Newspaper Page Text
October 2, 1912 } T fl fc :
Editorial 1
The Assembly's committee for the preparation
of a "Brief Popular Statement of the Doctrine
of our Church" is at work, we hear, getting
ready in a preliminary way for the important
work entrusted to it. If its members will allow
a suggestion from the outside, we shall be glad
to beg them to stick as far as possible to phrasealnrfv
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oucau; uuuuisiuuu anu. aennea, rattier
than attempt to use any of the "rag time" language
of the day which is popular but not apt
to live long.
The Presbyterian, of Philadelphia, commenting
upon the Southern Assembly's project of preparing
a Brief Popular Statement of Doctrine,
says that if ignorance of the Confession on the
part of the ministry of our church is the only
reason for her making a Brief Statement, then
she had better give her time and strength to educating
her ministry and let the Brief Statement
pass, for with such ignorance even the Brief
Statement will avail but little. The statement
that there is such ignorance, however, The Presbyterian
says misrepresents our church, and it
believes that the latter had some far better rea90u
for undertaking the Brief Statement.
Our Assembly's Minutes, in reciting the Assembly's
acts and deliverances, seems to have
taken a liberty with the language of the motion
calling for the appointment of a committee to
prepare a "Brief Statement." The difference between
"doctrine" and "belief" may not appear
to some as very great, in the way in which either
is used just here, but the action of the Assembly
was that a committee be appointed "to prepare
a brief statement of the doctrine of our church,"
not "of the belief' of our church."
Thfi u'ritpr in (ha Nam Ok1oi>?io ? * J
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vocate who lately stood so strenuously for the
regeneration of all infants as the belief of his
church, is at it again, very vigorously maintaining
that all infants are born regenerate, justification
of life having come to them as a free gift
through Christ's righteousness. If this be true,
our good brother's church ought to close out all
its missions, stop its magnificent evangelistic
work, and devote itself to keeping the world ignorant
of the fact that sin is here, and a Saviour
for sin and sinner, lest, by its telling the good
iiews which many who are now in a state of grace
will reject, it be the means of changing these
myriads of saved souls into unsaved, fallen souls.
The enrollment at Union Seminary, Richmond,
includes six men of other denominations. These
enter on the same terms as our own students and
may avail themselves of every department of
Ipjjmincr rPV?T7 3 A - '1
??u.ue. j.xij aic ucaitn^ wciuoxiieu io ine instruction
and fellowship of the Seminary, and
will close their year's study with the firm assurance
that Presbyterians, as represented- by
their appointed teachers of divinity, are exponents
of the sound evangelical faith, dear to
the hearts of all who love their Bibles, and that
they cherish a fraternity as wide as that great
multitude throughout the earth who "love our
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity."
Occasionally we get a check with request that
the paner be sent to nerson-a wVm tB?nt ttio nonnr
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but are unable to subscribe. Recently a ministerial
friend gave us such an order, accompanied
by words of high appreciation. He believed
the best way to use that amount of money
was to send The Presbyterian op the South
fifty-two times a year to selected readers. This
P K ? & B ? ttiKlAN or TfiB 80
Votes and
.. i
ministerial friend has lots to do with Bible circulation
and knows the kind of literature that
is best to follow the Bible in Christian homes.
The moral of this is that our readers will render
a wise and valuable service to their friends if
they will get the Church paper into homes that
are destitute of its enlightenment, its stimulus
and cheer. The Presbyterian op the South is
supplying a large number of suoh home3 at its
own charges. It expects to increase the number
as rapidly as its resources will justify.
We have just received two subscriptions from
a father who wishes The Presbyterian op the
South sent to his boys at college. We have a
number of other such names on our list. There
should be many more. Positive Christian influence
is needed by our boys and girls at college.
Much depends on a student's associations.
In the average college or university there is one
large group of upright, honorable, industrious
young fellows, and another set of loafers and
spendthrifts. This latter class are often zealous
in making converts to their fraternity. Every
resource should be employed to keep the new
student especially, out of their grip. Good literature
is a strong ally of every virtuous agency in
such a case. Let us give them wholesome religious
reading.
It now appears that the "World's Conference
on Faith and Order is to he primarily a function
of American and British Episcopalians. All other
religious organizations who profess the Christian
faith have been invited to appoint delegates
and many of these have complied. The confer
ence will be beld in New York City at a time yet
to be announced. The Conference has been in
contemplation for several years, its purpose being
to ascertain, if possible, a basis of union
between all religious organizations that profess
the Christian religion?both Protestant and
Catholic. The fact that this adventure has taken
a dominantly Episcopal rather than interdenominational
turn, puts it in a better light. All
questions under discussion will probably be reduced
to one, and that one will be answered by
one great fraternity. That question will be,
whether or not a greater or less degree of uniformity
between religious denominations can be
scured on an evangelical, rather than a traditional
basis.
"Our Country, God's Country!" is the slogan
mat nas oeen cnosen for Home Mission Week,
November 17-24. Let us hold it up to the light.
Our country, like all others, is God's country by
right of creation, providential care and redeeming
love. It is already his property. We cannot
secure for him a more complete title. But is it
his in the sense that its people as a whole recognize
his authority, obey his laws and reverence
his name? Surely not. Can we make it such?
We cannot by human device, but "all things are
possible to him that believeth." Have we the
faith, the self-surrender, the devotion to Christ
which would correspond to a new era of spirituality
in this land, a radical change in the vital
experience and religious ideals of our hundred
millions of people? There is the question on
which the answer to the slogan of Home Mission
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Tictrn. mrus. iwery aavance in the kingdom of
our Lord begins in the hearts of his own people.
We may 'be enthusiastic and adroit in planning
a campaign and securing enlistments, and
yet fail. All will be utterly futile unless we are
endued with power from on high. The nationwide
campaign contemplates that our country
shall be made God's country. What a moment
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Comment
ous transformation is thus conceived. We should
propose nothing leas, but we may well remember
that "This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel,
saying, Not by might nor by power,
but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts."
"Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for
his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God."
The Religious Telescope gives each week a religious
cartoon. Sometimes they are rather crude,
as works of art, but usually they are very suggestive.
A recent one represented the preacher
who has received the command "Feed my
sheep," and made it read, "Club my sheep." It
well pictures the man in the pulpit or member of
the official boards of the church who persists in
scolding, harassing, knocking those who do not
just agree with him or go exactly the way he
wishes, who does not remember that sheep ought
to be led and fed, not driven or beaten.
The most serious damage that comes to the
Word of God and to the church from the destructive
critics is not found in their attack upon individual
facts or books in the Bible, but in the
less of confidence in the Bible as a whole which
their methods produce. They pretend to have a
profound reverence for the Word of God, and
then they proceed to show it to be an untrustworthy
book. If the Bible is altogether such a
thing as they make it, it is not believable in any
of its parts. The taint which they put upon parts
of it attaches itself to the whole.
CHRISTIANS OUTSIDE THE CHURCH.
Are there any! If so, why!
On one occasion the disciples found a man
casting out devils in Jesus' name. They said,
"Quit doing as we are doing." They tell Jesus,
and he says, "Forbid him not, for he that is not
against us is for us."
Christ recognized that there might be Christians
outside the organized Church. There are
such now. How many we know not. That it is
not best for the Church, nor for them we admit.
We have to take people and things much as they
are in this world. But we may easily see the
reasons.
There are some who like to do the work of the
Lord alone. They "flock to themselves." They
cannot touch elbows. There were some soldiers
who could not tight in the ranks. In Briery
Church there used to be a man whose conduct
showed unmistakable evidence of a regenerated
heart, who could not be brought into the pale of
church membership. He was casting out devils,
but doing it by himself.
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Church is. To them it is a company of experts
on religious matters. To others it is a social and
religious club. They have not learned that the
Church is the school of Christ and we must come
in ignorant in order to learn. That it is the body
of Christ and has many members, and every
member some duty. Perhaps we have made the
terms of Church membership too high. These
disciples commanded this man to leave home and
business and follow them. He could not do that.
They had not learned what Dr. Thos. E. Peck
used to say, "Religion Is one thing we can exercise
along with our legitimate business."
By multiplying the services of the Church
and expecting everybody to be present. By
laying down views of theology and demanding
every one to conform to them. By treating the
Church member as a finished product, rather
than raw material, the Church has kept many
outside.