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S C R I B N E R ' S M A G A Z I N E Important ... - Rparchives.org

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10 THE CHRISTIAN NATION. Vol. 69.<br />

confidently hoped that official boards<br />

throughout the churcb will avail<br />

themselves of this opportunity to distribute<br />

such literature as will awaken<br />

the consciences ot men to the claims<br />

Of God upon tbeir substance.<br />

'More Complete Works.<br />

Tbe Law of tbe Tithe, by Arthur V.<br />

Babbs, Revell & 'Co., Xew York. Price<br />

$1.50.<br />

The Sacred Tenth (Two Volumes)<br />

and The Tithe in Scripture, (compiled<br />

from tbe other work), both by Rev.<br />

Henry Lansdell, Morden College,<br />

Blackheath, London.<br />

Gems ot Thought on Tithing, by<br />

Ge<strong>org</strong>e W. Brown, Eaton & Mains,<br />

New 'York. Price 75 cents. This volume<br />

will be found very helpful.<br />

Booklets.<br />

The Victory of Mary Christopher,<br />

by H. R. Calkins.<br />

Tithing a iReligious Duty, by Harry<br />

Whitcomb.<br />

Tithing a Christian Duty, by O. P.<br />

Gifford, U. P. Book Rooms, Pittsburgh,<br />

Pa.<br />

The Divine Law of Giving, and The<br />

Great Ought, both by Rev. Richard<br />

Duke, Methodist iRooms, Toronto.<br />

Tbe Law of Cbristian Stewardship,<br />

by Ge<strong>org</strong>e Sherwood Eddy, same address.<br />

(Most of these can be secured at<br />

five or ten cents each.)<br />

Tracts.<br />

Write to Twentieth Century Tithe<br />

Covenant Association, Lemcke Building,<br />

Indianapolis, Ind., or The Christian<br />

Steward, 414 Manning 'Cbambers,<br />

Toronto, Canada, or to Layman, 143<br />

North Wabash avenue, Chicago, 111.<br />

The tracts by 'Layman" are especially<br />

suited for distribution, and are inexpensive.<br />

Write for some o)f the<br />

above literature.<br />

W. M. ROBB, Ch. of Com.<br />

"THE INSIDE OF THE -CUP."<br />

By the Rev. Frank E. Allen.<br />

I remember once watching a woman,<br />

who was partially blind, washing<br />

dishes. Sbe perhaps thought that the<br />

inside as well as the outside of tbe<br />

cups wbicb sbe was washing was<br />

clean. But that made them none tbe<br />

more appetizing to one whose eyesight<br />

was unimpaired.<br />

Mr. Winston 'Churchill, in his latest<br />

novel entitled "The Inside of the<br />

Cup" (Matt 23:25-26), may have<br />

thought be was cleaning tbe minds of<br />

theologians and the creeds of<br />

churches, but if they should accept<br />

his inference wholesale they would be<br />

left more impure than before.<br />

Of course no enlightened Cbristian<br />

wishes to deny that Mr. Churchill<br />

calls for a much needed reform in<br />

m.ost every church today, especially<br />

in the ritualistic churches. Formality,<br />

hypocrisy, and roguery, veiled in<br />

sacred vestments and outward orthodoxy,<br />

are sapping tbe vitality of the<br />

church. Many churches, as Mr.<br />

Churchill suggests, would not welcome<br />

the masses, the members would feel<br />

uneasy if the poor, tbe illiterate, the<br />

unsaved, should find their way Into<br />

their church, and would be shocked if<br />

they sbould wander into their pew.<br />

One cannot read with intelligence, he<br />

cannot look about bim, without knowing<br />

that the lives of many of the politicians<br />

and great financiers who bold<br />

memb arship in the church will not<br />

tear inspection. Witness Jobn D.<br />

Rockefeller, a member of the Baptist<br />

Churcb, and the late J. Pierpont M<strong>org</strong>an,<br />

a member of the Episcopal<br />

Church. But the fact that there is once of false philosophies and of the<br />

inconsistency in the lives of men who literal messianic prophesies ol the<br />

profess certain creeds does not condemn<br />

tbe creed. We would not dim­<br />

Christianity. The earthly kingdom<br />

.lews, wbich were taken over with<br />

inish in any particular the trutb which was to come was to be the result<br />

of some kind of a cataclysm. Per­<br />

wbicb Mr. 'Churchill illustrates in tbe<br />

lives of men like Eldon Parr, Nelson sonally, I believe our Lord merely<br />

Langmaid and Mr. PergUEon, the<br />

truth which Jesus himself emphasizes,<br />

that it is easier for a camel to<br />

go through a needle's eye than for a<br />

rich man to enter into the kingdom<br />

of God. But we protest against tbe<br />

author's conclusion, that because Mr.<br />

Hadder lost faitb in these men that<br />

he was justified in losing bis faith in<br />

the historic creed of orthodox Christianity.<br />

It was not because tbe wealthy<br />

members ot St. John's Churcb<br />

pccepted such doctrines as tbe plenary<br />

inspiration of the Bible, the virgin<br />

birth of Jesus, tbe Scriptural view<br />

of marriage and divorce, and tbe divine<br />

right of private ownership tbat<br />

they were formalists, it was not their<br />

profession that was wrong so much<br />

as their faith and tbeir lile.<br />

Mr. Churchill in his "Afterword,"<br />

says that Mr. Hadder's solution coincides<br />

with his own. If tbis be true,<br />

then he has reason to suspect tbe<br />

genuineness of his own conversion.<br />

The great failure of Mr. Hadder was<br />

tbat wben he was in perplexity abcut<br />

the correctness of the creed of tbe<br />

churc'ii and bis own assurance, he<br />

went to the wrong source. Ple tried<br />

to seek enlightenment in critical, re­<br />

late Dr. T. P. Stevenson, printed in<br />

f(:ctions were tbey not so vital. Mr. leaflet form, and, along witb other<br />

Cburchill has given us an excellent literature, kept on a table in tbe rear<br />

ligious and philosophical books from presentation of modern criticism and of the First Churcb, Philadelphia, for<br />

tie public library. There is scarcely<br />

a word about searching the Scrip­<br />

churches. But his fascinating story itor.)<br />

o,: how it is working in many strangers visiting the church.—Edture<br />

or prayer. This is the less excusable<br />

in (Mr. Hadder, since he was teaching such fundamental errors as ular designation of a body of Chris­<br />

and literary style will not atone for The teim "Covenanters" is the 'Pop­<br />

a minister of the Gospel. During the "tbe allegory of tbe Garden of Eden,"' tian people who have had a long and<br />

days of his religious bewilderment he the unlikelihood of the literal resurrection<br />

of Jesus, the childish theology States and in Great Britain. The offi­<br />

honorable history in the United<br />

should have been much in prayer and<br />

in meditation upon tbe Holy Word. of the acceptance of tbe virgin birth, cial style or title of tbis Church in<br />

If he had sought the truth in this and the denial of inspiration of tbe tbis country is "Tbe Reformed Presbyterian<br />

Church in North America."<br />

wpy, iu place of critical books, he Bible.<br />

would not bave been led to deny the<br />

The term "Presbyterian" denotes<br />

Even Mr. Bentley, the character<br />

their polity or form of government;<br />

virgin birth ol Christ and the reality<br />

the term, "Reformed" classes tbem<br />

of Hell. That he had not found the<br />

true doctrine alter he began to preach<br />

under his new conviction is evidenced<br />

by tbe character of the crowd<br />

which be attracted and pleased.<br />

ThoEe holding all manner of heresies<br />

with little or no faith came to hear<br />

him and were ipleased and satisfied.<br />

One of the surprising things of the<br />

book, and ot critics in general is, that<br />

when they have formulated their<br />

"new theology" in language however<br />

obscure, they maintain tbat it is the<br />

clearest statement of Cbristian doctrine<br />

that they have ever beard. After<br />

Mr. Hadder's metamorphosis, almost<br />

all the skeptics who came to hear<br />

him, complimented him, saying tbat<br />

they had never before heard anything<br />

so clear on the Christian religion. Let<br />

us note an example of Hadder's clear<br />

(?) and accurate (?) explanation of<br />

the meaning of Christianity, as he<br />

explains it to Mrs. Constable. "The<br />

early Cbristian, since be was not a<br />

citizen, since he took the view that<br />

this mortal existence was essentially<br />

bad and kept his eyes steadfastly flxed<br />

on another, was tbe victim at<br />

used the messianic literature as a<br />

convenient framework for bis spiritual<br />

kingdom of heaven, and that tbe<br />

Gospels misintenpret bis meaning on<br />

tbis point." Whatever else may be Doubt" denies tbe doctrines of predestination,<br />

and Ralph Connor, also a<br />

said of this there is a denial of tbe<br />

Inspiration of tbe Gospel writers. After<br />

Mr. Hadder had spoken for a<br />

Presbyterian divine, denies some ot<br />

v/bile in this way, iMrs. Constable replied:<br />

"Wby did not some one tell<br />

me tbis when i was young? It seems<br />

so simple." How simple when compared<br />

witb Jesus' own words: "Blessed<br />

are the poor in spirit; for theirs<br />

is the kingdom of heaven.'' "Tbink<br />

not tbat I am come to destroy tbe<br />

law, or tbe prophets; I am not come<br />

to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I<br />

say unto you, till heaven and earth<br />

pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no<br />

wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."<br />

One is almost compelled to f<strong>org</strong>et<br />

tbe heresy taught in tbe book because<br />

of his admiration for Mr. Hadder's<br />

self-sacrifice and determination. There<br />

is so great a need for ministers of<br />

fearlessness and conviction tbat one<br />

might overlook Mr. Hadder's imper-<br />

piety, although of Covenanter parentage,<br />

preached a sermon on "The Inside<br />

of tbe Cup'' one evening in Winnipeg.<br />

The Rev. John McNeill, the<br />

Scotch evangelist, in speaking about<br />

preaching the Word said, "Some<br />

pieacbers prefer to take as their subject<br />

for a sermon the latest novel,<br />

and it usually comes out a good deal<br />

muddier than it went in."<br />

But perhaps like "Pollyanna," we<br />

should be glad tbat "The Inside of<br />

tbe Cup" is as clean as it is.<br />

In a short address, I recently heard<br />

Dr. C. W. Gordon (Ralph Connor) deny<br />

the doctrine-of predestination, the (plenary<br />

inspiration of the Bible and<br />

doubt whether the book of Esther<br />

could be proven to have a place in the<br />

canon of Scripture. When Dr. van<br />

tj'ke in his "Gospel for an age of<br />

the fundamental tenets of the Presbyterian<br />

Church, and wben Winston<br />

Churchill denies many of the essential<br />

doctrines ot the Bible, we wonder<br />

why men who have doubts themselves<br />

should try to write a Gospel for an<br />

age of doubt. Rather tban clear away<br />

tbe doubts of many they generate<br />

doubt in tbe mind of the unsuspecting.<br />

(Moreover we are led to conclude<br />

that there was never more need for<br />

the Covenanter Churcb than there is<br />

today, and there never was a time<br />

when there was greater need that<br />

she hold fast to tbe anchor of tbe<br />

Word and rest firmly upon tbe Rock<br />

Christ Jesus.<br />

WHO ARE THE COVENANTERS?<br />

(The following was written by tbe<br />

who, above all others, is set forth as<br />

an example of ipiety, is seldom if ever<br />

found in prayer or in 'communion<br />

witb tbe Bible. He possesses the popular<br />

but unscriptural idea that the<br />

Gospel is to be taught wholly by ex­<br />

with tbe various Reformed Churches<br />

which arose out of tbe Protestant<br />

Reformation.<br />

I. The Covenanters in History.<br />

How came this Churcb to be separate<br />

from tbe other Presbyterian<br />

emplary living. Paul was very scrupulous<br />

about bis conduct but he did 'Churches which bad a common origin<br />

not think that was sufficient. He determined<br />

not to know anything save swer to tbis question must be sought<br />

in tbe great Reformation? The an­<br />

Jesus Christ and him crucifled. If in the stormy history ot Scotland<br />

Kate Marcy had been taught to trust<br />

in Jesus, rather than merely to live<br />

a moral life, she would not have committed<br />

suicide in an hour of anger<br />

and sorrow.<br />

Dr. J. L. Gordon, a brother ot S.<br />

D. Gordon, perhaps tbe most popular<br />

pieacher in Winnipeg, who is noted<br />

more for his sensationalism than bis<br />

from A. D. 1638 to A. D. 1688, the<br />

period known as tbe fifty years'<br />

struggle of the Covenanters for civil<br />

and religious liberty.<br />

Tbe Protestant Reformation of the<br />

British Islands had been accomplished<br />

during tbe preceding century. But<br />

to maintain their Protestant liberties<br />

against the reactionary forces within<br />

tbese islands and against the hostile<br />

powers of the continent was a<br />

struggle for life or death. This<br />

struggle was complicated by the<br />

the claims If supremacy this whole claim of nation in tbe had both Crown been might Church acquiesced have to and absolute lapsed State. in,

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