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January 29, 1913 | T H ? P
Presbyterial Ilome Mission Committees, Presby
lerial Evangelists and others directly responsible
for the work are urged to be present. Plans
are uu loot to secure the attendance of some
one connected with 1 Ionic .Missions or Evangelism
from every Presbytery. The value of such
a conference can not be overestimated. The
Assembly's Campaign Committee on Stewardship
and Evangelism will be present and it is
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uvj-vm mill IIUIII ima KUUlVll'Ul'C I'Vl'iy Ullt?
will g<> with a new hope and determination to
make this the best year in soul winning ever
known in our Church.
The great possibilities of the Convention and
of the special conferences should bring every
Southern Presbyterian to his knees. The Movement
recognizing the need of prayer early issued
"A Call to Prayer," asking ministers and laymen
to pray daily for the Convention. May the
number of those who are now praying for the
Convention increase and may there be such a
volume of earnest prayer offered that this gath
crinir may prove llie greatest spiritual uplift
thai has ever come to our Church.
ULGIN NOW TO PLAN.
To attend yourself; to send your pastor.
To send a member of the session; to send a
member of the diaconate.
To send a representative of the Sunday school.
To send a representative ol the Missionary
Society.
To send a representative of the Adult Bible
Class.
To send some one in your place if you cannot
attend.
DOCTOR ELIOT VERSUS THE MISSIONARY.
BY REV. D. \V. BRANNEN, D. D.
i j : .1 i. r?i: _ e tt i
i uimer 1 rusiuuui jmiui, 01 xiarvuru, expressod
some rather remarkable statements before
a recent meeting of Unitarian, Universalist
and Congregational ministers in Boston. His
utterances were based upon the world tour he
completed not a great while ago, the tour occupying
about a year.
In his address lie made, it is said, a careful
discrimination, revealing the characteristics of
the Chinese and Japanese minds, and showing
that it is utterly impossible for the old faiths
to reach these orientals, lie said further:
"If Christianity lias nothing better to offer
these people than such dogmas as the atonement,
original sin, the Trinity, and an everlasting
hell, then the missionary task is futile."
Doctor Eliot was generous enough to acknowledge
that the representatives of these
outworn dogmas are working in those lands
with splendid enterprise and devoted selfsaeriliec,
while the liberals, sit in "smug eontent,
otiering the world of missions, in the hour
of its hunger, only the dry hones of criticism
of those who already serve."
i^viucuuy tnese statements ot Doctor Dliot
wore made witliout giving sufficient consideration
to recent changes. For, if we are to believe
such a careful writer as Doctor Barton,
of the Congregation* I Board of Missions, the
Chinese people arc at this very moment turning
in multitudes to the very missionary whose
task the aged critic declared was futile, and
arc entreating the man with the outworn dogma
to teach them the way of life. It is the
sober judgment of Doctor Barton that no sit
-uuuu iip nit* nisiory or me unrisuan unurcn
parallels the opportunity before the missionary
in China. In Japan, also, according to recent
information, Christianity has for the first time,
been placed on an equal footing with the old
religions, thus giving it a standing and an open
door it has not hitherto enjoyed.
(Continued on page 11.)
RESBY TERIAN OF THE SO
The Grace of G
BY KEV. N.
"And of his fulness have all we received, and
orarf fur iiriir/.''?.Inlm 1 14i
Cut a clear idea of this term "grace.-' It
means favor to the umiescrviug. Kead that
dcliuition again, ami think. 1* or it- it is correct,
then "grace-' must exclude the idea of
merit. For no right-thinking man, who is wellinformed,
can claim that his oha.meter is such
before Cod that he can demand v'-od'.s favor,
as a matter of justice. It also exe udes the
idea of works; for if his works were of such a
character as to allow him to lay claim to (lo.i s
favor, then he would he independent of the
atoning work of Christ. Now let us proceed
by asking:
W11AT IS "GRACE," AND WHAT DOES IT INCLUDE f
1. The great plan of the tirst person of the
Trinity for the .salvation of Adam's race. Who
would dare say that either his merit or works
deserve the care, thought, sympathy and love,
exercised by the Father in that scheme ot' redemption
which was made before the worlds
were formed! 2. The humiliation of Christ in
withdrawing, for a time, from the adorable
Trio; leaving, for the most part, the admiring
homage of Arch-angels; in being born under
all the limitations of finite nature, including
subjection to the restrictions and penalties of
a holy law which had been violated; in leading
a life of toil and reproach, and in dying the
shameful and horrible death of the cross. Who
would say his merit or works deserve such hu
uiiliation on the part of the Son of God! 3.
The work of the lloly Spirit in applying the redemption
of Christ to the hearts of men; for
without this work the plan so wisely and lovingly
made and so faithfully carried out,
would be of no avail. This He does by arousing
an interest iii the sinner's mind concerning
his own salvation, convincing him of his
sin and that Christ is the Saviour of sinners,
and then by regeneration, both persuading and
enabling him to accept the provisions of the
Gospel. Who will say that his merit or works
ueserve t ne ministry of tlie Holy Spirit.
This plan of "Grace" was not prompted by
an angel, or any other creature, but was (a)
spontaneous; it originated in God?in God's
head and heart?in infinite wisdom and love;
(b) It was self-directed, directed by God himself,
uninfluenced by anything or any creature
outside of himself; uninfluenced by any foreseen
goodness in his creature, man. In other
words, it was not directed so as to terminate
upon and save the fallen angels. It was directed,
by divine choice, toward lost man. Rut
not so directed as to save all men. For the
revelation of this plan was confined to one
small people for about two thousand years.
And millions of heathen live and die in utter
darkness. Salvation sufficient for all, efficient
for God's chosen people only. Just why this
is, we cannot tell. "Even so, Father; for so it
seemed good in thy sight."
This plan of "Grace" completely satisfies
the soul. No one, who has heartily accepted
its provisions, becomes dissatisfied and craves
something better, for tberc is nothing better.
Ti ?-;ii " 1 ?
.i, ..... .....i... tiiuusc iiic sum 01 tiie last trace
of sin. It feeds the mind from innumerable
sources in this life, and will infinitely expand
its powers in the life to come. It will change
our vile body, and make it like the glorious
body of our Lord. So it saves the whole man.
But "Grace" has another meaning. When
a man gives a soft answer for a blow, we say
"It was the 'grace' of God that enabled him
to do that." We mean that he was under the
influence of the Holy Spirit. And now, pov
U T R (75) I
iod in Salvation
B. MATUES.
erty ul' language compels us t?? use a term Ili:?1
at lirst sight is objectionable. \\ e say thai
"grace" is "irresistible." But we neither
mean that it cannot he resisted, nor that it
overpowers a man in a physical sense, as would
a cyclone, and saves him against his will. But
it simply changes h'.s will from a state of re
hellion to a state ot' submission to (Joel's will.
And this in the sweetest and gentlest way.
And 44grace tor graee." That is, graee added
to graee; the New Testament added to the
Old. The Old Testament was a grand revelation.
It emphasized truthfulness, honesty,
and spirituality in worship as did no other ancient
religion; and, we may add. as no other religion
of any age has ever done. Not only so.
but it showed the only way of salvation. But
it was necessarily incomplete. As shadow to
substance; as picture to original; as model to
machine; as history to eyewitness; so was tin*
Old compared to the New dispensation; for the
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fomo, "God having prepared some better
tiling for us,'' who live in the latter days.
"Grace for grace." That is. grace in abundance.
Grace sufficient to make us "clean every
whit." When water is scarce, a man washes
only his hands; when it is plentiful, he bathes
his whole hoily. We act sometimes as if we
thought there was not enough grace to go
around, and so content ourselves with leaving
off only a part of our evil habits. When the
truth is, there is no sin which grace will not
finally overcome; and the many sins in which
we yet indulge should have been cleansed out
long ago. For there is no limit to "the abundant
grace of God," which is as boundless as its
divine Author, of whose "fulness" we have all
begun to receive.
"Grace for grace"; to meet every demand.
Just as water from inexhaustible fountain tills
a cistern to overflowing, so the "fulness" of
Christ comes to us in time of trouble?if we only
receive it. It sustains us and makes us fat
and nourishing, as a tree is sustained by the
sap that tlows into it from fertile earth. Or
as light from the sun fills the air, so that "there
is nothing hid from the heat thereof."
"Grace for grace." That is, grace in us
corresponding?to the "fulness" of Christ, of
which we have all received. Ah! if Christ
would but enter myriads of human bodies, as
lie once entered one hummi im.K
? V/V4J , (I1IU U??WII
in every community, what might lie not accomplish
as a light in the world! But did it
ever occur to you that this is just what lie
docs, in the lives of Ilis followers? lie dwells
in them by llis Spirit. lie once said to His
disciples, "Ye are the light of the world."
Hence Ilis humility, Ilis meekness, compassion,
devotion and love, must shine out from us.
And this leads to the last thought.
"Grace for grace"?grace, in us, for others.
To this end grace was given?"As every man
hath received the gift, even so minister the
same one to another, as good stewards of the
manifold 'grace' of God." 1 Pot. 4:10.
"Grace" is a sacred trust to bo used for the
good of others; and wo arc commanded to do
good to all men, as wo have opportunity, especially
to those who are of the household of
faith.
Riverdale, Ga.
TU. i-i i
i ne enroliy city is the home of sin, disease,
poverty and death. The heavenly city is free
from all these. If you de.sire to enter the heavenly,
you must do all in your power to make
your earthly city like it.
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