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THE CHRISTIAN NATION.
Vol. 59.
t i P l T O R I A L
NEW YORK, AUG. 13, 1913.
RECEIVING THE WORD.
Those that were converted on the day of
Pentecost by the preaching of Peter are said
to have received his word, an expression that
describes the action of faith on the part of
believers. Faith is so important, so fundamental,
in the Christian life that every phrase
that is used by •^he Spirit of God in a parallel
text is worthy of our attention.
Faith is said by Witsius tO' be the receiving
grace as love is the giving grace. We
see herein how love is greater than faith because
it is more blessed to give than to receive,
but nevertheless, faith is a great grace,
particularly when we are receiving from
God. Faith evidently comes before grace,
for we have nothing that we have not received
and we must receive before we can
give.
The word here spoken of as being received
is the word spoken by Peter, the message
from God that he delivered. These men had
listened to it with great attention. They had
received it in the outward ear. Then they
had understood what it meant; that Jesus of
Nazareth, whom they had known, who had
been approved of God by many mighty
works, works that no mere man had ever
done or could do; that he had been delivered
into the hands of their rulers and crucified;
that he had risen according to the Scripture
and now had sent his Spirit. They were acquainted
with the Scriptures and believed
them. In fact these people were well trained
members of the Jewish church, nlembers so
interested in their faith that they had come
to Jerusalem, many of them from a distance,
to keep the feast of Pentecost. They were
"devout Jews" who now heard ithe message
of an apostle concerning the Messiah. They
understood what he meant and what the message
meant for them. They received it into
tance of all known sin; for this Jesus who
has come is the enemy of all forms of evil
and transgression. To have and to hold this
great truth, all else fnust be subject to it.
No wonder that we read on in this second
chapter of Acts that they all began living for
this end, that they might know and serve and
enjoy the risen Messiah.
They received the word, then they received
baptism and the Lord's supper, and
the company of the apostles and the preaching
of the word in its further revelation and
the privilege of prayer through him. They
were always to be receiving, and then out of
their ful-Iness of heart they began to give.
Their faith worked by,love and purified the
heart.
GOD OUR REFUGE, FROM TROUBLE
AND TEMPTATION.
As we review the history of war we find
that the successful side has generally carried
on aggressive campaigns and that, while
tbe defensive seems to have the advantage,
it generally loses in the end. From this
well known fact we are inclined to draw
the conclusion that in all the battles we have
to fight, we shouid take the aggressive and
push the fight tO' the utmost. We feel that
the wisest policy is- to meet the enemy half
way at least and drive him to defeat and
flight.
An exception seems to be found to this
general rule when we come to deal with
trouble and temptation. Instead of hunting
and fighting , these enemies we are to- fly
from them. Our safety and our success are
to be found in taking refuge in a secure
pJace where these foes to peace and purity
cannot reach us to do us harm. Like a
child running to a father we are to find
•safety in the protection of God's care.
"In thee my soul hath shelter found.
And thou hast been from foes around
The tower to which I flee.
Within thy house I will abide.
And underneath thy wings will hide.
Forever safe in thee."
The closing petition of. the Lord's prayer
shows that we are to avoid temptation and
when we are tempted that it is our safety
defence, and we find safety, under the shelter
of his wings. The consciousness of overwhelming
danger that causes us to flyto him
is the triumph both of wisdom and of trust
EDITORIAL NOTES.
The autoists are in combination to increase
the speed limit, and to saddle the expense
on 'the public of good roads, which, their
machines go far to make useless to pedestrians
and vehicles drawn by horses, by reason
of excessive speed and chained tires and
heavy loads. They have secured the submission
of the people of Pennsylvania of an'
Amendment to burden the Commonwealth
with a debt of fifty millions for good roads.
I
The Tenth Council of the Alliance of Reformed
Churches holding the Presbyterian
System, met at Aberdeen, Scotland, Wednes-i
day, June 18. George Adson Smith, who
is principal of the University, gave the open-]
ing discourse. Dr. D. J. Burrell was presi-1
dent, and pjleadted in his laddres® for the
proclamation of the Gospel message. On
some subjects it seems as if the arrange^
ment is to hear all sides, since latter days '
have brought to Presbyterian circles dis-1
cordant notes, many of them of human phil-'
osophy. The Episcopal Conference pro-'
posed came before the Council. Dr. W. I.J
Wishart speaks of it as follows: *
"Some debate was provoked when the proposal
of the American Episcopal Church for ;
a 'World Conference on Faith and Order' j
came to be considered. The British Church-^
es had not been well informed as to the na-1
ture and scope of this proposal. And when ^
it was learned that 'Roman and Greek Cath-':
olics are to be invited into this conference-.;
there was just a little hesitation. However, :
when the nature of the proposal was explain-,,;
ed, it was agreed to send it do-wn to the con- !'
stituent churches without prejudice." '•
We fail to see how the Alliance is a .
channel for such a proposal. The unity in t
such a Conference could be obtained by in- t
viting the Pope to preside, were he not a
their minds.
prisoner in the Vatican.
f
In receiving this message those who were
The next session of the Alliance is to be_i
converted accepted it as the truth. They
held in Pittsburg, in 1917.
accepted it as the statement of a fact, the
most momentous possible fact in their knowledge.
Sir Jonathan Hutchinson, whose death f
If this word was true, all the hopes to be delivered. In fact, to be delivered is took place at the close of June, expressed in
of their people had been fulfilled, the great to overcome. In fighting the battle with his will the desire that upon his gravestone]
day of God's revelation of himself had dawned
personal sins, we are not to seek the enemy should be inscribed the words:—"A man of
upon them. They saw clearly the Savior but to resist when he comes, to defend what hope and forward-looking mind:"
of Israel in Jesus of Nazareth. They received
the truth that changes and saves, a rev­
"Stand," and the armor he commends and The Upper H0US5 of Convocation of Can­
we cannot rightfully give up. Paul says,
olutionary truth that opened to them a new even the weapons used are to repel attacks. terbury held a short public sitting on Wednesday,
July 2, during which the Bishop ot
life, a life that began and ended in him. It is the same way with, trouble. We are
Ely moved a resolution asking the Archbishop
to take such steps as seemed to hini de­
Thisi truth, this word, each man receiv not to seek it, but when it comes to- cast it
ing made his own. It belonged to him as on the Lord who cares for us. We ane to sirable in order to secure the revision of tne
fully as if no other one had received it, as trust in the Lord and wait on Him. In passages of the Psalter in which the language
is specially obscure or misleadingif
he had been the only sinner to be saved. these things holding our position is victory.
The Archbishoi^ of Canterbury intimatea
This word was his possession and, at the Not activity, but endurance is the required
that he would be prepared to act upon tne
same time, it possessed him, for no one can virtue.
resolution if it was passed. It was then carried
unanimously, and the Archibshop said m
receive the word here preached by Peter that It is in this view of the Christian life that
this possession does not encircle and color Go'd is to us a fortress, a. strong tower, a intended to consult the Archbishop of Yore
^11 that is in his beart. It brought repen- refuge, a covent, a hiding place, a rock of before appointing the oommittee, but tne)