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For the index.
Letter From China.
4 The Western world has been
tilled with the news of the expul
sion from Sz chuan and the foul
massacre of Jhua Sang. Men's
hearts have trembled in the pres
ence of a Father who allows such
brutalities to befall His children.
Strong men and gentle women
were driven from their homes
without a moment’s warning.
Delicate young ladies and little
children were horribly murdertd
in hitherto most peaceful homes
These events have not only
shaken the missionary brother
hood out here, but all the world as
well.
But there is a calm side to the
question. The God that allowed
James to be beheaded, and Peter
to be imprisoned, and Piul and
Silas to be beaten, and innutnera
ble martyrs in the ages since to
be burned has all along had a
great purpose t 9 accomplish
through the sufferings of his
people. And so now.
The missionary question re
ceives more attention now than
ever before, perhaps. At least
new phases of the problem are
brought home to us. We are told
by one writer that we are trying
to “Christianize China at the
• point of the bayonet.” By this
charge I suppose he means that
*we missionaries enjoy the pro
tection of our governments. It
seems to me to be a very strong
expression for so harmless a
proceeding. Os course I am en
tirely safe in saying that no man
has ever beco ne a Christian in
China except on his own free
will and so far as [ know in every
case it has cost him much perse
cution, often even to death.
Therefore the charge above is
pure “bosh.”
But should not the missiona
ries be protected in this work ?
Would it be right to allow this
great country to shut its doors at
pleasure in the faces of God’s
messengers ? I know that some
regard the great risks the glory
of mission work, and the risks
will be tremendous when reduced
to the minimum But what would
the withdrawing of government
protection of missionaries mean?
We would be regarded as not
having the approbation of our
own people and we would all be
ordered to leave or be murdered
at once. An intelligent Christian
Chinaman made this statement
in a meeting not five days ago
and I believed hi a. This gov
ernment protection which we en
joy is no more than Paul’s Ro
man citizenship to which h i ap
pealed repeatedly and with suc
cess. In leaning on our govern
ments I surely think we are in
good company.
The American government has
recently shown itself quite vigo
rous in looking after tn -e mat
ters. Col. Denby, United States
minister to China, has all along
shown himself very friendly to
the missionaries. In the inves
tigations of the Hwa Sang mas
sacres the United States Consul,
Col. Hickson, a Southerner, was
most active in bringing the guilty
to justice. And now finally our
government has sent a Commis
sion to Sz chuan to investigate
matters there. And this Com
mission, instead of consulting
comfort and going quietly by
steamer the thousands of miles
from Tieutsin to Chingtu, have
gone overland, in bad convey
ances, over bad roads and stop
ping in bad inns. And to add to
their discomfort, the journey is
performed in winter. We have
just had intelligence of their ar
rival in Sz chuan. Now this
looks like business. There is
somebody pushing this matter
who is friendly to American mis
sionaries, and who doesn’t intend
that we shall appeal to our flag
in vain. We don’t want any help
from armies in making these
people Christians. We only want
to claim the privilege of Ameri-
THE CHRISTIAN INDEX.
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can citizens. Wouln anything
short of this be right? Are the
Chinese to be allowed to traverse
every part of our broad domain
at will and must we be excluded
from China? Shall China be
hedged in with a wall with no
Christian foot to tread her scil?
Is it really nobody’s business how
much cussedness China harbors?
Can any man in this day of uni
versal communication live unto
himself ? I believe that America
was raised up by God to help the
world get out of its tangle, and I
thank God for such Christian
statesmen as Charles Denby and
J. W. Foster.
We are anxiously awaiting
news from the work proper of
the Commission. Consul Read
was the leading name on the
Commission.
Yours for freedom and for
Christ, C. W. Pruitt.
January 16, 1896.
For the Index
“Jesus the Messiah.”
Luke 9:18 27.
The Sunday school lesson for
March Ist is now before us. It
presents to us several topics of
special interest.
Notice, first: “Jesus was alone
praying, and his disciples were
with him.” These words cer
tainly mean that Jesus was pray
ing with none present except his
disciples. Or, in other words,
he was holding a devotional ex
ercise with his disciples. On
other occasions he was accus
tomed to seek some secluded
place where he might be entirely
alone in prayer to his eternal
Father. Such seasons were, no
doubt, inexpressibly refreshing
to his soul. Yes, on the moun
tain side he would spend hours
of the night in holy fellowship
with God. What; n example for
secret prayer! How does it em
phasize the precept which he has
left on record for the guidance
of the individual Christian
through all the ages! “When
thou prayest, go into thy closet
and close the door, and pray to
thy Father who seeth in secret,
and he shall re ward thee openly.”
Thousands of saints have veri
fied, by a happy experience, the
wisdom of the precept.
But the case before us, in our
present lesson, presents an ex
ample of social prayer; for Jesus
was praying with his disciples.
The example was n iver forgot
ten. When Jesus Wus taken up
into heaven, his disci pies were
wont to meet on the first day of
the week for social worship
And the propriety of the custom
was signalized by all the glories
of the day of Pentecost. The
custom was carried forward by
the apostles to the churches of
the Gentiles. So we may recog
nize, in this interesting incident,
the germ of that public and so
cial worship which has been
practised by all Christians from
the day of Pentecost till the
present time. If this view of
the case is correct, how sacred
ought we to hold our meetings
for social worship!
It is worthy of special notice,
that the elementary form of so
cial wor ship vas a prayer-meeting
—Jesus was praying with his dis
ciples—but soon there was added
to the prayers, praise and thanks
giving in song; exposition of the
Scriptures, and other addresses
designed to strengthen the faith
of the people and to encourage
them in every good work. Read
1 Cor. 14:26-33, and see how
exactly Paul has given us an
out-line of a church meeting met
for social worship.
Let us now return to the les
son. After Jesus had closed his
prayer, he entered into con ver
sation with his disciples by ask
ing them a question: “Who say
the people that I am? ” There
were several answers reported,
showing that the people were
very much divided in their opin
ions; some said that he was John
the Baptist, others that he was
Elijah the prophet, and others
supposed that he was, at any
rate, one of the old prophets
that had risen from the dead.
He then asked them: “Who say
ye that I am? ” “And Peter an
swering, said: “Thou art the
Christ of God.”
Matthew's account of this con
versation is more full than
Luke’s. But lest I should wan
der too far from the present les
son, I will confine myself to
Luke’s report.
When Peter so boldly declared
that Jesus was the Christ of God,
he straightway commanded his
disciples “to tell no man that
thing.” The reason for that
command is not given; but look
ing at it from our standpoint, and
in the light of subsequent events,
I think we can find a good reason
for it. At that time the burning
desire of the Jews was to obtain
deliverance from the Roman
yoke. They were actually hop
ing and looking for the Messiah
as the one under whose guidance
they should be delivered from
bondage and once more be organ
' ized into an independent king
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27,1896.
dom, with their Messiah tte
Son and heir of David—upon the
throne.
The disciples themselves were
more or less possessed with these
glowing ideas of Messiah’s king
dom. They were not yet suffi
ciently instructed as to the nature
of Messiah’s kingdom. At that
time it was not his purpose to
interfere at all with any of the
political powers of this world.
He had a work to do of a very
different kind. He had come to
accomplish the far more impor
tant work of human redemption
from the powers of darkness.
In view of all these facts,
which the Savior very well knew,
it would have been unwise to al
low himself to be at once pro
claimed as the veritable Messiah.
The temper of the Jewish mind
towards the Romans, was such
that a proclamation of his Mes
siahship, just then, would no
doubt have raised a widespread
rebellion of the people against
their oppressors. They would
have rushed into it, hoping that
Jesus would become its champion
and its leader, and bring into it all
the energy of his supernatural
powers. But this, Jesus could not
do without abandoning the great
purpose of his mission above
alluded to. The rebellion, with
out his aid, would have been
crushed in all the horrorsofa
cruel and bloody retribution.
Jesus, foreseeing such results,
was wise to seal, for the present,
the lips of the disciples. In cor
roboration of the above explana
tion, note the words which im
mediately follow his charge of
silence. He said: “The Son of
man must suffer many things,
and be rejected of the elders,
and chief priests and scribes,
and be slain and be raised the
third day.” These words photo
graphed in lines of deepest
shade, yet relieved by a beam of
living light, the sublime work of
human redemption. The dark
shades represent the suffering,
the rejection and the death of
the great Redeemer; while the
glowing light throws over the
whole picture the splendor of the
resurrection.
The words above quoted were
no doubt intended by the Savior
to repress, in the hearts of his
disciples, any emotions of world
ly ambition that the emphatic
announcement of his Messiah
ship, just made, might awaken.
To the same end he set forth,
in the following verses, the ab
solute conditions of being his
disciples. Study the verses and
you will learn that to be Christ’s
disciple, youmustdeny yourself,
you must take up your cross, and
you must follow him. The words
had a primary reference to the
little audience that Jesus had
around him. He had just told them
what would happen to himself
in the near future. If, therefore,
they would be his disciples, they
must deny themselves against
any flattering hopes of honors
or emoluments in any earthly
kingdom. Each one must take
up his cross —hisshare or burden
of duty laid upon him by the
Master, however heavy it might
be. And then all must follow
him if need be, even unto death
But while thus applicable so
clearly to the disbiples then
present, the conditions were evi
dently intended for all times and
for all peoples. They bind you
and me as truly as they bound
Peter and John. Are we, like
Peter and John, trying to regu
late our lives according to these
conditions of discipleship? If
so, then we may hope to follow
Christ, not only in self-denial, in
sufferings and in death, but also
in the glory of his resurrection.
S. G. Hill yer.
For the Index.
Notes and Comments.
BY .1. C HIDEN, D. D.
A correspondent asks: “ Does
not Renan distinctly hold that
the four Gospels, substantially
as we have them, were written
by the authors whose names
they bear, and that these Gos
pels are genuine, honest narra
tives from men who were con
temporary with Chiist?”
It has been some years since
we read Renan’s “ Life of Jesus,
but we are confident that, in the
edition which we read, he did
take the position assigned him
in the paragraph quoted above.
And the admission means a great
deal, for if Jesus did what these
evangelists say he did, and if he
said what they say he said, then
it follows with inexorable logic
that our historical and doctrinal
Christianity rests upon an im
pregnable basis, whatever may
be thought of the inspiration of
the evangelists.
In the Second Epistle of Paul
to Timothy occurs that much dis
cussed text: “All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for re
proof, for correction, for instruc
tion in righteousness. ” The Re
vised version here supplies the
word is after Scripture, as we see
by the italics. The original has
no word here for “is.” The
version of the Bible Union sup
plies “is" in the same place.
Their rendering is: “ All Script
ure is inspired by God.” Bishop
Ellicott, an exceedingly able and
decidedly conservative scholar,
renders : “ Every Scripture in
spired by God isalso profitable,"
etc. In this rendering he is sus
tained by Origen, Hammond,
Tyndal, Cranmer, Chrysostom,
Theodoret, Herther, Wiesinger,
the Latin Vulgate, the Westmin
ster revisers, and “nearly all
the best versions.” In his com
mentary on the passage, he says
that “ all Scripture ’’ for “ every
Scripture,” is “a needless de
parture from the regular rules
of grammar.” Os course he
means Greek grammar, and as a
Greek scholar he has few equals
among living Englishmen. He
also says that “ this expression
does not exclude such verbal er
rors, or, possibly, such trifling
historical inaccuracies as man's
spirit, even in its most exalted
state, may not be wholly exempt
from, and human transmission
and transcriptions may have in
creased;” but that it “does cer
tainly assure us . . . that
the,se writings, as we have them,
are individually pervaded by
God's Spirit.”
Olshausen, who differs widely
from Ellicott’s view, still holds
that, the passage 1 does not war
rant our building on it a theory
of inspiration, and of determin
ing from it the relations of di
vine and human agency in Script
ure.”
Still, if Paul knew what he was
writing about, then it follows
that the fact of inspiration is
clearly made out, whatever may
be said of the theory. And what
the Apostle meant by “ Script
ure ”is also clear enough. For
him “the Scriptures” were au
thority, as they were for Christ
himself.
The following “floating” item
is something more than a figure
of speech, for it suggests, in
brief phrase, some solid and im
portant truths:
“When you rise unrefreshed
from your bed, on a dull,
morning, you have little or ao
appetite for breakfast. But do
you conclude that it is useless to
go to the table ? No y’GU* feel
that food is necessary, and you
take your seat at the table as
usual, and not unfi/equently,
after a mouthful of palatable
food, your feeling changes, and
you make a comfortable meal and
go out refreshed to the work of
the day.
So, if you feel no desire for
spiritual food, no disposition to
pray, no wish to read the Bible,
do not yield to the feeling. Per
severe, and remember that your
spiritual food is never more nec
essary than when you feel least
inclined to take it.”
This thought recalls the mem
ory of a stalwart drayman in a
seaportcity—a man of few words,
but strong in the faith. From
early morn to dewy eve he was
handling heavy bags, boxes and
barrels six days in the week, and
yet he said that nothing rested
him so much as going to church
on the Lord’s day. Cultivate a
healthy spiritual appetite. It
grows by what it feeds on.
Richmond, Va.
For the Index
Communion with God.
BY MRS. LAURA RICHARDS.
It is the happy privilege of
every truly regenerate child of
God to commune with him. The
Holy Spirit, as a person, guides
and directs the spiritual life. It
is his mission on earth. “He
dwelleth with you, and shall be
in you.”
Sometimes we feel very far
away from this Comforter. We
allow our imperfections, our
shortcomings, to come between
us. We put them up as barriers.
Jesus bore our sins in his own
body on the tree. When he has
put them away, why should we
seek to call them ours and be
hampered and burdened with
them ? “ Tempted in all points
like as we are, he is able to suc
cor the tempted,” and he does it
through the Holy Spirit.
The immediate, personal pres
ence of God ! How incompre
hensible ! Not God the Father,
but God the Spirit, the same in
substance, equal in power and
glory.'
“ The Word is very nigh unto
thee, in thy mouth and in thy
heart.” “The Lord is nigh to
them that call upon him.”
‘- Made nigh by the blood of
Christ.”
It is a privilege of which we
may avail ourselves to come into
intimate fellowship and com
munion with God. To speak to
him as face to face. He has a
willing and waiting ear into
which we may pour our every
emotion, be it joy or sorrow.
Our every plan may with confi
dence be laid before him. We
may counsel with him, talk with
him, walk with him, if we are in
obedience to him, and recognize
his sovereignty in all things.
“Enoch walked with God, and
he was not, for God took him.”
A short verse of Scripture, but
a volume of meaning. It stands
out in bold prominence in the
Bible. That the intercourse was
pleasing to God is proven by the
fact that he took him to himself,
took him into still closer com
munion and fellowship, look him
from mortal to immortal. It
shows God’s love for one of his
creatures. It shows his conde
cension. Their communion which
was for many years, was a fel
lowship so intimate, so free, so
true, so pure, that God saw noth
ing intervening save the veil of
the flesh, and when that was
transformed by the divine hand
of God into the spiritual, this
earth was no longer his abiding
place.
God would have his redeemed
approach him in confidence, in
trust, forgetting as he does, the
flesh with its imperfections; look
ing not at ourselves but to him.
The imperfections of the flesh are
all put aside, covered, re
membered no more by the
Father who sees the re
deemed through the Son. But
for the intervention and help
of the Holy Spirit, the contem
plation of our sins would weight
us down; but for his uplifting, a
sense of our unworthiness would
be crushing; but for his guid
ance, our blindness would mis
lead us. If we were perfect we
would have no need of the Holy
Spirit. It is the humanity that
necessitates his presence. David
said: “ Whither shall I go from
thy spirit or whither shall I flee
from thy presence. If I ascend
up into heaven, thou art there;
if I make my bed in hell, behold
thou art there. If I take the
wings of the morning and dwell
in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there shall thy hand lead
me, and thy right hand shall
hold me ” It is blessed assur
ance when faith can grasp the
abiding presence of God. The
closer the soul gets to God the
more hateful sin appears. Not
only is the contrast greater, but
the light of God is turned on to
reveal the sinfulness of
God’s presence there is no ex
cuse, no cloak for sin, but there
is condemnation of sin. This is
the Spirit’s mission. Jesus came
to save souls; the Spirit came to
guide and direct the saved soul
during the earthly pilgrimage.
With such ,a guide, can any
danger befall’’’ Even though
the redeemed soul, through the
weakness of the flesh, should be
drawn into sin still, the Guide
and Teacher never leaves or for
sakes.
Probably the best definition of
the Holy Spirit is the Paraclete,
the one joined to. That more
nearly expresses his nearness to
the soul. Why should there not
be communion and fellowship?
How could it be otherwise ? And
yet there is a possibility of it.
“ Grieve not the Holy Spirit of
God, whereby ye are sealed unto
the day of redemption.” That
is the greatest barrier to com
munion and fellowship. How
sad that Christians with such a
Guide, with such superior and
happy privileges, with such a
Teacher, ever present, should
wilfully and knowingly sin ! The
condemnation of their Guide is
ever present to reprove and re
buke, bringing peni'ence, bring
ing remorse. Temptations that
assail and trials that await, serve
a two fold purpose, in showing
God’s power in deliverance, and
human weakness in withstanding.
How often has a victory been
won, with the sure convictian:
“ I could not have done it by
myself, in my own strength. '
There must be communion and
fellowship sympathy and co-op
eration. “Without me ye can
do nothing ”
Why are there so few’ happy
Christians in the world ? Want
of communion and fellowship
with the Spirit of God, and there
by grieving the Holy Spirit.
“ Quench not the Spirit.” If so,
th* re is a disposition refusing to
be led and guided. Out of sym
pathy and co-operation there can
be no happiness. “In thy pres
ence there is fulness of joy.”
There is happiness and only
there. “At thy right hand are
pleasures forevermore,” that is
heaven’s joy. If there can be no
greater pleasure in heaven, than
that which the presence of God
yields to the disembodied soul,
how great must be the joy in the
consciousness of his presence, in
this present life.
Canton, Ga.
All life is set to law, and God
gives man all he can give him.
But “as ye sow so shall ye reap,”
is a law of God. And, like all
his laws, it is radical and un
changeable
For the Index.
The Fall of Adam
BY ADDISON BRAINARD.
In the account of creation that
is given in Genesis, man is rep
resented as created in the image,
or likeness of God.
While, in that part of the cre
ative story which gives us a
faint glimpse of the state of pri
mordial human innocence, no ut
terance of Adam, and no acton
his part, that can be regarded as
indicative of the state of his
mind, when consciously in the
presence of his Maker, has been
preserved; the language attrib
uted to that Maker, implies the
existence, and exercise of mutual
confidence. To bless man, and
give him dominion over all that
lived upon the face of the eart i,
was to place him nearer to him
st If (God) than was any other
living form; while the single
prohibition, which limited the
exercise of personal freedom,
was, doubtless, intended for a
test of personal fidelity, the re
ligious observance of which
would enable man to prove that
divine confidence was not mis
placed. In brief, before Adam
ate of the forbidden fruit, there
is not a shadow of direct, or im
plied evidence that the divine
manifestations, with which he
was favored, were not welcomed
by him, as visits from a trusted,
berevolent and sympathetic
friend.
Assuming that Adam, while in
a state of natural innocence, sus
tained a relation of implicit con
fidence to a fatherly Creator; al
so, that the elementary essence
of human nature is, in all ages,
the same, and there is but one
way in which such a normal re
lation can be accounted for.
As was fully revealed in the
person of Jesus, the God of
Adam was the God of eternal
right. As a being who could
not look upon sin with the least
degree of allowance, He (God)
must have been unable to discern
in Adam either moral spot or
blemish, or any such thing; for
then, as now, the existence of
sinfulness in the creature would
have been equivalent to inher
ent antagonism thereto, which,
whenever divine right became
manifest to consciousness, would
not Jail to .assert itself; and, if
the moral nature of the first man
was in antagonism to his own,
God could not, consistently, have
produced man good.
Inasmuch as the infinite cannot
be assumed to be subject to the
finite; the Creator cannot be sup
posed to become the servant of
the work of his own hands; and
the righteousness of the inferior
includes a disposition, on his
part, to respect the rightful au
thority of his superior; the vol
untary subordination of the will
of oui first progenitor to not
only the requirements, but the
wishes of the Author of his be
ing, is naturally implied, as a
matter of course. Withal, the
absence of wrong, in the moral
nature of the intelligent crea
ture, is the non existence, in
him, of the only known impedi
ment of sincere and confiding
love; which, if evil is admitted to
have had no place in his soul,
miy be safely assumed to 1 a/e
been the ruling sentiment of
Adam, when, —in a state of pris
tine purity, —he was conscious of
the presence of the God of love.
If it is granted that primordial
man was created with no taint of
sin in his moral nature; that he
was voluntarily submissive to
divine authority am that he
was a natural lover of God, it
follows that, in freedom from
evil, and in consequent purity of
affectional nature, he was created
in the image of his Maker. With
those two all-impoitant constit
uents of his intelligent self hood
like tl.e same elements in the
character of God; and on the as
sumption that the remainder of
his endowments were in corre
spondence therewith, —as they
must needs have been, if he was
in harmony with himself, —it is
morally certain that, as he came
from the hand of the Maker, all
that entered into the composition
of man's original individuality,
was in perfect harmony with a
divine environment. That man
was, according to the modern
scientific definition of life, alive
to God. A state that may have
been productive of an experi
ence, not unlike that of a regen
erated soul when first rejoicing
in a new-born consciousness of
reconciliation with the divine.
After the prohibition had been
disregarded, however, there is
evidence of a radical change, in
that, in the very first instance,—
according to the record, —in
which the presence of God be
came manifest to the conscious
ness of Adam, he sought to hide
himself therefrom; and it is not
altogether fanciful to infer that
nothing less than the exercise of
imperative authority sufficed to
induce him to respond to the
VOL. 70-NO. 9
query of the voice of God on that
particular “cool of the day.”
If it is allowable to assume
that there was no mysterious
virtue in the forbidden fruit; that
the prohibition thereof was sim
ply and purely a test of fidelity
and the result of disregarding it
was the moral consequence of
disobedience, —or rather of dis
loyalty,—the true explanat ion of
that change,—which, (the
change) is identical with the fall
of man, —may be found in uni
versal Christian experience.
It can be safely affirmed of all
who have been regenerated by
the Spirit of God, that, however
sincerely and confidently they
may be rejoicing in the hope of
the glory of God, if they venture
upon a slightest deviation from
the pathway of known Christian
right, knowing and feeling that
they thereby do violence to their
own conception of Christian in
tegrity, and place themselves in
direct opposition to the purpose
of the Lord concerning them
In the moment of such deviation
every vestige of their Christian
joy, and every iota of their con
sciousness of fellowship with
God will disappear; will be sup
planted by a consciousness of di
vine and self condemnation. Nor
can they recover the felicity
which they have lost, except by
repentance of their wrong doing,
and by becoming conscious that
they have obtained divine* for
giveness.
(For the benefit of those who
had no personal Christian expe
rience it may be well to add that
the law of human nature which
produces the above stated result
is identical with that which op
erales in mind and heart in an
ordinary personal estrangement;
a mental refeience to which will
enable them to form a relative
conception of the destructive ef
fect of purposed delinquency,
upon such normal relations as
may exist between a soul and its
God).
To formulate the principle in
scientific language: The moral
nature of humanity is so consti
tuted that intentional non-obser
vance of the divine law of right
is destructive of pre-existing
harmony wdth a divine environ
ment.
An application of this doubt
less universal law of human na
ture to Adam, when in the act of
d sobeying his Creator, would
account for the resultant change;
not by assuming the existence
of some unaccountable quality in
a product of the earth, —notwith
standing the fact that the earth
has never been known to be a
source of magic,—nor by means
of a special creation, endowed
with special properties which
was not self-progagating: but,—
as the natural consequence of
wilful disregard of a divine in
junction which was equivalent to
a personal relinquishment of per
fect lo ze, and implicit confidence,
—by the extinction of inherent,
natural harmony with a divine
environment, which, as defined
with scientific exactness, is spir
itual death.
Nor U it needful to more than
remember the effect of an un
christian, —if intentional, —act
or a personal estrangement upon
ones self to justify an assump
tion that the change from har
mony with the divine, was in
stantly and directly to positive
and malicious antagonism there
to. A state that together with
a consciousness of merited con
demnation, would impel Adam to
endeavor to hide himself from
t e presence of his still loving,
though unloved God.
Thus far the writer believes he
has unfolded his, possibly, origi
nal conception of “the fall of
man” along the safe lines of an
alogy with undoubted human ex
perience. If, however, an at
tempt is made to give a reason
for the admitted certainty that
all the descendants of the origi
nal pair inherited the evil nature
that was acquired through the
fall, even though that first pair
may have sincerely repented of
their fault, and their forfeited
heirship of eternal life may be
presumed to have been restored,
the task is, confessedly, no easy
one. Nevertheless,' even here
we have a—if it is permissible to
use the term—converse parallel
in the well-known fact that the
offspring of parents, both of
whom are sincerely Christian,
must be personally regenerated
before they can become of the
Spiritual household of God.
Savoy, Mass.
Experience teaches, and his
tory records show illustrious ex
amples in proof of the statement,
that Christians, as individuals,
and in church capacity, and in
all organized relations, are to im
press the world and bring human
ity to Christ by unselfish meth
ods, by presenting the truth in
a spirit of love and life.
“Agree with thine adversary
quickly, whilst thou art in the
way with him.”