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December 10, 1913.
TEMPTATION BY B^RIENDS.
'.Vlicn our Lord was in Upxer
Galilee, he told his disciples of his
apiroachlng death at the hands ot
those wt.o hateu him without a cause.
The disciples were offended by h's
words, and Peter rebuked him. But
J8::us turned, and said to Peter:
•'Tliou art a stumbling-block unto
me." So for ourselves, even our
friends may prove stumbling-blocks
in our path ot duty. ,
In view of the elections last Fall,
an earnest Prohibition editor, familiar
with Covenanters and their zeal for
Temperance, undertook to enlist the
votes of our people for a Prohibition
candidate for Judge. He sent out a
A FAMILY
PAPER.
circular, addressed individually to
members of our Church, arguing for
spirit of unbounded Christian charity.
their support. We discuss Men not
tion. How can they admit to its fellowship
those who avowedly disbe­
At first glance, they seem to be fllled
Measures, and Measures not Men, with the spirit of true evangelism, lieve and oppose the principles for
and Measures and Men, but none may and to dissent from tbeir declarations which it stands?
take up Men as suffl'cient in a Constitutional
Government to embody
is to invite censure and condemnation
The above declarations, brotbeily
as lacking in the spirit of charity, if
and charitable as they sound, lo:e
not wholly void cf likeness to Him
proposed Reforms as if already enacted.
The Constitution must be taken
sight of the witnessing character of
Who says, "Let him that heareth say, the Church. It was orgained by Christ
that it might te a "pillar and ground
as it is by "all Executive and Judicial
officers"; and so the
of the truth," that it might hold
martyred
President in his Inaugural address
declared that he would execute the
Fugitive Slave Law. The 'Covenant
ol this Church declares: "We will
pray and labor for the peace and welfare
of our country, and for its
reformation by a Constitutional recognition
of God as the source of all power,
of Jesus Christ as the Ruler of
Nations, of the Holy Scriptures as
the supreme rule, and of the true
Christian religion; and we will continue
to refuse to incorporate by any
act, with the political body, until
this blessed reformation has bsen seemed."
We are persuaded that in
ttese days of many and important Reforms,
the dishonor done to "our Lord
and His Christ'' by the Nation itself
E D I T O R I A L P A G E
JOHN W. PRITCHARD, Editor.
Into our fellowship here on earth."
These afPimations seem to us a bit
too sweeiping. They can lead only tj
one conclusion, and that is to bread
churchitm cf the broadest guage.
However plausible these utterances
sound, however full of the spirit of
'Cliristian brotherliness and charity,
thcy p.oceed upon falee assumptions.
One of these is, that those who maintain
a separate ecclesiastical existence
do so out of a sense of tlieir own
superior holiness, as though they
counted others unworthy to associate
(We like tho old term.) We take the
following editorial from the Cbristian
Instructor of November IStli:
"No denomination can afford io
make the door of membership narrower
than is the gate of heaven. Men
whose faith in and devotion to Christ
cannot be doubted, may be unwilling
to give their assent to our Testimony,
and where is the Session who would
dare say. You may be good enough lo
get into heaven, but you are not good
enough to be a United Presbyterian?
There is no justification for refusing
to take into our fellowship here on
earth those with whom we shall rejoice
to associate in heaven."
These words from the heart of a
leading editorial in last week's United
Presbyterian seem to breathe the
'Come." How eould any session or denomination
justify itself in excluding
from membership any whom our Lord
would receive into everlasting habita
tions? , ,
These statements occur in th;
midst of a plea for the union of
Churches, especially of those which
are held apart by seemingly "small
differences." The special plea is for
tte union of "sister Presbytenan
Churches." The argument seems to
be, Christ will admit to His kingdom
in heaven all sincere believers in
these sister churches; therefore we
should unite with them in organic
church fellowship in His kingdom
here below. But why stop with "sister
Presbyterian Churches?" Will not
our Lord receive into His kingdom in
with them. The question of personal
\'(orthine£s does not enter into
their course of action. Those who
bear rule in the hou.e of God must
have regard to the truth ol its teachings
and the purity of its administra­
forth to tne world the great plan of
salvation in its purity and simplicity,
and that it might declare to the world
the kind of lives that reflect honor
upon its great King and Head. How
Irng, if a Church is indifferent as to
the b3liefs and practicES of tho.^e
whcm it receives into membership,
will it have any power in winning the
unsaved to Christ?
AS TO INVESTMENT ADVERTIS­
ING.
A short time ago there occurred in
this city) the failure of Hollins &
the unwisdom of not heeding it, were
not long since immovably flxed in our
minds.
Now as to investment advertising,
the largest religious papers still accept
it. The largest of all of them
Leaps an announcement standing that
they exercise care as to what investment
advertisements they publish but
wil! not be responsible to their subscribers
for any losses, because each
individual can better afford to suffer
his or her own loss, than the paper
can to make good the aggregate
amount of all their losses. Some other
leading religious papers accept
such advertisements discriminatingly
and let it go at that.
For nearly two years our own policy
has been not to accept any investment
advertising at all, however
solvent any enterprise may be at the
time the advertising is offered to us.
The wisdom of this position is justified
by the fact that the advertising
of the New York Real Estate Security
Com.pany, published in other prominent
religious papers, was not accepted
by us. This policy curtails
the paper's advertising receipts
materially, but even so
we expect to win the goal with our
torch burning; and the interests of
our readers are protected.
This notice is not meant to reflect
on the management of other religious
papers. Their relations with their
readers may not be so close as ours
is. This notice is meant rather for
bankers, and investment dealers, and
other readers of The Christian. Nation,
that they may understand our
attitude and our reasons therefor.
We have already noted the attendance
of President Wilson and lesser
officials on Mass in Washington, D.
C., Thanksgiving Day. This was done
in tte face of a protest by Protestant
clergymen against the offlcial at­
•Co., bankers and brokers, and financial
agents for the Mexican government.
Their assets were nominal and about the annual Pan-American
mosphere they cjntend is thrown
heaven all sincere believers who are
found in Methodist, and Baptist, and
Thanksgiving mass in St. Patrick's
Lutheran, and Episcopal, and Reformed
churches? Must we not go farthlars.
The failure is attributed to President, cabinet, justices, the dip­
their liabilities several million dol­
Church, generally attended by the
will remain our chief concern in our
Testimony, making clear the duty of er and admit that He will receive into
His heavenly kingdom all who
Mexican complications, due to the lomatic corps and other dignitaries.
Dissent.
well knowrt conditions in that unhappy
country. A week or so later the tion to attend this year and did at­
President Wilson accepted an invita­
truly believe in Him, though they be
WITNESSING FOR THE TRUTH. found in unevangelical or Rorrfish
tend. Rev. R. H. McKim, former president
of the Episcopal house of depu­
The United Presbyterian Church •churches? For who can deny that, New York| Real Estate Security Company
went into a receiver's hands. This ties, is author of a resolution adopted
has a Testimony. It embodies declarations
for an inspired Pdalmo3y, such organizations, and however company owned and occupied one of by the Episcopal, Lutheran, Baptist
notwithstanding the corruptness of
and for an Open Life. It sets forth greatly they pervert the simple Gospel,
there have been and are within
the finest offlce buildings on lower and Disciples of Christ clergy, and
Restricted Communion.
Broadway, and among their bondholders
are some of the best known
whlcIi 'protests "against the attempt
The Seattle Assembly accepted the their pale many who truly love our
invitation for 1913 to Atlanta (whe.e Lord Jesus, and whom He will welcome
into His everlasting glory? But business men in New York. Their
to convert our national Thanksgiving
Day into a Roman Catholic festival
in a service entirely out of har­
there is no church building of their
own), so as to gather with the Northern
and Southern Presbyterian As­
to take into our fellowship here 000. Their embarrassment is charged the day," and "for the purpose of
"there is no justification for refusing liabilities are reported to be $25,000,- mony with the spirit and purpose of
semblies. The Committee arranged on earth those with whom we shall
to the recent, almost unprecendented glorifying the Roman Catholic
for a joint Communion, carried out in rejoice to associate in heaven." Ergo,
great enthusiasm. Now comes the let us tear down all lines of distinction
between Presbyterianism, Pretate.
These incidents demonstrate
falling off in quick values of real es­
Church and giving this service an official
characterization it does not and
•foice Of the people over the 'proposed
cannot possess."
Basis of Union between this Churcb lacy or Popery, and merge into one again the certain presence of the element
of speculation and chance, in A genuine sensation of interest to
and the Southern Church. The considerations
are much as we had set any way bear the name of our Lord some measure, in every investment us all occurred in Philadelphia, last
great cosmopolitan body all who in
liefore us in 1890, also before and Jesus, for they all have in them those
week. It is well known that between
enterprise. There are things to be regretted
in all lives, and our regret is
after that date, in various forms. The with whom we shall rejoice to associate
in heaven, and there is "no
1788 and 1791, Robert Burns prepared
question is not new. Sliall the Church
some manuscript volumes, as be intended
they finally should go to resile or not from her Testimony? justification for refusing to take them that the knowledge of this fact, and
pos-