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The Vol. 96. No. 33. RICHMOND, VA. <??in .W'Cku August 16, 1922 DK. li. DICK WILSON, in Princeton Theological Keview, in replying to state ments made by certain "modernists" in regard to the history of man, makes such a clear state ment of what we conceive to be the correct view as taught in the Scriptures, that we are glad to give it to our readers, lie says: "There are two great and diametrically opposite theories of the history of man. The lirst is the Christian the ory, commonly called the philosophy of the plan of salvation, or the history of the kingdom of ( i od on earth. It is based oil the belief that in the beginning Cod created the heavens and the earth, and made man in 1 Lis image, and that, when man fell through disobedience to Jiis divine will, Cod revealed a plan of redemption which lie gradually unfolded and which culmi nated in the Cross of Calvary, and will be con summated when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our Jx)rd aud of His Christ. In accordance with this theory, Paul says that it was in the fulness of time that God sent forth His Son and that of Him and through llim and unto llim are all things; and John, that all things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. In accordance with this theory we lielieve that Cod hath foreordained whatsoever <*oiues to pass and that all things work together for good to them that love Him." INSURANCE people say that preachers as a class live longer than almost any other class of men. This seems to be borne out by the ne crological report of Princeton Theological Sem inary just issued. This report is issued every year. For the year ending March 31st last it reports the death of fifty-four of its alumni. Of the fifty-four the oldest was the Rev. James S. Sinmonton, of the elass of 1857, who died at the age of ninety- two years and nine months. Eleven others had passed their eightieth year, six their seventieth and twenty-one their sixtieth. The youngest died at the age of thirty years and eleven months. The average age of the lifty lour was sixty-five years, two months and nine teen days. < MORAVIANS have always taken a high stand among the churches of the world 011 acount of tlieir zeal for mission work in many parts of the world. The Continent says: "The Moravians this year are celebrating in this coun try and in Europe a highly significant bi-cen tennial. They trace their origin back to the information of John Tins in Bohemia five hun dred years ago. But persecution brought their brotherhood almost to extinction, and what the Moravian congregations arfe now commemorat ing is the remarkable rebirth granted to the de nomination just two centuries since. Tn 1722 a company of less than 700 Hussites, despairing maintaining the succession of their faith longer in their native land, fled to Saxony and were welcomed to a settlement at TFermbut, on ?he estate of a rich young Protestant nobleman, f'ount Zinzendorf. Soon the count himself joined the congregation of his lowly tenants and not unnaturally became in a short tinve their leader. Missionary spirit grew in fervor among them as their revived spiritual life gave them new courage, and ten years later they embarked ?n that marvelous world-wide missionary enter prise which marks the beginnings of thef modern era of foreign missions. To this (lay the Mo ravians are distinguished among all Christian mission laborers as the most persistent seekers of difficult and repellent situations for their gospel enterprises. Their initial work was among the slaves on the sugar plantations of the West Indies and Guiana and among the Eski mos of the northern Labrador. And no -Mo ravian mission was ever yet established in an inviting locality. With such servants of Christ all servants of Christ must surely rejoice for the success which the approving Spirit of God has vouchsafed to them." JLRJSTIAN PEOPLE are realizing more and more the importance of not giving up church services during the summer time, lie ports elnnv that a number of the Women's Aux iliaries and Cii'cles are holding their meetings through the summer months. We have not heard of any Sunday School that has been closed on account of hot weather. The Young Peo ple's Societies in many places are making spe cial efforts to keep up the interest in their meet ings. Churches are making careful arrange ments to have their pulpits supplied acceptably, and many of them are keeping up all of their services. This is a very gratifying condition of affairs and shows a growth in grace and conser vation on the part of God's people, which prom ises well for the future of the Church and its work. CEN TEN ARI AN S are not very common at this period in the world's history, but one ot the striking facts is that the number is mate rially increasing. - The United {States census for 1U10 reported 3,555 persons in this coun try who were 100 years old or more. In 1920 the number reported was 4,207, which shows a decided increase, it seems that women have the best chance of reaching the hundred year mark. The last census reported 1,501 men and 2,700 women who had reached that age. What a wonderful opportunity to servo God and man these long lives gave. The question may arise why there are not more people who live so long 2 The length of a man's life depends largely upon the way in which he obeys God's laws governing body, mind and soul. God gives us our lives to be used for llis glory, and we oughl to do all in our power to preserve them. GREAT BRITATN and Canada arc going to aid the United States in carrying out its prohibition laws. One of the most difficult problems tins country has had to deal with in this connection has been that of the smugglers who bring in liquor from the British West In dies, which lie only a short distance from our southern coast, and of those who bring it across the northern boundary line, which separates us from Canada. These govern men tsv have prom ised to aid our government in this matter in every way possible. Such mutual help as this whenever needed will do much to strengthen the good will that exists between these countries and our own. ^ ^ SOCIAL OOS5PEL is n term that is often lienrd in these times. The way in which it is used seems to imply tliat there is a gospel to be given to a community or to society as a whole. This is spoken of as the means of solv ing all social, business and political problems. But wo see nothing of such a gospel in the Bible. It presents only a gospel for the inui vidual. The gospel is God's message to man, and God deals with the individual. What this country and the world needs is for individuals to accept the gospel of God, and regulate their lives by it. When the individuals are what they ought to Ik?, the community or the nation will be what it ought to be, and it will not be so otherwise. The great work of the Church, therefore, is to give the gospel in all of its ful ness to every individual. Home mission work in its broadest sense is the best work that can Ik? done for a community or country, and for eign mission work is the best that can be done for the rest of the world. BRAZIL is to celebrate its centennial next fall and Secretary of State Ilughes is to make a visit to that country at that time as the representative of this country. How ap propriate it would be, if at that time our Church could send all the re-enforcements that our missions there need and with them semi the means for fully equipping all of our work in that field. Secretary Hughes will show to Brazil the kindly feelings of the United States to that country, but the missionaries and mis sion equipment would mean far more to the real welfare of the people. We wonder if there are not men in our Church who can provide the means for showing this practical interest in our big sister of the South, and at the same t ime advancing the interests of God's king dom. PHYSICIANS are some times said to be in clined to become materialists as a result of the close study ot' the human body, where they find no visible proof of the existence of a spirit. When the famous Austrian surgeon, Dr. Adolph Lorenz, performed many wonder ful bloodless operations, a newspaper reporter asked him if his scientific studies had destroyed or disturbed his religious faith, lie replied: "Does medical science, or any other science, tend to destroy belief in God? My friend, you are young. I am old. Science, truly pursued, does not tend to destroy belief in God. The pursuit of scientific knowledge makes an hon est man humble. It makes him realize how little he knows. It makes him believe in God." CANADA has about the same social prob lems to deal with that confront the people of this country. The Committee on Social Ser vice of the Hamilton Methodist Conference, in expressing its opposition to the introduction of danoing in the high schools and other educa tional institutions, savs: "The modes of danc ing are Incoming very rapidly more coarse and vulgar. Where dancing is encouraged in such institutions there is a decided tendency for it to supercede in the community other modes of cultured entertainments and essential com munity activities." It is said in this country that it has become almost impossible to enter tain- a set of young people for an evening with out dancing. Is it to take the place of all other forms of social entertainment? *