At the opening ceremonies of the great Fair at Chicago, at the moment the President touched the button to set the machinery in motion, the spectator, looking over the immense crowds of people gathered from every State in the Union and every country on the globe, would have seen in the front ranks, in the place of honor, and most conspicuous, as apparent head and front of the vast array, a large banner on which was a cross! This statement may appear unbelievable, but an artist has photographed the scene at the moment, and his pictures cannot falsify.
And, true to that initiative, the Catholic Church leads. It had 40,000 feet of the best building for its church exhibit—a space into which all that assigned to all the Protestant churches might have been placed and scarcely noticed. The American pope led in the religious congress, with bizarre eloquence about the Bible and the Constitution—the Bible, which is forbidden to all but priests, and the Constitution, which the Catholic Church has anathematized, and daily treads underfoot. Think of it! Catholicism, which has, since its beginning, persecuted near unto death, with fiendish hate, free thought and free speech, standing up before the assembled world, and shouting itself hoarse for liberty and constitutional right! Why, it scorns liberty, hates freedom, and knows no rights but such as God has given its priesthood!—Selected.
JOTTINGS FROM EUROPE.
By H. P. Holser
[From our own correspondent.]
SUNDAY laws "will not down" in Europe. Efforts are constantly being made to fill up all the little breaches in the Sunday-law hedge. This question has again occupied the attention of the German Reichstag, and is receiving local attention in Switzerland. The Basel committee of the international organization to secure better observance of Sunday is ever active. On New Year's day they placed a circular in every house, not so much to wish the people a Happy New Year as blessed Sundays in the whole year; then the circular went on to show that the character of the year depended on the character of Sunday, or manner in which this day was observed. The sentiment that all stands or falls with Sunday is being worked up quite extensively.
At present quite a lively discussion is going on in the canton of Zürich, over the change in the Sunday law regulating work in factories. A national law forbidding work in factories on Sundays gives the cantons the right to forbid work on other holidays, to eight per year in number. The proposed law in Zürich is to make Christmas, New Year's day, Good Friday, Ascension day, etc., to the number of seven public holidays, on which no work will be allowed.
While the discussion is on, the friends of true religious liberty endeavor to show the true meaning of such laws by journal notices and tracts. Soon it will be submitted to the people, whose vote accepts or rejects the measure.
Among the leading telegrams of the day are notices of the discussion by the Austrian law-making assembly of a bill to introduce civil marriage. As generally known, there is little religious liberty in Austria, Rome having full sway. In Hungary effort has been made to introduce civil marriage, and it meets, as might be expected, lively opposition. It will probably succeed, and a similar law will soon follow in Austria. It is a question of vital importance to Rome, for the control of marriages placed great power in the hands of the priests, a power which they will not yield without a desperate struggle; and should it be wrested from them, they will not yield, but continue to cry out against it as an unwarranted encroachment into the sacred domain of the church.
The discussion is being carried on in the Assembly at Buda-Pesth; it was continued all last week, some forty-six members taking part. Some of the speeches were brilliant, one of them being considered a masterpiece. The discussion continues this week, and doubtless the question will have been decided before this reaches its readers. The question naturally opens up the whole question of the relation between Church and State, and of religious liberty; hence it is a broad theme, and will call out the best efforts of all parties. Some urge that liberals of every shade and color should unite on this matter, to settle with emphasis this question of relation between Church and State.
It is cheering to every lover of liberty to see such questions discussed in one of the strongest Catholic countries. Whether religious liberty will ever be granted by "the powers that be" in Austria, or not, is a question, and a very doubtful one, for, according to prophecy, we know that in the last days intolerance will increase. But it matters very little, so long as the King of kings grants full liberty to all. In reality, there is no religious liberty aside from the liberty he grants; and if he makes us free, we are "free indeed," though living under the worst intolerance that the powers of darkness can invent. And such religious liberty may be enjoyed in Austria, and we trust will be enjoyed by many under the sound of the Third Angel's Message.
To-day my route lay through the Tyrolese Alps, far famed for their beauty. While speaking with a fellow passenger about the religion of the country, I took occasion to inquire if there were any Protestants in her vicinity. On learning that there were, I asked to what class they belonged, Lutherans or some other. She did not seem to know that there were different classes, and the only description she could give of them was that, while they believed in their God, they did not believe in their woman (meaning the Virgin Mary).
In this vicinity Sunday laws are not called for. The matter rests undisputedly in the hands of the priests, and that is all they ask for. If people go to hear mass, that seems to settle all else; they can do as they please the remainder of the day. In a press of work all that is necessary is to ask the priest, and he gives them permission to work. This reveals much of the character of the Papacy. Should the people work without asking the permission of the priest, it would be wrong; with his permission it is right. Thus the wrong does not consist in the action itself, but in not submitting to the priest. And this exaltation of man is precisely what the Bible charges against the Papacy,—it is the working out of the mystery of iniquity. We rejoice to know that the time is near when this whole system of deception and iniquity will come to an end forever, for "then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." But before that day comes, may many of these souls in papal darkness find the glorious light and liberty of the gospel.
H. P. HOLSER.
Salzburg, Austria, February 27.
Affliction as a School of Virtue
By Atterbury
AFFLICTION is a school of virtue; it corrects levity and interrupts the confidence of sinning.—Atterbury.
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."
By Elder R. A. Underwood
THE LORD'S PRAYER. NO. 2.
BY ELDER R. A. UNDERWOOD.
WE have already seen that when an individual is converted, or receives divine transformation from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the power of God, then the kingdom of God is come to that individual. The condition of a person under the two kingdoms (Satan's and God's) is expressed by the apostle as follows: "That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 5:21.
We all have experienced the reign of sin over the soul. How needful, and yet how blessed, that we can pray in faith, "Thy kingdom come," that righteousness might reign in us. Then with perfect submission we can ask, "Thy will be done in earth—
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."
Here the same mistake is often made by many supposing that this could not be answered until the earth should be renewed from the curse, and none but the righteous inhabit it, in the ages of eternity to come. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. Rom. 1:16. Man needs present deliverance from sin as well as in the world to come.
It is man's work to yield his will in perfect submission to the will of God, and it is God's work to furnish the grace and power to do the will of God in the earth even as it is done in heaven. Some think this cannot be done by man in this life. We inquire, What is the will of God? and how is it done by the angels in heaven? These are questions easily settled by the word of God, and will help us to a better understanding of the meaning of the Lord's prayer. "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matt. 7:21. To one class will be said, "Depart from me, ye that work iniquity [or violate the law]." Verse 23. But he that is a doer of the words of Christ is likened to a wise man that builded upon a rock. That man is blessed in his deed. Verse 24; James 1:25; Rev. 22:14.
From earth, where few are doers of the will of God, with one boundless leap we enter heaven, to learn how the will of God is done there. "The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure." Ps. 103:19-21.
It will be noticed from the above that the angels not only do the commandments but are in the attitude of hearkening to the voice of his word. When God speaks, they at once obey. Take one instance of the many to illustrate this. In Daniel, chapters 8 and 9, Christ called to his special angel to send him to earth with a message of instruction for Daniel. Christ said: "Gabriel, make this man [Daniel] to understand the vision. . . . Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, . . . informed me, and talked with me, and said, . . . At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved; therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision."
There was no parleying or quibbling over the plain command to go and make Daniel understand the vision. He says, "The commandment came forth, and I am come." When God's word speaks to us, it matters not on what subject, and it matters not how much it may conflict with our ideas, it is enough, we should obey at once; and we will if our will is fully yielded to the will of Christ. If the will is fully surrendered to Christ, then the Spirit of Christ enters our hearts. Of him it is written: "Then said I, Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart." Ps. 40:7, 8. "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Rom. 8:9. Christ in us and his Spirit controlling us makes it easy to obey the law, or will, of God. It is clear that this is what is comprehended in the petition, "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." It can mean nothing else but perfect surrender and obedience to God now and all the time.
"But," says one, "I am so liable to sin." Yes, we all are, but Christ knows all about our liability to sin better than we do, and has provided the power to keep us from sin. There is an abundance of power to keep us. We must simply connect it by faith, and then hold it by faith. "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:5. The only way that we can receive Christ and his power is by faith; well, then, that is the only way we can keep them. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so [in the same way] walk ye in him." Col. 2:6. Notice a few texts of Scripture, which need no comment:—
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt. 5:48.
"Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed [Christ] remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 1 John 3:7-9.
"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." 1 John 4:4; 5:4.
Thus it is that the great apostle writes in his closing words to the Corinthians:—
"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." 2 Cor. 13:11.
This is what the gospel has always been able to do for men when by faith they would appropriate its power. Moses exhorts the Israelites concerning the law, which is the expressed will of God, embodying the same thought expressed by Christ in the Lord's prayer, in these words:—
"Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the doorposts of thine house, and upon thy gates; that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth." Deut. 11:18-21.
John saw a people of whom he said, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep [not trying to keep] the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12. When this can be said of an individual or individuals, then is fulfilled in them the answer to the prayer, "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven," and their days are "as the days of heaven upon the earth." This the gospel is able to do for men; yes, to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through Jesus Christ with an abiding faith.
For the provisions of such a wonderful present salvation, let every son and daughter of the Almighty give glory and honor, due unto him that hath washed us and redeemed us by his own blood, and will present us without fault unto God at his second coming.
(To be continued.)
FORGIVENESS.
By Mrs. M. Lowry
BY MRS. M. LOWRY.
HOW GREAT the consolation to know that we have a Saviour so full of love and pity that he will forgive us for our past transgressions, whatever they may be! He says though our sins are as scarlet, he can make them as white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, he will make them as wool. Yes, his loving-kindness goes still further—he says he will put them as far from us as the east is from the west, and remember them no more.
Oh, such love, such wonderful love! There are none so deeply stained with pollution that he will not gladly accept them, if they will only come to him. This forgiveness knows no limit. Though we sin seventy times seven,843he is ready to pardon, yea, more willing to forgive than we are to be forgiven.
But forgiveness is not to be practiced by God alone; it is enjoined upon Christians. We are commanded when we pray to forgive if we have aught against anyone, that our Father which is in heaven may also forgive us of our trespasses; but if we do not forgive, neither will he forgive us. If slander be hurled to crush our hopes, we must remember that to err is human, leave the slanderer with God, and freely forgive.
We should look at the example of Christ. While suffering on the cross, nailed there by the hands of his enemies, in his great mercy he prays, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” As he was then so is he now: he has power to save and willingness to forgive.
God grant that we may banish every revengeful thought. The spirit of revenge is the spirit of the devil. The spirit of forgiveness is the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God’s law, the operations of which God ever blesses.
A UNIVERSAL CHURCH.
DURING the sessions of the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago last autumn, it was said that its outcome might be the establishment of a new church, the platform of which would consist of two planks, namely, "All religions are true," and "All religions are false." The report was regarded as a hoax at the time, but the New York Tribune learns that there is some truth in the report. About three months ago a circular letter was issued by the Rev. Dr. H. W. Thomas, of the People's Church, Chicago; the Rev. Dr. W. S. Crowe, a Universalist clergyman of Newark, N. J.; Dr. Emil G. Hirsch, a prominent Jewish rabbi, and the Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones, a well-known Unitarian clergyman, calling for a conference to organize a universal church. The conference was held, and as a result of its deliberations a non-Christian, creedless church is to be started in Chicago within a few days. Mr. Jones defines the object of the movement very much as follows:—
Let us step out and onto a platform upon which neither Christianity, Buddhism, Brahmanism, nor agnosticism has any preëmption. On that broad plain of humanity let us build a temple of universal religion, dedicated to the inquiring spirit of progress, to the helpful services of love. Some such church as this already exists. It exists all over the world, where commerce and science, letters and philanthropy, have gone to break down the conceits of creed and the pretensions of sects. We believe that in the so-called liberal forces of America—the Unitarian, Universalist, Reformed Jewish, Ethical Culture, and independent movements—there is found the material for the great prophetic free church of America, democratic, progressive, helpful; a church where heresy hunters will be absolutely impossible, because the spirit which makes heretics will be the central inspiration of its life—the spirit of inquiry, the spirit of individual responsibility in matters of thought.—Literary Digest.
UNION OF CHURCH AND STATE.
By Editor
NATIONAL REFORMERS persistently contend that their proposed amendment to the Constitution acknowledging God as ruler and his word as law, will not if passed unite Church and State. Dr. H. H. George, one of their leading representatives, and secretary of the American Sabbath Union, said at the hearing in Washington, March 6, before the Judiciary Committees of the House and Senate, that the adoption of the amendment is the only thing that will separate Church and State, and that in its adoption the “Church will have its own sphere, and the State its own sphere.” But this has been the theory of the Papacy from the time of the corrupt bargain between the Romish bishops and Constantine. The same arguments were used there that are now used by National Reformers. This is well set forth in the “Two Republics” (pp. 496–498), by A. T. Jones, which we give below:—
“When the alliance was made between the bishops and Constantine, it was proposed that the jurisdiction of the civil and ecclesiastical authorities should remain separate, as being two arms of the same responsible body. This was shown in the saying of Constantine in which he represented himself as a ‘bishop of externals’ of the church, that which pertained more definitely to its connection with civil society and conduct; while the regular bishops were bishops of the internal, or those things pertaining to the sacraments, ordination, etc. ‘Constantine . . . was the first representative of the imposing idea of a Christian theocracy, or of a system of policy which assumes all subjects to be Christians, connects civil and religious rights, and regards Church and State as the two arms of one and the same divine government on earth. This idea was more fully developed by his successors, it animated the whole Middle Age, and is yet working under various forms in these latest times.’—Schaff”
“To those who conceived it, this theory might have appeared well enough, and simply in theory it might have been imagined that it could be made to work; but when it came to be put into practice, the all-important question was, Where was the line which defined the exact limits between the jurisdiction of the magistrate and that of the bishop? between the authority of the Church and that of the State? The State was not a theocracy. The government was held to be moral, a government of God; the Bible, the supreme code of morals, was the code of the government, there was no such thing as a civil government—all was moral. But the subject of morals is involved in every action, yea, in every thought of man. The State then being allowed to be moral, it was inevitable that the church, being the arbiter of morals and the dispenser and interpreter of the code regulating moral action, would interpose in all questions of human conduct, and spread her dominion over the whole field of human action.
“In ecclesiastical affairs, strictly so called, the supremacy of the Christian magistracy, it has been said, was admitted. They were the legislators of discipline, order, and doctrine. The festivals, the fasts, the usages, and canons of the church, the government of the clergy, were in their exclusive power. The decrees of particular synods and councils possessed undisputed authority, as far as their sphere extended. General councils were held binding on the whole church. But it was far more easy to define that which did belong to the province of the church than that which did not. Religion asserts its authority, and endeavors to extend its influence over the whole sphere of moral action, which is, in fact, over the whole of human life, its habits, manners, conduct.
“Christianity, as the most profound moral religion, exacted the most complete and universal obedience; and, as the acknowledged teachers and guardians of Christianity, the clergy continued to draw within their sphere every part of human life in which man is actuated by moral or religious motives. The moral authority, therefore, of the religion, and consequently of the clergy, might appear legitimately to extend over every transaction of life, from the legislature of the sovereign, which ought, in a Christian king, to be guided by Christian motive, to the domestic duties of the peasant, which ought to be fulfilled on the principle of Christian love.
“But there was another prolific source of difference. The clergy, in one sense, from being the representative body, had begun to consider themselves the church; but, in another and more legitimate sense, the State, when Christian, as comprehending all the Christians of the empire, became the Church. Which was the legislative body,—the whole community of Christians? or the Christian aristocracy, who were in one sense the admitted rulers?—Milman.”
“To overstep every limit and break down every barrier that seemed in theory to be set between the civil and ecclesiastical powers, was the only consequence that could result from such a union. And when it was attempted to put the theory into practice, every step taken in any direction only served to demonstrate that which the history everywhere shows, that the apparent identification of the State and Church by the adoption of Christianity as the religion of the empire, altogether confounded the limits of ecclesiastical and temporal jurisdiction.—Milman.”
“The State, as a body distinct from the Church, was gone. As a distinct system of law and government the State was destroyed, and its machinery existed only as the tool of the Church to accomplish her arbitrary will and to enforce her despotic decrees.”
Now National Reformers doubtless believe all they say. They do not see that the end of their logic means a repetition of the Dark Ages, but it does nevertheless. The logic of the facts of history has demonstrated it, so that he who desires to know may know.
THE DEVIL'S MISSION OF AMUSEMENT.
By Rev. Archibald C. Brown
[The following is from a tract by Rev. Archibald C. Brown, of East London (England) Tabernacle, published by Fleming H. Revell Co., New York.]
But again. PROVIDING AMUSEMENT FOR THE PEOPLE IS IN DIRECT ANTAGONISM TO THE TEACHING AND LIFE OF CHRIST AND ALL HIS APOSTLES. What is to be the attitude of the church towards the world, according to our Lord’s teaching?—Strict separation and uncompromising hostility. While no hint ever passed his lips of winning the world by pleasing it, or accommodating methods to its taste, his demand for unworldliness was constant and emphatic. He sets forth in one short sentence what he would have his disciples to be: “Ye are the salt of the earth.” Yes, the salt, not the sugar candy, nor a “lump of delight”—something the world will be more inclined to spit out than swallow with a smile—something more calculated to bring water to the eye than laughter to the lip.
Short and sharp is the utterance: “Let the dead bury their dead; but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.” “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” “In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” “My kingdom is not of this world.”
These passages are hard to reconcile with the modern idea of the church providing recreation for those who have no taste for more serious things—in other words, of conciliating the world. If they teach anything at all, it is that fidelity to Christ will bring down the world’s wrath, and that Christ intended his disciples to share with him the world’s scorn and rejection. How did Jesus act? What were the methods of the only perfectly “Faithful Witness” the Father has ever had.
As none will question that he is to be the worker’s model, let us gaze upon him. How significant the introductory account given by Mark: “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel.” And again, in the same chapter, I find him saying, in answer to the announcement of his disciples that all men were seeking for him, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, for therefore came I forth.” Matthew tells us, “And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.” In answer to John’s question, “Art thou he that should come?” he replies, “Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” There is no item in the catalogue after this sort: “And the careless are amused, and the perishing are provided with innocent recreation.”
We are not left in doubt as to the matter of his preaching, for when “many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door, he preached the word unto them.” There was no change of method adopted by344the Lord during his course of ministry, no learning by experience of a better plan. His first word of command to his evangelists was, “As ye go, preach.” His last, “Preach the gospel to every creature.” Not an evangelist suggests that at any time during his ministry he turned aside from preaching to entertain, and so attract the people. He was in awful earnestness; and his ministry was like him. Had he been less uncompromising, and introduced more of the “bright and pleasant” element into his mission, he would have been more popular.
Yet, when many of his disciples went back because of the searching nature of his preaching, I do not find there was any attempt to increase a diminished congregation by resorting to something more pleasant to the flesh. I do not hear him saying: “We must keep up the gatherings anyway; so run after those friends, Peter, and tell them we will have a different style of service to-morrow, something very short and attractive, with little, if any, preaching. To-day was a service for God, but to-morrow we will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it, and have a happy hour. Be quick, Peter; we must get the people somehow, if not by gospel, then by nonsense.” No, this was not how he argued. Gazing in sorrow on those who could not bear the word, he simply turns to the twelve and asks, “Will ye also go away?”
Jesus pitied sinners, pleaded with them, sighed over them, warned them, and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them. When the evening shadows of his consecrated life were deepening into the night of death, he reviewed his holy ministry, and found comfort and sweet solace in the thought, “I have given them thy word.” As with the Master, so with his apostles, their teaching is the echo of his. In vain will the epistles be searched to discover any trace of a gospel of amusement. The same call for separation from the world rings in every one. “Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed,” is the word of command in the Romans. “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing,” is the trumpet call in the Corinthians. In other words, it is, Come out, keep out, keep clean out, for “what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?”
“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Here is the true relationship between the church and the world, according to the Epistle to the Galatians. “Be not ye therefore partakers with them.” “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them,” is the attitude enjoined in Ephesians. “Sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life,” is the word in Philippians. “Dead with Christ from the elements of the world,” says the Epistle to the Colossians. “Abstain from every form of evil” (Revised Version), is the demand in the Thessalonians.
“If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use,” is the word to Timothy. “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach,” is the summons of the Scriptures. James, with holy severity, declares that “the friendship of the world is enmity with God; whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Peter writes: “Not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance; but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of living” (Revised Version). John writes a whole epistle, the gist of which is: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doth the will of God abideth forever.”
Here are the teachings of the apostles concerning the relationship of the church and the world. And yet in the face of them what do we see and hear?—A friendly compromise between the two, and an insane effort to work in partnership for the good of the people. God help us, and dispel the strong delusion.
(To be continued.)
Light Reflecting Benevolence
“SURELY light is reflective, like the light of heaven, and every countenance bright with smiles and glowing with innocent enjoyment is a mirror transmitting to others the rays of a supreme and ever smiling benevolence.”
THE GREAT ENGLISH "PROTESTANT" CHURCH.
Of course it is known by all intelligent students of the religious drift that the growing tendency of the Church of England is High Church-ward, which is the same as Romeward. An illustration of the teaching of many of the clergy of that church is found in the following, from the London Christian World of January 18, 1894:—
"OUR PROTESTANT (!) CHURCH."
A few extracts from two recently published Anglican works will serve to give an idea of the teaching for children and adults now current in our "Protestant" church. The first are from an anonymous little book called "Hosanna! A Mass Book for Children," with a preface by Rev. R. A. J. Suckling. Children are told that the book "will help you to love the Lord, and to worship Him in the Holy Mass." "Remember, Christian child," it says, "the Church is holy. The Altar is holy. The Priest is holy. The Mass is holy." The children are bidden at various places to "carefully make the Sign of the Cross, first on your forehead, then on your lips, and then on your breast." Before the elements are consecrated they are to say:—
O Blessed Lord Jesus, Thou art coming from heaven to be with us in this church. The Priest is going to make this Bread to be Thy Body, and this Wine to be Thy Blood. Very soon Thou wilt be here.
After the consecration they are to say:—
Hail! true Body of Jesus, offered for me upon the Cross. Thou art here, and I adore Thee.
There are some "Simple Thoughts about Christian Seasons." At Christmas they are told that "the same Jesus who was born in a stable and laid in a manger comes to us in the Mass and rests upon the altar." They should "try to go to Mass as often as you can in Lent." The last two weeks of Lent are the saddest time of all the year. When we go to church on Passion Sunday, we see the crucifixes and pictures covered with veils, and the singing is slow and quiet, and everything looks sad and mournful.
The children are enlightened as to the mystical significance of each article of the priest's attire.
The second of these publications is entitled "The Catholic Religion: a Manual of Instruction for Members of the English Church," by Rev. Vernon Staley, of Clewer, with a preface by Canon Carter (Mowbray & Co.), an elaborate compilation of some 350 pages. It informs us that
at present the Eastern, the Roman, and the Anglican portions of the Church, make up the Catholic body, the Universal Church.
Concerning the Mass the strong language of the thirty-first Article, to the effect that the sacrifices of masses, in the which it was commonly said that the priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, were blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits,
is thus travestied:—
The very strength of the expressions used of "the sacrifices of the masses," Dr. Pusey says, shows that what the article speaks of is not the sacrifice of the mass, but the habit of trusting to the purchase of masses when dying, to the neglect of a holy life.
The interpretation is a significant comment on the value of creeds as a preservative of Protestant or any other faith. The book urges confession, and gives a list of sins to be dealt with at the confessional, amongst which are:—
Gone to places of worship not belonging to the church.
Preferred my own opinion to the teaching of the Church.
Omitted to use confession when I knew I needed it.
Been unwilling to learn from the clergy what was needed for my soul.
Of baptism we are told:—
It is reasonable to baptize infants, for they cannot too soon be transferred from a natural state to a state of grace.
The effects of baptism are said to be threefold:—
1. It remits all sin, original and actual.
2. It bestows sanctifying grace, and endows the soul with the heavenly virtues of faith, hope, and charity.
3. It makes the recipient a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the directions for the reception of the Lord's Supper, the recipient, in taking the bread, is to
receive It from your palm with your mouth, taking care not to leave a particle on your hand, or to let one crumb fall to the ground.
The doctrine of the Real Presence could hardly have been more ingeniously expressed.
These are samples of the latest authoritative teaching of the Church established by law for the maintenance of the Protestant religion.
The Preacher Must Hit
A LEADING German authority on the use of artillery in war lays down a maxim which may wisely be borne in mind by every preacher: The artillery must in the first place hit, in the second place hit, and in the third place hit. A sermon that hits nobody and fits nobody is mere wasted breath. The old militia command, abbreviated, is a good one for the preacher to have in thought: Load!—Aim!—Fire!—Central Christian Advocate.
A Good Friend
By Boston Budget
A GOOD friend is too severely won to be lightly set aside. We should hold him and cherish him, willing to receive his criticism as well as his praise, and eager to turn both to our profit.
The Excess of Love
By Lord Bacon
The desire of power in excess caused the angels to fall; the desire of knowledge in excess, man; but in love there is no excess, neither can man nor angel come in danger by it.
The Power of a Good Word
"What harm is there in a good word? It costs nothing."