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

THE CHRISTIAN NATION.
Vol. 59.
Prayer Meeting Topic.
? Are there morc
than a year ago
passages fastened like nails upon
FOR JANUARY 14, 1914. Avhich AA'e can hang tour faith?
By the Rev. W. M. Robb. Have we the Bible-reading and
verse-memorizing habit ?
HoAv to use God's Word in the
2. By communicating it to our
Mainjtenance of Religion. Deut.
households; "Teachr—diligently
6 :4-6.
unto thy cliildren." "Chddren are
Suitable Psalms: 1, No. 2; 19, ^^.^ heritage of the Lord." They
No. 43; 119. Nos. 3x9, 327, 332, have a right to religious instruc-
,,7 tion. Parents are God-appointed
"''Religion needs cultivation. God teachers. The Bible is the text-
. , , , , - fU .„,! book. It should be taught "dihprovides
the elements m earth and ,
1 gently. Faithful parents know
air for the plant. It groweth up, ^^^^^^ necessary such diligence is,
we knoAV niot hoAV, blade, ear, full ^^.^^ .^^itir chUdren have vivid reccorn
in the ear. The same God ollections of their dihgence. Later
supplies the elements for the de- in life they thank God for it. The
Avord used here means to "sharpen
in," or to ''whet diligently."
velopment of the life within the
soul, enables the nCAV creature to
(Work out the figureof sharpening
a tool).
feed thereon, until he arrives at
the perfect stature of manhood in Parents hold the key to the wehbeing
of their children. They
Christ Jesus.
:\Ioses taught the Israelites hoAV ought not to h'and it over to the
Sabbath Scbool teacher. Are
to cultivate the new life. His
Covenanter homes being jeopardized
by the non-use of God's
method is very simple. Use the
AVord. Religion is no ncAV thing.
Word? How about your family
lespite the ncAV fangled luodes of ajtarr
3;. By conversing- often about
ioned enough to believe that it. "Talk—when thou sittest,—
:\Ioses' prescription for developing
walkest—liest dowh—^risest up,"
The occasions mentioned here are
godliness cannot be improved upon.
God's Word is the soul's na­
the most ciommonplace. They are
the ordinary events in the lives of
tive food. Without it men starve. us all. In a workaday world we
Matt. 4:4.
may have a more sublime topic of
HoAv can Ave employ God's conversation than the weather,
Word for the promotion
q{ re- crops, social functions, or political
, , ^5 issues. God's Word is a fit stiblig-ion
m our hearts and homes.'' .
&
ject for common discourse. It is
I. By committing it to mem- ^^^^ debarred from the use of 'Comory.
mon
people. Nothing will develop
heart." We must know His Word true religion like pious discourse
propagating it. We are old-fash^
before Ave can do His Avill, lay il amid the common tasks of life.
Seek to have a conversation becoming
the gospel, and "talk of
up in our hearts before we can
practice it in our lives. His Word
all His wondrous works."
hidden in the heart is a good
4. By giving it great prominence.
"Bind—upon thine hand."
thing in a good place, and yet the
strange thing about it is that it p^itit where you can see it. "As
cannot be concealed any more than frontlets." Put it where othei
fragrant flowers out of sight in a people can see it. "Write—on the
room can be hid.
posts of thy house." Giveit prom-
Store the Word in the heart, inence every Avay. In days when
As the bee explores the depths of the copies of the Word were few,
the floAvers,draAvs forth the SAveet ihey had these methods of keepnectar,
sings aAvay to the hive and ing it before their minds. Give
stores the precious treasure there, the Word of God prominence evso
delve into the hidden recesses ery possible way. Translateit inof
the \A'ord, draAV forth its sweet- io every langage. Interpret it in
ness, and treasure in the heart terms of your own experience, Re-
Ihat which is "sweeter than honey llect it in your walk and converand
the honeycomb," Jer. 15:16. sation. Advertise the AVord of
Ezek, 3:1-3. God by Avord and work. Rom.
Do we know our Bibles belter 1:16.
A BIT OF EXPERIENCE.
Tbis week I Avas in an attorney's
ofiice in Chicago and after we had
discussed the delays in law and the
possibilities of changing the judicial
process so that speedier remedies
might be had in the courts, he startled
me with the question, "AVhy don't
you Covenanters vote? You are good
people and Avould be found on the
right side of things. Why not put
yourselves into the campaign lor
letter men and measures?"
This is a kind ol direct challenge
which one cannot refuse even 11 he
were so inclined, and I am- not so inclined,
therefore 1 said to him: "Jesus
Christ came into this world to be a
King. He declared to Pilate that this
was the cause for his coming into
this world. As a king he must have
men as his subjects who will be loyal
to him and obey his law. Keeping
this law is his test of loyalty. In his
demands there is no sphere of human
life exempt. Everywhere and at all
times the loyal subject will lollow
him. The test of conduct is, 'What
would Jesus do?'
"When our fathers framed the Federal
Constitution, which contains the
rules by which we have chosen to be
governed, they relused to take his
law as the rule of political action.
Instead, they substituted theAvill of
the people. Each voter accepts that
standard ol political conduct, which
Jesus Christ could not do without
denying his claim to be king of men.''
The attorney is a lawyer and he
came back at me in this fashion:
"You are idealizing the Federal Constitution
too much. It neveiA was
meant to have such prominence as a
rule of political action as you give to
it. The government is simply a legal
corporation set up to do -certain specified
things. It is a legal person, but
not a real person. The Federal Constitution
serves no other purpose than
the charter of a railroad. It specifies
what the corporation is authorized to
do. Being such a corporation there
is no more reason why you should
refuse to take part in general elections
be'cause Christ is not recognized
than you would have lor staying out
of a corporation for the same reasons.
If you can be a stockholder in a bank
which does not recognize Christ in Us
charter you can as well act A\ith the
government which does not recognize
Christ in its charter,"
I had put a lawyer's argument at
him and he had given me a laAvyer's
answer, and while I did not think his
answer conclusive, I recognized that
since he was the one that needed to
be convinced that there was no use
arguing that -point lurther, nor of appealing
the case. My business was to
win him and I made the point that
I should have made in the firstplace.
I said to him, "I gave you an answer
Avhich lies on the surface and you
Vi'ant to go to the bottom of the question.
As a matter of fact our protest
is not against the government. Granting,
as you claim, that the Federal
Constltiltion is only a corporation
charter, the government did not make
the charter. Rather, the government
was made by the charter. Whatever
fault there may be, therefore, in the
Federal Constitution is not to be
charged up to the government, but to
the nation that made it. It is against
the nation, the social mind, which set
up this Christless rule ol action that
the Covenanter protest lies. We object,
not simply to the charter as you
call it, but to the national policy
which the charter embodies. We can
not accept the policy, as I believe
Christ could not accept it, nor act
with other citizens in carryingit out.
What we are trying to do is to change
the mind of the nation, the social
mind, so that it will adopt another
policy. I am trying to bring to the
attention of the students of the country
the need Ior a change of the social
mind, through education and regeneration,
so that it will adopt another
policy, that of loyalty to Christ,
so that Christ can accept it and I
can accept it in loyalty to him,"
The attorney said, "That is quite
another view than I had held of your
position, I have nothing more to
say."
I am offering this incident Irom a
day's work because it seems to me
to show where the strength of our
argument lies. We have often talked
asifit was the Constitution instead
ol the people that is at fault and have
neglected the real, and the stronger
argument, AVe do not dissent from
the government. As a matter of fact,
we cannot, since we never were members
of it. Only members of a body
can dissent. We make our protest
against the disloyal act of the nation.
What we are trying to change is not
simply a law, which is only the expression
of a national life disloyal
to Christ, but the social mind of
the nation whicii definitely chose to
be disloyal and still chooses that
course. In an experience of many
years I have not talked with any
man who claimed that our nation is
Christian, in the Bible use of that
term. When the national will submits
to the Christ, then we shall have
that new mind expressed in our laws
and institutions and the Christian can
cast a ballot for his candidate and
for his Christ,
J. M. COLEMAN.