Newspaper Page Text
February 1?, 1913]
A Suggestion as ti
Stati
By Rev. Wb
ffhls writer does not share the feelings
of alarm that have been manllfest
tod 'by a few in regard to the proposed
"brief popular statement" of our Presbyterian
faith whioh was authorized by
the Inst General Assembly. It is, indeed,
doubtful whether it will answer
altogether the purpose Intended to 'be
accomplished; but I am persuaded it
will be helpful to our brethren oh the
frontiers of our Church, who find themselves
vexed and hindered lh their work
by the opposition of Arminians and
seml-Arminlans. Pastors need somothing
authoritative in the way of a short
resume of Presbyterian doctrine, free
from theological technicalities, that
can be put in the hands of those who
ask us for a definite statement of our
faith.
Experience has shown that only In
strong Presbyterian centres. In which
Presbyterian doctrine posaeses something
of prescriptive force, is it safe to
put the Confession of Palth In the hands
of uneducated inquirers. They are almost
sure to choke on "things hard to
be understood," which are In the Confess
Ion as they are In the Scriptures.
It was prepared bv theologians for
theologians, and with especial reference
to controversies of which the average
Inquirer of to-day knows nothing. To
a trailed theological mind it la as
luminous as u is wonaenuuy compact.
Yet It by no means contains all tbe
faith of the Church. Dr. Charles Hoctee
declared that It erred both by excess
and defect. Its statements are all from
one view-point. Written before the
period of modern missions and evangelism,
It Is noticeably barren of statements
that Indicate the teaching of
Scripture as to the yearning of Infinite
Love for the salvation of all mankind.
There are some logical Inferences In It
that are well fitted for the use of all
who desire to wield It as a weapon in
lighting ns. It Is agnostic on the qnes
lion or uie salvation or au wnx> aie in
Infancy, and the faith of the Church rejects
that antiquated doubt Nothing
short of a thorough revision, that will
square It with (the living faith of the
Church, that faith that Is preached in
all our ipuTpits, so that every men
nmeng tie can quote the Confession in
support of his appeals to the unconverted,
will answer the demand upon
us. The amendment of the "elect 1*^
fant" clause will prove but a temporary
expedient
But meanwhile, there Is no special
necessity for any new effort In the direction
of preparing any brief statement,
and that lor a very luminous reason.
We already have, among the issues
of onr Publishing Honse, Inst such
a statement as Is needed for use among
those not bred to PreObyterlan faith,
f allude to the admirable tract of Dr.
L. P. Borwen, entitled, "What W'e Believe."
"I doubt exceedingly whether the
uble committee appointed bv the last
Assembly will ever succeed in prepar
lag anything quite as satisfactory as
thait tract. It is comprehensive, free
from technicalities, trne to the living
faith of the church, and thoroughly
scriptural. Written <by a minister at
work in the West,- and familiar with
western conditions, It Is just the thine
to put In the hands of Inquirers anywhere
who nsk, "What does your
W 1 * li *
viiuivn uciiovo r i nave unea it in my
worte for more than twenty years, and
have feund It satisfactory. Now, let
.he next Aesemhty authorize the publication
of a new edition of that tract*
and let a note, certifying that It carries
wKh tt the approval of eur General Aft*
i a fc ftteeiti Ttbli
? The Brief Popular
sment
u P, Mctorkle,
serubly as being a corroct exposition of
our belief as a Church, be inserted as a
"foreword." Read the tract?which will
be furnished free to all who apply for
it?and see whether you think we can
do any better.
Martinsville, Va.
AN ELDER EMERITI'S,
Mr. Harry Garrison, of Mallard Creek
church and Mecklenburg Presbytery, on
Friday, January 24th, entered Into his
one hundred and first year in the possession
and enjoyment of a remarkable
ease of body and clarity of mind. Kindred,
neighbors, friends, and old comrades
in the service of the church and
state, to the number of two hundred,
gather^ at his farm homo, six miles
northeast of Derita, on that day for the
rare privilege and excitement of teeing
a man so old, and of -witnessing him
ring oat an old century- and ring in a
new one. Hundreds more were Invited
to come, but through the live long day
the clouds never ceased to pour out
their treasurers, much needed. Indeed,
for the earth deep down was dry, though
all heartily wlshod the blessing had
been sent either earlier or later. The
stately and roomy log house, ibullt of
the finest of the pines of long ago, with
the annexed dining room and kitchen
nnti porches, was crowded to the limit
with a swarm of humanity, all trying at
onco to see and hear and keep beneath
Ibe sheltering roofB. It was a physical
and mortal impossibility not to be
sociable and good humored.
A program- of interesting exercises
was Improvised soon after the arrival of
the host of visitors. As in every GhrisI
tnn hr>na?h/\l/t and aaaamMv And waa
remembered first The old family Bible
was taken from the reading stand and
placed In the hands of Rev. Mr. Summers,
pastor of Ponlar Tent congregation,
who read therefrom the 90th.
Psalm, while all listened with new and
breathless Interest. Rev. Mr. Hood, of
Newell, led in the prayer following.
Attention was then directed to Rev.
Dr. Shaw, of Charlotte, who with fitly
spoken words, like apples of gold 'midst
leaves of silver, presented to Mr. Garrison,
on behalf of a number of his city
friends, a handsome Morris chair,
mountel on rollers, richly upholstered,
and adjustable at the will of the oc
cupant by tho touch of a button: (Then
in thought the anti-climax, if one may
so speak, with frame of hickory and
seat of splits, was reverently dismissed
to the attic to rest in peace and eanctity
with the spinning wheel, because ef
the hands that made and used them.
wnne tills new marvel or genius and
comfort took Its place at the lngleside')
Fallowing the presentation, Dr. Shaw
Introduced Mr. E. R. Treston, a son of
the manse, and a rising young lawyer
of Charlotte, to take up the theme of his
opening remarks, and to give expression
to the common sentiment of the occasion.
Mr. Preston most beautifully
and truthfully portrayed the divine
ordering of Justice, and mercy and the
sealing of the benefits thereof In the
person and1 life of Jesus Christ, designated
the venerable Christian and patriot
before him as a fair type of the
ripow. iuh 01 me gospei, *na aescrraec
* religion wlthont patriotism as Inconceivable,
and * potrtotteno -without religion
as Impossible. How It warmed
and thrilled the hearts of the preaehors
present to hear the young layiran thus
testify to the*saving power of the lowly
Jesus, and show how aoonrately he had
heard, and how thoroughly he had
k H or TBS SOUTH
learned Ik* doctrine the Christ came <
from heaven to earth to exemplify and )
fumii! ;
Dr. A. J. Crowell spoke for men At
their best from the view point of the
i/hyslclan. ?
Capt 8. B. Alexander brought the
greetings of Meckelenburg Camp, N. C.
V. The captain, himself venerable In 1
appearance, and all but overcome of
emotion, looked into the face of bis
senior by a generation, acknowledged
the comradeship of his four sons of
military age, and thanked him in be- '
half of the Camp and their families for
his Interest and activity In the relief 1
service for the -widows and orphans of
deceased soldiers, and for the often- 1
times destltue families of the men at the 1
front Mies Lundv Williams, representing
the Charlotte Chapter of the
Daughters of the Confoderacy, joined 1
most heartily and gracefully In fho
same tribute of gratitude. <
The object of these sincere expres- i
slons of respect and affection respond- ]
ed in person, proving the strength of j
bis old age, the vigor of his mind, the ]
tpntlp mnnllnpaa <vf hi* arvlrlt anil the
ardent hope he oherishes of a blessed i
Immortality. ]
Uncle Harry, as ho Is always called '
by his neighbors and near friends, has 1
lived a long and singularly useful life. 1
He w\\s admitted to the communion of <
Jhe Poplar Tent church eighty-two <
years ogo. Later his residence and '
membership were transferred to Mai- <
lard Creek. Here sixty-eight years ago 1
he was elected an elder. For forty <
years the records of the Session are in <
his handwriting. For thirty-five years "
he led the sinning of the congregation. i
For forty ye&re he was a local civil
magistrate. (He apologetically relates
that of the many instances in which he
performed civil marriage every couple
was true to the bond Bave one, but in
that case the material was not good.)
It givee one an awesome feeling of
the iman and a sense of an amazing
lapse of time, when one remembers that
:n Che period of his single life the 1
world's modes of travel, of communica
tion, of industry, and of warfare; the
world's ideas of liberty and forms of
government, of science and education,
and of the unity of mankind and the
inter-dependence of the nations have
t-een changed almost beyond the power
of belief and description. In this marvelous
country the modern evangelical
movement has galued sober recognition,
and has been pushed to a success
more than commensurate with
the universal improvement in other
linos, because the credit for the gen
eral awakening Is due to tbe Christian
influenre, alive and at work under
every akv, with the authority and power
of the Creator, and preserver, and
Ruler of all things. This one century
witnesses more accomplished In a materia]
and Intellectual and spiritual way
than stands to the credit of any millennium
of other time. What a rare privilege
It Is to live a hundred years In a
time liko this!
Derlta, N. C. J. L. Beattle
?,09fl OTHERS.
To the Editor of The Presbyterian of
the South:
Without meaning at all to criticise
him, it -would seem that if "Layman's"
Proposal, in your issue of January 22d,
for tho payment of the debt of the Committee
of Foreign Missions, had been
made, and acted upon two years ago.
that ?A vnnM hnvn hAAn vnrMa
of trouble, but as his is the only proposition
ever made on the subject with
-which I felt at all disposed to cooperato,
I will not quarrel with him
now, and wnnt to say that in it is the
oflly volution of the matter, that is for
our people to exercise some of the selfm
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denial which Christ so expressly enlolns
upon those who would be his followers,
and make a united contribution
for the extinction of this obligation
which rests upon us, let us think what
we may of the impropriety of Its origin.
But ' Jjayman" starts at the wrong
:nd of the procession, when he says
.hat if 9,999 others will give $20.00 that
ie will then give that, and that thus
>200,000 will be raised. What he should
lave Buid was that he would give $20.00,
inri ask 9,999 others to join with him,
md so raise the amount. Now I do cot
know who "Layman" is, and have never
been counted amongst the lcadors any
whero. but I will now take "The Lead"
i\hiph I BlitrtrAQt Via ahnnlA >icva
and change his proposition, so that, instead
of any one's communicating with
rhe Presbyterian of the South, or exchanging
postal cards with any one, or
waiting on the action of any one on
sartli, just let all of us who have $20.00
any where within our reach, and to
whicth we feel ourselves as justly entitled,
Just let us go into our closets,
and "shut the door," and get down ou
our knees, and ask God if he knows of
any better use to which we can put it,
r lr mere is any- thing else that he
would prefer our doing -with It, than in
assisting to pay off this debt, and 1 am
satisfied that each and every one of us
will arise from our knees with a determination
to make a contribution of
.hat amount on March 19th for this
purpose. Then let us all resolve, no
matter what else suffers, that we will
have 920.00 ready on that day, and that
we will put it Into the collection, and if
all the people who can (including "Layman"
and his 9,999), will do so, the debt
will he paid, our consciences will he relieved.
our creditors will ?et thai* yliiaa
and we feel confident that Jesus Christ
will be pleased.
Will you do It? Or, as the Jews did,
make the contribution by* families,
where individuals are unable to do it,
and let the wrong be righted? For one
I answer, I will.
Layman No. 2.
In order to know who Is our neighbor,
we must first possess the spirit of
neigh/borliness. It is the spirit of love
which knows no limitations.?Oosmo
Gordon Lang. .
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