten
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 liiin were enough to put him
in despair, but he was an optimist all the while.
Tf 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 hack,
hack number, out of the procession, dead in orthodoxy,
fossils. They alone are the wise, and
wicdnm will rlio wifVi fhr-m Tint tVlf? tmtVi 10
mighty and will prevail. The destructives have
not yet succeeded in putting the Bible out of
commission, and they never will. The Word of
God will stand forever.
Tf the church would see on 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 he to get rid, as far as possible, of the
".dejJbd line" idea which has got hold of many
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE S<
Votes and
minds. Another will be to support 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 the 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. TTenoc the utter lack in
self-propagating power of the many cults whose
chief tenet is the denial of something positive
which others have taught.
AVe congratulate The Hantiat flhrnnirle nf
Alexandria, La., on having attained its twentyfifth
anniversary. The Chronicle is the organ of
the Baptists of Louisiana. Tt is an ideal looal organ,
living wind 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.
Tt 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
work is too great to be dependent upon the
praise of men, and too great to admit of anything
on their part which may indicate that
they love praise. Their praise is of Ood. Paul
was wise when he said, "With me it is a very
small thing 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 he." Duties are numerous
and sometimes tremendous, hut they
come one at a time, so far as obligation is concerned.
To do just one thing at a time is all
that is required of us. Tf one can do that
thing rapidly and move to the next with dispatch,
all the better, hut one duty well done
eases the way for the next. One has well said
c : -i-i- j i . p
11i<iL pcrMiriinu^ umy, one nury out, ot rne
many claiming attention, is like going un-stairs.
The stairway is like an obstruction, many foot
high, but if wo lift one foot and stop up on the
lowest stop, we are in good position to lift the
other foot to the next step, and before we know
it we are at the top.
Tn Costa TCiea 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.
)OTR (873) !)
Comments
PLAYING WITH FIRE.
Oil a recent Sunday the lesson was studied
which described Jehoiakini's cutting to pieces
the scroll written by Jeremiah and Baruch and
1)11 I'll illf tllO Iniivou ilirnn rv?t : ?
0 v.w *v???vi, vuiv/c \'i iv;ui at ti turn; in
his brazier. Beginning that same day before
large gatherings at Montoagle, the great Southern
Chautauqua, a University of Chicago professor
sought to parallel Jelioiakim's act. Ilis acceptance
of the most advanced and destructive
form of the radical critieism 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, rtthe
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 mueli as genius, as some
hold, but it is simply the outpouring of the
passion of the soul. This would make it as pos
sihle for one to be inspired now as in the days
wlinn mi.- + : "
|.1V..-IVIH UUU|UIIIRI were JJlVtll. 17T II1C
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 the like, such as the miracle of the man sick
of the palsy, the man at the Pool of Bethesda,
the man with the withered arm, the raising of
Tnirus' daughter, the restoring of sight, to the
man upon whose eyes the clay was nut The
third group*1 was of those which may be accounted
for by the importation of the life,
vigor and strength of a stronger person to a
weaker, such as most of the eases of healings, the
curing of some "mental lesion." rather than
physical ailment. The fourth group was of
those which are unaccountable for upon any of
the preceding theories and toward which, like
the biologist who in the light 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. Tie was unequivocally
convinced of the great miracle of ?
the resurrection of Christ. To such others, like
the virgin birth, the feeding of the multitudes,
the raising of Lazarus, as belong to this class
he had an "open and hospitable mind." or a
readiness to accent erood evidence if if i? nreunnt.
1 - C- 'v * '
ed. lie asserted that many of the wonders of
the modern world, such as wireless telegraphy,
the aeroplane, ere more than comparable to
the miracles of the New Testament. As a corollary
of all he asserted his belief that miracles
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 l>e 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