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