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10 (154) THE!
this demands sharp discipline, and strong determination.
This is a necessary requirement
for a genuine obedience, for nowhere is a lack of
self-control more manifest than in the wilfully
and continually disobedient. lie who teaches
and enforces obedience in the young in proper
ways is a friend worthy of a monument more
enduring than brass. David gives us a striking
example in his dealing with Saul, as often as the
king fell in his power. Sir Thomas More was a
irreat Englishman who had this as wall ?? nthor
virtues in wonderful development. The Archbishop
of Canterbury and the Lord Chancellor
urged him to change his mind in the matter of
the divorce of the king, Henry the VIII., but to
no purpose. Whereupon they proceeded to
threaten him. More answered in the heroic
words, "My lords, these terrors be arguments for
children, not for men." Then the Duke of Norfolk
came to talk him over. Said he, "Master
More, it is perilous striving with princes; and
the revenge of princes is death." "Is that all,
my lord!" replied Sir Thomas. "Then in good
faith the difference between your grace and me
is but this: that I shall die to-day, and you tomorrow."
THE CALLING OF LAYMEN.
It has been more than once pointed out that
in the great revivals of pure religion which have
blessed the Church, the unordained membership
which, for want of a better name we call the
Jaity, has been actively, earnestly and prominently
enlisted. The claim is strikingly substantiated
by both the inspired and uninspired
chronicles of the development of the kingdom.
As a signal and pre-eminent instance. In the
"Acts of the Apostles," which is really the Acts
of the Holy Spirit working in the entire Church,
we read that "at that time there was great persecution
against the Church which was at Jerusalem
and they were all scattered abroad
throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria,
except the apostles" (who were the ordained
men). "Therefore they that were scattered
abroad went everywhere preaching the Word."
This was a period of forward movement and
aggression. It was a time of "men and religion,"
when vital godliness spread far and wide.
The names of the laymen who took up the
torch of truth and lighted other torches until
the light spread all over the continent of Europe
in the time of Luther and Calvin, are not recorded,
but the light was borne from hand to
hand and from home to home until the whole
land was aflame with conviction and Zeal before
which thrones and hierarchies vanished. The
same was true of the spiritual revolution under
the leadership of Knox in Scotland.
It is related of John Wesley that he was at
first a high churchman and regarded the teaching
of laymen with aversion. When one, Thomas
Maxwell bv name, who was converted under
Wesley's preaching, began evangelistic work,
Wesley strongly opposed him. But Wesley's
famous mother came to the rescue. She said,
"John, take care what you do with respect to
that young man for he is as surely called of God
to preach the gospel as you are." Wesley
changed his mind and now there are said to be
twenty-one thousand local preachers in England
who call themselves Wesleyans.
Wa il.:. 1 ~4l e- -A- * r?_
iic gamci nun anu uLiicr iscis irom ur.
Crawford Johnson of Belfast, Ireland, who says
that while in the great revival of the eighteenth
century Wesley and Whitfield were most prominent
and in the upheaval in Scotland Chalmers
was at the' front, in Ulster the weavers of Kells
and Connor were God's instruments for shaking
the province. In the great revivals in America
onder Edwards, Finney, the Tenants and others,
laymen were to active and so efficient as to
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE S<
cause serious divisions of opinion as to their
relation to the teaching office.
It is not meant here that the authoritative
teachings of the Church is not distinctly the
work of the ordained men. Injury to the
cause of truth has often resulted from the
over-zeal of men not qualified to teach,
and the Church is responsible for committing
this department of her service to
tried and approved men. But under constituted
authority our laymen are to teach in Bible
study, in prayer meetings, in the home and in
social worship. "Let him that heareth say
come." In Hebrews we read of a time and a
condition when "They shall not teach every man
his neighbor and every man his brother, saying,
know the Lord," but an exceptional reason i3
given, "For all shall know me from the least
to the greatest."
The great evangelist, Thomas Guthrie said,
"I have no hope of accomplishing this object if
the churches are to be laced up by their old
rules and the people are to leave everything to
ministers and missionaries." Dean Farrar of
the Church of England said: "The Church of
God is the only power on earth which can face
the problems of the future, and by the Church
of God I mean you and everyone of you. I
mean all true Christians, whether they worship
in Abbeys or Ebenezers. The clergy alone are
nothing in this work. They are but twenty
thousand, you are more than thirty million.
Until each one of you does his duty the work
of God's universal Church will be paralyzed;
until each sweeps before his own door the
iL. XT T 1 *
ouccis ui me r*ew uerusaium win never De
clean."
THE POPE'S "NE TEMERE" DECREE.
One of the strongest protests against the attempt
of the Roman Catholic Church to interfere
with the civil law and to set up a plan for
wholesale marriage of divorced persons by a
Church which sets itself up as a rigid opponent
of divorces, will be found in the following, from
British official sources:
"The English Committee of Privileges speaks
out strongly against the 'Ne Temere Decree' of
the Roman Catholic Church. The grounds of
the committee's protest are as follows: 'The decree
declares null and void marriages contracted
between Roman Catholics and persons who are
A 1 - it- -it 1 *
iioi inemuers 01 mat cnurcn, even wnen sucii
marriages are perfectly valid according to the
laws of this realm. The decree degrades those
who contracted these marriages to the level of
persons living in open sin, and by consequence
affixes the brand of illegitimacy upon their children.
The decree, by declaring such marriages
null and void, incites unworthy persons to repudiate
their most sacred obligations, and exposes
their wives and children to cruel desertion
and destitution. The Committee of Privileges
therefore regards the promulgation of this decree
as constituting a serious danger to the public
welfare, and calls upon his majesty's government
to do their utmost to protect British subjects
who may become its helpless victims.' "
( * NAVflftVinlAOfl '' io <1 liannv in T)JK1a
IV VI vitvivww ?o U lid ffj "VI U 1U HIC lilUIU,
It is often set over against some of the sad
things of life. Especially does it offset the
seeming evil of chastisement, as when wo are
told that "now no chastening for the present
seemeth to be joyous, but grevious; nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby."
There are three things which , we can not
escape?our past, ourselves and our destiny; yea,
there is a fourth which we can not avoid?our
responsibility to the former three.
3 U T H I February 14, 1912
ANOTHER SURRENDER TO ROME.
REV. JAMES H. TAYLOR.
Peace certainly has her victories jnore renowned
than war if the rapid succession of victories
on the part of the Papal Hierarchy in this
country are to be numbered in this class. It is a
constant challenge to sleeping democracy and to
blind patriotism that the Papal System continues
its systematic work of undermining our
republican institutions and securing the aid of
those in authority to promote these ends. Attention
has already been called to the effort of
Kome to capture the patriotic sentiment of certain
celebrations in this country and cash them in
for Rome by a process of deflection whereby
Thanksgiving Day becomes the groat PanAmerican
Thanksgiving with Romanist accompaniament
and Decoration Day becomes PanCarbolic
Mass Day with brass bands and other
paraphernalia.
In addition to this is the recent order emanating
from the "White House revoking the order
of Commissioner Valentine of the Indian
Bureau. Mr. Valentine had issued an order to
the following effect in regard to Indian Schools:
"In accordance with that essential principle of
our national life, the separation of church and
state, no representative of any religious denomination
should, at general assembly exercises or in
the public school rooms wear any religious insignia
or garb. (Washington TleraUl, February
5, 1912." Rev. W. n. Ketcham, director of the
Cathol:c Tnd;an Bureau, took the matter up with
President Ta**t on Friday and lodged a protest
against the order." Immediately after the visit
of Director Ketcham, of the Catholic Bureau of
Indian Schools the President wrote a letter to
the Secretary of the Interior summarily revoking
this order in ohedience to Director Ketcham's
protest. This is a complete surrender of the
cardinal principle of separation of church and
state and can not he justified in any manner.
Note the following statements in the letter of the
President: "I fully believe in the principle of
the separation of church and state on which our
government is based, but the questions presented
by this order are of great importance and delicacy.
They arise out of the fact that the government
has for a considerable period taken for the
use of the Indians certain schools heretofore belonging
to and conducted by disi'nctive religious
societies and churches. As a part of the arrangements
then made the sehnol omnlnvoao wVia n'/n-a
in certain cases members of religious orders,
wearing the distinct garb of these orders, were
continued as teachers by the government, and by
ruling of the Civil Service Commission or by executive
action they have been included in the
classified service under the protection of the civil
service law." (Washington Tlcrald, February 5,
1912.)
This is sufficient at this point to show the inconsistency
of the entire proposition. It is admitted
here that the separation of church and
state is a good thing provided it does not interfere
with the vassals of Rome who have allowed
the government to have a nominal and empty relation
to their schools, but who deny to the gov- ?
ernment the management of the same. The government
is expected and does pay annually to
the Catholic Bureau of Indian Missions monies
rmt nf tlio PVrlfrnl Tr?#mrr WViof ???
j . ..uk.hsihuiu auji
church or religious organization to get annual
appropriations out of the Federal Treasury such
as this Catholic Bureau of Indian Missions is
doing f And the people must pay this Bureau to
educate and make Catholics out of Indians. The
letter frankly and truthfuily admits that the
government has taken for its use certain schools
belonging to religious organizatiys and conducted
by churches. But we question the validity of