,,to ,,infidelity ,,and ,,back ,to ,infidelity and ,back ,a ,truth-seeker's ,religious ,autobiography ,how ,i ,found ,christ and ,his ,church ,by ,,evangelist ,,henry ,f4 ,,lutz ,author of ,economic ,redemption2 or1 ,hard ,times3 the ,cause and ,cure etc4 ,i will bring the blind by a way that they knew not2 ,i will lead them in paths that they have not known3 ,i will make darkness light before them1 and crooked things straight4 ,these things will ,i do unto them and not forsake them--,isa4 #db3af4 ,slight tastes of philosophy may perchance move one to atheism1 but fuller draughts lead back to religion--,lord ,bacon ,,cincinnati1 ,,ohio #aiaa ,,dedication ,to the sacred memory of the pioneers of the great ,restoration ,movement of the nineteenth century1 who forsook the religious associations of a lifetime and cheerfully endured poverty1 persecution and every hardship in their endeavor to restore ,christian union on the primitive gospel1 and who held forth a beacon-light that helped me to find the truth in its simplicity as it is in ,christ ,jesus4 ,my ,soul ,struggle in ,symbolism ,upon the fly-leaf of my ,bible ,i find the following1 which was written shortly after ,i emerged from the stormy sea of heartrending agony through which ,i passed in my conflict with sectarianism1 rationalism1 infidelity and doubt4 ,it was not written for the public1 but was simply an effort of my soul to express in a measure1 through human symbols1 the painful experiences through which it passed4 ,it will seem extravagant language to those who have never had their souls lacerated by doubt and despair4 ,but the sensitive souls who have endured similar experiences will understand1 and it is with the hope of reaching and helping them that it is given to the public4 ,a ,,ten ,,years' ,,journey ,from the childhood land of ignorant innocence to the kingdom of ,christ3 by way of deserts of negation2 mountains of assumption2 rivers of irony1 sarcasm and conceit2 bays of contention2 gulfs of liberalism2 and oceans of infidelity1 doubt and confusion--swept by undercurrents of selfish passion1 tempests of blind sentiment1 maelstroms of fear and despair2 covered with black clouds of prejudice and preconceived ideas1 dense fogs of theological speculation1 gigantic icebergs of indifference1 monstrous sharks of procrastination1 and ruinous rocks of materialism2 through the strait of darkness and absurdity1 over the sea of twilight and joy1 into the haven of rest4 ,in the ship1 religion2 pole-star1 faith in ,god2 rudder1 free will2 compass1 conscience2 sextant1 rationalism and experience2 anchor1 hope2 guiding chart1 creeds and opinions of men vs4 the ,word of ,god2 pilot1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,motto3 ,work out your own salvation with fear and trembling4 ,prayer3 ,o ,god6 thou knowest the secret desire of my heart4 ,thou knowest how earnestly ,i have sought the truth4 ,god forbid that my life should be a barren waste2 that ,i should so use the powers that thou hast given me that the world shall not be better for my having lived in it4 ,lord1 grant ,i may ever find the work that thou wouldst have me do4 ',search me1 ,o ,god1 and know my heart2 try me1 and know my thoughts1 and see if there is any wicked way in me1 and lead me in the way everlasting4 ,amen4 ,this1 in substance1 was my daily prayer for ten long1 dreary years2 for1 while my intellect was in doubt and confusion1 my heart continued to cling to ,god4 ,,introduction ,one of the clearest expounders of the ,scriptures in my acquaintance is the author of this book1 who honors me in asking that ,i write these few lines of introduction4 ,his experience is full of interest4 ,i have listened night after night with profit to his sermons1 and he has dug his way in the most painstaking fashion out of the darkness of unfaith into the beauty and strength of faith in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,there is no institution like the church of ,god1 for it is founded upon the divine ,sonship of ,jesus1 and his ,holy ,spirit has given to it divine life1 so that ,isaiah's prophecy lights up the pathway of victory1 when it is said3 ,he will not fail nor be discouraged1 till he have set justice in the earth1 and the isles shall wait for his law4 ,its right to advance has been disputed1 and1 at times in its long history1 it appears to have stood timidly doubting its power and right to soul conquest1 but this has only been apparent1 for every century has brought with it a greater courage1 so that in this day believers in ,jesus are speaking in the language of every nation on the earth1 and hosts of these are as ready to lay down their lives for their faith in ,jesus as did ,stephen and ,james and ,paul and that host of martyrs whose willing sacrifices gave strength and solidarity to the early church4 ,the ordinances have naturally suffered at the hands of every invasion1 and1 in consequence1 some of the most devout have not been able to find the path to the ordinances as practiced in the apostolic days1 but the skies are brightening1 and1 without questioning for a moment the sincerity and devotion of those who think otherwise1 the ,scriptures are being read to-day with more freedom than at any other period in the history of the church1 and its ordinances are gradually coming to light in the public mind4 ,god has been patient with us and we must be patient with those who do not think as we do4 ,one of the most important problems now facing us1 however1 is that all believers shall find a common way for entrance into the church4 ,when that has been done1 a long step will have been taken towards world-wide evangelization4 ,the fields are already white unto harvest4 ,this is the day of opportunity4 ,christ is waiting on us4 ,if the time was short1 like a furled sail1 in ,paul's day1 how much shorter is it in our day6 ,the gospel has been sent to all nations1 and ,god is sending men from all nations to ,america to hear the gospel1 so that the lines are crossing and recrossing each other and are so many prophecies of the fulfillment of the commission of ,jesus1 when he said3 ,all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth4 ,go ye therefore1 and make disciples of all nations1 baptizing them into the name of the ,father and of the ,son and of the ,holy ,spirit2 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever ,i commanded you2 and lo1 ,i am with you always1 even unto the end of the world4 ,deciding for ,christ and being baptized into him is only a small part of the work that is to be done4 ,then begins their training into real discipleship1 when they are to produce the fruit of the ,spirit1 which is love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering1 kindness1 goodness1 faithfulness1 meekness1 self-control4 ,this book is a contribution to that end1 and may those who read its pages be brought to yield their best to the glory of ,him who is our all4 ,baltimore1 ,md4 ,peter ,ainslie4 ,,preface ,this book contains my religious experience in a forty years' sojourn on earth4 ,if any doubt the propriety and value of relating one's religious experience1 ,i would refer them to the case of ,paul1 who used this method on a number of occasions4 ,however1 we should be careful not to make an improper use of this method and preach our experiences in place of the gospel4 ,paul says3 ,we preach not ourselves1 but ,christ ,jesus the ,lord2 and ourselves your servants for ,jesus' sake 7#b ,cor4 #d3e74 ,we should refer to our experiences simply to help deliver people from human error and center their attention on the gospel of ,christ1 which alone is the power of ,god unto salvation4 ,i do not take any great credit to myself for my experiences recorded in this book1 realizing that they were largely the result of my inherited proclivities and religious environment4 ,it must be admitted that the great mass of mankind are what they are in religion1 politics1 etc41 by heredity and environment4 ,this is powerfully impressed upon us by the ministers who give their experience in ,why ,i ,am ,what ,i ,am4 ,even the fact that it is natural for me to seek to know what is right for myself1 ,i attribute more largely to my natural hereditary mental bent1 than to any particular merit of my own4 ,i trust this book will help us all to realize the danger of drifting with traditionary religion1 and thus defeating the revealed truth of ,jesus ,christ1 and the need of searching the truth for ourselves that thus we may be used of ,god to advance his kingdom of unity and truth4 ,christian civilization would make much more rapid strides if we all would struggle to find the truth instead of acquiring our ideas through the colored glasses of prejudice and ignorance4 ,my ancestry on mother's side were ,german ,reformed and on father's side ,lutheran4 ,while a boy ,i lived for three years with ,mennonites and attended their church4 ,i attended a ,moravian ,sunday-school1 was taught by a ,presbyterian ,sunday-school teacher1 educated at a ,unitarian theological school1 graduated from a ,christian college and a ,congregational theological seminary1 and took postgraduate work at a ,united ,presbyterian university4 ,i was born and raised in southeastern ,pennsylvania1 which may be called ,the ,cradle of ,religious ,liberty in ,america4 ,for while the colonies to the north and south persecuted people on account of their religious opinions1 ,penn opened his settlement to all the religiously persecuted in ,america and ,europe4 ,as a result ,pennsylvania became a great sectarian stronghold4 ,to-day some twenty denominations have either their national headquarters or leading national center in southeastern ,pennsylvania4 ,the reader can readily see how my contact with this ,babel of sectarianism affected my religious life and experience4 ,there are some things that seem too sacred to drag before the public4 ,for years ,i said very little in my public ministry about my experience with doubt4 ,while1 as city evangelist of ,greater ,pittsburg1 ,i was assisting a minister in a revival1 he learned incidentally of my experience with infidelity2 and as there were a number of skeptics in the community1 he urged me to preach on the subject4 ,the message seemed to do much good to the large audience that heard it4 ,since then it has been repeated a number of times1 and the largest auditoriums have not been able to hold the people who were eager to hear it4 ,this demonstrates that the message supplies a great need1 and has encouraged me to prepare this book for the public4 ,the ,christian ,temple in ,baltimore was packed with people1 and on account of the jam the doors were ordered closed by the policeman in charge half an hour before time for the service4 ,at ,portsmouth1 ,va41 twenty-five hundred were crowded into a skating-rink1 and many failed to get admittance4 ,at ,halifax1 ,can41 hundreds were turned away4 ,but this has been the experience wherever the sermon has been thoroughly advertised4 ,to illustrate this1 ,i quote from the ,harrisonburg 7,va47 papers of ,jan4 #i1 #aiaa1 where the sermon was delivered the night before in ,assembly ,hall1 the largest auditorium in the city4 ,about sixteen hundred people were jammed in the hall and many crowded out4 ,it was the largest audience that ever assembled in that city for a religious service4 ,evangelist ,lutz says that on every occasion on which he has delivered his address on ',my ,conversion from ,infidelity1' no matter how large the hall may have been1 people have turned away for lack of room4 ,last night's attendance at ,assembly ,hall maintained the record4 ,presumably the hall has never been more closely packed4 ,seats1 stage1 box1 aisles1 windows1 doorways1 were filled1 and many found place in the flies of the theater4 ,a number couldn't find places anywhere and went away4 ,mr4 ,lutz is a fine example of evangelist4 ,he has a magnetic personality and a strong1 oratorical way of talking1 fluent in speech and filled with figurative language and the phrases of his profession4--,harrisonburg ,daily ,times4 ,evangelist ,h4 ,f4 ,lutz spoke last night at ,assembly ,hall on ',the ,story of ,my ,conversion from ,infidelity4' ,the audience showed close attention and earnestness4 ,many were turned away because of the crowded condition of the hall4 ,many people from the near-town sections came to attend the service4--,harrisonburg ,daily ,news4 ,i trust that my bitter experience with rationalism1 infidelity and doubt will help to reveal their true nature and thus keep many young men from these dangerous rocks1 and will help to deliver many others from this terrible bondage4 ,may the ,father graciously bless my humble efforts to win souls to ,christ and to help bring about ,christian union on the primitive gospel in order to the ,christian conquest of the whole world4 ,henry ,f4 ,lutz4 ,millersville1 ,pa41 ,march #bh1 #aiaa4 ,,contents ,dedication ,soul's ,struggle in ,symbolism ,introduction by ,peter ,ainslie ,author's ,preface ,,part ,i4--,,to ,,infidelity ,,and ,,back4 ,chapter ,i4--,to ,infidelity and ,back ,chapter ,,ii4--,parting ,message to ,unitarian ,school ,chapter ,,iii4--,functions and ,limitations of the ,mind ,chapter ,,iv4--,looking ,through ,colored ,glasses ,,part ,,ii4--,,from ,,sectarianism ,,to ,,primitive ,,christianity4 ,chapter ,i4--,scriptural ,baptism ,chapter ,,ii4--,the ,new ,testament ,church ,chapter ,,iii4--,the ,church ,since the ,apostles ,chapter ,,iv4--,our ,neglected ,fields ,,part ,i4 ,,to ,,infidelity ,,and ,,back ,,chapter ,i4 ,to ,,infidelity ,,and ,,back4 ,to ,christ by ,way of ,rationalism1 ,unitarianism and ,infidelity4 ,i inherited on the one hand a strong religious nature1 and on the other a tendency to be independent in thought and to question everything before adopting it as a part of my belief4 ,ever since ,i can remember ,i was a praying boy1 and early in life there came to me the desire to devote myself to the ministry of the gospel4 ,among my earliest religious impressions were those received by having the story of the ,patriarchs and ,jesus read to me in ,german by a saintly old ,mennonite for whom ,i worked on the farm for a year4 ,among the first things that aroused my reason in religion was the declaration of my ,sunday-school teacher that before we are born we are predestined by ,god either to go to heaven or to hell1 and that anything we might do would not alter our eternal destiny4 ,this declaration came like a thunderbolt into my religious life1 and stirred up a violent agitation from which it took me ten years to fully deliver myself4 ,i was now about fourteen years old1 and already had a desire to measure everything in the crucible of logic or cause and effect1 and to accept nothing which did not come within the range of my reason4 ,looking at things from the standpoint of cause and effect1 ,i was naturally caught in the meshes of fatalism1 and this aggravated the religious agitation above referred to4 ,at this time in my life there arose many religious questions1 and the answers ,i received from religious teachers tended to drive me away from the church rather than to it4 ,i feel to-day that if my case had been clearly understood and the nature and the limits of the finite mind had been patiently pointed out to me1 in its relation to faith and revelation1 ,i could have been saved years of agony on the sea of rationalism4 ,but my questions were not answered and my honest doubts were rebuked1 so that ,i was naturally driven out of sympathy with the church and ,bible1 since ,i judged that my doubts could not be satisfied because religion itself is unreasonable4 ,through the kindness of ,christian people the way opened to prepare myself for the ministry4 ,but by this time many religious doubts and perplexities were in the way1 and ,i decided that ,i would a thousand times rather be an honest doubter out of the church and ministry than a hypocrite in it4 ,thus my fond hope of entering the ministry had to be given up1 and instead ,i determined to use the teaching profession as a stepping-stone to law1 and law as a means of serving humanity4 ,i was very fond of study1 and read scores of books on all kinds of subjects4 ,emerson was my favorite1 and ,i procured and read his complete works4 ,gibbon and ,macaulay were eagerly read as revealing some of the religious life of the world4 ,ingersoll1 with many others1 got his turn4 ,but the book that produced the greatest effect on my life at this time was ,fleetwood's ,life of ,christ1 with a short history of the different religious bodies of the world attached4 ,through my reading and observations ,i became greatly perplexed over the religious divisions of the world4 ,i discovered that thousands of people had died as martyrs for all kinds of religions and sects1 and that each claimed to have the truth and to teach the right way to heaven4 ,i concluded that since they teach such contradictory doctrines they cannot possibly all be right1 although they might all be wrong4 ,i formed a desire to make a thorough study of all the different religious bodies of the world1 to find out where the truth is1 if there is any in religion4 ,my first information along this line was obtained in the above-named history of the religious bodies of the world4 ,being of a rationalistic turn of mind1 ,i was naturally very favorably impressed with ,unitarianism and its teaching4 ,i sent for a number of their works and read them with great interest4 ,i learned many things that have been a benediction to my life ever since1 but you will see later on how far it satisfied my rationalistic proclivities4 ,i learned to my delight that ,i could enter a ,unitarian theological school to prepare for the ministry without first joining a church or signing a creed4 ,for a person in my state of mind nothing better could have presented itself4 ,i determined to go there and make a thorough study of the ,bible and all the different religious bodies1 and to fearlessly follow the truth wherever it might lead me4 ,the time came and ,i entered the school4 ,and a fine school it was from an intellectual standpoint and for the purpose of investigation4 ,i have been a student at six educational institutions since ,i left the high school1 but this was far ahead of the others for the development of the logical and philosophical faculties4 ,here there was absolutely no restraint to thought2 and all kinds of systems and ideas were represented1 from philosophical anarchy to socialism and from mysticism to materialism4 ,the moral and spiritual earnestness ,i expected to find among the ,unitarians ,i did not find1 especially among the younger and more radical ones4 ,its effect1 on the whole1 was to relax rather than intensify the moral fiber4 ,their ideals seemed so grand and noble that ,i thought those possessed with them could scarcely find time to eat and sleep in their zeal to put them into practise2 but ,i discovered that they not only had plenty of time to eat and sleep1 but also for dancing1 card-playing1 theater-going1 etc4 ,many of the young men studying for the ministry often spent a large part of the night in card-playing1 and the ,sunday-school room served also as a dancing-floor4 ,unitarians pride themselves upon the high standard of morality among their people and upon the few prisoners you find among their members1 but this is due to the character of the people they reach rather than to the restraining influence of their teaching ,my reading had given me a wrong impression as to the teaching of ,unitarianism4 ,like many others1 ,i was fascinated and enticed by the writings of conservative ,unitarians1 whose contention is largely against the bad theology of human creeds2 but the present-day teaching of the vanguard of ,unitarianism is an entirely different thing4 ,it rejects all the miraculous in the ,bible1 and1 in many cases1 even denies the existence of a personal ,god4 ,all the students were required to conduct chapel prayers in turn4 ,those who did not believe in a personal ,god explained that they were pronouncing an apostrophe to the great impersonal and unknowable force working in the universe4 ,i had read ,channing1 ,clark1 ,hale1 ,emerson1 and other conservative ,unitarians1 and found much food for my soul1 but ,i discovered that these were considered old fogies and back numbers by most of the students in attendance4 ,but ,i must tell you of my evolution along the line of rationalism4 ,my rationalistic proclivities were given a free rein4 ,and as a child1 when left to run away1 will soon stop and return to its mother1 so this freedom was the natural cure for my intellectual delusion4 ,to the statement of the creeds1 ,the ,father is ,god1 and the ,son is ,god1 and the ,holy ,ghost is ,god2 and yet there are not three ,gods1 but one ,god1 my rationalism replied1 that is logically inconceivable1 therefore ,i became a ,unitarian4 ,no sooner was ,i happy in this faith than a ,universalist addressed me and said1 ,if you want to be rational1 you must give up your belief in eternal punishment1 for ,god could not give eternal punishment for a finite sin4 ,as a rationalist1 what could ,i do but yield1 and so ,i became a universalist ,unitarian4 ,i felt ,i had at last found the truth1 but my peace was short2 for a student accused me of being irrational1 because1 said he1 an omnipotent1 loving ,god would give an infinitely large amount of good and an infinitely small amount of evil2 but an infinitely small amount of evil is not perceptible1 evil is perceptible1 therefore there is no such ,god4 ,this was an awful pill and gave a terrible shock to my religious sensibilities1 but as rationalism was my guide1 ,i had to follow on or stand accused as a superstitious coward4 ,again rationalism declared1 through my teachers1 that all the supernatural must be eliminated from the ,bible as mythical and unreliable1 and so ,i was robbed of my ,christ1 my ,god and my ,bible4 ,misguided by rationalism1 ,i thought it my conscientious duty to accept1 step by step1 the dictates of destructive criticism until the ,bible was only inspired to me in religion as ,kant in philosophy1 ,milton in poetry1 and ,beethoven in music4 ,but when ,i came to the end of the matter ,i discovered that my conscience1 which had urged me along1 was gone also4 ,for ,i was gravely taught that conscience is merely a creature of experience and education1 and that it is right to lie or do anything else so long as you do it out of love4 ,doubtless you have all heard of the farmer and his wife at the ,world's ,fair who went to see the ,exit4 ,there was nothing in it1 and of course they had to pay to get in again4 ,this was my bitter experience with rationalism4 ,i thought ,i was following a great light1 but ,i discovered there was nothing in it1 that ,i was following an ignis fatuus4 ,rationalism has indeed proven the ,exit to multitudes1 from the peace1 joy and moral security that accompany faith in evangelical ,christianity into the desert of doubt1 darkness and despair4 ,but not even here did ,i find a staying-place4 ,for rationalism1 in its bold confidence1 led me on and on until it brought me to materialism and absurdity4 ,in going too far1 it revealed its true nature and character1 and thus led me to see its fallacy and enabled me to get free from its bondage4 ,from atheism it led me to fatalism1 and declared that there is no free will and consequently people are not to blame for their sins and shortcomings4 ,if we shall reap as we sow1 it declared that we cannot give anything to anybody and therefore philanthropy is a delusion4 ,but ,i taught rationalism in guile one day by which it thoroughly exhibited the absurdity of its teaching4 ,its continual song was1 ,you dare not believe what you cannot conceive to be true4 ,so it declared one day1 in its bold folly1 that an object cannot move in the space in which it is1 nor in the space in which it is not2 therefore you cannot conceive of an object moving2 therefore you cannot move to walk1 eat or live4 ,so the conclusion to which my rationalistic guide finally led me was that ,i must sit down and die or be irrational4 ,well1 this was too much for me4 ,i refused to die1 and concluded that rationalism is not a safe guide1 and commenced to investigate as to where the difficulty lay4 ,but before ,i tell you how ,i discovered the false tricks of rationalism1 let me say that all these things into which rationalism led me were against my strong religious nature1 and gave me continual and excruciating pain4 ,i never for a day ceased to pray to ,god for help2 for while my intellect was held in doubt through the bondage of rationalism1 my heart held on to ,god1 and thus ,i was in a mighty conflict4 ,in my despair ,i cried unto ,god1 and when he had accomplished his purpose concerning me1 he set me free4 ,blessed be his name6 ,surely he bringeth the blind by a way that they knew not1 and leads them into paths that they have not known4 ,he makes darkness light before them1 and crooked things straight1 and does not utterly forsake the honest in heart4 ,most people have come to their religious and political position by heredity and are held there by inertia4 ,if you can set a person free from this hereditary inertia1 you can convert him to almost anything at will2 for it is but few who are sufficiently informed on any subject to defend it against an expert1 and none are thus qualified on all subjects4 ,so when ,i entered this school1 free from all hereditary ideas1 determined to accept every position that ,i could not refute in argument1 you can imagine my experience4 ,at first ,i was converted from one thing to another by the different students and professors until ,i was about all the arians1 isms1 and ists ever heard of1 together with a number of other things for which they have no names as yet4 ,but how did ,i discover the fallacy of rationalism8 and how was ,i delivered from its mighty clutches by which it had dragged me from one pitfall to another so ruthlessly8 ,my deliverance came from a source where you would perhaps least expect it4 ,it was through the study of ,john ,stuart ,mill's ,system of ,logic4 ,in it ,i learned that inconceivability is not a criterion of impossibility1 as rationalism claims4 ,on the other hand1 that we know things to be true that are just as inconceivable as that there can be two mountains without a valley between4 ,let me introduce a few of these contradictions or inconceivabilities4 ,before you can reach your mouth with your hand1 you must go over half the distance1 then half of the rest1 then half of the rest1 and so on ad infinitum4 ,but you cannot make the infinite number of divisions1 and therefore you cannot reach your lips4 ,again1 you cannot conceive of extension of space or time without a limit1 nor can you conceive of a limit to space or time4 ,here conceivability contradicts itself4 ,furthermore1 you cannot conceive of existence without a cause1 nor of a cause without existence4 ,to the statement of the believer that1 as the wonderful mechanism of the watch presumes a designer1 so the infinitely more wonderful mechanism of the universe presumes ,god1 the infinite designer1 ,ingersoll replied that this is simply to jump over the difficulty by an infinite assumption4 ,ingersoll1 on the other hand1 claimed that the material universe has always existed2 apparently unaware that he thus was guilty of the same fallacy of which he accused others1 by assuming infinite existence without a cause4 ,the difference is that the believer's assumption gives us a personal ,god1 a kind1 loving heavenly ,father who provides for the eternal bliss and welfare of his children1 while ,ingersoll's assumption gives death and darkness and despair4 ,an object thrown from one point to another is always at some point1 therefore it has no time to move from one point to another4 ,and yet we know that it does move1 even though we cannot conceive how it can do so4 ,again1 suppose that the hour-hand of your clock is at eleven and the minute-hand at twelve4 ,now1 you cannot conceive how the minute-hand can overtake the hour-hand1 although you know by observation that it does overtake it4 ,for by the time the minute-hand gets to eleven1 the hour-hand has passed on to twelve1 and by the time the minute-hand has reached twelve1 the hour-hand has passed beyond it4 ,every time the minute-hand comes to where the hour-hand now is1 the hour-hand has passed beyond4 ,the distance becomes less and less1 but theoretically1 or in conceivability1 the one can never overtake the other4 ,through this line of reasoning ,i learned1 clearly and once for all1 that inconceivability is not a proof of impossibility2 but1 on the other hand1 that we know many things to be true that are not conceivable to the finite mind1 and therefore we must follow truth learned by experience and observation1 irrespective of rationalism4 ,in this way the mighty fetters of rationalism that held me in bondage were cut and ,i was set free to search for the truth as it is in ,jesus ,christ4 ,i learned the limitations of the finite intellect and the truth of ,god's word when he says3 ,for my thoughts are not your thoughts1 neither are your ways my ways1 saith the ,lord4 ,for as the heavens are higher than the earth1 so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts4 ,hath not ,god made foolish the wisdom of this world8 ,for after that in the wisdom of ,god the world by wisdom knew not ,god1 it pleased ,god by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe4 ,after the empirical school of philosophy had taught me that we must follow inductions based on experience and observation rather than rationalism or conceivability1 ,i began to value ,paul's admonition1 ,prove all things1 hold fast to that which is good4 ,if inductive philosophers have often been opposed to religion and the ,bible1 it is because they have not carried their inductions far enough to cover the entire world of facts4 ,it is admitted by all historians and observers that prayer and faith and religious convictions have been among the mightiest forces at work in the world1 and any system of reasoning that does not take these facts into consideration is neither philosophical nor scientific4 ,to illustrate what is meant by saying that we must follow experience rather than conceivability1 let us suppose that you are suffering from a malignant disease and you hear of a medicine that has cured this disease whenever it has been tried1 and you know of nothing else that will cure it4 ,would it not be foolish for you to refuse to use the medicine because you cannot conceive how it produces the cure8 ,it might be discovered later that it was not the medicine1 but your belief in its curative qualities1 that produced the result4 ,but this would not affect your common-sense duty in the matter4 ,if certain desirable results follow the doing of a certain thing1 we are bound to do that thing until we know how to get the good results without doing it4 ,this reveals the folly and inhumanity of the conduct of some infidels towards religious people4 ,when ,i was minister of a church in ,ohio1 ,i was visited by a noted infidel4 ,after he went on in a tirade against preachers and ,christians1 ,i asked him if he was not an unhappy man4 ,at first he denied it2 but ,i called his attention to some of his utterances1 and he soon admitted that he was a very unhappy man4 ,but he said he was unhappy because he knew too much1 and claimed that ,christians were so happy because they were ignorant and deluded4 ,he claimed to be a great lover of humanity1 and although1 according to his profession1 he had no ,god or conscience or judgment to require it of him1 he spent his time in spreading the knowledge and wisdom which made people unhappy by destroying that which he admitted gave people great joy and peace and happiness4 ,suppose a man should come to town who is as lean as a skeleton and is slowly dying because he is not getting enough nourishment out of the food he eats1 and should begin to lecture well-nourished and healthy people for eating the food they are eating4 ,would we not put him down as a fool8 ,well1 if he would add the claim that we are well fed because we are ignorant and deluded1 while he is suffering and dying because he knows too much on the food question1 he would be on a par with many of our infidelic friends4 ,it is said that ,beecher and ,ingersoll were both present at a banquet in ,new ,york ,city4 ,ingersoll brought a railing accusation against ,christianity4 ,everybody expected ,beecher to reply1 but he held his peace until later in the evening1 when it became his turn to speak4 ,when ,beecher arose he said3 ,when ,i came to this hall to-night ,i saw an old1 crippled woman wending her way across the crowded street on crutches4 ,when she had reached about midway1 a burly ruffian came along and knocked the crutches out from under her1 and she fell splash into the mud4 ,turning to ,ingersoll1 he said1 ,what do you think of that1 ,colonel8 ,the villain6 replied ,ingersoll4 ,beecher1 pointing to ,ingersoll1 said3 ,thou art the man6 ,suffering1 heart-broken1 dying humanity is wending its way through this world of sorrow and turmoil on the crutches of ,christianity4 ,you1 sir1 come along and knock them out from under them1 but offer nothing in their place4 ,it was a crushing blow to ,ingersoll and his gospel of despair4 ,we do not understand how spirit and matter can be inter-related1 and we can not conceive that our willing it can move our arm2 but this does not deter us from moving1 because we know through experience that we can move4 ,we do not understand the philosophy of digestion1 and we cannot conceive how bread and butter can have any relation to thought and life2 but we know by experience that they do1 and we go on eating and living4 ,we cannot conceive how the same grass produces lamb1 pork and beef2 but we keep on raising stock just the same1 because we are guided by facts learned by experience and observation rather than by conceivability4 ,we do reach our mouth1 the minute-hand does overtake the hour-hand1 objects do move in space1 etc41 rationalism and inconceivability to the contrary notwithstanding4 ,man is a religious being1 and we know by experience that religion gives him joy and brings him good4 ,if we had no revealed religion1 science and duty would compel us to develop a religious system out of our religious experiences4 ,this is what has actually been done by the different peoples of the earth who know not the revelation of ,god in the ,bible4 ,the secret of the hold that even a false religion has upon people is the fact that it does them good and gives them happiness by exercising the pious emotions of their being1 even though it may bring them harm in other ways4 ,even a religion based on human experience is better than none2 for it is better to feed the religious nature on husks than to starve it out altogether4 ,to this agree the words of ,paul when he says that ,god made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth444 that they should seek the ,lord1 if haply they might feel after him1 and find him4 ,but while man1 unaided by direct revelation1 can grope in the dark and feel after ,god1 and can invent systems of religion based on experience that are better than none1 any man that accepts facts and testimony will soon discover that ,god has not thus left us in the dark oil religious matters1 but has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained1 whereof he has given assurance unto all men1 in that he has raised him from the dead4 ,it is said that a lawyer and a noted preacher1 who was a lecturer1 happened to meet at a hotel breakfast-table4 ,the lawyer suspected that his companion was a preacher1 and1 as he was an infidel1 he thought he had a good opportunity to give a thrust at the ,bible4 ,excuse me1 said the lawyer1 ,i take it from your appearance that you are a preacher4 ,yes1 sir1 said the preacher4 ,well1 now1 said the lawyer1 don't you find a great many contradictions and difficulties you cannot understand in the ,bible8 ,yes1 sir1 replied the preacher4 ,how1 then1 said the lawyer1 can you continue to believe in it8 ,why1 said the preacher1 do you see what ,i am doing with the bones of this fish8 ,i lay them aside and enjoy the good of the fish4 ,so with the ,bible4 ,i lay aside the things ,i cannot understand1 and feast upon the rich spiritual food it contains1 willing to wait until all mysteries shall be removed hereafter4 ,if the finite mind could understand everything contained in the ,bible1 it would become worthless as a revelation1 for the finite mind could produce it4 ,but since it reveals the infinite mind1 we must expect it to contain things that the finite mind cannot understand4 ,we can understand the evidence that it is from ,god and for our good1 and it is reasonable that we should accept its great truths by faith1 although we may not now be able to see how all the truths it reveals are consistent with each other4 ,let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter3 ,fear ,god1 and keep his commandments3 for this is the whole duty of man4 ,as has often been said1 no one can do better than to live the pure1 clean1 benevolent life that ,jesus inculcated and incarnated4 ,if you imitate him in goodness and good deeds1 you are pursuing the best possible course1 even if the ,bible is not true4 ,if1 on the other hand1 the ,bible is true1 and you do not live for ,christ1 you are doomed for ever and ever4 ,having been delivered from the bondage of rationalism1 ,i found my way back to ,christ with comparative ease4 ,if experience and facts are our ultimate guides1 then we must trust the testimony of history4 ,with the help of the ,bi-,millennial ,telescope on the opposite page1 and limitless similar testimony1 we can trace the existence of the ,bible clear to the days of the ,apostles4 ,none ever had better means of knowing the facts they bore witness to than the ,apostles1 and none ever gave stronger proof that they sincerely told the truth as they knew it4 ,the ,gospels being genuine and reliable1 the life and words and miracles of ,jesus they narrate1 give sufficient proof of the divinity of ,christ to satisfy every reasonable demand of the intellect4 ,this is especially true concerning the resurrection of ,christ1 on which the proof of ,christianity hinges4 ,he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs4 ,and if he arose from the dead1 he was demonstrated by it to be the ,son of ,god4 ,and if he is the ,son of ,god1 then the ,bible is the ,word of ,god1 for he has endorsed it all4 ,thus there were restored to me ,christ1 ,god and his ,word of truth4 ,the thing that robbed me of these was rationalism1 but it had been proven false and therefore was ruled out of court4 ,unitarians used to tell me that ,christ was the ,son of ,god1 but we all are sons of ,god4 ,i now saw that ,christ was the ,son of ,god in the special and peculiar sense in which he claimed1 or he was a fool4 ,when he was on trial he was asked upon oath whether he was the ,son of ,god or not1 and he answered ,yes when it cost his life to do so4 ,if he meant that he was the son of ,god in the same sense in which we are1 all he would have had to do was to explain and he could have saved his life4 ,the proof that ,christianity is from ,god as revealed in its effect upon the life of individuals1 communities and nations1 is so apparent and has been pointed out so often that ,i will give it but a passing notice4 ,if any man willeth to do his will1 he shall know of the teaching1 whether it is of ,god1 or whether ,i speak from myself1 was ,christ's challenge1 and millions have verified it in their own religious experience4 ,nearly all the voluntary educational and philanthropic institutions of the world are supported by ,christian people1 and the nations of the earth are prosperous1 enlightened and influential in the exact proportion as their people are intelligent and consecrated followers of the lowly ,nazarene4 ,it was thus that ,i found my way back to ,christ as my ,lord and ,saviour1 and ,i never before fully appreciated the words of ,jesus1 ,come unto me1 all ye that labor and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you rest4 ,the truth dawned upon me gradually1 but with irresistible force4 ,how often have we been perplexed and in doubt on some great question of truth or duty until finally the solution came to us as if by magic4 ,through what the psychologists call subconscious cerebration our mind has been working at the great problem even when our conscious attention was given to other matters4 ,i have had a number of such experiences before and since1 and1 had ,i not examined them critically1 ,i might easily have been led to believe they were direct revelations from heaven4 ,for many months the great question had been occupying my mind by day and by night4 ,finally the solution came as clear as a revelation from ,god4 ,it wakened me in the still of the night and ravished my soul with peace and joy unspeakable4 ,i arose and took a walk into the country to a mountain spring and back4 ,i shall never forget that night1 and the ecstatic joy it brought to me4 ,my religious nature had been outraged so long that when it was set free it returned to its ,lord with a violent bound4 ,the fittest words ,i could find to express my feelings are in the #ajc;d ,psalm3 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul2 and all that is within me1 bless his holy name4 ,the question as to what church ,i should join1 or what religious body ,i should affiliate with1 now confronted me and demanded solution4 ,as ,i already intimated1 ,i was perplexed1 and partly led to doubt and confusion by the many different religious bodies1 all claiming to be right4 ,one of my objects in entering this school was to make a thorough study of the different religious bodies and their doctrines4 ,one incident that helped me in the solution of this problem was an occurrence in our ,new ,testament ,greek class4 ,the professor declared that all ,greek scholars of note are agreed that the proper meaning of the word baptism in the ,new ,testament is to immerse4 ,as ,i was raised in a pedobaptist church1 this declaration was a great surprise to me1 but ,i looked up the authorities and found that the professor had stated the facts correctly4 ,we had a class that made a study of the character1 government and teaching of the different religious bodies4 ,in this study ,i was especially impressed with the polity and teaching of the people designated as ,disciples of ,christ1 or ,christians4 ,i procured their literature and made a thorough study of their position4 ,i naturally found myself in harmony with their teaching4 ,i had myself come to see the folly of enforcing upon all believers the speculative theology of the creeds1 and the weakness and waste that result from a divided church4 ,my experience revealed to me the relative value of human wisdom and ,god's wisdom as found in his ,book4 ,the thought of preaching ,christ rather than theology1 and of restoring the apostolic church in its teachings1 ordinances and practices1 came to me as a godsend in my condition of mind4 ,i was1 however1 very slow to act in this matter1 as ,i had been deceived before and it was my desire not to make a mistake again4 ,after a year's consideration and considerable correspondence with one of their preachers1 ,i finally united with the ,christian ,church at ,new ,castle1 ,pa4 ,i have been preaching the plea for ,christian union on the primitive gospel ever since1 and the longer ,i preach it the more ,i see its beauty and power4 ,having been delivered1 through the goodness of ,god1 from this blinding cloud of rationalism1 let us take a backward look at it and its chief product--,unitarianism--and let us see what lesson ,god would teach us through it4 ,unitarianism1 as a church movement1 started near the beginning of the last century4 ,it enlisted many of the best hearts1 brains and purses of this country4 ,it had ,harvard ,university back of it4 ,it numbered among its followers most of the great poets1 historians and prose writers of our country4 ,it has flooded the country with free literature1 and has furnished to thousands of ministers its standard works without money and without price4 ,no movement ever seemed to have such mighty agencies back of it to insure its rapid spread4 ,and yet1 after a century of effort1 what do we see as the result8 ,only a few hundred churches1 most of which are numerically weak and enlist only a certain class of people4 ,my conviction of the depressing1 devitalizing and disintegrating effect of ,unitarianism has been intensified through my recent experience in evangelistic work in ,new ,england4 ,the rationalistic liberalism of ,unitarianism has largely permeated ,new ,england ,protestantism4 ,it was not an accident that it was in ,new ,england1 where1 to a large body of clergymen1 a speaker declared1 with applause1 that ,protestantism is decaying and will soon be displaced by a new form of ,catholicism4 ,here ,protestantism is indeed decaying through its contact with ,unitarian teaching1 and is already largely displaced by old ,catholicism and new ,christian ,science and other antichristian delusions4 ,nowhere else did ,i ever see ,protestant churches so saturated with worldly pleasures and so indifferent about the salvation of souls4 ,it was here ,i had the humiliating experience of sitting in a union ,thanksgiving service where the preacher called the ,pilgrim ,fathers religious fanatics1 and spoke of words writers of the ,pentateuch put into the mouth of ,moses to give them influence with the people4 ,yet ,i never saw a sign of disapproval in the audience or heard a word of criticism4 ,it is true he was a ,universalist preacher1 but that makes it all the worse4 ,to think that ,protestantism has so degenerated in a ,new ,england city that a preacher who does not believe in the divinity of ,christ nor in the inspiration of the ,bible should be appointed to represent it on such an occasion4 ,it is enough to make the ,pilgrim ,fathers turn in their graves and groan for pain4 ,had present-day ,protestantism of ,new ,england a fraction of the moral and spiritual earnestness that the ,pilgrim ,fathers possessed1 it might have been spared the abject humility of sprawling in weakness before the same vaunting religious intolerance of ,catholicism that through cruel and bloody persecution drove the ,pilgrim ,fathers to the bleak ,new ,england shore for safety and religious liberty4 ,when a prominent ,catholic recently aped the ,protestant clergymen by declaring that ,protestantism is decaying1 the preacher at ,tremont ,temple called it a damnable lie4 ,this is a hopeful sign1 and indicates that the sick man is not dead yet4 ,it shows that at least some think it is not true1 or wish it not true2 and if enough get a strong desire that it shall not be true1 it will not be true4 ,when we renounce rationalism and its products it will not be true4 ,at a meeting of one of the leading ministerial associations of ,new ,england1 at which the writer was present1 the speaker of the day declared that the church has been claiming too much for itself4 ,the contents of the speech indicated that he had reference to its claim of supernatural power to transform the sinner4 ,he also said he had given up the effort to reconcile the first chapters of the ,bible with science4 ,the significance is in the fact that some ,protestants acquiesce in such teaching1 and that they are in harmony with the doctrines of ,unitarianism4 ,although its advocates must admit that ,unitarianism is a monumental failure in organizing churches1 it is their boast that it has powerfully affected other religious bodies4 ,this fact we admit2 but as the effect is devitalizing1 disorganizing and ultimately demoralizing1 we consider the result the crowning shame rather than the crowning glory of ,unitarianism4 ,that the liberal theology resulting from rationalism and championed in this country by ,unitarianism is merely negative and destructive1 is evidenced on every hand4 ,dr4 ,pearson1 in the ,missionary ,review1 has recently pointed out its fatal effects in the mission fields1 and still more recently it has been compelled to confess its own defeat in ,germany1 where it originated and where it has found its chief support4 ,the evidence of this is found in the ,literary ,digest of ,feb4 #be1 #aiaa1 where we find the following3 ,that liberal theology has made an almost utter failure in ,germany is asserted by one of its leading spokesmen in a liberal religious organ4 ,it consists too much of mere negation1 he thinks1 and has no strong faith in anything4 ,the masses have rejected it1 and the educated have accepted it only in small numbers4 ,practically it is a failure1 and he demands a reconstruction along new lines1 with new ideals and new methods4 ,this courageous liberal is ,rev4 ,dr4 ,rittelmeyer1 of ,nuremberg1 and he writes in the ,christliche ,welt 7,tubingen74 ,here are the main points of his argument3 ,let us ask honestly what results modern theology has attained practically4 ,as far as the great masses of workingmen are concerned1 practically nothing has been gained4 ,they either do not understand it or they distrust it4 ,all the public discussions and popularization of modern critical views have not found any echo or sympathy among the ranks of the laboring people4 ,and how about the educated classes8 ,it has long since been the boast and hobby of advanced theology that it1 and it alone1 will satisfy the religious longings of the educated man who has broken with the traditional dogma and doctrines of orthodox ,christianity4 ,but what are the actual facts in the case8 ,it is a fact that there are a considerable number among the educated who thankfully confess that they can accept ,christianity only in the form in which it is taught by the advanced theologian4 ,but how exceedingly small this number is6 ,a periodical like the ,christliche ,welt1 the only paper of its kind1 has not been able to secure more than five thousand subscribers1 although its contributors are the most brilliant in the land of scholars and thinkers2 while periodicals that are exponents of the older views are read by tens and even hundreds of thousands4 ,there are whole classes of society among the educated who are antagonistic to liberal tendencies in religion4 ,among these are the officers in the army and the navy1 practitioners of the technical arts and of engineering1 and almost to a man the whole world of business4 ,it is foolish to close our eyes to these facts4 ,what is the matter8 asks this writer4 ,what is the weakness of liberal and advanced theological thought8 ,these are some of the answers3 ,one trouble is that modern theology has entirely grown out of criticism4 ,its weakness is intellectualism2 it is a negative movement4 ,we can understand the cry of the orthodox1 that advanced theology is eliminating one thing after the other from our religious thought1 and then asks1 ,what is left8 ,true1 we answer1 ,god is left4 ,but is it not the case that the modern ,god-,father faith is generally a very weak and attenuated faith in a ,providence1 and nothing more8 ,and on this subject1 too1 we quarrel among ourselves1 whether a ,god-,father troubles himself about little things only or about great things too1 such as the forgiveness of sins4 ,we do the same thing with ,jesus4 ,we speak of him as of a unique personality1 as the highest revelation of the ,father1 and the like1 but always connected with a certain skeptical undercurrent of thought2 but we do not appreciate him in his deepest soul and in the great motives of his life4 ,he is not for modern theology what he is for orthodoxy1 the ,saviour of the world and the ,redeemer of mankind4 ,quite naturally this open confession of a pronounced liberal attracts more than ordinary attention4 ,the liberal papers1 including the ,christliche ,welt itself1 pass it by without further comment1 but the conservatives speak out boldly4 ,representative of the latter is the ,evangelische ,lutherische ,kirchenzeitung1 of ,leipzig1 which says3 ,the psychological and spiritual solution of ,rittelmeyer's problem is not so hard to find4 ,the soul of man can not live on negations4 ,to stir the soul there must be positive principles and epoch-making historical facts1 such as are offered by the ,scriptural teachings of ,christ and his words4 ,there can be religious life only where there is faith in him who is the truth and the life4 ,liberal theology has failed because it has nothing to offer4 ,dr4 ,harnack1 its great high priest1 found it an unsatisfying portion1 and1 doubtless influenced by its failure1 has resigned and turned his energies into other channels4 ,unitarianism appeals almost entirely to the head and but little to the heart4 ,it supplies a kind of abnormal stimulant to the intellect1 but usually freezes out the emotions4 ,it is like the arctic regions1 where they have six months of light1 but no heat1 and where consequently there is no growth of any kind4 ,it is broad1 but really superficial and shallow4 ,it is like a piece of rubber stretched over a wide surface2 it is wide1 but it becomes very thin4 ,emerson seemed to recognize how shallow rationalism makes people when he declared that a small consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds--little philosophers1 little statesmen and little divines4 ,the finite mind cannot see the consistency of the great and deep truths of life and ,god4 ,to try to deal with these great questions with human logic is like manipulating a circle with a break in it4 ,each reasoner calls attention to the break in the circle of logic of others1 but dexterously manipulates his own circle so as to hide its missing link4 ,rationalism is a delusion and a snare1 and1 when followed to its logical conclusion1 leads to absurdity and death4 ,fortunately1 most people who are tainted with this disease do not follow it to its legitimate conclusions4 ,through preconceived and inherited ideas and sentimental inertia1 they are held to their moorings4 ,but1 unfortunately1 their pupils are not always thus protected4 ,many preachers who are held in their place by religious habits and associations1 give expression to rationalistic ideas that take lodgment in the minds of young men who are not surrounded with religious habits and associations to hold them2 and who1 following these rationalistic ideas to their logical conclusion1 are led to doubt and confusion4 ,i believe that hundreds of thinking young men have been led away from ,christ and the church in this way1 all because they and their teacher did not recognize the true character of rationalism and the proper functions and limitations of the finite intellect4 ,mansel gives a proper diagnosis of rationalism in the following words3 ,the rationalist 4 4 4 assigns to some superior tribunal the right of determining what 7in revelation7 is essential to religion and what is not2 he claims the privilege of accepting or rejecting any given revelation1 wholly or in part1 according as it does or does not satisfy the conditions of some higher criterion1 to be supplied by human consciousness4 ,rationalism proceeds by paring down supposed excrescences4 ,commencing with a preconceived theory of the purpose of a revelation1 and of the form which it ought to assume1 it proceeds to remove or reduce all that will not harmonize with this leading idea4 ,rationalism tends to destroy revealed religion altogether1 by obliterating the whole distinction between the human and the divine4 ,if it retain any portion of revealed truth1 as such1 it does so1 not in consequence1 but in defiance1 of its fundamental principle4 ,but while many ministers are not much injured apparently by their rationalistic taint1 many others are1 and all are more or less4 ,eternity alone will reveal how much faith in ,god's ,word1 and therefore in ,god himself1 has been weakened or destroyed by this dread mental disease4 ,look at the destructive ravages of rationalistic criticism of the ,bible4 ,the ,unitarians have completed this work and have eliminated all the supernatural from the ,divine ,record4 ,but it is the preachers in the evangelical churches who are following the ,unitarians afar off in this matter1 that are doing the most damage to the faith of ,christ's followers4 ,i have been there1 and know how ,unitarians look at this matter4 ,they point to these evangelical preachers as an evidence that the entire religious world is rapidly coming to their position4 ,on the other hand1 they look at these preachers with pity and contempt because they do not follow the thing to its logical conclusion1 and drop the ,bible entirely as a supernatural revelation4 ,and ,i believe the ,unitarians are right in this4 ,the same fundamental reasons that led the rationalistic critics in the evangelical churches to their present conclusions will inevitably and logically lead to the ,unitarian conclusions1 whenever preconceived ideas and inherited prejudices are sufficiently relaxed4 ,when ,i first studied this question of destructive higher criticism so called 7it is often hire criticism7 from the rationalistic standpoint and under rationalistic guides1 its conclusions seemed the most reasonable thing on earth4 ,i wondered that ,i had not seen it myself long before1 and ,i looked with pity upon the deluded victims who did not see it4 ,but after ,i was delivered from rationalism and my eyes were opened1 ,i commenced to study the other side of the question and discovered where ,i was deceived4 ,let me give you a few samples of the reasoning of rationalistic criticism as exhibited by its strongest advocates4 ,where it says that ,jesus walked upon the water1 we were gravely informed that ,jesus did not walk upon the water at all4 ,it happened to be a foggy morning and the disciples were deceived2 he was really walking on the shore4 ,where it says one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side1 we were informed that the ,greek word here means primarily to prick as with a pin1 to pave the way to belittle the wound of ,jesus1 despite the fact that the narrative adds1 straightway there came out blood and water4 ,the purpose of this was to make way for the theory that ,christ did not die on the cross1 but was simply in a lethargy1 and when he came to in the tomb he pushed the stone away1 and this so frightened the soldiers that they took to their heels1 thinking it was a ghost1 while ,christ escaped to the mountains1 where he lived secretly the rest of his life and finally died a natural death4 ,all this without a scrap of historical basis1 and despite the express declaration of the narrative that an expert1 who was sent by ,pilate to ascertain if he was dead1 reported that he was4 ,this is so contrary to the facts of the narrative1 and the character of ,jesus and his disciples1 that it is harder to believe it than any miracle recorded in the ,bible4 ,why these ridiculous and absurd conclusions1 despite the historical facts8 ,simply because of the necessity to get rid of the supernatural at the mandates of rationalism4 ,to preserve such puerilities1 the manuscripts were kept in a fire-proof vault lest fire should destroy them4 ,the claims of destructive criticism are so absurd and ridiculous1 when looked at from a truly scientific standpoint1 that ,i confine myself in this book to exposing the erroneous viewpoint of rationalism1 believing that when that is done any one can easily see that there is nothing in it4 ,besides1 its quibblings have been often and ably exposed by competent authors and their works are accessible to all4 ,that any one who claims to believe the ,bible should give his time to teaching innocent and uninformed children and adults the conclusions of rationalistic criticism seems almost too absurd to believe2 and when it is done under the pretense of honoring the ,bible1 it is but another illustration of how our moral and intellectual vision can be warped and distorted when we look through the colored glasses of rationalism and bias4 ,it is said that a minister kept telling his congregation that different parts of the ,bible were myths1 legends1 etc41 and not historical4 ,one of his members cut out of her ,bible every section he said was not true4 ,when he made a pastoral call she showed him her mutilated ,bible4 ,upon his remonstrance1 she replied that he had said that these parts were not reliable1 and so she did not want them as a part of her ,bible4 ,he was shocked at his own vandalism4 ,i have shown that the same rationalistic objections that are brought against facts revealed in the ,bible can be brought against facts revealed in nature4 ,the only sensible thing to do is to recognize the limitations of our finite intellects and accept all well-authenticated facts1 whether revealed in the ,bible or in nature4 ,we must learn that in the very nature of things our finite minds cannot fully grasp and comprehend the infinite4 ,therefore we have ,god's revelation in the ,bible1 which1 though not the product of the human intellect1 fully satisfies its every reasonable demand4 ,we have also learned that man has by nature strong religious emotions1 which1 if exercised1 give great joy and peace4 ,even unguided by revelation1 they grope after ,god with the help of the finite intellect4 ,these emotions are blind and were never intended to give us light4 ,they are a source of great joy and power1 but must be guided and filled by divine revelation to be properly exercised4 ,the neglect of this fact has led to all kinds of mysticism and fanaticism4 ,and while this is better and more helpful than cold rationalism1 it is nevertheless an unsafe guide1 and does more harm than good to humanity4 ,faithfulness compels me to say that1 as rationalism1 so mysticism has found its way into the evangelical churches and has done much to rob ,god's ,word of its power and to divide ,christ's followers into warring camps4 ,the religion that does not thoroughly enlist1 exercise and sanctify the human emotions is not worth having2 but we are not to believe every spirit1 but to try the spirits by the ,word of ,god4 ,let us lay aside our think-so's and feel-so's1 and let us turn to the revelation that comes from above1 that our intellects may be flooded with light and our emotions may be submerged in ,god's love1 so that our entire being--body1 mind and soul--may be filled1 occupied and sanctified to the glory of ,christ4 ,with the ,unitarian movement that started at the beginning of the last century1 with so many human instrumentalities back of it1 let us compare the ,apostolic church which was started in the first third of the first century by a handful of poor1 illiterate and despised ,galileans4 ,although the wealth and culture and political power of the world were all against them1 at the end of the century we are told that they numbered five hundred thousand4 ,again let us compare with ,unitarianism1 this modern movement for the restoration of primitive ,christianity which started somewhat later than ,unitarianism4 ,its reproach in the eyes of men--that it has no literature--is its glory in the eyes of ,god2 for the ,bible is its literature4 ,its work has been done chiefly among and through the common people4 ,at the end of the century it numbered among its adherents more than a million and a quarter4 ,while sectarian churches numerically much stronger report meager increases and even decreases1 it reports an average of over forty thousand increase for the last several years4 ,the experiences narrated in this chapter have made real to me the belief that ,god is in every act of our life4 ,that through his loving care1 all things work together for good to them that love ,god4 ,when ,i think of how1 in his providence1 he took me away from the community and religion of my early neighbors and brought me in a mysterious way to a religion and people ,i had never heard of1 ,i am overwhelmed with the evidence of his hand in it4 ,to the honest doubter ,i would say1 take courage1 my brother1 the ,lord will lead you1 in his providence1 to the way1 the truth and the life4 ,i can testify that he brings the spiritually blind by a way that they knew not and leads them in paths they have not known4 ,he makes darkness light before them and crooked things straight1 and will not forsake them if they continue to sincerely seek for light until he has accomplished his purpose concerning them and brought them to the feet of ,jesus4 ,to those out of ,christ ,i will say1 that ,i have tasted and seen that the ,lord is good4 ,after having tried both1 ,i have found a hundred times more real pleasure in than out of ,christ4 ,and while ,i am yet tied to clay and suffer many things through the weakness of the flesh1 so that ,i groan within myself and long to be entirely delivered from this bondage of death1 yet ,i am filled with love1 peace1 joy and power through the earnest of the ,spirit dwelling in me1 and ,i serve ,jesus patiently1 waiting for the hope set before me1 even the coming of our ,saviour1 when this corruptible1 mortal body shall be changed into the likeness of the glorified body of ,jesus1 and ,i shall be with him and shall be like him4 ,oh1 how this hope fills my being with love and joy unspeakable6 ,will you come and accept this salvation8 ,in the ,saviour's name1 who died to purchase it for you1 we bid you come4 ,come while it is called to-day6 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,my ,,parting ,,message ,,to ,,the ,,unitarian ,,school4 ,during my third year at the ,meadville ,unitarian ,theological ,school1 after ,i became thoroughly convinced that the ,unitarian position was untenable1 and ,i had found my way back to ,christ1 it so happened that it was my turn to read a paper and to preach to the school1 as the members of the higher classes preached before the school in turn4 ,in these parting messages ,i frankly and sincerely presented my change of viewpoint1 and argued against the ,unitarian position as strongly as ,i could at the time4 ,the school is open1 on equal terms1 to anybody wishing to study for the ministry1 no matter what their views1 or what religious body they belong to4 ,everybody is supposed to be perfectly free to hold and express his honest religious opinions4 ,in the spirit of this generosity1 ,i patiently listened to all the school could offer me in presenting what it believed to be the truth1 and gratefully accepted every help it could give me in my search for the truth4 ,i felt ,i was acting in entire harmony with the spirit of the founders of the institution when ,i used the knowledge and culture imparted to me in kindly contending for the truth as ,i saw it1 even when it was against the truth as held by the teachers of the school4 ,most of my sermon on ,the ,proper ,method of ,inquiry in ,religion has been lost or mislaid4 ,but ,i have the paper read before the school1 and the last part of the sermon4 ,i give these here because it shows how the matter looked to me at that time1 and how ,i treated it in the presence of the keen1 intellectual audience of students and professors4 ,the professor of homiletics1 who read and criticised all sermons before they were preached1 rather took me to task for my bold attack upon ,unitarianism1 but he admitted to me that1 although he had preached and taught it for more than a score of years1 there were yearnings in his soul that it did not satisfy4 ,the sermon was listened to with great respect and sympathy1 especially by the more conservative students4 ,about ten years later ,i received a letter from a young ,unitarian minister in ,massachusetts who referred to the sermon1 and said he had never forgotten it1 but was often reminded in his experience of how true it was1 especially in what ,i said about the coldness and fruitlessness of ,unitarianism4 ,although the matter in this paper and sermon is largely the same as that in the previous chapter1 ,i present it because1 as the line of thought is out of the ordinary and somewhat difficult to the general reader1 its repetition in this conversational style will help to get a better grasp of the deadly delusions of rationalism4 ,truth usually has to be repeated in various ways before it gets a thorough hold upon the average mind4 ,therefore precept must be upon precept1 precept upon precept2 line upon line1 line upon line2 here a little and there a little 7,isa4 #bh3aj74 ,a ,religious ,discussion ,between ,mr4 ,liberal1 ,mr4 ,orthodox and ,mr4 ,freethinker4 ,,scene4--,ocean of ,life4 ,,steamboat4--,experience4 ,the three above-named persons had made each other's acquaintance1 and had engaged in discussions with each other on several occasions4 ,they now seat themselves in a group on deck and enter upon the following discussion4 ,mr4 ,liberal--,the great objection to your religion1 ,mr4 ,orthodox1 is that it violates reason and conscience4 ,to be more specific1 let us consider a few instances4 ,there is your doctrine of eternal punishment1 in which you ascribe fiendish qualities to our dear heavenly ,father such as the most savage human being could not be capable of4 ,then1 take your doctrine of the ,trinity1 around which most of your dogmas cluster1 and we see at once that it violates the simplest postulates of reason4 ,i know that you will answer that these are all mysteries which are to be accepted on faith4 ,but it is perfectly clear that there is no mystery about it4 ,it is as clear as daylight that three cannot be one4 ,you talk about mysteries which we must accept by faith1 but all such talk is nonsense and ignores our sacred reason4 ,the idea of getting over all difficulties by declaring them mysteries1 and exhorting your opponents to leap over them by the exercise of faith1 is truly1 as some one has said1 a touchstone for whole classes of explanations based on no evidence4 ,you orthodox people are the cause of all the infidelity that is afloat in the land4 ,people come in contact with your irrational and ridiculous claims1 and1 taking them as religion itself1 they throw overboard the whole business1 the good with the bad4 ,what we need is a pure and simple religion that will satisfy man's reason and conscience as well as his heart4 ,and we do not have to go far for such a religion1 for we find it in the liberal faith which it is my privilege to represent4 ,let us compare our grand1 simple and rational beliefs with your irrational1 absurd and mysterious products of the ,dark ,ages1 and see what a contrast there is between them4 ,instead of your ,son is ,god1 ,father is ,god1 ,holy ,spirit is ,god2 yet there are not three ,gods1 but only one1 we have the simple faith in one heavenly ,father--all-powerful1 all-wise and all-good4 ,no mystery about it4 ,it would be absurd to suppose that such a ,god could punish his children to eternity1 or that ,he would require the suffering of the innocent to enable him to forgive the guilty4 ,then1 of course1 we reject all the absurd dogmas clustering around your conception of the ,trinity4 ,the simple belief in the ,fatherhood of ,god and the brotherhood of man is enough for us4 ,instead of your endless punishment1 we have the reasonable belief that the ,father punishes simply to bring us good1 so that our joy may be greater4 ,this is all perfectly simple1 and can be understood by the uneducated man as well as by the philosopher4 ,mr4 ,orthodox--,it is an easy thing to make charges2 and1 as they are usually made in sweeping terms1 it frequently requires hours of time and much explanation to answer the charges made in a few minutes1 even when the charges are false4 ,i shall endeavor to defend myself1 but must beg you to give me sufficient time to make myself understood4 ,in the first place1 ,i claim1 as you say1 that you cannot understand all the mysteries about religious doctrines4 ,they must1 to a large extent1 be accepted by faith4 ,and ,i claim that it is more reasonable to accept them by faith than to reject them on the ground that you cannot understand them4 ,this may seem ridiculous to you1 but wait until ,i explain myself further4 ,take eternal punishment4 ,you say that man is a free agent1 and that through his free agency he is able to bring evil and punishment upon himself4 ,you say that ,god has so ordained because it is best for man that he should be left free1 even though he becomes liable to suffer because of it1 as it will be for his final good4 ,in other words1 you claim that ,god does punish his children for their own good4 ,it seems perfectly just to you that ,god should punish a person because he is a free agent1 but when we say that man can bring eternal punishment upon himself through his free agency1 then you think it ridiculous1 although the principle is exactly the same and the only difference is that of degree4 ,but ,i see that ,i must be more general in my statements or ,i will not get far4 ,you bring a host of other charges against us1 either directly or by implication4 ,you say that yours is a pure and simple religion that can be understood by uneducated people as well as by philosophers4 ,here we get at the very heart of the difference between us4 ,it is true that your doctrines are very simple1 but that is their chief demerit4 ,they are simple1 but the facts that they attempt to deal with are very complex4 ,to declare that religious problems are simple is to go counter to the expressed opinions of the great thinkers of all ages4 ,such questions as evil1 good1 life1 immortality1 free will1 ,god1 and a host of others1 are decidedly complex4 ,they are largely inscrutable and have always been considered so4 ,and yet all the complex realities of life and death which have defied the theologians and philosophers of all ages1 you now tell us are very simple1 and you carry the simple solution around with you only too glad to give it free to everybody4 ,why is it that all of the thousands of worried and distressed souls don't come flocking to you8 ,why is it that the philosophers and thinkers don't come rushing in from all directions1 to get from you the truths they have so long sought after8 ,why is it that the uneducated masses do not come to you and accept your simple doctrines which they can so easily understand8 ,i know that you are ready with a charge of ignorance1 prejudice1 self-interest1 etc41 but ,i claim that as a rule your charges do not charge4 ,you1 believing in an all-wise1 all-good and all-powerful ,god1 who is ,truth itself1 must believe in the triumph of truth2 and here ,i agree with you4 ,i believe that just as soon as truth is brought in contact with error the latter will have to vanish just as sure as the darkness vanishes when a light is brought into a room4 ,error may apparently linger because of peculiar circumstances which we are ignorant of1 but as soon as truth has a fair chance of coming directly in contact with error1 the victory is won4 ,i claim1 therefore1 that the reason that your explanations are not accepted1 is because they do not explain4 ,your doctrines offer protection to a small part of the man1 but leave all the rest exposed to the cold and inclement weather4 ,the uneducated do not accept your doctrines because they belie their own experiences4 ,mr4 ,freethinker--,i hope you will pardon me for interrupting you1 ,mr4 ,orthodox4 ,you are getting too hot4 ,i think it will be better for you to cool off before you continue1 and in the meantime ,i will have my say4 ,that is the greatest objection ,i have to you religionists--you are all fanatics4 ,you get an idea into your head1 and then think that the continuance of the world depends upon you thrusting it into everybody's face4 ,of course you are willing to suffer for your doctrines1 and even to die for them if need be1 but that is the way with all fanatics4 ,your foolish notions give occasion for amusement to cool-headed free thinkers1 who see perfectly well that they are all the result of self-delusion4 ,i believe in keeping perfectly cool2 in always keeping the head as high above the heart as it is in the body4 ,i don't believe in attacking a man from behind while he is engaged by another in front1 but1 during the time ,mr4 ,orthodox is cooling off1 ,i wish to show you1 ,mr4 ,liberal1 wherein ,i differ from you4 ,your great appeal is to reason1 and ,i agree with you entirely on that point2 but ,i don't arrive at your conclusions4 ,you have been fixing your eyes on the monstrous outrage of reason in your brother's position so steadfastly1 and yours is so much more in accordance with reason1 that it is not surprising that you should have failed to see the irrationality of your own position4 ,furthermore1 you have had a great deal of inherited prejudice to overcome1 and a man cannot be expected to get rid of all those at once1 especially when they have reference to the heart or feelings4 ,you say that your ,god is all-good1 all-wise and all-powerful4 ,the inevitable1 logical conclusion from that is that such a ,god would give his children an infinitely small amount of evil and an infinitely large amount of good4 ,but such is not the case2 therefore1 to keep that jewel of rationalism which is so dear to you1 you must give up your belief in such a ,god4 ,just wait a minute6 ,i know that you are ready to give a lot of quibbling that will satisfy some people who follow their prejudices and inherited feelings1 but ,i defy the whole world of logicians to show that such a conclusion is less logical than the claim that there can be three in one4 ,you say that it is in the nature of things that ,god must give us evil that we may enjoy good the more afterwards4 ,but if you clear yourself from all prejudice1 you will see that this is the old method of the ostrich of putting its head under the sand and imagining that its entire body is protected4 ,nay1 even worse than that1 you don't even protect your head4 ,any man that gives clear sweep to his reason will see that if ,god must comply with certain conditions1 then he is not all-powerful ,if he is all-powerful1 he can give us all good without any evil1 and if he is all-good it would logically follow that he will do so4 ,then1 again1 while affirming that man is a free agent1 you at the same time claim that every effect must have a cause1 or that something cannot come out of nothing4 ,now1 the reconciliation of these two facts has ever defied the reason of mankind4 ,and those that have adopted the belief in free will have confessed that reason did not lead them to that conclusion1 but experience4 ,on the other hand1 the logical conclusion is inevitable that man cannot be free4 ,i know that people have endeavored to satisfy themselves to the contrary1 and ,i know that some have really succeeded in deceiving themselves so far as to believe that they could logically hold to it2 but ,i declare that they have never succeeded in convincing any unprejudiced mind1 and ,i defy any logician to prove that the conclusion of free will as consistent with eternal causation1 is less absurd than that two and two make five4 ,again1 you preach that what a man sows1 that also shall he reap4 ,if that is true1 then no person can really give him anything2 therefore philanthropy is a delusion4 ,now1 then1 ,mr4 ,liberal1 you want to be reasonable and drop the false position to which your inherited prejudices have held you1 and adopt my views1 which are thoroughly simple and entirely consistent and logical4 ,belief in ,god is the product of superstition1 and belief in free will is a self-delusion4 ,i know that you will appeal to intuition in this case1 but that is only a scapegoat for deluded and illogical minds to hide behind4 ,you see that my conclusion is not only simple and logical1 but it is really more beautiful than your complex affair1 and you will see it as such after you succeed in overcoming your inherited prejudices4 ,there is no ,god4 ,the universe is governed by blind law2 at least1 that is all we know about it4 ,we are evolved from the lowest forms of organic life4 ,what about conscience8 ,well1 that is a matter of education4 ,of course we should follow it1 because it is a safer guide than our present judgment1 since it represents the judgment of all our ancestors4 ,utility is our only standard of right and wrong in morals1 and we follow utility because we are not free and are therefore compelled to do so4 ,mr4 ,orthodox--,if you are through1 ,mr4 ,freethinker1 ,i will now continue4 ,but ,i must consider myself your opponent as well as ,mr4 ,liberal's4 ,in the first place1 ,i must admit that you are thoroughly consistent with yourself as far as you go4 ,but1 my dear fellow1 where does your consistency lead you to8 ,you claim to be a freethinker1 and yet you conclude that you are an entire slave and even think as you do because you cannot help it4 ,i stated at the beginning of my reply to ,mr4 ,liberal that many religious facts must be accepted without thoroughly understanding them1 and claimed that it is reasonable to so accept them4 ,i will now endeavor to explain myself more fully4 ,it seems to me that if anything has been proven1 it is that our logical reason is not always a safe guide4 ,for example1 we cannot conceive of an end to divisibility of space2 and therefore we cannot conceive how we can reach a given point4 ,now1 practice gives the lie to this conclusion1 and if some rationalist should follow his reason here1 he would conclude that he can never get a piece of food into his mouth2 or1 in other words1 the logical conclusion would lead to starvation4 ,i know that some will deny this as a logical conclusion to get out of the difficulty4 ,but ,i could never see it as otherwise than logical1 and ,i have a goodly list of thinkers who have reached the same conclusion before me4 ,again1 it is admitted by all thinkers of all ages that our reason tells us that there cannot be existence without beginning1 or1 on the other hand1 there can be no beginning of existence without something existing before to cause its existence4 ,the conclusion is that inconceivability is not an infallible proof of the absence of a fact1 and that we must follow our experience even if it conflicts with our reason4 ,this is what we claim to do in religion4 ,whether experience is the sole source of knowledge is a question we need not discuss here4 ,it is certainly the only safe method in most things4 ,for example1 ,i wish to know what will cure a certain disease4 ,suppose that ,i find a medicine that has cured every case in which it has been administered4 ,would it not be irrational for me to refuse to use that medicine because ,i cannot conceive how it effects the cure8 ,of course it might be possible that the medicine did not effect the cure2 that it was the belief in its curative power that produced the effect4 ,cases have frequently occurred where a thing was for a long time believed to be the cause1 while future investigation proved that it was some other attendant circumstance that was the real cause4 ,but if our experience is that a given medicine cures a certain disease invariably1 and that no other known medicine will cure it1 we would be foolish not to use that medicine4 ,the same is true in religion4 ,if we wish to accomplish certain results and we have found a way in which those desirable results can be brought about1 and know of no other way to bring them about2 it would be irrational not to adopt that way1 or follow out the requirements of that theory4 ,i told you1 ,mr4 ,liberal1 that your theory or doctrine was too simple4 ,this is still more true of our friend1 ,mr4 ,freethinker4 ,you claim to hold very broad1 liberal and enlightened views4 ,but although they are broad1 they are not deep enough4 ,they are stretched out over the surface merely1 and thus hide from your view the great ocean of reality below4 ,yes1 you have an abundance of light1 but not enough heat4 ,in the polar regions they have six months of light in one stretch1 but no one would think of starting a garden there1 as there is not enough heat4 ,to the cold reason of some bachelor it is perfectly clear and indisputable that the young lover is a deluded fool and should follow his reason by never marrying4 ,but ,i fondly believe that young lover sees the true worth of one human soul1 and gives us an idea of the worth we shall see in all souls when we shall cease to see through a glass darkly4 ,as the bachelor does not touch the reality in his case1 so ,i believe that our friend1 ,mr4 ,freethinker1 does not touch the great ocean of reality in religion4 ,we are convinced by experience that man is free1 and that nevertheless eternal causation does exist4 ,we believe these to be two co-ordinate truths and we are willing to wait until we can solve the mystery2 but in the meantime we wish to make use of the practical belief in both truths4 ,people are convinced that there is a ,god who deals out exact justice2 yet they are also convinced from experience that there is a ,god who is love who forgives the penitent sinner4 ,that one ,god can possess both of these qualities seems as impossible as that three ,gods can be in one ,god4 ,and yet people are convinced that no other theory will explain their complex experiences1 and that living according to no other theory will enable them to get the desirable results that they know from experience that they do get4 ,they may be mistaken2 but it will be time enough to consider that when some one has a theory that will account better for all their various experiences4 ,well1 you see my point and ,i shall apply it no further4 ,you see it is simply the principle that the empirical school of philosophy claims to employ1 but which many of them employ only in the physical realm and fail to carry into the spiritual or religious realm4 ,they must admit that religious convictions are and have been among the strongest1 if not the strongest1 motive powers in the world's history4 ,and thus their philosophy of life leaves out the greatest pleasures and mightiest incentives to action found in life4 ,but ,mr4 ,liberal and his friends would tell us that this all refers to theology4 ,that doctrines are of no account4 ,that what we want is works4 ,exactly1 but don't you see that if after the afore-said experience you should not form the theory that the given medicine cures the given disease and act in accordance with the theory1 the result would probably be death instead of health and life8 ,the question is1 is it true to experience8 ,does it accomplish what it purposes to accomplish better than any other theory1 and can that result be accomplished only by following the said theory8 ,according to many authorities1 most if not all of our physical actions are performed according to a theory based on induction as to facts in the physical world4 ,thus we arrive at the conclusion that food nourishes our body because it has always been found to do so4 ,in the same way many people have1 through experience and facts1 come to believe in ,god who guides them and nourishes them spiritually4 ,if now we judge by fruits rather than by doctrines1 or rather judge our doctrines by their fruits1 ,i claim that the orthodox doctrine is superior to yours1 ,mr4 ,liberal4 ,in the first place1 you admit that the lower ignorant classes you cannot reach1 and you are greatly surprised that they do not eagerly accept your simple doctrines4 ,it is not the whole1 but the sick1 that need a physician4 ,a religion that cannot help those that need the greatest spiritual help cannot be the religion of ,christ4 ,but let us suppose that an intelligent foreigner who does not understand our language nor know our doctrines should attend our respective churches and see the result produced--the pleasure taken in coming and receiving our spiritual medicine4 ,and making allowance for all other differences1 should observe which helps most to make life worth living1 and which makes the most and best changes in the character of its adherents4 ,he would have no trouble to discover that orthodoxy ministers more to the needy soul than your simple faith4 ,you1 ,mr4 ,liberal1 talk about making infidels of people and drawing them away from the church1 but ,i believe it would have been fortunate for you if you had not mentioned this subject2 because you1 according to the confession of your own men1 have driven more people from the churches than any religious body having a similar numerical strength4 ,you tell people to use their reason1 and after you have drawn them out of the orthodox churches by that bait1 they see that they must go further than your position to satisfy what you call reason1 and they find large numbers among you ready to lead them to that logical conclusion4 ,it seems that the advocates of your liberal faith have always believed that they were on the verge of accomplishing great victories by drawing the multitudes to them2 but as with the victim of tuberculosis1 who imagines he is getting better all the time1 it is always expectancy and never realization4 ,if it is prejudice that prevents the spread of your belief1 then it ought to grow most in ,new ,england1 where it has largely worn away prejudice4 ,but the facts seem to be that there it is growing the least comparatively2 while out ,west1 where it is a novelty and meeting with opposition1 it is making the most progress4 ,a person is almost tempted to conclude that if it were not for the opposition of some mistaken people1 who do not realize your real error1 your progress would come to an end at once4 ,i believe1 ,mr4 ,liberal1 that ,mr4 ,freethinker has the best of you because he vanquished you according to your own method of inquiry4 ,but you are more nearly right according to the true method of inquiry4 ,you see it is the proper method of inquiry that ,i am contending for4 ,a person with the wrong method of inquiry in his head will only be repulsed by poking dogmas at him and nothing can be done with him until he has discovered the fallacy by following his method to absurdity1 its natural conclusion4 ,after that he may be induced to follow the empirical method of inquiry with a demonstration that experience and well-authenticated testimony are to be followed rather than rationalism4 ,what follows is the last part of the sermon on ,the ,proper ,method of ,religious ,inquiry4 ,text3 ,prove all things2 hold fast that which is good4 ,it is not only important that we should appeal to our own experience in trying to discover what is true in religion1 but we should also take into consideration the experiences of others4 ,if a man1 who is partially color blind1 should base a science of color on his own experience1 it would necessarily be partial or incomplete4 ,so if a class of men1 with certain peculiar traits1 should build up a system of theology on their religious experiences1 it would necessarily be partial and not adequate for universal application4 ,suppose1 for example1 that a number of persons with large reasoning powers1 cold temperaments1 and very little religious feeling1 should build up a religious system on their experiences4 ,is it not perfectly clear that it would be partial and narrow8 ,it would make no allowance at all for people of strong religious experiences4 ,while it might be of some use to these few people1 it would never help the great bulk of humanity who need the help of religion the most4 ,to say that a religion is not for the common people is to admit that it is narrow and not true to universal human nature4 ,certainly it is not ,christian1 for the common people heard ,jesus gladly2 and they ever will hear gladly any one who preaches a religion that is true to their own religious experiences4 ,in trying to discover what is true in religion1 we should also carefully examine the religious experiences of all ages1 as recorded in their religious writings4 ,i shall here quote from an authority on this point1 because ,i think it of much value1 and because it is not probable that the writer was influenced by prejudice and preconceived ideas4 ,i shall quote from ,john ,stuart ,mill's ,system of ,logic1 page #dgg3 ,there is a perpetual oscillation in spiritual truths1 and in spiritual doctrines of any significance1 even when not truths4 ,their meaning is almost always in a process either of being lost or of being recovered4 ,whoever has attended to the history of the more serious convictions of mankind--of the opinion by which the general conduct of their lives is1 or as they conceive ought to be1 more especially regulated--is aware that even when recognizing verbally the same doctrines1 they attach to them at different periods a greater or less quantity1 and even a different kind of meaning4 ,the words in their original acceptation connoted1 and the propositions expressed1 a complication of outward facts and inward feelings1 to different portions of which the general mind is more particularly alive in different generations of mankind4 ,to common minds1 only that portion of the meaning is in each generation suggested1 of which that generation possesses the counterpart in its habitual experience4 ,but the words and propositions lie ready to suggest to any mind duly prepared to receive the remainder of the meaning4 ,such individual minds are almost always to be found2 and the lost meaning1 revived by them1 again by degrees works its way into the general mind4 ,the arrival of this salutary reaction may1 however1 be materially retarded by the shallow conceptions and incautious proceedings of mere logicians4 444 ,these logicians think more of having a clear1 than of having a comprehensive1 meaning2 and although they perceive that every age is adding to the truth which it has received from its predecessors1 they fail to see that a counter process of losing1 truths already possessed1 is also constantly going on1 and requiring the most sedulous attention to counteract it4 ,but1 as a matter of fact1 people have1 as a rule1 followed their experiences in everything1 despite the sneers and ridicules of the would-be wise4 ,people have planted their vegetables during the increase of the moon despite all ridicule and laughter4 ,and in due time the wise men came to their position1 declaring that the sunlight reflected by the moon helps the growth of vegetation4 ,people in all ages have believed in faith cure under one form or another to the utter amazement of the intelligent physicians who made fun of them and pitied their ignorance4 ,but now1 through the facts discovered by hypnotism and other means1 the scientists are coming around and admitting that the old women were right1 that the people really did get help from faith cure4 ,in religion1 too1 people have followed their experience1 despite the sneers1 ridicule and protests of wise men4 ,and1 on the whole1 ,i have no doubt that they are better off than if they had listened to the persons who showed them that their beliefs1 from a rationalistic standpoint1 are false2 and at the same time offered them beliefs that were about as ridiculous from a logical standpoint1 and which left out all the power and good of their own system of belief4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,functions ,,and ,,limitations ,,of ,,the ,,mind4 ,the objections made to faith are by no means an effect of knowledge1 but proceed rather from ignorance of what knowledge is4--,bishop ,berkley4 ,no difficulty emerges in theology which has not previously emerged in philosophy4--,sir ,wm4 ,hamilton4 ,the human mind inevitably and by virtue of its essential constitution finds itself involved in self-contradictions whenever it ventures on certain courses of speculation4--,mansel4 ,in the last two chapters ,i presented the reasons that led me to infidelity and back to ,christ1 as they appeared to me while in the thick of the conflict and soon after4 ,in this and following chapters ,i wish to present the matter in the light that has come to me on the subject up to the present date4 ,as will be noticed in the previous chapters1 the external causes that drove me to infidelity were the theology of creeds1 sectarianism and the apparent difficulties in the ,bible and in religion4 ,but the real underlying cause was rationalism1 or a failure to recognize the proper functions and limitations of the finite intellect4 ,in later chapters1 ,i shall show how ,i overcame the difficulties about creeds and speculative theology and how ,i solved the problem of sectarianism by turning to ,christian union on the primitive gospel4 ,in this chapter ,i wish to speak more definitely of rationalism or the subjective cause of my infidelity4 ,for1 after all1 the whole matter resolves itself into a question of psychology1 or science of the mind4 ,what is the profit of reading numerous books on the subject1 pro and con1 so long as we are reading the books through colored glasses that deceive our vision and lead us to apply false tests as to what the truth in the matter is8 ,there must be some matters that require our prayerful and serious consideration1 when we observe how the most talented1 scholarly1 devout and honest of all ages have been divided into warring camps on questions of religion1 politics1 medicine and science4 ,certainly truth is not divided2 and there must be some mysterious1 deceptive mental pitfalls that have caused this ,babel of confusion4 ,when we count the cost of this warring conflict of the choicest spirits of the earth in waste1 failure1 suffering1 bloodshed and death1 and contemplate the gain in prosperity1 progress1 happiness and conquest over ignorance and evil1 that would have resulted had all the good been enabled to see alike1 and thus unite on the truth1 we cannot fail to be impressed with the fact that this is one of the greatest1 if not the greatest1 theme that has ever engaged the attention of mortal man4 ,well may we ask with ,pilate1 ,what is truth8 ,or perhaps the more important question1 ,how can we discover what is truth8 ,what is there in the nature of the mind that side-tracks the wisest and best in their effort to know the truth8 ,why was ,paul1 the conscientious1 intellectual giant1 so deceived that he verily thought he was doing ,god service while destroying the best and holiest thing that had ever come to earth8 ,why did ,cotton ,mather and other saintly1 scholarly ,christians martyr innocent saints as witches8 ,why did devout patriots of the ,north and ,south slaughter each other in cold blood8 ,why were the scientific theses written at ,harvard during forty years1 all found out of date by ,edward ,everett ,hale8 ,why are the intelligent and consecrated hosts of ,christ wasting three-fourths of their men and money through sectarian divisions8 ,why are the intelligent1 patriotic citizens of ,america divided into two camps on free silver and other issues when the truth and their interest are one1 and by a united effort they could carry every election for truth and righteousness8 ,common sense asks1 ,why8 ,the interests of humanity ask1 ,why8 ,love and compassion ask1 ,why8 ,i believe we must find the answer chiefly in the failure to understand clearly the nature and functions of the mind4 ,the ,nature of ,conscience4 ,turn1 for example1 to conscience4 ,what is its nature8 ,is it a safe guide8 ,does it always tell us what is right8 ,why has conscience fought on both sides of every great historical conflict8 ,surely we should stay this awful1 pitiable and destructive conflict of the conscientious2 at least1 long enough to examine most earnestly into the cause of this strange and disastrous puzzle4 ,if conscience is not a safe guide1 then woe betide us2 for it is the only moral guide we have1 or1 at least1 the only avenue through which human and divine truth can guide us4 ,for it is the moral nature itself4 ,the eye without light cannot see1 but if we are lost in a forest1 the eye becomes helpless as a guide1 even if there is light4 ,yet the eye is a safe guide1 and in bodily movements it is essentially the only guide we have4 ,we thus learn that to exercise their function the eyes must have light and knowledge of the localities in which they are to act as a guide4 ,what the eyes are in guiding our bodily movements1 that the conscience is in guiding our moral actions4 ,but as the eyes without light and knowledge are helpless as a guide1 so conscience without love and truth is a blind monster4 ,there is conscience and conscience4 ,and as long as we use the term ambiguously and fail to discriminate between conscience proper and the term as used in the looser1 larger sense1 we will have nothing but confusion4 ,conscience proper is simply the impulse of the soul that urges us to do right as we see the right4 ,we do not deny that it also embodies the basic element in the soul that enables us to discover what is right2 but our conviction as to what is right is dependent upon knowledge acquired through other faculties4 ,when we speak of conscience in the loose and general sense1 we refer to both of these elements4 ,in this sense conscience is the product of a number of faculties working together4 ,thus when we talk about following conscience1 we mean following the voice of our moral nature1 or the convictions of the highest and best aspirations in our soul4 ,conscience should always be followed as a guide in both its proper and larger sense2 but as an impulse to do what we believe to be right1 it is infallible1 while as a guide to knowledge of what is right1 it is fallible and liable to lead us into all kinds of folly and error4 ,while1 therefore1 we should always follow our conscience1 or our highest conviction of what is right1 we should assiduously probe our conscience day by day to seek for errors in the part that is dependent upon information4 ,in other words1 a truly conscientious person not only scrupulously does what he believes to be right2 but he also constantly strives to get all the truth1 that his conscience may be enlightened more and more4 ,to follow our conscience1 therefore1 in searching for and obeying the truth1 is our highest duty to ,god1 and it is the sine qua non of acceptance with him4 ,this is the love of the truth 7#b ,thess4 #b3aj71 the good and honest heart 7,luke #h3ae71 through which the gospel becomes fruitful4 ,to refuse to follow our conscience1 or highest light of duty1 as revealed in the ,bible or from any other source1 is treason toward ,god in whose image we were morally created2 and such persons forfeit heaven1 no matter how faultless their outward acts may be4 ,with ,god it is a matter of the inner motive1 as the entire ,bible reveals4 ,the man who lives a respectable life outwardly1 but fails to meet his inner moral obligations1 is not a good moral man1 but a hypocrite4 ,therefore no man can ever be saved without morality in the full and true sense of the word4 ,conscience1 then1 enlightened by truth1 is the voice of ,god to the soul4 ,the ,proverb says1 ,the spirit of man is the lamp of the ,lord1 searching all the inward parts 7,prov4 #bj3bg71 while in ,rom4 #b3ad-af we read3 ,for when ,gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law1 these1 not having the law1 are the law unto themselves2 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts1 their conscience bearing witness therewith1 and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them2 in the day when ,god shall judge the secrets of men1 according to my gospel1 by ,jesus ,christ4 ,god wants us to follow our present conviction of duty until by investigation we discover a better one4 ,thus ,god guides the individual in his conduct through his conscience enlightened by the ,holy ,spirit 7,rom4 #i3a74 ,but this guidance is only for the individual4 ,it has a fallible element in it that needs to be improved by constant and vigilant readjustment as the individual increases his knowledge and sharpens his conscience by exercise 7,rom4 #ab3b74 ,alas6 how much mischief has come from neglect of these facts4 ,how many have tried to thrust the leadings of their conscience on others1 in and out of creeds4 ,again1 how many good people have become self-righteous and despised those who differed from them because they mistook matters of opinion and expediency as matters of conscience1 through failing to recognize the fallible1 variable element in their conscience4 ,how foolish we act if we do not keep in mind these distinctions4 ,the infidel who claimed that he was unhappy because he knew too much1 and that ,christians are happy because they are deluded1 and then promulgated his misery-producing doctrine for conscience' sake1 is an illustration of the absurdity into which a sensitive but perverted conscience will lead a person4 ,but yesterday ,i met a very conscientious young man who left the ministry because he could not agree1 with members of the church he was serving1 on matters of expediency4 ,on my table lies a letter recently received from a young man who graduated for the ministry last spring1 but through doubts1 similar to those ,i formerly experienced1 left the ministry for conscience' sake4 ,this unhappiness of doubters and this testimony of their consciences1 even while they hold opinions that logically rob conscience of any authority1 should cause every one to think2 and is strong evidence that skepticism is unnatural and fundamentally wrong4 ,i followed rationalism into infidelity for conscience' sake4 ,i gave up belief in the miraculous and supernatural in the ,bible for conscience' sake4 ,but after the rationalists had driven me to this bitter end1 through my sensitive conscience1 ,i was gravely informed that conscience was a mere creature of education and therefore should only be followed conditionally4 ,i discovered sufficient truth in this claim to open my eyes to the fact that ,i had been deceived and had followed the fallible part of my conscience1 which is a creature of education1 as though it were infallible and the voice of ,god4 ,it will be noticed that eternal life depends on the infallible element of conscience1 while stupendous1 yet only mundane1 interests depend upon its fallible element4 ,this is a mystery that perplexes a great many people4 ,is ignorance an excuse8 ,does it not matter what you believe1 just so you are honest8 ,the highest and best thing anybody can ever do1 is to follow his conscience1 or the voice of his highest moral and spiritual nature4 ,this the teaching of ,scripture from ,genesis to ,revelation4 ,to teach that ,god would damn a soul for doing this is destructive of all moral distinctions1 and is as abominable as the old doctrine that ,god elects certain people and damns others irrespective of their thoughts and conduct4 ,ignorance is an excuse if it is innocent ignorance4 ,what about those who are willfully ignorant8 or those who have a seared conscience8 ,they are not following their conscience at all4 ,conscience insists that we make every possible effort to get the truth4 ,by a seared conscience we mean a person who does not follow his conscience at all1 and he knows it4 ,we know that ignorant innocence is an excuse in the sight of ,god1 but we do not know who is innocently ignorant4 ,the former fact is revealed to us in the ,bible1 but the latter is known only to ,god4 ,therefore in these matters we should judge nothing before the time1 until the ,lord come1 who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness1 and make manifest the counsels of the heart2 and then shall each man have his praise from ,god 7,i ,cor4 #d3e74 ,nothing has ever been revealed more clearly in the ,bible than that innocent ignorance is an excuse in the sight of ,god4 ,the cities of refuge and the entire ceremonial law were based upon this fact4 ,christ said1 ,father1 forgive them2 for they know not what they do 7,luke #bc3cd74 ,james says1 ,to him that knoweth to do good1 and doeth it not1 to him it is sin 7,jas4 #d3ag74 ,in ,acts #ag3cj we read1 ,the times of ignorance therefore ,god overlooked4 ,in the second chapter of ,romans ,paul makes it clear that each person shall be judged by the light that comes to him1 whether in or out of the law or of the gospel4 ,heathen people1 who never heard the gospel1 will not be condemned for rejecting the gospel1 but for rejecting the light that came to them through their conscience and through other sources4 ,for this is the condemnation1 that light is come into the world1 and men loved darkness rather than light1 because their deeds were evil 7,john #c3ai74 ,but we will be condemned if we do not do all in our power to bring the gospel to the heathen4 ,we need not worry about the pious1 conscientious peoples scattered among the sectarian churches2 but we need to worry lest we do not do all in our power to make it impossible for them to remain pious and conscientious while upholding sectarianism4 ,it is our duty to help them to understand the ,word2 and if1 after they understand it1 they refuse to obey it1 they are under condemnation4 ,but we cannot and dare not decide whether they understand it or not4 ,it is ours to preach the ,word1 and it will judge them in that ,great ,day4 ,the ground or mainspring of conscience is love--love of the well-being or welfare of all sentient beings1 or of all beings capable of enjoying happiness4 ,our conscience goads us to do what love demands as our duty4 ,he who1 through want of discrimination1 ignores the love element in conscience1 becomes a cruel misanthrope1 and is misguided by a perverted conscience4 ,may the ,lord help us to clear up our minds on this subject of conscience so that this divine light may lead us onward and upward towards perfection in holiness2 and that this eye of the moral nature may not be deprived of love and knowledge and thus flounder around like a blind giant spreading misery and suffering everywhere4 ,the ,feelings or ,emotions4 ,psychology divides the mind into intellect1 sensibilities and will4 ,this is doubtless a valuable classification in a general way4 ,but the classification is very general and indefinite4 ,indeed1 school psychology has confined itself almost entirely to a consideration of the general operations of the mind and has given us very little light on the classification of the mental faculties4 ,the limited attempts at classification have varied considerably according to the subjective make-up of the author1 as the classifications were based on introspection4 ,while the deductive1 axiomatic or intuitive1 scholastic or introspective methods of inquiry prevailed in the intellectual world1 systems of philosophy1 psychology and theology were built up according to the peculiar subjective nature of their author1 and held the field until some other strong mind projected its views of the subject and thus rivaled or supplanted the other systems4 ,it was the modern inductive or empirical method of investigation1 introduced by ,bacon1 ,locke1 ,mill and others1 that has put knowledge on a real scientific basis and has led to the marvelous scientific and material progress of recent times4 ,i believe the time is not far distant when the old medieval1 introspective psychology of the schools will be displaced by a more scientific system4 ,all that is of value in the old system will be retained1 but the most valuable psychological knowledge will come from the new system4 ,that this need is generally recognized by those who have given the matter most attention1 is evidenced by the words of that prince of modern psychologists1 ,professor ,james1 when he says1 ,at present psychology is in the condition of physics before ,galileo and the laws of motion or of chemistry before ,lavoisier4 ,i believe that phrenology has blazed the way for this new psychology4 ,it was violently attacked by the old-school psychologists because it taught that the brain is the instrument of the mind1 that the mind has a plurality of faculties and that various brain functions can be localized4 ,every one conversant with the present literature on physiology and psychology will see that phrenologists have conquered1 and that their basic principles are now accepted by all4 ,it is now simply a matter of the application of these principles by further investigation4 ,the psychologists have made some progress in brain localization through various mechanical and more or less abnormal methods of investigation4 ,when they come to a more sensible and natural method of inquiry by observing the concomitance between various brain developments and various mental traits1 ,i feel sure that they will have to admit that the phrenologists are essentially right in their brain localizations1 just as they have already admitted that they are right in their basic principles4 ,that the tide is already turning is manifest from the following quotations4 ,alfred ,russell ,wallace1 one of the greatest of scientists1 in his book1 ,the ,wonderful ,century1 says3 ,i begin with the subject of phrenology1 a science of whose substantial truth and vast importance ,i have no more doubt than ,i have of the value and importance of any of the great intellectual advances already recorded4 ,in the coming century1 phrenology will assuredly attain general acceptance4 ,it will prove itself to be the true science of mind4 ,its practical use in education1 in self-discipline1 in the reformatory treatment of criminals1 and in the remedial treatment of the insane1 will give it one of the highest places in the hierarchy of sciences2 and its persistent neglect and obloquy during the last sixty years1 will be referred to as an example of the almost incredible narrowness and prejudice which prevailed among men of science at the very time they were making such splendid advances in other fields of thought and action4 ,benard ,hollander1 ,m4,d41 ,f4,r4,c4,s41 ,l4,r4,c4,p41 in his late book on ,functions of the ,brain1 says3 ,what ,gall knew at the close of the eighteenth century is only just dawning upon the scientists of the present day4 ,the history of ,gall and his doctrine is given in these pages1 and will be quite a revelation to the reader4 ,no subject has ever been so thoroughly misrepresented1 even by learned men of acknowledged authority4 ,in his ,scientific ,phrenology1 ,dr4 ,hollander says3 ,in this volume ,i have laid stress on the strictly phrenological method of observing special parts of the brain1 distinct lobes and convolutions1 and comparing their size to development of the rest of the brain--which1 if applied in conjunction with the study of the mental characteristics of our fellow-beings1 would enable us to make observations by the million4 ,this method1 which was considered unscientific1 and hence shunned1 for a long time1 has found favor with scientists1 since the author's first papers on scientific phrenology were published in #ahhf1 and was for the first time advocated publicly last year by ,dr4 ,cunningham1 professor of anatomy in ,dublin ,university1 in his presidential address to the ,anthropological ,section of the ,british ,association at their meeting in ,glasgow4 ,dr4 ,cunningham was upheld by ,sir ,wm4 ,turner1 professor of anatomy at ,edinburgh ,university and president of the ,general ,medical ,council1 who1 like ,sir ,sam4 ,wilks1 the expresident of the ,college of ,physicians1 and the late ,sir ,james ,paget1 besides others with whom ,i have not come in contact1 have always kept an open mind on this subject4 ,in ,germany1 ,dr4 ,landois1 professor of physiology at ,griefswalt1 has been long urging a reinvestigation of ,gall's doctrines2 ,dr4 ,r4 ,sommer1 professor of clinical psychiatry at ,griessen1 recommends it1 not dogmatically1 but as a working hypothesis2 and the ,swiss professor of physiology1 ,dr4 ,von ,bunge1 in his text-book just published1 acts as pioneer in devoting two chapters to a rehabilitation of ,gall2 ,dr4 ,mobius1 of ,leipsic1 has published several books on the same subject1 and1 quite lately1 the renowned professor of psychiatry in the ,university of ,vienna1 ,dr4 ,r4 ,von ,krafft-,ebing1 has joined in the defense of this great discovery4 ,beecher said that if he were in the pulpit without his knowledge of phrenology1 he would feel like a mariner at sea without a compass2 and he declared3 ,all my life long ,i have been in the habit of using phrenology as that which solves the practical phenomena of life4 ,i regard it far more useful1 practical and sensible than any other system of mental philosophy which has yet been evolved4 ,horace ,mann said3 ,i declare myself a hundred times more indebted to phrenology than to all the metaphysical works that ,i ever read4 4 4 4 ,i look upon phrenology as the guide to philosophy and the handmaid of ,christianity4 ,whoever disseminates true phrenology is a public benefactor4 ,joseph ,cook declared3 ,choosing a foreman or clerk1 guiding the education of children1 settling my judgment of men in public or private life1 estimating a wife or husband1 and their fitness for each other1 or endeavoring to understand myself and to select the right occupation1 there is no advice of which ,i so often feel the need as that of a thoroughly able1 scientific1 experienced and ,christian phrenologist4 ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes changed his views on phrenology in his maturer years and said3 ,we owe phrenology a great debt4 ,it has melted the world's conscience in its crucible and cast it in a new mould1 with features less like those of ,moloch and more like those of humanity4 ,andrew ,carnegie said3 ,not to know phrenology is sure to keep you standing on the ',bridge of ,sighs' all your life4 ,i think the superiority of the phrenological classification of the mental powers to that of other systems of psychology will be apparent from the following3 ,phrenological ,analysis of ,mental ,faculties4 ,i4 ,domestic ,propensities 7,family ,affections74 #a4 ,amativeness--,love between the sexes4 #b4 ,conjugality--,matrimony1 love of one4 #c4 ,parental ,love--,regard for offspring1 pets1 etc4 #d4 ,friendship1 sociability4 #e4 ,inhabitiveness--,love of home4 #f4 ,continuity--,one thing at a time4 ,,ii4 ,selfish ,propensities 7,lookout for ,no4 #a74 #a4 ,vitativeness--,love of life4 #b4 ,combativeness--,resistance1 defense4 #c4 ,destructiveness--,executiveness1 force4 #d4 ,alimentiveness--,appetite1 hunger4 #e4 ,acquisitiveness--,accumulation4 #f4 ,secretiveness--,policy1 management4 #g4 ,bibativeness--,fondness for liquids4 ,,iii4 ,selfish ,sentiments 7,promote ,self-interests74 #a4 ,cautiousness--,prudence1 provision4 #b4 ,approbativeness--,ambition1 display4 #c4 ,self-esteem--,self-respect1 dignity4 #d4 ,firmness--,decision1 perseverance4 ,,iv4 ,moral ,sentiments 7,religion and ,morality74 #a4 ,conscientiousness--,justice1 equity4 #b4 ,hope--,expectation1 enterprise4 #c4 ,spirituality--,intuition1 faith1 credulity4 #d4 ,veneration--,devotion1 respect4 #e4 ,benevolence--,kindness1 goodness4 ,v4 ,semi-intellectual ,sentiments 7,self-perfecting ,group74 #a4 ,constructiveness--,mechanical ingenuity4 #b4 ,ideality--,refinement1 taste1 purity4 #c4 ,sublimity--,love of grandeur1 infinitude4 #d4 ,imitation--,copying1 patterning4 #e4 ,mirthfulness--,jocoseness1 wit1 fun4 #f4 ,human ,nature--,perception of motives4 #g4 ,agreeableness--,pleasantness1 suavity4 ,,vi4 ,intellectual ,faculties4 #a4 ,perceptive ,faculties 7,perceive physical qualities74 7#a7 ,individuality--,observation1 desire to see4 7#b7 ,form--,recollection of shape4 7#c7 ,size--,measuring by the eye4 7#d7 ,weight--,balancing1 climbing4 7#e7 ,color--,judgment of colors4 7#f7 ,order--,method1 system1 arrangement4 7#g7 ,calculation--,mental arithmetic4 7#h7 ,locality--,recollection of places4 #b4 ,semi-perceptive or ,literary ,faculties4 7#a7 ,eventuality--,memory of facts4 7#b7 ,time--,cognizance of duration4 7#c7 ,tune--,sense of harmony and melody4 7#d7 ,language--,expression of ideas4 #c4 ,reasoning or ,reflective ,faculties4 7#a7 ,causality--,applying causes to effects4 7#b7 ,comparison--,inductive reasoning4 ,,note4--,these definitions are taken from ,the ,self-instructor1 ,fowler ,wells ,co41 ,new ,york1 the leading phrenological publishing-house4 ,i have received more help for my practical work in the ministry from phrenology than from any other half-dozen studies1 except the ,bible4 ,even if its physical basis could not be substantiated1 its analysis of the mental faculties is far better and more helpful than that of any other system of psychology4 ,while it places the intellectual1 moral and spiritual faculties at the top as supreme1 it is just as vitally interested in the care of the body1 education1 discipline1 self-culture1 choice of occupation1 matrimonial adaptation1 heredity and all the practical affairs of life4 ,how could a person be more healthy1 happy and successful than by normally and harmoniously developing all his faculties as phrenology points them out to him8 ,phrenology teaches that the mind has certain elementary1 selective instincts1 or propensities and sentiments1 that attract to them the mental food germane to their function just as the various cells of the body select from the blood the elements required4 ,i say that these instincts have selective power1 but they are subject to perversion1 and dependent upon the guidance of judgment and knowledge1 just as conscience does4 ,take1 for example1 the appetite for different kinds of food1 the faculty of music1 judgment of color1 beauty1 etc42 and you will see at once that they have selective power1 but that this power can become perverted1 and thus lead to great difference of opinion4 ,notice that while these faculties are not infallible guides1 and need the earnest help of other faculties to be the most useful to us1 no one can deny that they point toward truth on these subjects1 and are our proper and only guides along these lines4 ,some of the faculties of the mind inspire the specialized affections2 as1 love for wife1 children1 home1 friends1 etc41 which are at the very foundation of our ,christian civilization4 ,these special affections have their proper claims upon us1 and in so far as they are neglected we become unhappy2 but when they exert more than their proper influence1 they warp our judgment and more or less unbalance our character4 ,how many people are blinded to truth because of selfish love for their children1 or their home1 or their party1 or their church4 ,there are some things that the feelings cannot do4 ,for example1 they cannot give us information about facts outside of the mind4 ,the faculty of love cannot reveal to a young man the existence of a young lady2 but when he gets acquainted with her through what he sees and hears1 he can feel that he loves her2 and after learning that she is willing to become his1 he can and will feel happy because of the fact4 ,the world is full of folly1 division and fanaticism because people look to their feelings or impressions for things that they cannot furnish4 ,thus people have claimed immediate knowledge of ,god1 of pardon1 of the will of ,god1 of their perfection and security1 etc41 through their feelings4 ,it is true that ,god created all nations that they should seek ,god1 if haply they might feel ,professor ,green says the ,greek word here means 'to feel or grope for or after1 as persons in the dark' after him and find him 7,acts #ag3bg74 ,when we see the condition of the heathen nations to whom the revelation of the ,bible has not come1 we must admit that they are indeed groping or feeling in the dark after ,god1 as their superstitions and idolatries abundantly testify4 ,of course people feel good whenever they follow their conscience1 or best conviction of duty2 but the feeling of conscience cannot tell them of the gospel of ,christ1 and of the pardon it makes possible to them4 ,just as people who trust their reason1 or their think so's1 as the voice of ,god1 naturally reject the ,bible as a revelation from ,god1 so those that trust their feel so's will naturally have no use for the ,bible in conversion1 sanctification or as an evidence of pardon4 ,it is easy to become so self-confident about our feelings1 or impressions1 as to believe them to be axiomatic truths or direct revelations from ,god4 ,this has been one of the most fruitful sources of strife and divisions in religion1 and the handicap that for centuries held the world in medieval darkness4 ,the false prophets of the ,old ,testament were very religious men4 ,that is1 they had strong hereditary religious faculties4 ,but these strong religious feelings1 perverted1 led them to trusting the imaginations and impressions of their hearts as the will of ,god instead of following his will as revealed in the ,bible 7,jer4 #bc3af1 #ag1 #bh1 #cj-cb74 ,conscience is a safe guide2 but it is not an infallible guide1 and it is our duty to perfect it day by day by seeking more truth and obeying it4 ,our instincts or feelings are safe guides within certain limitations2 but they are not perfect guides1 and it is our duty to strengthen1 guide and restrain them with the knowledge and help that other faculties can supply4 ,the ,intellect4 ,let us now see what light we can get concerning the intellect4 ,what are its functions and limitations8 ,is it safe as a guide8 ,according to the phrenological classification1 the intellectual faculties are divided into three classes2 viz43 the perceptive1 literary and reasoning faculties4 ,the perceptive faculties bring us into relationship with the external world1 and through them we learn about the color1 size1 form1 weight1 etc41 of material objects4 ,if the phrenologists are right1 then neither those who claim that the mind is like a blank sheet and knows nothing but what it gets from without1 nor those who ascribe almost everything to innate1 intuitive ideas1 are wholly correct4 ,as usual1 the truth lies midway between the two extremes4 ,the mind has innate1 intuitive powers of perception1 selection and discrimination without which material objects1 events and thoughts could make no more impression upon us than upon a fence-rail4 ,but these innate powers are subject to improvement by heredity and culture and their dictates must be carefully watched and corrected by other faculties1 as they are fallible and most of them subject to perversion and delusion4 ,as the conscience and sentiments although not infallible1 are our only guides in their sphere2 so our perceptive faculties are good and safe1 but not perfect1 guides4 ,these perceptive faculties1 in a measure1 help and correct each other's impressions2 and through optical illusions1 expectant attention1 dreams1 etc41 we learn that their dictates must be carefully watched and verified4 ,the latest voice of science is that all the sensation produced by physical stimulants can also be produced by the imagination2 so that people can feel cold1 heat1 pain1 etc41 when there is no physical cause for them4 ,these things should not make us skeptical about our perceptive powers1 but rather cautiously critical4 ,if we turn to the reasoning faculties we find that they have been the cause of most contention and misunderstanding4 ,on the one hand have been the extreme intuitionalists1 or deductive theorizers1 who for centuries limited philosophical thought almost entirely to fruitless1 abstract1 deductive reasoning based upon premises that had no real foundation in facts4 ,as ,john ,stuart ,mill pointed out1 the mind may become so accustomed to conceiving of a thing as true that it seems like an axiomatic truth1 although facts discovered later may show that it was an error4 ,thus the time was before modern discoveries1 when people could not conceive of persons living under the earth walking with their heads down1 or of objects attracted towards each other without some material object to connect them and thus draw them together4 ,other extremists have looked upon the mind as a blank sheet1 or have become so skeptical of its intuitive impressions that they mistrust its guidance almost entirely1 especially in religious matters2 although1 strange to say1 they inconsistently seem to trust it all the more in material things4 ,it cannot be denied that our think so's1 feel so's1 impressions1 prejudices and inherited or preconceived ideas may seem as infallible to us as any so-called axiomatic or intuitive truths4 ,this delusion of the mind has led to multitudes of errors and has held people in bondage to ignorance and superstition in all centuries and in all countries4 ,it has ever been the greatest hindrance to progress4 ,closely allied to this and reinforcing it is the inertia of the mind1 through which it naturally continues to run in the grooves in which it has been running4 ,after awhile the grooves or ruts become so deep and smooth that it seems next to impossible to turn out of them without breaking something or upsetting the mental team4 ,we see on every hand how hard it is to get away from the ideas we have inherited or in which we have lived a long time4 ,when truth1 like a vine-dresser1 has attempted to trim off these unnecessary and injurious accretions1 it has always raised the hue and cry that the foundations of truth were being destroyed4 ,when ,mansel1 in his ,bampton lectures of #aheh1 showed that the finite intellect is inadequate and helpless in trying to grasp the truth where infinity of any kind is involved1 the cry was raised that he robbed reason of its glory and authority1 tore away the very foundation of religion and of all truth1 and opened the way to all kinds of skepticism4 ,but the very purpose of that marvelous piece of reasoning was to lead people to the truth as revealed in the ,bible and to keep them from setting it aside or robbing it of its power because it transcends their finite intellects4 ,good but misled people1 in all ages1 have set aside or limited ,god's ,word by their think so's or feel so's1 which were mistakingly taken as an infallible test of truth4 ,just as man by feeling knew not ,god 7,acts #ag3bg71 so man by wisdom knew not ,god2 and it pleased ,god by the foolishness of a revealed gospel to save such as accept it by faith 7,i ,cor4 #a3ba74 ,president ,schurman voices the highest conclusion of philosophy when he says that the farthest reason can go is to assert that ,god is necessary as a working theory4 ,to this we can add conceptions of ,god revealed in our moral nature 7,rom4 #a3ai1 #bj74 ,but what a lifeless skeleton this is compared to the revelation of ,god in ,jesus ,christ our ,saviour4 ,bacon1 ,locke1 ,mill and others have joined in the battle to destroy a false trust in subjective impressions without subjecting them to a fearless test of observed facts as revealed in experience1 observation and testimony4 ,this is not intellectual skepticism that destroys all the authority of reason and leaves us to imbecility4 ,just as the conscience1 sentiments and perceptive faculties are our safe1 proper and necessary guides1 although not infallible1 so our logical reason is our safe and necessary guide to truth1 although helpless to grasp and understand infinite truths and likely to deceive us unless we carefully test its impressions or conceptions by experience and facts4 ,reason is the eye of the intellect as conscience is of the moral nature4 ,but as the eye is helpless as a guide without light1 and the conscience without love1 so reason is helpless and worthless as a guide without facts4 ,there is no conflict between theory and practise if the theory takes into consideration all the facts4 ,for example1 if from the fact that a horse can trot a mile in three minutes on the race-track1 one should conclude that he can trot from one city to another five miles away in fifteen minutes1 the theory would be false1 because it did not take into consideration the condition of the road and the fact that a horse cannot keep up the same speed for a long distance4 ,whatever impressions or conceptions of the mind may be self-evident or axiomatic truths1 it is certain that our highest conception of truth must be taken as our only and necessary guide2 but1 knowing the variable part of our judgment1 and knowing how very likely we are to be mistaken in our think so's and feel so's1 we should ever be on the alert to verify or rectify our convictions by the help of experience and facts4 ,the question as to how much of our intellectual power is intuitive and innate1 or how much is acquired and dependent upon truth learned by induction1 is not so important after all4 ,for the powers of the mind which enable it to learn truths through induction from facts observed and experienced come from ,god just as much as the powers that enable us to see truth intuitively4 ,if we take the consensus of all the mental faculties1 we have the wonderful human intelligence created but little lower than the angels and crowned with glory and honor 7,ps4 #h3e74 ,created in the very image of ,god himself 7,gen4 #a3bg71 man is an intelligence with the threefold guidance of intellect1 conscience and sentiments which give him abundant light for his daily walk in the fear of the ,lord4 ,but even our so-called consciousness1 including all these powers1 is fallible and subject to deception1 perversion and delusion and therefore it needs the help of the truth revealed in the ,bible and the help of all the truth we can learn from life and science to enable us to fulfill our highest destiny and to continue to progress ,godward and heavenward4 ,let us remember that love is the arch that unites and supports all the mental faculties and all the operations of the mind4 ,on it hang all the law and prophets1 and the gospel as well4 ,let us rejoice and glory in our wonderful heritage of intelligence1 but1 knowing the limitations of our finite minds1 let us walk humbly before ,god and our fellow-men4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,looking ,,through ,,colored ,,glasses4 ,differences of ,opinion2 the ,cause and ,cure4 ,what ,should ,be ,our ,attitude ,toward ,those ,who ,differ from ,us8 ,the above headings will give you some idea of the matter ,i wish to bring before you in this chapter4 ,from the previous chapters you will learn that it was through years of bitter experience that ,i was prepared to write this chapter4 ,i write it in love and humility and pray that it may be blessed in warning many of pitfalls in searching for truth and may lead to more charity in dealing with those who differ from us4 ,i have spoken of the sad and lamentable differences of opinion among the best people on earth during all times and on all subjects4 ,what was said in the previous chapter about the fallible1 variable voices of the different parts of the mind blazes the way for a more detailed study of these factors in leading people to error and therefore into divisions4 ,learning of these weaknesses of the mind1 that so easily lead to a perversion of truth1 one might hastily conclude that there is no norm of truth and therefore that people cannot see alike4 ,indeed1 the differences of opinion in religion and other matters are often condoned by the assertion that people cannot see alike4 ,is this true1 and1 if so1 how far8 ,over against the statement that people cannot see things alike1 ,i put the indisputable statement that they cannot possibly see things unlike if they see them at all4 ,every person on earth sees red as red1 unless1 indeed1 he is color blind1 and then he does not see it at all1 in the proper sense of the word4 ,two and two make four to every mind in the universe4 ,given the same premises1 every logical mind will come to the same conclusion and cannot possibly come to any other conclusion4 ,the whole law and order of the universe is based upon this fact1 and without it no science or order would be possible4 ,we will discover that the differences of opinion among men are not to be ascribed to the intellect so much as to the will and sensibilities4 ,we wish to refer now to a chief cause of division of opinion1 and the only one that involves blame2 viz43 the human will4 ,multitudes of people are divided who see things alike and are of the same opinion so far as the intellect is concerned1 but the trouble lies in the will power4 ,they deliberately do that which they know is not right1 for selfish reasons4 ,if this were the only cause of division1 our problem would be an easy one4 ,for then the only proper attitude of the righteous towards those who differ from them1 would be that of unqualified opposition4 ,indeed1 we are always tempted to act on this basis by trusting in ourselves that we are right1 and treating those who differ from us as wrong and guilty and as deserving nothing but our condemnation4 ,if guilt were the only cause of division1 we would have but two political parties1 the one containing all the righteous and the other all the wicked4 ,from a religious standpoint there would be but two classes2 viz41 saints and sinners4 ,but the problem before us is not such an easy one4 ,the causes that lead to differences of opinion are numerous and complex4 ,it is not an easy matter to get at the truth1 although we might think at first thought that it is4 ,every one seems to be surrounded by an atmosphere that reflects1 refracts1 bends1 twists1 distorts and colors the rays of truth as they come to him4 ,neither age1 talent1 experience1 education1 piety nor honesty make a man error-proof2 as may be readily discovered even by a child4 ,for the people around us who possess these qualities are divided among all the different religious and political parties4 ,and when people are divided into different parties1 that teach contradictory doctrines1 they cannot possibly all be right1 although they may all be wrong4 ,inquiring more particularly into the causes of division of opinion1 aside from guilt1 we shall discover the following to be among them3 finite1 limited faculties1 limited and false ideas1 obtained through heredity and ignorance1 preconceived ideas and prejudices4 ,in the search for truth1 as in almost everything else1 there are two extremes1 both of which should be avoided4 ,on the one hand are those who are too ready to accept new ideas without proper examination4 ,they are tossed to and fro1 and carried about with every wind of doctrine4 ,at the other extreme stand the narrow1 self-righteous bigots who absolutely refuse to even examine the claim of any truth they do not already possess4 ,they know it all without finding it out4 ,it matters not whether you speak of politics1 religion or anything else1 they know all about it without investigation4 ,they never read any but their own party papers and books and never hear any but their own speakers and preachers4 ,it is said that a father and son got into a religious discussion4 ,the father was an infidel and the son tried to convert him to ,christianity4 ,they argued and argued until midnight4 ,finally the father said1 ,son1 there is no use talking1 you can't convert me if you argue all night2 ,i am established4 ,the next morning they went for a load of wood1 and as they left the woods the horse got balky and wouldn't move an inch4 ,what is the matter with this horse1 anyway8 asked the father4 ,why1 replied the son1 he is established4 ,the ,bible says1 ,be ye not as the horse or as the mule1 which have no understanding4 ,it is bad enough for a mule to get balky1 but what a pity that man1 created in the image of ,god1 should become balky and refuse to learn the truths that make for his peace and progress and for the enlargement of the kingdom of heaven4 ,an ,arabic proverb says3 ,mankind are four4 ,he who knows not and knows not he knows not2 he is a fool1 shun him4 ,he who knows not and knows that he knows not2 he is simple1 teach him4 ,he who knows and knows not that he knows2 he is asleep1 wake him4 ,and he who knows and knows that he knows2 he is wise1 follow him4 ,the trouble is to know who knows not and knows not that he knows not1 and who knows and knows that he knows4 ,for they both speak with absolute assurance that they are right4 ,illustrations of how blissfully ignorant of truth we can be are found in the facts that ,capt4 ,john ,smith sailed up the ,james ,river to reach ,india and that the ,indians planted gunpowder4 ,it is said that on ,lookout ,mountain there is a building with windows so constructed that if you look out through the one you see a snowstorm2 through another1 you see it raining2 while through a third1 the sun is shining4 ,thus it is that we look at truth through the colored glasses of prejudice and selfish interests1 and see what is not4 ,probably you have heard about the two ,irishmen who get into a fist-fight over a soap sign4 ,one insisted that it read ,ivory ,soap1 and the other1 ,it ,floats4 ,they saw it from a different angle1 and that often accounts for differences of opinion4 ,how expectant attention can deceive us was illustrated a few years ago when ,crystal ,palace1 ,london1 was on fire4 ,a large throng of people were in distress because they saw a favorite monkey burning on the roof4 ,the monkey was later found safe in an adjoining building4 ,it was an old coat that the imagination of the crowd had transformed into a monkey4 ,thus it is that people see ghosts1 and almost anything they are looking for1 through a vivid imagination4 ,in multitudes of cases people are divided because they use words in a different sense1 or misunderstand their significance4 ,years ago1 when ,i was keeping my father's books1 there used to come into the office a bright young man who had more natural ability than education4 ,we were both fond of discussion1 and often had informal debates4 ,one day we debated on ,woman suffrage4 ,i opened up on the subject and as ,i proceeded my opponent got restless to reply4 ,when he took the floor he exploded something as follows3 ,i am opposed to ',woman ,suf-fer-age' with every drop of vitality within my skin4 ,i will use hand1 tongue and purse against ',woman ,suf-fer-age4' ,in short1 ,i am so bitterly opposed to ',woman ,suf-fer-age' for the all-sufficing reason that ,i don't want women to suffer4 ,i said1 ,amen6 and we were agreed for once4 ,you smile1 and yet three-fourths of our differences would vanish if we patiently conferred together long enough to understand each other clearly4 ,the courts recognize that the best of people are blinded when their own interests are involved1 and reject jurymen on this basis4 ,who expects parents to be perfectly impartial in their judgment when their own children are involved8 ,the difference of opinion on the slavery question was largely a matter of geographical location1 and #ij per cent1 of us belong to the political or religious party to which our parents belonged or to the one to which our associations or environment drew us4 ,had we been born in the ,catholic ,church most of us would be good1 faithful ,catholics1 as all history demonstrates1 and as our own lives in other directions abundantly prove4 ,in a series of articles entitled ,why ,i ,am ,what ,i ,am1 one of the most noted preachers in this country candidly admits that his church relationship is a mere matter of birth4 ,this truth is not very congenial to our boasted independence of thought and investigation1 but it is the truth nevertheless4 ,the power of the above-named fetters to hold us in bondage to error is illustrated in all history1 sacred and secular4 ,it took ,peter about ten years after ,pentecost1 with special miraculous manifestations1 to see that ,gentiles were creatures as well as ,jews1 and that therefore he was commissioned to preach to them also4 ,paul1 the pious1 earnest and conscientious1 verily thought he was doing ,god service in persecuting the ,saviour who had been pointed out as the ,christ by many infallible proofs4 ,the ,jews crucified the ,lord of glory largely through ignorance1 due to their being blinded by their traditions1 or inherited religious ideas1 and therefore ,jesus prayed on the cross1 ,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do4 ,luther was mighty in throwing off his inherited ideas1 and yet he retained so many of them that any church that would to-day practise and teach just as ,luther did1 would be considered very near to the ,roman ,catholic ,church4 ,cotton ,mather1 one of the most enlightened men that ever lived1 believed in witches and hung them1 and many of the pious and enlightened people of ,new ,england shared this belief with him4 ,good1 pious neighbors will give testimony in court1 as to what they saw and heard1 of the most contradictory character4 ,in nine cases out of ten1 we find in the ,bible just what we bring to it2 and thus the most pious and best educated see the most contradictory doctrines in the same passages of ,scripture and fight for them with the greatest tenacity1 all in the name of conscience4 ,and the saddest thing about it all is that all these people show by their consecrated lives that they love ,god and are sincerely trying to serve him4 ,in politics1 we see the same pitiable state of affairs4 ,in #ahif about one-half of our good ,christian men voted for the free coinage of silver to save their country1 and the other half voted for a gold standard for the same reason4 ,it does not require any argument to prove that at least half of these voters were so blinded by ignorance and party bias that they did not see the truth1 and possibly all of them were4 ,what a great pity that the good ,christian people should be thus divided through party bias and prejudice and go to slaughtering each other1 like the enemies of ,israel2 so that they simply neutralize each other's influence and power1 while the enemy of right runs off with the victory and spoil4 ,it is this mixture of the good with the bad in two political parties that enables evil to hold its own2 while if all the good were united1 through the truth1 into one political party1 arrayed against all the bad in another political party1 they could carry this country for ,jesus ,christ at every election4 ,having considered the causes that lead to differences of opinion1 how1 in the light of these facts1 should we treat those who differ from us8 ,in the first place1 we should deal with them in humility4 ,when we see how the great and good men of all history have been hindered from seeing the plainest and simplest truths by their inherited and preconceived ideas1 it should take the conceit out of us and make us very fearful lest we are suffering with the same dread disease4 ,for it is to be noted that hardly any one who suffers from this malady is aware of it4 ,cromwell's words to ,parliament will bear a universal application1 when he said1 ,i beseech you1 by the bowels of the ,lord1 that you conceive it possible that you may be mistaken4 ,not only is it possible1 but it is probable1 that we are mistaken in a great many of our ideas4 ,therefore we should approach others in an humble1 teachable spirit4 ,let us not imagine that we know it all1 and treat those who differ from us with self-righteous scorn and contempt4 ,and that leads me to say that we should treat those who differ from us1 with love1 respect and sympathy4 ,i believe that more reformers have been crippled in their efforts by failing in this than in any other way4 ,we are likely to attribute all our failures to the sin and bad character of others1 when the fault often lies in ourselves4 ,god gives a vision of some great truth or needed reform2 as1 for example1 the prohibition of the liquor traffic1 or the union of ,god's people on the primitive gospel4 ,the message is sweet to us1 and so we go on our way with great joy1 feeling sure that we will soon convert everybody to our righteous cause4 ,but1 alas6 we soon discover that people will not convert very fast4 ,our argument seems to us more clear and infallible every time we repeat it1 and yet the people fail to come to our position4 ,and so we are likely to lose faith in the people1 and come to the conclusion that it is nothing but sin and guilt that causes them to reject our message4 ,the next step is to forget our own weaknesses1 trust in ourselves that we are right1 and treat with hate and contempt those who differ from us4 ,treating our opponents with hate and scorn1 we lose both our humility and ,christian character1 and develop into the most hideous and ungodly characters on earth1 self-righteous ,pharisees4 ,and so it happens that we reformers often need reformation worse than those whom we seek to reform4 ,but you say1 did not ,jesus and the ,apostles severely denounce sinners8 ,yes1 but they always first made sure that they were sinners4 ,jesus could read men's hearts and1 therefore1 made no mistake1 while ,paul always reasoned with his opponents out of the ,scriptures in love and humility1 and only condemned them after clear and positive evidence that the fault was in their motive4 ,paul says1 in writing to ,timothy1 the servant of the ,lord must not strive2 but must be gentle unto all men1 apt to teach1 patient2 in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves2 if ,god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth4 ,and1 where he exhorts to reprove and rebuke1 it is with all longsuffering4 ,james says1 ,the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of ,god ,we are never commanded to despise1 hate or denounce any man2 but1 on the other hand1 we are to love every one1 even our enemies4 ,we are all human1 and when it is as clear as daylight to us that we have the truth and argument on our side1 it is a great temptation to cut to pieces and roast our opponents4 ,but is it ,christ-like to do it8 ,do we forget how long it took us to come to the position that now seems so clear to us8 ,some one has said that1 in dealing with children1 we should remember that they are left-handed1 and this is certainly true of people in their relation to truth4 ,the slowness with which people take up new ideas is a merit as well as a fault4 ,we could have no stability and progress anywhere if it were not for this inertia in convictions4 ,the ,athenians and strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing1 and if we would all be occupied in that way1 not much would be accomplished in the world4 ,if we would become disciples of every propagandist whose arguments we cannot answer on the spur of the moment1 there would be nothing but change and confusion4 ,realizing the difficulties in the way of finding truth1 and observing how even the wisest and best have been deceived and ensnared in error1 naturally ought to make people conservative in accepting new ideas1 and the same reasons should make us patient with those who differ from us4 ,they usually need our patient and sympathetic instruction more than our contempt1 hatred and denunciation4 ,all this being true1 we should never forget1 however1 that it is our sacred duty to treat those who differ from us1 in truth4 ,there are two attitudes that are very easy to take4 ,the one is to treat our differences with childish sentimentalism1 saying1 ,peace1 peace1 when there is or ought not to be any peace4 ,the other is to hate and abuse those who differ from us1 and to treat their opinions as beneath our contempt4 ,but the difficult thing to do is to tell the whole truth1 as we see it1 and to do it in love and humility4 ,we are under obligation to tell the truth boldly whatever the outcome may be4 ,to those who threaten us and command us not to tell the truth1 we must reply in the language of ,peter and ,john3 ,whether it be right in the sight of ,god to hearken unto you more than unto ,god1 judge ye4 ,for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard4 ,when people cry1 ,peace1 peace1 at the expense of truth and right1 and want us to speak smooth things instead of ,god's ,word1 we must take warning from ,god's words to ,ezekiel1 which apply to every preacher of truth1 ,when ,i say unto the wicked1 ,thou shalt surely die2 and thou givest him not warning1 nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way1 to save his life3 the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity2 but his blood will ,i require at thine hand4 ,paul went into the ,jewish synagogues repeatedly to lead them into the full truth1 although he raised strife and contention in so doing1 and even suffered violence at their hands4 ,unfortunately1 a large per cent4 of ,christians have formed a conspiracy of silence on matters in which they differ4 ,we have so little of the ,spirit of ,christ that we cannot even talk over our differences without getting angry and exhibiting the fruits of the flesh4 ,and so we say1 ,we will agree to disagree1 and we continue to nourish1 pet and worship our differences as if they were gods4 ,this puts a mighty padlock on the growth into the unity of the faith and knowledge and judgment which ,christ and the ,apostles enjoined upon us4 ,we need to get the ,new ,testament conception of the hideousness and sinfulness of all divisions among ,god's people4 ,and while we recognize the fact that there will always be differences of opinion as long as we are ignorant and sinful and weak1 nevertheless it is our ,christian duty to use our utmost effort to diminish and remove these differences4 ,there always will be sin in this world but we dare not be satisfied with it or abide in it2 but1 on the other hand1 we must fight it with all the power we possess4 ,the same is true with divisions and differences of opinion4 ,we must1 however1 not overlook the important differences between matters of faith and of opinion4 ,matters of faith are directly revealed in the ,bible1 and upon these all ,christians can and must agree as soon as they get a fair look at them4 ,while matters of opinion1 which are not directly revealed in the ,bible1 but are inferred from things revealed1 are important1 they are not all important1 like matters of faith4 ,but the more we overcome the hindrances to finding truth1 of which we have spoken1 the more we will be of the same mind and judgment in all things4 ,for truth is not divided1 and we will all see it alike in so far as we see clearly4 ,as a rule1 we can readily unite on the most important truths1 and therefore on those we need to unite on for our present duty4 ,while1 if1 through lack of faith1 we turn away from the clear duty to seek one that is easier1 and requires less sacrifice1 we usually become hopelessly divided and thus fail in our effort4 ,in conclusion1 having a clear conception of the baneful and ruinous effect of differences of opinion1 and being aware of the powerful causes which hinder us from getting at the truth and thus divide us1 let us strive day and night1 in prayer and labor1 to get the truth ourselves and to lead others into the truth4 ,for in and through the truth1 we shall1 with one mind and one soul1 go conquering and to conquer1 in the name of ,king ,jesus1 for the enlargement of his kingdom of love1 peace and joy4 ,,part ,,ii4 ,,how ,i ,,found ,,christ',s ,,church ,,chapter ,i4 ,,scriptural ,,baptism4 ,one of the chief things that led me to identify myself with the people working for ,christian union1 was my experience with regard to baptism4 ,indeed1 ,i am more and more convinced that baptism is the main key to the question of ,christian union4 ,we can differ on questions of theoretical theology and still work together in harmony in practical ,christian activities4 ,but if we differ on the question of baptism1 we cannot take the first step in preaching the gospel and in leading souls to ,christ1 in the ,new ,testament way1 without getting into conflict4 ,the only way that union meetings of different denominations have been at all possible1 has been by ignoring the plain teaching and practice of the ,apostles on the question of baptism4 ,we never can have ,christian union in the authority of ,christ1 which is the only union which will satisfy his prayer and demand1 until we agree on the two simple ordinances which are the forms in which the gospel embodies itself to bless our souls4 ,and1 fortunately1 these are the easiest things to unite on4 ,when free from prejudice1 there is no question on which ,christians can more easily agree than that of baptism1 as the testimony of the scholars and churches that follow in this chapter abundantly demonstrate4 ,the consummation of ,christian union will have to patiently wait until inherited and acquired prejudices become sufficiently allayed so that all ,christians can look at the question of baptism dispassionately4 ,then it will be discovered that we all agree on this question and the main barrier to ,christian union will be removed4 ,in our weakness we want to procure ,christian union without giving up our sectarian ideas that have been superadded to the ,new ,testament teaching1 and that have caused our division4 ,and so we try to compromise by agreeing to disagree or by ignoring the teachings of the ,new ,testament4 ,but such efforts must be futile and disappointing4 ,we can never unite on the gospel until we agree in the gospel teaching4 ,we can never unite in obeying the ,master until we unite in our opinions as to what the ,master has commanded us to do4 ,but1 thank ,god1 the field is rapidly ripening for this agreement and consequent union4 ,as is usually the case1 ,i received my early ideas on baptism by heredity and environment1 so far as ,i had any ideas on the subject4 ,the religious people with whom ,i was associated in my early life taught and practiced sprinkling and infant baptism1 and1 of course1 ,i assumed that they must be right in the matter4 ,although ,i read the ,bible through several times1 ,i did not see its teaching on this subject1 as ,i was not particularly interested in it4 ,for reasons explained in previous chapters--that we look through colored glasses--multitudes of people daily read their ,bible who never see what is in it2 but imagine1 as a matter of course1 that it teaches what they bring to it through hereditary and preconceived ideas4 ,as already stated1 ,i was first led to think on this subject while ,i studied ,new ,testament ,greek under ,president ,cary1 of the ,meadville ,theological ,school4 ,when we came to the word baptizoo1 ,dr4 ,cary told the class that all ,greek scholars of note agree that the meaning of the word in the mouth of ,jesus was to immerse4 ,this statement was a great surprise to me1 and ,i decided to discover for myself whether this was the fact or not4 ,this was the beginning of my investigation of the subject of baptism4 ,i found that ,dr4 ,cary was correct in his statement4 ,what influenced me greatly was the fact that the ,german rationalists1 who are recognized as among the best scholars of the world1 and who are perfectly impartial on this subject1 as they do not care what the ,bible teaches about baptism1 all say that baptism is immersion1 without ever hinting at a possibility for difference of opinion4 ,i investigated the matter for several years1 as ,i found opportunity1 until there was not the shadow of a doubt left in my mind that immersion is ,new ,testament baptism4 ,while a student at ,oberlin ,theological ,seminary1 ,i found that all the authorities they used in ,new ,testament ,greek1 taught immersion1 while their churches practise sprinkling4 ,in studying ,hebrews in the ,greek1 we used ,dr4 ,westcott's commentary4 ,when we came to ,heb4 #aj3bb1 having our bodies washed with pure water1 ,dr4 ,westcott said this referred to the laver of regeneration or the primitive practice of immersion4 ,when we studied ,romans in ,greek1 we used ,dr4 ,sanday's ,international ,critical ,commentary4 ,the professor told us it was the very best and probably would be for years to come4 ,when we came to ,rom4 #f3d1 buried with him through baptism1 ,dr4 ,sanday never raised a doubt about the meaning1 but in eloquent words spoke about the beautiful representation of burial and resurrection with ,christ in baptism4 ,this astonished me very much1 as ,drs4 ,westcott and ,sanday were noted ,episcopalian scholars1 and the ,episcopal churches practise sprinkling4 ,we used ,dr4 ,thayer's ,new ,testament ,greek lexicon1 which the professor informed us was the very best in the ,english language4 ,this lexicon defined baptizoo as meaning to dip1 and never hinted that sprinkling or pouring might be its meaning4 ,as ,i said above1 ,i found ,dr4 ,cary correct in claiming that all ,greek scholars of note agree that the meaning of the word in the mouth of ,jesus was to immerse1 and ,i have never been able to get hold of a single ,new ,testament lexicon that defines baptizoo as ever meaning to sprinkle or pour4 ,the following chart and facts will help us to get at the truth about the meaning of the ,greek word baptizoo without quoting from a long list of lexicons3 ,illustration3 ,a ,,study ,,in ,,meaning ,,of ,,words4 ,you notice in the chart that we have three separate and distinct words in the ,greek for immersion1 sprinkling and pouring2 and these words have their primary or proper1 secondary or tropical meanings1 all of which must be differentiated4 ,the primary or proper meaning has reference to specific acts1 the secondary meaning refers to things done by means of these specific acts1 while the tropical or metaphorical meaning departs from the specific meaning of the words and therefore cannot have reference to the specific outward acts indicated by the words4 ,for this reason it is a law of language1 recognized by all scholars1 that you must give a word its primary or proper meaning when it is employed in commanding an outward act1 unless the context demands another meaning4 ,notice the ,english words shoot1 hang and poison4 ,these express specific outward acts2 and1 then1 in their secondary meaning1 they mean to kill1 but always to kill in the way indicated by the primary meaning of the word4 ,a man can be hung1 shot or poisoned without being killed2 but if it is reported that he was hung1 shot or poisoned1 we would all understand that he was killed4 ,however1 you cannot conceive of words so changing their meaning1 that when it is said a man was hung1 it means that he was shot1 or when it is said he was poisoned1 it means he was hung4 ,no more is it conceivable that when the ,greek word baptizoo 7to immerse7 was used1 it meant to cleanse by sprinkling 7rantizoo71 or when the word rantizoo 7to sprinkle7 was used1 it meant to cleanse by immersing 7baptizoo74 ,these words refer primarily to separate and distinct outward acts4 ,it is true they may meet in their secondary meaning in the idea to cleanse2 but they always refer to cleansing in the way indicated by the primary meaning of the word used4 ,when they travel so far from their primary or proper meaning1 which has reference to specific outward acts1 that their meaning is said to be tropical or metaphorical1 they lose their specific idea and have no longer any reference to the specific acts denoted by the words4 ,it is true that words can and do often change or enlarge their meaning4 ,but this is always to supply a need created by the lack of a proper word to express an associated idea4 ,now1 both the specific and general ideas with reference to the application of water are so copiously supplied with words in the ,greek1 that they preclude the necessity of changing the meaning of a word like baptizoo to supply such a need4 ,we have louoo1 to wash or bathe the body2 niptoo1 to wash a part of the body1 as the hands1 feet1 face1 etc42 plunoo1 to wash clothes2 brechoo1 to wet1 to rain2 katharizoo1 to cleanse2 ekcheoo1 to pour2 rantizoo1 to sprinkle2 baptizoo1 to immerse1 etc4 ,thus we have a threefold guard to keep baptizoo to its primary or proper meaning of to dip or immerse4 ,first1 an abundance of ,greek words to express every general and specific idea about the application of water1 except that of immersion2 second1 the fact that a tropical meaning of a word cannot refer to the specific outward act indicated by the word2 and third1 the law of interpretation which demands that a word be given its primary or proper meaning in commandments1 or plain narrative1 unless the context expressly demands a different meaning4 ,the above definitions of the word baptizoo are taken from ,dr4 ,thayer's ,new ,testament ,greek ,lexicon4 ,in reply to letters inquiring about ,dr4 ,thayer's ,new ,testament ,greek ,lexicon1 the following answers-were received4 ,it is the best 7,professor ,hodge1 of ,princeton72 it is the very best 7,dr4 ,alexander1 of ,vanderbilt ,university72 nothing can compare with it 7,dr ,hersman1 president of the ,southwestern ,presbyterian ,university74 ,this opinion is practically made unanimous from the fact that ,dr4 ,thayer's ,lexicon is used at all of the leading schools in the country4 ,a request for an authoritative lexicon that gives sprinkle or pour as a meaning of baptizoo1 elicited the following answers3 ,there is no such lexicon 7,professor ,humphreys1 of the ,university of ,virginia1 and ,professor ,d'ooge1 of ,colby ,university72 ,i know of none 7,professor ,flagg1 of ,cornell72 ,i do not know of any 7,professor ,tyler1 of ,amherst74 ,baptizoo means to immerse4 ,all lexicographers and critics of any note are agreed in this4--,dr4 ,moses ,stuart4 ,thus we learn1 through the testimony of experts1 without consulting all the numerous ,greek lexicons1 that they define the word baptizoo as meaning to immerse and that none of them say it means to sprinkle or to pour4 ,the great mass of ,christians know nothing about the ,greek experts who make the lexicons1 but are much better acquainted with and influenced by the great church leaders and church standards4 ,therefore we present the following quotations3 ,scholars and ,churches ,admit that ,christ ,taught ,immersion4 ,,note4--,these quotations are taken from a tract of mine on baptism4 ,i4 ,council of ,toledo1 #fcc 7,catholic73 ,we observe a single immersion in baptism4 #b4 ,council of ,cologne1 #abhj 7,catholic73 ,that he who baptizes when he immerses the candidate in water1 etc4 #c4 ,martini 7,roman ,catholic73 ,in all of the pontificals and rituals ,i have seen 7except that of ,madeleine de ,beulieu71 and ,i have seen many1 ancient as well as more recent1 immersion is prescribed4 #d4 ,dollinger 7,roman ,catholic73 ,baptism was administered by an entire immersion in water4 7,chu4 ,history1 vol4 #b1 p4 #bid47 ,a mere pouring or sprinkling was never thought of4 7,first ,age of ,chu41 p4 #cah47 ,baptism by immersion continued to be the prevailing practice of the church as late as the fourteenth century4 7,hist4 ,ch41 vol4 #b1 p4 #bie47 #e4 ,ritual of ,greek ,catholic ,church3 ,the priest immerses him1 saying the servant of ,god is immersed1 in the name of the ,father1 etc4 #f4 ,russian ,catechism 7,greek ,catholic73 ,this they hold to be a point necessary1 that no part of the child be undipped in water1 etc4 #g4 ,alex4 ,de ,stourdza 7native ,greek73 ,the verb baptize1 immergo1 has1 in fact1 but one sole acceptation4 ,it signifies1 literally and always1 to plunge4 ,baptism and immersion are1 therefore1 identical1 and to say baptism is by aspersion is as if one should say1 immersion by aspersion1 or any other absurdity of the same nature4 7,con4 sur ,la,doc4 et ,l',esprit1 p4 #hg47 #h4 ,dr4 ,kyriasko1 of ,university of ,athens1 ,greece3 ,the verb baptize in the ,greek language never has the meaning of to pour or to sprinkle1 but invariably that of to dip4 7,letter to ,c4 ,g4 ,jones1 ,lynchburg1 ,va47 #i4 ,syrian ,ritual 7,nestorians73 ,the priest immerses him in water1 saying such a one is baptized in the name of the ,father1 etc4 #aj4 ,martin ,luther3 ,baptism is a ,greek word4 ,in ,latin it can be translated immersion1 as when we plunge something into water1 that it may be completely covered with water2 they ought to have been completely immersed4 7,the ,sacrament of ,baptism47 #aa4 ,lutheran ,catechism1 p4 #baf3 ,in what did this act 7baptism7 consist8 ,answer3 ,the one to be baptized was first immersed in water1 signifying death1 and then he was drawn out again and was dressed with a new dress1 as if he now were a different new being4 #ab4 ,john ,calvin 7,presbyterian73 ,the word baptize signifies to immerse1 and it is certain that the rite of immersion was observed by the ancient church4 7,inst4 ,book #d1 c4 #ae47 #ac4 ,richard ,baxter 7,presbyterian73 ,it is commonly confessed by us to the ,anabaptists1 as our commentators declare1 that in the ,apostles' time the baptized were dipped over head in the water4 7,dis4 ,right to ,sac41 p4 #gj47 #ad4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,d4 ,powell1 while in ,athens1 ,greece1 wrote3 ,i found that all churches in ,greece--the ,presbyterian included--are compelled to immerse candidates for baptism1 for1 as one of the professors remarked1 'the commonest day laborer understands nothing else for baptizoo but immersion4' #ae4 ,zwingle 7,reformed73 ,when ye were immersed into the water of baptism1 ye wrere engrafted into the death of ,christ4 7,com4 ,rom4 #f3c47 #af4 ,john ,wesley 7,methodist73 ,we are buried with him1 alluding to the ancient manner of baptizing by immersion4 7,notes on ,n4 ,t41 ,rom4 #f3d47 ,baptized according to the custom of the first church and the rule of the ,church of ,england1 by immersion4 7,journal1 vol4 ,i1 p4 #bj47 ,in ,savannah1 ,ga41 ,sept41 #agcg1 ,wesley was found guilty of breaking the laws of the realm1 among other things by refusing to baptize ,mr4 ,parker's child otherwise than by dipping4 7,jour41 vol4 ,i1 pp4 #db1 #dc47 #ag4 ,the ,methodist ,discipline of #ahdf1 and the old ,discipline compiled by ,wesley himself1 assert that ,jesus was baptized in the river of ,jordan1 and that the sixth of ,romans means simply a burial in water4 #ah4 ,adam ,clark 7,methodist73 ,as they received baptism as an emblem of death1 in voluntarily going under the water1 so they received it as an emblem of the resurrection into eternal life1 in coming up out of the water4 7,com41 vol4 #d1 ,n4 ,t47 #ai4 ,prayer ,book 7,church of ,england73 ,the priest shall dip him in the water1 discreetly and warily4 #bj4 ,conybeare and ,howson 7,episcopalians73 ,it is needless to add that baptism was administered by immersion1 the convert being plunged beneath the surface of the water to represent his death to the life of sin1 then raised from this momentary burial to represent his resurrection to the life of righteousness4 ,it must be a subject of regret that the general discontinuance of this original form of baptism has rendered obscure to popular apprehension some very important passages of ,scripture4 7,life of ,st4 ,paul47 #bf4 ,prof4 ,l4 ,l4 ,paine 7,congregational73 ,it may be honestly asked by some1 ,was immersion the primitive form of baptism8 ,as to the question of fact1 the testimony is ample and decisive4 ,it is a point on which ancient1 medieval and modern historians alike1 ,catholic and ,protestant1 ,lutheran and ,calvinist1 have no controversy4 ,no historian who cares for his reputation would dare to deny it1 and no historian who is worthy of the name would wish to4 #bg4 ,dr4 ,george ,campbell 7,presbyterian73 ,i have heard a disputant of this stamp1 in defiance of etymology and use1 maintain that the word rendered in the ,n4 ,t4 baptize means more properly to sprinkle than to plunge4 ,one who argues in this manner never fails1 with persons of knowledge1 to betray the cause he would defend2 and though in respect to the vulgar1 bold assertions generally succeed as well as arguments1 sometimes better1 yet a candid mind will disdain to take the help of a falsehood even in support of the truth4 7,lect4 on ,pul4 ,el4 ,lect1 #aj1 pp4 #bid1 #bie47 #bh4 ,philip ,schaff 7,un4 ,theo4 ,sem473 ,the baptism of ,christ in the river ,jordan1 and the illustrations of baptism used in the ,n4 ,t41 are all in favor of immersion rather than sprinkling1 as is freely admitted by the best exegetes1 ,catholic and ,protestant1 ,english and ,german4 ,nothing can be gained by an unnatural exegesis4 7,teaching of ,apostles1 pp4 #ee1ef47 #bi4 ,paul3 ,we are buried with him by baptism into death2 that like as ,christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the ,father1 even so we also should walk in newness of life4 7,rom4 #f3d47 #cj4 ,peter says our bodies are washed in baptism1 7#a ,pet4 ,i3#bc47 #ca4 ,mark3 ,jesus--was baptized in ,marg41 ,greek1 into the ,jordan 7,mark #a3i1 ,a4 ,r4 ,v474 ,he could not have been baptized into the water without being immersed4 ,churches ,have ,changed ,immersion to ,sprinkling4 #a4 ,the first record of sprinkling for baptism is that of ,novatian1 ,a4 ,d4 #bej4 ,it was thought he was dying and1 as he could not be immersed1 they sprinkled water on him4 ,thus originated what was called clinic or death-bed baptism4 ,its introduction was vigorously opposed for centuries and clinics were not admitted to sacred orders1 many doubting their baptism4 #b4 ,pope ,stephen ,,iii4 ,in #ged the monks of ,cressy asked ,stephen ,,iii43 ,is it lawful1 in case of necessity1 occasioned by sickness1 to baptize an infant by pouring water on its head from a cup or the hands8 ,the ,pope replied3 ,such a baptism1 performed in such a case of necessity1 shall be accounted valid4 ,basnage says3 ,this was accounted the first law against immersion4 #c4 ,the ,council of ,ravenna1 #acaa1 decreed3 ,baptism is to be administered by trine aspersion or immersion4 ,this was the first authority for sprinkling except in case of sickness4 #d4 ,cardinal ,gibbons 7,r4 ,catholic73 ,since the twelfth century the practice of baptizing by affusion has prevailed in the ,catholic ,church1 as this manner is attended with less inconvenience than baptism by immersion4 7,faith of ,our ,fathers1 p4 #bge47 #e4 ,bishop of ,bossuet 7,r4 ,catholic73 ,the case 7communion under one kind7 was much the same as that of baptism by immersion1 as clearly grounded on ,scripture as communion under both kinds could be1 and which1 nevertheless1 had been changed into infusion1 with as much ease and as little contradiction as communion under one kind was established1 so that the same reason stood for retaining one as the other4 ,it is a fact most certainly avowed in the ,reformation1 although some will cavil at it1 that baptism was instituted by immersing the whole body in water4 ,this fact1 ,i say1 is unanimously acknowledged by all the divines of the ,reformation3 by ,luther1 by ,melancthon1 by ,calvin1 by ,casaubon1 by ,grotius1 by all the rest4 7,varia4 ,protest41 vol4 #b1 p4 #cgj47 #f4 ,archbishop ,kenrick 7,r4 ,catholic73 ,the change of discipline which has taken place as to baptism should not surprise us1 for1 although the church is but the dispenser of the sacraments which her ,divine ,spouse instituted1 she rightfully exercises a discretionary power as to the manner of their adminstration4 ,immersion was well suited to the ,eastern nations1 whose habits and climate prepared them for it1 and was1 therefore1 practiced in the commencement1 whenever necessity did not prevent it4 ,cases1 which at first were exceptional1 gradually multiplied1 so that1 at length1 the ordinary mode of baptism was by affusion4 ,the church wisely sanctioned that which1 although less solemn1 is equally effectual4 ,the power of binding and loosing1 which she received from ,christ1 warrants this exercise of governing wisdom4 ,it is not for the individuals to question a right which has been at all times claimed and exercised by those to whom the dispensation of the mysteries is divinely intrusted4 7,kenrick on ,bap41 p4 #agd47 #g4 ,haydock1 ,endorsed by ,pope ,pius ,,ix43 ,the church1 which cannot change the least article of faith1 is not so tied up in matters of discipline and ceremony4 ,not only the ,catholic ,church1 but also the pretended reformed churches1 have altered the primitive custom in giving the sacrament of baptism and now allow of baptisms by sprinkling and pouring water upon the person baptized4 7,notes on ,douay ,bible1 ,matt4 #c3af47 #h4 ,lutheran ,catechism1 p4 #bjh3 ,what is baptism8 ,answer3 ,to dip under water4 ,do we still baptize in that way8 ,answer3 ,no2 because of the rough climate1 the subject now is only sprinkled4 #i4 ,john ,calvin 7,presbyterian73 ,wherefore the church did grant liberty to herself1 since the beginning1 to change the rites somewhat1 excepting the substance4 ,it is of no consequence at all whether the person that is baptized is totally immersed1 or whether he is merely sprinkled by an affusion of water4 ,this should be a matter of choice to the churches in different regions4 #aj4 ,westminster ,assembly 7,presbyterian71 #afdc3 ,in the ,assembly of ,divines1 held at ,westminster in #afdc1 it was keenly debated whether immersion or sprinkling should be adopted2 #be voted for sprinkling1 and #bd for immersion2 and even that small majority was obtained at the earnest request of ,dr4 ,lightfoot1 who had acquired great influence in that assembly4 7,edinburgh ,ency41 vol4 #c1 p4 #bcf47 #aa4 ,dr4 ,wall 7,episcopalian73 ,one would have thought that the cold countries should have been the first that should have changed the custom from dipping to affusion4 ,but by history it appears that the cold climates held the custom of dipping as long as any2 for ,england1 which is one of the coldest1 was one of the latest that admitted this alteration of the ordinary way4 4 4 4 ,the offices or liturgies for public baptism in the ,church of ,england did all along1 so far as ,i can learn1 enjoin dipping1 without any mention of pouring or sprinkling4 ,the ,prayer ,book1 printed in #aedi1 adds3 ',and if the child be weak1 it shall suffice to pour water upon it' 7,wall's ,hist4 ,inft4 ,bap41 vol4 #c1 pp4 #ege1egi47 #ab4 ,dean ,stanley 7,episcopalian73 ,in speaking of immersion1 he says3 ,the cold climate of ,russia has not been found an obstacle to its continuance throughout that vast empire4 ,even in the ,church of ,england it is still observed in theory4 ,the ,rubric in the public baptism for infants enjoins that1 unless for special causes1 they are to be dipped1 not sprinkled4 7,institutes1 pp4 #ah1ai47 ,the ,church of ,england has changed to sprinkling1 but its creed teaches immersion4 #ac4 ,sir ,john ,floyer3 ,i have now given what testimony ,i could find in our ,english authors1 to prove the practice of immersion from the time the ,britons and ,saxons were baptized1 till ,king ,james' days1 when the people grew peevish with all ancient ceremonies1 and through the love of novelty and the niceness of parents1 and the pretense of modesty1 they laid aside immersion4 7,history of ,cold ,bathing1 p4 #fa47 #ad4 ,bishop ,a4 ,c4 ,coxe1 editor of ,ante-,nicene ,fathers 7,episcopalian73 ,the word 7baptizo7 means to dip4 ,in the ,church of ,england dipping is even now the primary rule4 ,but it is not the ordinary custom4 ,it survived far down into ,queen ,elizabeth's time1 but seems to have died out early in the seventeenth century4 ,i ought to add that in ,france 7unreformed7 the custom of dipping became obsolete long before it was disused in ,england4 ,but for this bad example1 my own opinion is1 that dipping would still prevail among ,anglicans4 ,i wish that all ,christians would restore the primitive practice4 7,in a letter to ,j4 ,t4 ,christian47 ,thus we have the testimony of all the scholars in all the churches1 who are recognized as ,greek experts outside of their own party1 that the ,new ,testament teaches immersion and that it has been changed to sprinkling and pouring by human authority4 ,we do not believe that this change was made with a bad motive4 ,it was evidently done in sincerity and in the honest belief that it was the right thing to do4 ,we must accept the honest testimony of these scholarly experts that the ,new ,testament teaches immersion1 but we certainly believe they were mistaken in taking the liberty to change ,christ's command4 ,if we take such liberties1 all of the commandments of ,christ will soon be set aside and confusion will be worse confounded4 ,indeed1 it is this very liberty of substituting what men thought best for the things revealed in the ,new ,testament1 that has caused our present sectarian divisions by adding human names1 creeds1 customs1 etc41 to the primitive gospel4 ,scriptures to ,show ,it is ,wrong to ,change ,christ's ,commands4 ,they have transgressed the laws1 changed the ordinance1 broken the everlasting covenant 7,isa4 #bd3e74 ,howbeit in vain do they worship me1 teaching for doctrines the commandments of men4 ,for laying aside the commandments of ,god1 ye hold the tradition of men4 ,ye reject the commandment of ,god that ye may keep your own tradition4 ,making the word of ,god of none effect through your tradition1 which ye have delivered2 and many such like things ye do 7,mark #g3g-i1 #ac74 ,though it be but a man's covenant1 yet if it be confirmed1 no man disannulleth1 or addeth thereto 7,gal4 #c3 #ae74 ,behold1 to obey is better than sacrifice1 and to hearken than the fat of rams4 ,for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft1 and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry 7,i ,sam4 #ae3bb1bc74 ,he that turneth away his ear from hearing the law1 even his prayer shall be abomination 7,prov4 #bh3i74 ,whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them1 ,i will liken him unto a wise man1 which built his house upon a rock4 ,and every one that heareth these sayings of mine1 and doeth them not1 shall be likened unto a foolish man1 which built his house upon the sand2 and the rain descended1 and the floods came1 and the winds blew1 and beat upon that house2 and it fell2 and great was the fall of it 7,matt4 #g3bd1 #bf1bg74 ,if ye love me1 keep my commandments4 ,he that hath my commandments and keepeth them1 he it is that loveth me4 ,if a man love me1 he will keep my words4 ,ye are my friends1 if ye do whatsoever ,i command you 7,john #ad3 #ae1ba1bc2 #ae3ad74 ,why call ye me ,lord1 ,lord1 and do not the things which ,i say 7,luke #f3df74 ,and all the people that heard him1 and the publicans1 justified ,god1 being baptized with the baptism of ,john4 ,but the ,pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of ,god against themselves1 being not baptized of him 7,luke #g3bi1cj47 ,and hereby do we know that we know him1 if we keep his commandments4 ,he that saith1 ,i know him1 and keepeth not his commandments1 is a liar1 and the truth is not in him 7,i ,john #b3 #c1d74 ,but1 after all1 the very best way for ordinary people to learn the meaning of baptism1 is to go to the ,english ,bible4 ,although human authority and prejudice have hindered the translators from translating the ,greek word1 and thus telling us what it means in ,english1 the contexts and sidelights on the subject make its meaning so plain that all can readily see it if divested of prejudice and preconceived ideas4 ,by reading the introduction to the ,english ,revised ,bible1 you will learn that the translators of the ,authorized ,version were forbidden to translate the word4 ,other translators have followed their example2 so that it is neither translated to sprinkle1 to pour nor to immerse in our standard ,english ,bibles4 ,the ,greek word baptisma has simply had the last letter dropped and been carried over into ,english bodily4 ,but the word has been translated in numerous editions in various languages1 and whenever it has been translated1 it was always by the word immerse or an equivalent term4 ,no scholar1 in any language1 has ever had the temerity to translate it to sprinkle or to pour4 ,even our ,english translators translate it when it is not used as an ecclesiastical term4 ,and when they translate it1 they say it means to dip4 ,in #b ,kings #e3ad1 we read of ,naaman1 ,he went down and dipped baptizato himself seven times in ,jordan4 ,we may not have a sufficient knowledge of ,greek to determine what ,jesus meant when he commanded us to be baptized4 ,but the ,apostles certainly understood him2 and if we can find out what they did when they baptized1 and we do the same thing1 then we know we are right1 and have done what ,christ commanded4 ,let us turn to the ,sacred ,record and see what they did when they baptized4 ,we read3 ,and there went out unto him all the country of ,judaea1 and all they of ,jerusalem1 and they were baptized of him in the river ,jordan1 confessing their sins4 4 4 4 ,and it came to pass in those days1 that ,jesus came from ,nazareth of ,galilee1 and was baptized of ,john in ,greek into1 marg4 of ,a4 ,r4 ,v4 the ,jordan4 ,and straightway coming up out of the water1 he saw the heavens opened1 and the ,spirit like a dove descending upon him 7,mark #a3e1i1aj74 ,john was baptizing in ,a,enon near to ,salim1 because there was much water there 7,john #c3bc74 ,and they both went down into the water1 both ,philip and the eunuch1 and he baptized him4 ,and when they came up out of the water 4 4 4 he went on his way rejoicing 7,acts #h3ch1ci74 ,we are buried with him by baptism1 planted in the likeness of his death1 and raised in the likeness of his resurrection 7,rom4 #f3d1e74 ,having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water 7,heb4 #aj3bb74 ,except a man be born of the water and of the ,spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven 7,john #c3e74 ,the italics are mine4 ,the following chart summarizes our study of baptism in the ,english ,bible3 ,,baptism ,,in ,,the ,,english ,,bible ,,the ,,bible ,,and ,,immersion ,,sprinkling ,,and ,,pouring ,,require3 ,,require3 #a4 ,water4 ,acts #h3cf2 #aj3dg #a4 ,water #b4 ,much water4 ,john #c3bc #b4 ,little water #c4 ,going to water4 ,mark #a3i #c4 ,bringing water #d4 ,going into water4 ,acts #h3ch #d4 ,staying out of water #e4 ,putting into water4 ,mark #a3i #e4 ,putting water on 7,margin of ,a4 ,r4 ,v7 #f4 ,form of burial4 ,col4 #b3ab #f4 ,no form of burial #g4 ,form of planting4 ,rom #f3e #g4 ,no form of planting #h4 ,form of birth4 ,john #c3e #h4 ,no form of birth #i4 ,form of resurrection4 #i4 ,no form of resurrection ,rom4 #f3d #aj4 ,form of doctrine4 ,rom4 #f3ag #aj4 ,no form of doctrine #aa4 ,bodies washed4 ,heb4 #aj3bb #aa4 ,head wet #ab4 ,coming up out of the water4 #ab4 ,no getting out ,mark #a3aj ,we thus learn that in being baptized they went to water1 to much water1 went into the water1 were put into the water1 were buried in the water1 planted in the water1 born out of the water1 raised out of the water1 had their bodies washed and came up out of the water4 ,if we do these things1 we are ,scripturally baptized and have been immersed4 ,the following passages are the only places where sprinkling and pouring are found in the ,new ,testament3 ,sprinkling and ,pouring in the ,new ,testament4 #a4 ,heb4 #i3ac4--;,blood4 #b4 ,heb4 #i3ai4--;,blood4 #c4 ,heb4 #i3ba4--;,blood4 #d4 ,heb4 #aj3bb4--;,hearts4 #e4 ,heb4 #aa3bh4--;,blood4 #f4 ,heb4 #ab3bd4--;,blood4 #g4 #a ,pet4 #a3b4--;,blood4 #h4 ,matt4 #bf3g1ab4--,ointment4 #i4 ,john #b3ae4--,money4 #aj4 ,acts #aj3de4--,spirit4 #aa4 ,john #ac3e4--,water4 #ab4 ,luke #aj3cd4--,oil and ,wine4 #ac4 ,rev4 #ad3aj4--,wrath4 ,you will notice that none of these ,scriptures refer to baptism and that none of the ,scriptures that do refer to baptism hint at sprinkling or pouring as the action4 ,sprinkling and pouring for baptism must come from some other source4 ,we have already learned whence they came4 ,some people will argue against immersion for hours1 and when they are driven into their last trenches1 and about to be caught1 they try to escape by saying1 ,baptism doesn't amount to anything at any rate1 it's a mere form4 ,the great thing is ,holy ,spirit baptism4 ,to begin with1 ,holy ,spirit baptism is not baptism at all1 strictly speaking4 ,it is only figurative baptism4 ,it is not always called baptism4 ,it is called an anointing 7,luke #d3 #ah71 a drinking 7#a ,cor4 #ab3 #ac71 an enduing 7,luke #bd3di71 a filling 7,acts #b3d71 and a sealing 7,eph4 #a3ac74 ,no person can be literally sprinkled or poured with the ,holy ,spirit1 or immersed into ,him1 as the ,holy ,spirit is a person4 ,the figurative meaning of baptism is to overwhelm1 and to be baptized with the ,holy ,spirit is to be submerged or overwhelmed in ,his power1 or to come completely under ,his control4 ,holy ,spirit baptism is not a command to obey1 but a promise to enjoy4 ,it can only be administered by ,christ himself 7,john #a3cc74 ,therefore1 whenever in the ,new ,testament baptism is commanded for preachers to administer or sinners to obey1 it can never refer to ,holy ,spirit baptism1 but must always refer to water baptism4 ,in the light of ,new ,testament teaching and practise1 it is marvelous that any one who claims to follow its guidance1 can make light of baptism4 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why did ,christ walk eighty miles to be baptized of ,john1 and insist that it was necessary for him to be baptized to fulfil all righteousness8 7,matt4 #c3 #ac-ag74 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why1 in giving his commission to all gospel workers1 did ,christ say1 ,go ye therefore1 and make disciples of all nations1 baptizing them8 7,matt4 #bh3 #ai74 ,those who neglect to baptize their converts have certainly not wholly obeyed their ,lord4 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why did ,jesus say1 ,go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation4 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved8 7,mark #af3ae1 #af74 ,not only is every preacher commanded to baptize every convert1 but every convert is also commanded to be baptized2 and baptism is made one of the conditions of salvation with every proper gospel subject4 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why did ,jesus say to ,nicodemus1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except one be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot inherit the kingdom of ,god8 7,john #c3e74 ,all church standards refer this to baptism4 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why did ,peter1 on ,pentecost1 when he used the keys of the kingdom1 revealed ,christ's will and testament for sinners1 and thus proclaimed the conditions of salvation1 or of forgiveness1 to all whom the ,lord should call through the gospel1 say to penitent seekers1 ,repent ye1 and be baptized every one of you in the name of ,jesus ,christ unto the remission of your sins1 and ye shall receive the gift of the ,holy ,spirit8 7,acts #b3ch74 ,and why is it said1 ,they then that received his word were baptized8 7,acts #b3da74 ,will not the same follow to-day if people will receive the ,word of ,god without any subtractions8 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why is it said of the ,samaritans that when they believed ,philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of ,god and the name of ,jesus ,christ1 they were baptized1 both men and women8 7,acts #h3 #ab74 ,will not the same follow to-day when people believe the whole gospel8 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why is it said of the eunuch that when ,philip preached unto him ,jesus1 he said1 ,behold1 here is water2 what does hinder me to be baptized88 ,and why did he not go on his way rejoicing before he came up out of the water8 7,acts #h3ce1ci74 ,if our converts do not ask for baptism1 and we send them away as finished products without going down into the water with them1 are we preaching and practising the same gospel as did the primitive evangelists under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit8 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why did not even ,christ himself speak peace to the soul of ,saul1 but sent him to ,damascus and directed ,ananias to tell him what he must do1 who said to him1 ,and now why tarriest thou8 arise1 and be baptized1 and wash away thy sins1 calling on the name of the ,lord8 7,acts #i3 #f1 #g2 #bb3 #af74 ,does not the ,lord send his servants to-day with the same message to those who put off their obedience to him in baptism8 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why was there a special miraculous demonstration to avoid objections to the baptism of the household of ,cornelius1 the first ,gentile converts2 and why did ,peter command them to be baptized with water1 after they had received the baptism of the ,holy ,spirit8 7,acts #aj3dd-dh74 ,does not this show that ,holy ,spirit baptism was not to displace water baptism8 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why was ,lydia baptized as soon as she gave heed unto the things which were spoken by ,paul8 7,acts #af3 #ad1 #ae74 ,if properly instructed1 will not all people be baptized as soon as they are willing to give heed unto the word of the ,lord8 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why1 when the ,philippian jailor was told by ,paul and ,silas what he must do to be saved1 was he baptized immediately1 the same hour of the night8 7,acts #af3 #bi-cc74 ,will not the same gospel1 if preached in the same way1 have the same effect to-day8 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why is it said that many of the ,corinthians hearing believed1 and were baptized8 7,acts #ah3h74 ,will not those who hear and believe in sincerity to-day also be baptized8 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why is it said by the ,holy ,spirit that ,priscilla and ,aquila expounded unto ,apollos the way of ,god more accurately1 after he was mighty in the scriptures and had been instructed in the way of the ,lord1 and taught accurately the things of ,jesus1 knowing only the baptism of ,john8 7,acts #ah3bd-bf74 ,if the ,lord was then concerned to have preachers set right on water baptism1 even when their gospel knowledge was accurate in every other particular1 does he not have a similar concern now8 and if our hearts are in perfect accord with his1 will his concern not be our concern8 ,baptism a mere form8 ,then1 why was it ,paul's first concern1 when he came to ,ephesus1 to set the brethren right on water baptism1 even though they were called disciples1 and had already been baptized 7immersed7 once8 7,acts #ai3 #a-g74 ,this shows that baptism is not a mere outward act1 but is important because of its relation to the ,lord ,jesus1 an obedient heart1 and to the ,holy ,spirit4 ,if the ,lord1 through the ,apostle1 directed these disciples to be baptized a second time1 when they found they were not ,scripturally baptized1 are not these his directions for to-day also8 and should not his preachers show people the truth if they have not been ,scripturally baptized1 and1 if possible1 induce them to obey the ,scriptural baptism1 even when they thought they had been ,scripturally baptized8 ,it is true that ,paul said to the ,corinthians1 ,i thank ,god that ,i baptized none of you1 save ,crispus and ,gaius2 lest any man should say that ye were baptized into my name4 ,and ,i baptized also the household of ,stephanas3 besides1 ,i know not whether ,i baptized any other4 ,for ,christ sent me not to baptize1 but to preach the gospel 7#a ,cor4 #a3 #ad-ag74 ,in the words ,i have placed in italics1 we are told why he was glad he baptized only a few of them4 ,it was lest they should be his partisans1 as they were divided on human leaders4 ,we certainly dare not so interpret the words1 for ,christ sent me not to baptize1 but to preach the gospel1 as to contradict the commission of ,christ and all the numerous clear ,scriptures we have just quoted4 ,he evidently meant that he himself did not do the baptizing1 but had others do that part of the work1 while he gave his time and strength to the preaching of the gospel4 ,the same was true of ,jesus himself1 as we learn from ,john #d3a1 #b3 ,when therefore the ,lord knew that the ,pharisees had heard that ,jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than ,john 7although ,jesus himself baptized not1 but his disciples74 ,he baptized them and he didn't baptize them4 ,that is1 he commanded them to be baptized and had his disciples perform the act4 ,so evidently with ,paul4 ,if he meant that his converts were not to be baptized1 then he would certainly not have baptized any of them4 ,that ,paul was zealous in seeing that all his converts were baptized1 is apparent from the cases already quoted1 especially the baptism of the ,ephesians4 ,for when he discovered that their baptism was not ,scriptural1 he1 first of all1 insisted that they be baptized again4 ,it is further apparent from his teaching in his ,epistles4 ,in #a ,cor4 #ab3ac we read1 ,for in one ,spirit were we all baptized into one body 444 and were all made to drink of one ,spirit4 ,in ,gal4 #c3bf1 #bg1 we read1 ,for ye are all sons of ,god1 through faith in ,christ ,jesus4 ,for as many of you as were baptized into ,christ did put on ,christ4 ,in ,rom4 #f3c1 #d1 we read1 ,or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into ,christ ,jesus were baptized into his death8 ,we were buried therefore with him through baptism into death3 that like as ,christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the ,father1 so we also might walk in newness of life4 ,in ,col4 #b3 #ab1 we have similar language1 having been buried with him in baptism1 wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of ,god1 who also raised him from the dead4 ,in ,heb4 #aj3bb1 it is said1 ,having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience3 and having our body washed with pure water4 ,after reading these ,scriptures1 no one can doubt that ,paul had all his converts baptized1 and believed in baptism just as strongly as ,christ and ,peter4 ,that ,peter had the same opinion about baptism near the end of his life1 as at ,pentecost1 is evident from his words in ,i ,pet4 #c3ba3 ,which also after a true likeness doth now save you1 even baptism1 not the putting away the filth of the flesh1 but the interrogation of a good conscience toward ,god1 through the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ4 ,that to refuse to be baptized after knowing that ,christ has commanded it is to disobey him and to rebel against his authority1 is clear from the words of the ,holy ,spirit recorded in ,luke #g3 #bi1 #cj3 ,and all the people when they heard1 and the publicans1 justified ,god1 being baptized with the baptism of ,john4 ,but the ,pharisees and lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of ,god1 being not baptized of him4 ,and yet1 despite all these ,scriptures1 many pious saints are so blinded by their prejudices and traditions1 that instead of encouraging and exhorting people to obey this command to be baptized1 that is given to test the soul's complete surrender to ,christ1 and is called the obedience of faith or of the gospel1 they encourage people to live in disobedience to ,christ by affirming that baptism is a mere form or non-essential4 ,if subordinates in an army or earthly kingdom act thus and use their influence to induce others to disobey the orders of those over them1 they are punished for treason4 ,any army that is thoroughly united in the authority of its commander and cheerfully and promptly obeys his orders1 is usually successful2 while the largest and best army on earth would be doomed to defeat the moment its officers and men would disobey orders and each do as he pleases1 or as he thinks best4 ,the reason ,christ's1 army on earth to-day is weak and constantly defeated and retreating is because his orders are disregarded and the think so's and traditions of men are followed instead4 ,implicit obedience to the few simple commands of ,christ would at once unite all his followers into one invincible army that would enable the world to believe and know that he is the ,christ of ,god 7,john #ag3bj1 #bc74 ,if anything is clear1 it is that ,christianity is a personal matter4 ,that each individual must meet and accept for himself the claims of ,christ4 ,no one can be saved by proxy4 ,no one can go to heaven because of the faith1 obedience or prayers of a parent1 wife1 husband1 sister or brother4 ,this being true1 as ,christ has commanded every creature to be baptized 7,mark #ae3 #ae1 #af2 ,acts #b3 #ch1 etc471 it is evident that infant baptism is not valid4 ,the parents cannot obey for the child1 however good their intentions4 ,the child1 when it reaches the age of accountability1 must face the commandments of ,christ for itself1 and either deliberately obey or disobey and reject him4 ,if infants remained infants1 they would do no harm in the church1 even if they could do no good4 ,but they will grow into accountability and then the church is full of unconverted people4 ,may we prayerfully do all in our power to hasten the day when all of ,christ's followers will forsake the traditions1 in which men have changed ,christ's teaching on baptism1 and will gloriously reunite in his will on this command which is so clearly revealed in the ,new ,testament4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,church4 ,see that thou make all things according to the pattern that was showed thee4--,heb4 #h3 #e4 ,introduction4 ,my early ideas of the church1 its doctrines1 and of the teachings of ,christ as revealed in the ,new ,testament1 were rather general and vague4 ,as is usual1 it was chiefly a matter of hereditary traditions4 ,after ,i found my way back to ,christ and to belief in the ,word of ,god1 the question naturally arose1 which church shall ,i join1 if any8 ,sectarian divisions had a hand in driving me into infidelity and confusion1 and ,i was now compelled to investigate more closely this strange puzzle4 ,as ,i have already intimated1 what ,i learned at ,meadville about baptism and the teachings of the various religious bodies1 had directed my attention to the people generally known as ,disciples of ,christ or ,christians1 who are working for ,christian union through the restoration of the primitive church4 ,i will now give the result of my study of the model church as revealed in the ,new ,testament4 ,,note4--,most of this and the following chapter are taken from my booklet on ,the ,church of ,christ3 ,what ,it ,is1 and ,why ,it ,exists4 ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,christ4 ,the primary meaning of the word church is a local body of ,christians organized for work and worship 7,acts #ad3bg74 ,from this its meaning enlarged so as to apply to the members of all the churches 7,eph4 #c3aj71 and finally to all the saints in heaven and on earth 7,heb4 #ab3bc74 ,of ,christ expresses the church's relationship to ,christ4 ,it is ,christ's church4 ,he bought it 7,eph4 #e3be71 built it 7,matt4 #af3ah71 and is its foundation 7#a ,cor4 #c3aa74 ,it is his body 7,rom4 #ab3e71 of which he is head 7,col4 #a3ah7 and which is so identified with him that it is called ,christ 7#a ,cor4 #ab3ab72 it is his kingdom over which he is king 7,matt4 #af3ai72 it is a fold of which he is the shepherd 7,john #aj3af72 he is a vine of which the members are branches 7,john #ae3e72 it is his house 7,heb4 #c3f72 it is his dearly beloved wife 7,eph4 #e3be2 #b ,cor4 #aa3b74 ,christ so loves the church and identifies himself with it because of the sweet1 loving1 spiritual fellowship there is between himself and it2 and because it is his visible representative here on earth1 and the instrument through which the ,holy ,spirit's work in the conversion of the world and the sanctification of believers1 is carried on4 ,other names given to the church are church of ,god 7,i ,cor4 #a3b71 churches of ,god 7,i ,thess4 #b3ad71 churches of saints 7,i ,cor4 #ad3 #cc71 temple of ,god and of the ,holy ,spirit 7,i ,cor4 #c3af71 and the pillar and ground of the truth 7,i ,tim4 #c3ae74 ,all these names are ,scriptural and proper when used in the proper way4 ,church-members4 ,the members of the church or churches of ,christ are called ,christians 7,acts #aa3bf2 ,i ,pet4 #d3ad1 #af71 disciples 7,acts #i3a71 saints 7,rom4 #a3g71 brethren 7,i ,cor4 #ae3f71 members 7,rom4 #ab3e71 etc41 all of which names are right when used to express the proper idea or relationship4 ,the ,greek word for church is ekkleesia and comes from ekkaleoo1 which means to call out or summon forth2 and members of the church are the ones who have been called of ,god 7#b ,tim4 #a3i7 through the gospel 7#b ,thess4 #b3ad7 from a life of sin to a life of holy service 7,acts #bf3af-ah74 ,church-members or ,christians are said to be saved1 elected1 washed1 sanctified1 redeemed1 recreated1 regenerated1 translated1 espoused1 converted1 reconciled1 adopted1 quickened1 resurrected1 etc4 ,this gives us an idea of the radical change that must take place before a person can become a true church-member4 ,it will be noticed that the change expressed by these terms is twofold4 ,the one is subjective1 and the other objective4 ,the one is a change of heart or character1 and the other is a change of state or relationship to ,god4 ,the heart is changed by the ,holy ,spirit 7,john #c3e71 through the preached gospel 7#a ,pet4 #a3bc71 which leads to faith 7,rom4 #aj3ag2 ,acts #ae3i7 and repentance 7,acts #b3ch72 while the attitude toward ,god is changed by confession 7,rom4 #aj3i71 obedience in baptism 7,acts #b3ch7 and by ,god's pardon to the sinner 7,acts #b3ch74 ,the necessity of this twofold change is manifest from ,christ's teaching when he says1 ,make disciples of all nations1 baptizing them 7,matt4 #bh3ai71 ,preach the gospel to every creature4 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved 7,mark #af3af71 and ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god 7,john #c3e74 ,also by the teaching of the ,apostles when they say1 ,repent1 and be baptized every one of you in the name of ,jesus ,christ for the remission of sins1 and ye shall receive the gift of the ,holy ,ghost 7,acts #b3ch71 ,and now why tarriest thou8 arise1 and be baptized1 and wash away thy sins1 calling on the name of the ,lord 7,acts #bb3af71 ,not by works of righteousness which we have done1 but according to his mercy he saved us1 by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the ,holy ,ghost 7,tit4 #c3 #e71 ,for ye are all the children of ,god by faith in ,christ ,jesus4 ,for as many of you as have been baptized into ,christ have put on ,christ 7,gal4 #c3bf1 #bg71 ,for by one ,spirit we are all baptized into one body444and have been all made to drink into one ,spirit 7#a ,cor4 #ab3ac71 ,the like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us 7not the putting away of the filth of the flesh1 but the answer of a good conscience toward ,god71 by the resurrection of ,jesus ,christ 7#a ,pet4 #c3ba71 ,know ye not1 that so many of us as were baptized into ,jesus ,christ were baptized into his death8 ,therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death3 that like as ,christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the ,father1 even so we also should walk in newness of life 7,rom4 #f3c1 #d74 ,if it were ,god's purpose to simply save individuals1 privately and without human agency1 the subjective change of heart is all that would be necessary4 ,but a home must be provided for the nurture of the new-born spiritual babes and a church organized to herald the gospel to every creature2 therefore1 a definite act of open committal or enlistment is required in baptism4 ,when this becomes thoroughly understood1 the emphasis the ,new ,testament puts on baptism will be appreciated1 and people will no longer avoid the passages that refer to it1 or try to explain them away4 ,neither faith1 repentance nor baptism have any saving virtue in themselves4 ,they are important only because of their relation to ,christ and the sinner4 ,as ,christ has made them conditions of salvation to those who have heard the gospel1 they must either obey or be rejected because of a rebellious heart 7,luke #g3bi1 #cj74 ,we learn that to be qualified for membership in ,christ's church a person must know the ,lord 7,heb4 #h3aa71 must believe in him 7,acts #h3cg71 must repent of his sins 7,acts #b3ch71 must confess him as ,christ 7,rom4 #aj3i71 and must obey him from the heart in baptism 7,rom4 #f3ag74 ,all these are conscious1 personal acts that must be performed by the person becoming a member4 ,no one can become a member by purchase1 fleshly birth1 or the obedience of parents or other persons4 ,it will also be noticed that according to the teaching of the ,new ,testament the conditions of salvation and church membership are the same4 ,the ,new ,testament never speaks of persons as saved or ,christians who are not members of the church of ,christ where they live4 ,church ,officers4 ,on the divine side the church of ,christ is a kingdom with a constitution and an absolute ruler4 ,but the administration of this kingdom1 as it comes in contact with the varying conditions that confront it in the world1 is left to the local church with its officers4 ,officers are elected to increase the efficiency of the church in service 7,acts #f3a-g74 ,in ,eph4 #d3aa1 #ab1 we learn what the officers of the church of ,christ are and why they are appointed4 ,and he gave some apostles2 and some prophets2 and some evangelists2 and some pastors and teachers2 for the perfecting of the saints1 for the work of the ministry1 for the edifying of the body of ,christ4 ,deacons were also appointed to serve tables and assist in other ways 7,acts #f3a-g2 ,phil1 #a3a74 ,the ,apostles were personally commissioned by ,christ 7,john #bj3ba-bc2 ,acts #bf3 #af71 miraculously inspired to teach 7#a ,cor4 #b3ab1 #ac2 #a ,pet4 #a3ab7 and endowed to perform miracles 7#b ,cor4 #ab3 #ab7 and to confer miracle-working power on others 7,acts #h3ag1 #ah74 ,after the church was thoroughly established and the ,new ,testament written the apostolic office with its miraculous accompaniments ceased 7,heb4 #b3c1 #d2 #a ,cor4 #ac3h74 ,prophets were appointed by miraculous endowment and ended with the same4 ,evangelists1 elders and deacons are the permanent officers of the church of ,christ4 ,the special work of evangelists or preachers is to make disciples and to organize and strengthen churches4 ,elders1 or bishops1 or pastors are local church officers1 a plurality of which was appointed in each church 7,acts #ad3bc74 ,their function is concerned with the spiritual welfare of the church4 ,the work of deacons has already been indicated4 ,the qualifications of evangelists1 elders or bishops and deacons are given in the epistles to ,timothy and ,titus4 ,the church officers are selected by the members 7,acts #f3 #a-g71 and important matters of discipline are decided by a majority vote of the church 7#b ,cor4 #b3f1 see ,greek74 ,the local church government then is administered by a majority vote of its members and by the officers authorized by such a majority4 ,outside of ,christ and the ,apostles the ,new ,testament does not recognize any authority higher than that vested in the local churches4 ,general ecclesiastical organizations and church dignitaries with high-sounding titles are human inventions that were added later4 ,where there is no organized church to act1 individual ,christians have authority to administer the affairs of the church or kingdom 7,acts #h3 #d2 #i3 #aj-ah2 ii3 #ai-ba74 ,the only apostolic succession endorsed in the ,bible is that which results from following the example of the ,apostles in teaching and practice4 ,a ,christian's work in the local church is obligatory under ,christ4 ,in addition to the local church work1 early ,christians co-operated in work covering a large territory and scope2 and formed a simple organization for this purpose 7#a ,cor4 #af3c2 #b ,cor4 #h3ah1 #ai1 #bc74 ,this example shows that voluntary organization of individual ,christians for general co-operative work is proper and ,scriptural4 ,of this nature are missionary societies and benevolent associations which are formed to carry on general work1 but have no ecclesiastical authority4 ,the ,mission of the ,church4 ,the mission of the church is to perpetuate and perfect itself and to add to its membership1 through evangelization1 the entire world as far and as fast as possible4 ,the fundamental means adopted to carry out this mission is the church service4 ,our word church is not derived from the ,new ,testament word used in speaking of the body of believers1 and it has a tendency to hide the real idea of the ,new ,testament4 ,it primarily refers to a church building1 then to the body of believers worshiping in the building1 and finally to believers in general4 ,the inspired writers use the word ekkleesia1 which means a gathering of people called from their homes into some public place4 ,a correct translation would be assembly or congregation1 as it has reference primarily to a local body of ,christians assembled for work and worship4 ,if this primary idea were restored1 it would make mightily for the strengthening of ,christ's kingdom4 ,we usually put the emphasis on the church in general1 universal and invisible1 while the ,holy ,spirit puts the emphasis on the local1 visible and tangible church4 ,our practical duties are connected almost entirely with the local church to which we belong and through which we chiefly help to build up the general and invisible church4 ,the church is the assembled ,christians first of all1 and the first duty of ,christians is to assemble 7,heb4 #aj3be74 ,for people to say that they belong to the church 7assembly71 who do not assemble or attend the church services1 is an anomaly1 strictly speaking4 ,the purpose of the assembly or church services is revealed to us in ,acts #b3db1 where we have a record of the practice of the first church of ,christ4 ,we read1 ,and they continued stedfastly in the apostles' teaching and in fellowship1 and in breaking of bread1 and in prayers4 ,here are four things mentioned as belonging to the service of the church4 ,the first has reference to teaching the ,word of ,god or1 more especially1 the teachings of ,christ as revealed through his ,apostles in the ,new ,testament4 ,the ,apostles received their teaching through the inspiration of the ,holy ,spirit who revealed in the ,new ,testament all things necessary for our guidance and edification 7#b ,pet4 #a3c2 ,jude #c74 ,christ gave his ,apostles commandments before his ascension 7,acts #a3b71 which they were to teach to the church 7,matt4 #bh3bj71 and the church is exhorted to give heed to these commandments 7#b ,pet4 #c3b74 ,not all the commandments that ,christ gave while on earth are for the church1 but only those he instructed the ,apostles to teach after the descent of the ,holy ,spirit and the establishment of the church on ,pentecost4 ,paul exhorts ,timothy to commit unto faithful men1 who are able to teach others1 the things he had heard from him 7#b ,tim4 #b3b71 and further exhorts him1 ,study to show thyself approved unto ,god1 a workman that needeth not to be ashamed1 rightly dividing the word of truth 7#b ,tim4 #b3ae72 ,i charge thee therefore before ,god and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom2 preach the word1 be instant in season and out of season2 reprove1 rebuke1 exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine 7#b ,tim4 #d3a1 #b74 ,alas6 how often this last solemn charge of ,paul goes unheeded4 ,we preach in season and out of season1 but do we preach the ,word of ,god as we ought8 ,the emphasis the ,new ,testament puts on the ,word of ,god can scarcely be overestimated4 ,it is the incorruptible seed 7#a ,pet4 #a3bc7 employed by the ,holy ,spirit to beget the ,christian 7,jas4 #a3ah2 #a ,cor4 #d3ae72 it is the sword of the ,spirit 7,eph4 #f3ag7 by which he pierces the sinner's hard heart 7,heb4 #d3ab7 and brings conviction to his soul 7,john #af3h1i72 it is the nourishment for the new-born spiritual babe 7#a ,pet4 #b3b72 it is the means used by the ,spirit to strengthen1 sanctify and build up the members of the church 7#a ,thess4 #b3ac2 ,john #ag3ag2 ,acts #bj3cb72 it is profitable for doctrine1 for reproof1 for correction1 for instruction in righteousness2 that the man of ,god may be perfect1 thoroughly furnished unto all good works 7#b ,tim4 #c3af1ag74 ,no other books were used in the early church as authoritative and all efforts to replace it or to supplement it with human creeds1 catechisms or disciplines is an unwarranted effort to steady the ark of the ,lord4 ,the second item of the public services is fellowship4 ,the original word here is koinoonia1 which1 according to ,dr4 ,thayer1 means joint participation1 a benefaction jointly contributed1 a collection4 ,the word sometimes refers to joint participation in religious privileges and sometimes to joint collections or contributions made for gospel work4 ,it seems to have the latter meaning here1 as spiritual communion is embodied in the next item4 ,that this was a feature of the public service is apparent from the words of ,paul in ,i ,cor4 #af3b1 ,upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store1 as ,god hath prospered him4 ,the ,emphatic ,diaglott translates thus1 ,every first day of the week let each of you lay something by itself1 depositing as he may be prospered4 ,while ,paul gives these directions in reference to a particular collection taken for the poor saints in ,judea1 it is evidently given because it embodies the divine wisdom as to the best way of raising church money4 ,it teaches that each church-member is to give weekly1 according to his ability4 ,when this precept is practiced and we restore the liberality of the primitive church 7,acts #b3dd1 #de2 #d3cb1 #ce71 there will be no financial problem in the church4 ,the third item in church worship1 according to ,acts #b3 #db1 is the breaking of bread1 or the ,lord's ,supper4 ,this was the most important thing in the early church service4 ,it was to commemorate the death of ,christ and to point forward to his second coming 7,i ,cor4 #aa3bf74 ,every ,christian is under obligation to partake of the ,lord's ,supper 7,i ,cor4 #aa3bd71 but each must examine himself before eating lest he eat condemnation to his soul 7,i ,cor4 #aa3bh1 #bi74 ,the greatest thing in the ,lord's ,supper is a spiritual eating or communion 7,john #f3cb-eh71 and this is needed frequently4 ,the primitive churches of ,christ observed the ,lord's ,supper whenever they met for worship 7,i ,cor4 #aa3bj71 and this we learn was every first day of the week4 ,upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread 7,acts #bj3g74 ,the ,greek article tee here indicates that it was on every first day of the week that they met to break bread and this is confirmed by ,i ,cor4 #af3b4 ,the early churches never met for worship on the seventh day of the week or on the ,sabbath1 but always on the first day of the week1 or on the ,lord's ,day1 in commemoration of ,christ's resurrection from the dead4 ,it was the practice at first to have a meal in connection with the ,lord's ,supper1 but as this led to abuse it was abolished by ,paul 7#a ,cor4 #aa3bj-bb1 #cd74 ,the feet-washing which is commonly supposed to have taken place at the time ,christ first broke bread with his disciples1 was simply a custom in vogue in that country1 which ,christ used to teach a lesson on humility4 ,we have no record that the ,apostles ever washed feet as a church ordinance or desired others to do so4 ,when ,christ washed feet it was not at a public church meeting1 but at a private feast4 ,the fourth item in church worship1 as mentioned in ,acts #b3db1 is prayers4 ,the primitive church believed profoundly in prayer4 ,in fact1 the entire ,new ,testament is the record of a prolonged prayer-meeting4 ,paul1 in writing to ,timothy1 says1 ,i exhort therefore that1 first of all1 supplications1 prayers1 intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men 7#a ,tim4 #b3a71 and ,christ admonishes his disciples to watch and pray 7,matt4 #bf3da74 ,self-preservation is the first duty1 upon which all our helpfulness to others depends4 ,so it is with the church4 ,its first duty is to perpetuate and strengthen itself through the means of grace ,god has provided2 but it will become sick and soon die1 if it does not reach out in loving services to others4 ,it is commissioned to make disciples of all nations 7,matt4 #bh3ah71 but it cannot do this by merely proclaiming the gospel to all people4 ,paul preached the gospel in many lands1 and a few missionaries could soon evangelize the entire world if this were all that is necessary4 ,god spent thousands of years to prepare the soil for ,paul's preaching and confirmed his message with miracles4 ,we cannot evangelize the world by giving a few dollars to send a few missionaries to preach a few sermons4 ,most of the work of missionaries is educational and philanthropic1 or1 in other words1 preparatory4 ,it will require the best and united efforts of all ,christians to entirely open the door of faith among the heathen4 ,christ says1 ,let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your ,father which is in heaven 7,matt4 #e3af74 ,peter exhorts ,christians1 ,having your behavior seemly among the ,gentiles1 that1 wherein they speak against you as evil-doers1 they may by your good works which they behold1 glorify ,god 7,i ,pet4 #b3 #ab74 ,the churches need the miracle of good works1 through the power of the ,holy ,spirit1 to confirm the message of our missionaries4 ,the acts that emanate from so-called ,christian nations and people do more to hinder than to help the missionaries4 ,if ,christians will1 by the power of the ,spirit1 live the life of ,christ in the home1 in business1 in politics and everywhere1 the heathen will soon glorify ,god in ,christ because of the good works which they behold4 ,herein is my ,father glorified1 that ye bear much fruit 7,john #ae3h74 ,it is the mission of the church to bring heaven down to earth4 ,if this is the high and holy calling of the church1 is it a wonder that ,christ so loved it as to give his life for it8 ,the church is the pillar and ground of the truth or the material organization through which heaven is bearing its message of love to this sin-cursed world4 ,speaking of the church1 ,paul says1 ,if any man destroyeth the temple of ,god1 him shall ,god destroy 7#a ,cor4 #c3ag74 ,all who attain unto the mind of ,christ will love the church and give themselves for it4 ,the ,unity of the ,church4 ,it was ,god's eternal purpose to unite all things in ,christ 7,eph4 #a3i1 #aj74 ,christ declared that he would establish but one fold 7,john #aj3 #af72 he prayed that all his followers might be perfectly united and put that union as a necessary condition for the conversion of the world 7,john #ag3bj-bc72 he died to unite all in one body 7,eph4 #b3 #ad-af71 of which he is the head 7,col4 #a3 #ah74 ,if we turn to the book of ,acts1 we discover that the ,holy ,spirit1 through the ,apostles1 did establish but one church1 and that it was thoroughly united in love1 teaching and practice4 ,if there ever was an excuse for different ,christian denominations1 it was for a ,jewish ,christian denomination and a ,gentile ,christian denomination2 but the ,holy ,spirit did not establish such denominations and ,paul put forth the effort of his life to prevent such a breach4 ,where in all history can you find twelve men more radically different mentally and temperamentally than the ,apostles8 ,yet the ,holy ,spirit did not establish separate churches to cater to and further develop these temperamental eccentricities4 ,all were united in one church so they could counterbalance and complement each other and thus perfect their own character and give greater symmetry to the church4 ,and when the day of ,pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in one place 7,acts #b3a74 ,after three thousand were added unto them we read1 ,they continued daily with one accord in the temple 7,acts #b3 #df71 while farther on we read1 ,and the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul 7,acts #d3 #cb74 ,from the ,epistles of ,paul we learn that there was but one church in each community4 ,christ's relation to the church makes it impossible for ,christians to be loyal to him and at the same time divided4 ,all must be perfectly united in allegiance to him as king1 lie is the head of the body of which his followers are members4 ,all the members of the body are perfectly united to each other and to the head2 and1 although the members may differ in function1 they are all directed by the same commandments1 motives and purposes4 ,as soon as a tendency toward division became manifest it was severely rebuked and ascribed to the carnal nature4 ,paul1 in writing to the ,corinthians1 says1 ,now1 ,i beseech you1 brethren1 by the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that ye all speak the same things1 and that there be no division among you2 but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment 444 ,for ye are yet carnal2 for whereas there is among you envying1 and strife1 and divisions1 are ye not carnal and walk as men8 7,i ,cor4 #a3 #aj2 #c3c74 ,the seven landmarks of ,christian union are revealed by ,paul in the first six verses of the fourth chapter of ,ephesians3 ,i therefore1 the prisoner in the ,lord1 beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith you were called1 with all lowliness and meekness1 with longsuffering1 forbearing one another in love2 giving diligence to keep the unity of the ,spirit in the bond of peace4 ,there is one body1 and one ,spirit1 even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling2 one ,lord1 one faith1 one baptism1 one ,god and ,father of all1 who is over all1 and through all1 and in all4 ,as long as these seven unities--one body1 one ,spirit1 one hope1 one ,lord1 one faith1 one baptism and one ,father--are maintained1 it will be impossible for a divided church to exist4 ,on the other hand1 divisions will speedily disappear as soon as these seven unities are restored4 ,i add the following chart of the ,new ,testament church1 which will serve as a summary and as a guide in the further study of this important subject3 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,church ,,that ,,jesus ,,established ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,the ,,church ,,since ,,the ,,apostles4 ,the ,apostasy of the ,church4 ,the apostolic unity of the church was maintained for about three hundred years4 ,during this period the church endured the ten great1 general persecutions directed against it by the world-ruling ,roman ,empire1 which resulted in the martyrdom of almost all of the ,apostles and multitudes of other ,christians4 ,despite the opposition of the mightiest powers on earth1 the church scored the most marvelous victories and was on a fair way to conquer the whole world for ,christ4 ,satan1 perceiving that his opposition to a united church under the leadership of ,christ was fruitless1 now tried to get within the church and to shear it of its power by confusing its counsels and dividing its forces4 ,christ said1 ,every city or house divided against itself shall not stand 7,matt4 #ab3be71 and ,satan knew that if he could get ,christians to exhaust their energies by contending with each other1 their conquest of the world would be at an end4 ,he filled the church with speculative philosophy1 heathen idolatry and the worldly spirit in general4 ,as always1 he used the pride1 vanity and ambition of individuals to accomplish his purpose4 ,if fallible human leaders and their opinions could be put in the place of the infallible ,christ and his teachings1 the work would be done2 because this would arouse the opposition of other ambitious human leaders and thus the church would be torn asunder and exhausted with internal strife and divisions4 ,alas that the church did not heed the earnest warning of ,paul1 ,now ,i beseech you1 brethren1 mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned2 and avoid them4 ,for they that are such serve not our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 but their own belly2 and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple 7,rom4 #af3ag1 #ah74 ,the selfishness of leaders and the lazy1 careless indifference of the masses who blindly follow on1 is what makes the creation and perpetuation of divisions among ,christians possible4 ,perceiving that the division of the church would destroy its power1 its leaders strove with might and main to preserve its unity4 ,had they exalted the ,christ and used his ,word1 the sword of the ,spirit1 they would have succeeded4 ,but they were ambitious and worked for a united church so they could use its power to exalt themselves and their opinions and crush those opposed to them4 ,human creeds1 as standards of orthodoxy1 were invented1 and more stress was put on correct speculative opinions than on faith in ,christ and ,christ-like living4 ,persons who would not subscribe to the speculative opinions of man-made creeds were persecuted and anathematized4 ,the church formed a league with worldly rulers and used the strong arm of the law to crush those who would not accept its human standards of orthodoxy4 ,the ,inquisition1 with the dungeon1 stocks1 guillotine and other diabolical means of torture1 was called into requisition4 ,it is claimed that no less than fifty million human beings were martyred in this effort of the ecclesiastical hierarchy1 calling itself the church1 to maintain unity on a human creed4 ,although this effort at union was largely successful1 it was not ,christian union4 ,paul says that ,christian union is where ,christians are of the same mind and judgment and all speak the same things 7#a ,cor4 #a3aj71 while this union was maintained by suppressing conscientious convictions and their utterance4 ,the ,reformation of the ,church4 ,the effort at a forced union on a speculative human creed was never entirely successful4 ,in the fastnesses of the mountains the ,waldenses1 ,albigenses and others1 maintained their religious freedom4 ,the fire of religious liberty was smouldering1 but not extinguished4 ,it was covered with the black coals of ecclesiastical ignorance1 brutality and tyranny2 but by and by it worked its way to the light and illuminated the darkness of the age4 ,the great ,reformation burst forth into a mighty inextinguishable flame all over ,europe1 and1 overleaping great barriers1 it blazed forth in ,america4 ,the ecclesiastical shackles were torn asunder and the people were set free4 ,i speak of the ultimate outcome1 for this end was only attained after centuries of effort4 ,hereditary religious ideas1 prejudices and customs become petrified1 and it is only with the most desperate and long-continued efforts that individuals and bodies of people can free themselves from them4 ,failing to recognize how they are blinded through hereditary bias1 environment and limited ideas1 people imagine they have attained unto the ultimate truth1 and thus their growth in knowledge ceases and they become fossilized into a sectarian party4 ,people imagine that they are free when they are delivered from religious and political tyrants that persecute and oppress them2 but their greatest bondage1 and the one that makes the others possible1 is the hereditary and acquired prejudice1 bias1 bigotry and ignorance within themselves4 ,the struggle of the ,reformation was for religious freedom4 ,this struggle was by no means always unselfish and consistent4 ,protestants as well as ,roman ,catholics used force to crush those that would not submit to their creeds4 ,both in ,europe and in ,america men's bodies were tortured and destroyed with the hope of saving their souls and in the endeavor to maintain the unity of the church4 ,even where the church and the state were separated so that the church could not use the civil law to persecute its opponents1 other means of coercion were used1 such as boycotting1 ostracism1 excommunication and anathemas4 ,the idea of the ,roman ,catholic ,church is that you cannot trust the people to interpret the ,bible for themselves2 the ,pope and the church must do it for them4 ,the idea of ,protestant sectarian creeds is largely the same4 ,the members cannot be trusted to interpret the ,bible for themselves1 so the creed-makers have to do it for them4 ,the difference is in degree and power of oppression rather than in kind4 ,the entire idea is fundamentally wrong4 ,speculative theology cannot save any one and sectarian creeds are harder to understand than the ,bible itself4 ,the people need the living1 loving1 personal ,christ1 and not the dry husks of speculative theology4 ,we want uniformity in matters of faith that are clearly revealed and in allegiance to ,christ1 but do not need it in speculative opinions based on inferences as to what the ,bible teaches4 ,freedom is absolutely necessary to progress and civilization4 ,but freedom may be turned into a curse as well as a blessing4 ,criminals want freedom to gratify the lusts of the flesh 7,gal4 #e3ac74 ,those in bondage to their own carnal nature must be put under restraint by those governed by moral principles4 ,even ,christians need to be guided and governed in spiritual matters1 and have always felt this need4 ,the trouble has been that mortal men have been accepted as authoritative spiritual guides1 or have tried to control the religious convictions and practices of their fellow-men by force4 ,christ is the ,christian's only safe and proper guide4 ,as a final result of the ,reformation the ,christian people in ,america and parts of ,europe were set free from religious tyranny and left to choose their spiritual guides4 ,although they professed that the ,bible was their only authority1 they accepted human leaders and their opinions as guides and permitted these to interpret the ,bible for them4 ,thus the freedom of the ,reformation was turned into the curse of division and sectarianism4 ,divided ,protestantism is better than the religious tyranny of the ,dark ,ages2 but it is bad1 and will be replaced with the ,christian union of the ,new ,testament when loyalty to ,christ and his ,word is substituted for loyalty to human leaders and their opinions embodied in creeds4 ,christ said1 ,every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation 7,matt4 #ab3be74 ,the truth of this has been sadly demonstrated in our divided ,christianity4 ,in how many homes has sectarian division wrought havoc with its religious life6 ,how many husbands and wives have been lost to active service for the ,master because of the chilling effect of indifference or opposition through sectarian differences6 ,how many children have become indifferent or disgusted with religion1 because their parents differed in their religious convictions6 ,again1 look at the effect of sectarian division in a community4 ,five church buildings and preachers where one could do the work1 while the balance could be devoted to the evangelization of the heathen4 ,but the financial loss is the least4 ,preachers are poorly supported and therefore poorly equipped for their work1 and people are encouraged to join the churches on almost any conditions through rivalry and the need of support for so many churches4 ,sinners go unrebuked through fear that their financial support will be lost2 and1 if disciplined1 they are often received with open arms into a rival church4 ,when we look at the kingdom of ,christ at large1 we see how it has come to desolation because of divisions4 ,millions of dollars are wasted in rival churches1 colleges1 papers1 preachers1 books1 etc42 while the heathen stand with amazed incredulity before the missionaries of a babel of denominations4 ,verily the reformed church needs reforming4 ,a ,movement for ,christian ,union4 ,divided ,protestantism reached its climax in ,america at the beginning of the last century4 ,this land of freedom offered a congenial soil for its perfect development and unfolding4 ,thus were exhibited more fully than ever before the sin and folly of such divisions4 ,the forces of ,christ were largely wasted and defeated through sectarian strife1 and there was the bitterest feeling even between different branches of the same denomination4 ,infidelity was rampant in the land and ,christianity was at a low ebb4 ,however1 the love of the ,master was strong in many hearts1 and these longed and prayed for better things4 ,as by divine inspiration1 a great union movement sprang up simultaneously in different parts of the country4 ,the outcome was what may be called the ,american ,reformation1 but is more properly called the ,restoration movement4 ,the burning desire of the promoters of this movement was a reunion of the divided followers of ,christ4 ,after a thorough and prayerful consideration of the subject1 it was decided that the only possible basis of union is the ,bible2 and so the motto was adopted1 ,where the ,bible speaks we will speak1 and where the ,bible is silent we will be silent4 ,it was decided to require a thus saith the ,lord or an apostolic example for every item of teaching or practice4 ,the reformers expected to bring about ,christian union without leaving their respective denominations and forming a separate religious body4 ,but an application of their motto in the study of the ,bible led to results that they never dreamed of4 ,they were compelled to give up their sectarian practices one by one1 and soon found themselves forced out of the denominational bodies4 ,it now became clear to them that the real cause of the origin and perpetuation of sectarian divisions was the human element1 in teaching and practice1 added to the church since the days of the ,apostles2 and that nothing but their removal and the restoration of the primitive church in name1 creed and deed1 could bring the ,christian union of ,new ,testament times4 ,learning that1 aside from the ,apostles1 there was no ecclesiastical authority or organization in ,new ,testament times1 above the local church1 they proceeded to organize local churches of ,christ after the primitive model1 and invited both saints and sinners to unite with them in this work and in protesting against the sin of sectarian divisions4 ,the ,restoration of the ,new ,testament ,creed4 ,in the evolution of the movement for ,christian union1 it was soon discovered that human creeds1 as standards of church or ministerial fellowship1 are divisive in their nature and prevent the reunion of ,god's people4 ,all claim to get their creed from the ,bible2 but since creeds contradict each other in doctrine1 they cannot all be right1 although they may all be wrong4 ,human creeds are responsible for most of the heresy trials and have armed most of the infidelic attacks upon the church4 ,the only way to permanently solve the creed problem is to restore the divine creed given by the ,holy ,spirit to the primitive church4 ,this is the only true ,apostles' ,creed and the only one that will never need any revision4 ,this is none other than the divinity of ,christ1 the central truth of revelation and of ,christianity4 ,jesus said1 in answer to ,peter's confession1 ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god1 ,upon this rock ,i will build my church 7,matt4 #af3 #af1 #ah74 ,john declared of his ,gospel1 ,these are written1 that ye might believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and that believing ye might have life through his name 7,john #bj3ca74 ,paul commanded1 ,believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and thou shalt be saved 7,acts #af3ca71 and said1 ,other foundation can no man lay than that is laid1 which is ,jesus ,christ 7#a ,cor4 #c3aa74 ,this is what the ,apostles preached everywhere1 and required as a condition for baptism and church membership2 and it is the only creed they ever required4 ,the church is not founded upon a system of speculative theology that even the learned cannot understand1 but upon the loving1 divine personality of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god4 ,get ,jesus in the heart1 and belief in his word and a ,christ-like life will inevitably follow4 ,this is the only creed that can reunite divided ,christendom4 ,christians cannot unite on human leaders and their finite opinions1 but they can all unite on ,christ4 ,the ,restoration of ,bible ,names4 ,it was further discovered that human names for ,god's people were divisive in nature and a barrier to ,christian union4 ,there is nothing in a name until it becomes authoritatively attached to a person or thing1 but after it becomes so attached1 there is as much in the name as in the person or thing4 ,since the name ,andrew ,carnegie became attached to him1 it is worth as much in money and influence as ,mr4 ,carnegie himself is worth4 ,thus it is that there is salvation in the name of ,christ4 ,for there is none other name under heaven given among men1 whereby we must be saved 7,acts #d3ab74 ,the ,bible names given to the church and to the followers of ,christ1 express true ideas and relationships2 while the human names since added express false and unscriptural ideas and relationships4 ,the church and its members should be named after ,christ because they belong to him2 for the same reason it is wrong to call them after any other person or thing4 ,paul writes1 ,every one of you saith1 ,i am of ,paul2 and ,i of ,apollos2 and ,i of ,cephas2 and ,i of ,christ4 ,is ,christ divided8 was ,paul crucified for you8 or were you baptized in the name of ,paul8 ,for while one saith1 ,i am of ,paul2 and another1 ,i am of ,apollos2 are ye not carnal8 7,i ,cor4 #a3ab1 #ac2 #c3d74 ,i pray you1 said ,luther1 leave my name alone1 and do not call yourselves ,lutherans1 but ,christians4 ,who is ,luther8 ,my doctrine is not mine4 ,i was not crucified for any one4 ,paul would not that any should call themselves of ,paul1 nor of ,peter1 but of ,christ4 ,how1 then1 does it fit me1 a miserable bag of dust and ashes1 to give my name to the children of ,christ6 ,cease to cling to these party names and distinctions6 ,away with them all and let us call ourselves ,christians1 after him from whom our doctrine comes6 ,those engaged in this restoration movement heed the admonitions of ,paul and ,luther and call themselves ,christians1 or disciples of ,christ1 while they call the churches1 churches of ,christ or churches of ,god4 ,they do not use these names in a sectarian1 but in a ,scriptural1 sense4 ,they do not claim to be the only ,christians1 but aim to be ,christians only4 ,we read in ,acts ,,ii3#bf1 ,the disciples were called ,christians first at ,antioch4 ,if any man suffer as a ,christian1 says ,peter1 let him not be ashamed1 but let him glorify ,god in this name 7,i ,pet4 #d3 #af74 ,any name used to designate a part of the followers of ,christ and to separate them from the rest1 is wrong1 because it expresses a wrong and unscriptural idea4 ,would to ,god1 said ,wesley1 that all sectarian names were forgotten1 and that we1 as humble1 loving disciples1 might sit down at the ,master's feet1 read his holy word1 imbibe his spirit1 and transcribe his life into our own6 ,john says1 ,we shall see his face and his name shall be in our foreheads 7,rev4 #bb3d74 ,the ,ordinances ,restored4 ,in addition to the restoration of the ,new ,testament creed and names1 it was found that there can be no organic ,christian union1 after the primitive type1 without a restoration of the ordinances as administered by the ,apostles4 ,protestants all accept two ordinances1 baptism and the ,lord's ,supper1 but they differ greatly in the manner of observing them4 ,some have open and others close communion4 ,some observe the ,lord's ,supper monthly1 others quarterly and still others annually4 ,in looking for apostolic precepts and examples1 it was found that the early ,christians met on every first day of the week to break bread2 and that each ,christian was commanded by ,christ to partake of the ,lord's ,supper1 after examining himself to see that his heart was prepared for this spiritual feast4 ,we have neither the authority to decide the frequency of the service1 nor who shall partake of the ,supper4 ,the greatest hindrance to a practical working union of the followers of ,christ is the babel of teaching and practice as to baptism4 ,some hold that the mere baptism of infants will save them1 while others belittle baptism or ignore it altogether4 ,some baptize infants1 others only adults4 ,some sprinkle1 some pour1 and others immerse for baptism4 ,some sprinkle1 pour or immerse1 just as the candidate wishes it4 ,does the ,new ,testament teach this babel of confusion or has it come from human inventions and additions8 ,it has already been pointed out that only those who had previously been born of the ,spirit1 or undergone a change of heart through faith and repentance1 were baptized by the ,apostles4 ,we are told that ,jesus never baptized any one 7,john #d3b71 therefore he never baptized any infants4 ,if we examine carefully the cases of household baptism recorded in the ,new ,testament1 we will find that in each case infants are necessarily excluded2 as those baptized heard 7,acts #aj3cc71 believed 7,acts #af3cd71 were comforted 7,acts #af3dj71 addicted themselves to the ministry 7#a ,cor4 #af3af71 etc4 ,these acts all refer to people who had reached the age of intelligence and accountability and1 therefore1 cannot refer to infants4 ,infant baptism is based on two errors that crept into the church--the doctrines of infant damnation and baptismal regeneration4 ,infants are saved without baptism1 for ,jesus said of such is the kingdom of heaven 7,matt4 #ai3ad71 and baptism is of value only because of its relation to ,christ and the faith of the sinner 7,mark #af3af74 ,the greatest emphasis we can put on baptism is to say that ,christ commanded it and made it a condition of salvation to those that hear the gospel and have the opportunity to obey it4 ,to refuse to obey this or any other commandment of ,christ1 reveals a rebellious heart that cannot be saved4 ,of the action of baptism we speak in a previous chapter1 therefore we need not treat of it here only to say that all churches agree that the immersion of a penitent believer in water is ,scriptural baptism1 and this is the only practice on which all can unite4 ,thousands of those that are contented to be ,christians only have given up sprinkling and been immersed after studying the ,bible on the subject4 ,the ,bible ,restored4 ,christian union on the primitive gospel necessitates the restoration of the ,bible to its proper place and authority4 ,sectarianism has largely displaced it with creeds and other human standards4 ,recently ,i read the following in an introduction to a catechism3 ,this catechism has well been called a ,bible for the laity4 ,when we remember how contradictory1 and1 therefore1 erroneous1 these human deductions as to ,bible teaching are1 we can see the need of putting them aside and restoring the ,bible as the ,christian's all-sufficient and only sufficient guide4 ,the ,bible has also been thrust aside and kept from the people by false theories of conversion and the consequent erroneous practices in evangelistic work4 ,people have been taught that they are totally depraved and can do nothing towards their conversion1 that faith is a direct gift of ,god1 that the ,holy ,spirit converts sinners by immediate miraculous power1 that the evidence of pardon is in dreams1 visions or feelings1 and that sinners have to wait until ,god by entreaties is reconciled to save them4 ,all these theories are erroneous and logically set aside the entire gospel plan of salvation4 ,the ,holy ,spirit1 through the ,apostles1 used the truths of the ,word or gospel to convict sinners1 and taught penitents1 out of the ,new ,testament1 on what conditions they could inherit the salvation ,christ purchased on the cross4 ,the sinners that wanted to be saved accepted this salvation by complying with ,christ's conditions of pardon1 and went on their way rejoicing1 because they had the infallible ,word of ,god for it that they were saved4 ,in other words1 the ,apostles preached the gospel1 and penitent sinners were immediately saved by believing it 7,mark #af3af71 repenting of their sins 7,acts #b3ch7 and openly committing themselves to ,christ in baptism 7,acts #bb3af74 ,finally1 the ,bible has become a meaningless riddle and uninteresting to most people because it is not rightly divided4 ,it is assumed that all parts of the ,bible are addressed to everybody4 ,this is far from the truth4 ,while we must recognize the unity and interdependence of the entire ,bible and that each part teaches great spiritual truths for all1 we must also remember that its different parts contain specific precepts addressed to different classes of people and only applicable to them4 ,thus the ,mosaic law was for the ,jews only1 and was superseded by the gospel 7,gal4 #c3bd1 #be74 ,turning to the ,new ,testament1 we find that the four ,gospels were written to make believers 7,john #bj3ca71 the ,acts of the ,apostles1 ,book of ,conversions1 to tell and show people how to be saved or become ,christians 7see chapters #b1 #h1 #af1 etc471 while the rest of the ,new ,testament is addressed to ,christians or church-members as their rule of faith and practice4 ,the churches in this ,restoration movement aim to restore the ,bible to its primitive place in producing penitents1 guiding them unto salvation and in giving all instructions to the churches needed for their edification and guidance4 ,restoration of the ,new ,testament ,church ,government4 ,we have learned that all sectarian divisions have resulted from exalting human leaders and their opinions4 ,ambitious ecclesiastics have exalted themselves with the help of misguided people2 and1 usurping authority1 have lorded it over ,god's heritage4 ,how wide the difference between the simplicity of the primitive gospel and the pompous ecclesiastical organizations and titles of modern times6 ,it is self-evident that ,christian union cannot be restored until this ecclesiastical machinery be put aside and the administration of ,christ's kingdom be again entrusted to the local churches and their officers as in ,new ,testament times4 ,it will be noticed that this modern movement for ,christian union does not seek to introduce new doctrines into the religious world4 ,it seeks rather the restoration of the old ,jerusalem gospel with its doctrines1 ordinances and fruits4 ,its promoters thoroughly believe in all the truths accepted by evangelical bodies and simply strive to remove the sectarian growths that have fastened themselves to the old ship ,zion during its course through the centuries4 ,among its favorite mottoes are these3 ,no ,book but the ,bible4 ,no ,creed but the ,christ4 ,no ,plea but the ,gospel4 ,no ,name but the ,divine4 ,in ,christ--,unity4 ,in ,opinions--,liberty4 ,in all ,things--,charity4 ,is ,one ,church as ,good as ,another8 ,the mere hint that there might be something in the doctrines of different churches that is erroneous and needs to be dropped or modified1 is usually met with a frown of disfavor1 by the supersensitive sectarian world4 ,the sectarian sore is grown over with the agreement to disagree1 and woe unto the doctor that insists on probing the wound to effect a cure4 ,the effort at probing is usually met with the declaration1 ,one church is just as good as another1 they are all aiming for the same place4 ,let us try to discover what truth or error is wrapped up in this statement1 and what are the religious conditions that inspire such declarations4 ,in the first place1 it shows a disposition to apologize for sectarian doctrines rather than to defend them4 ,this is a hopeful sign4 ,all the large denominations in ,america originated in ,european countries under the bitter religious controversies and cruel political strife that followed the ,dark ,ages4 ,it was these stormy and abnormal conditions that gave birth to these sects and largely moulded their peculiar doctrines4 ,one extreme begot another1 and while each of these denominations emphasized some neglected religious truth1 it emphasized it so strongly as to often twist it into an untruth or out of proper relationship to other truths4 ,the people in free ,america are not interested in the polemical controversies that resulted from religious and political conditions in the old countries4 ,thus it has come to pass that scarcely any denomination seriously and persistently urges the ideas that gave it birth1 and their creeds have to be revised continually to hold their preachers and church-members4 ,the result is that the great mass of the members of the sectarian churches neither know nor care what the creeds of their churches teach4 ,i say that this is a hopeful sign1 but there is also a great danger involved in it4 ,learning that the doctrines of their own and other denominations are not of saving or vital importance1 people are likely to jump to the conclusion that no religious doctrines are of vital importance1 and so lose their interest in ,christianity4 ,no one can deny that thousands have reached this condition1 and are either members of no church or merely nominal1 indifferent members4 ,since all sectarian doctrines are of human origin and of no vital1 saving importance1 we can endorse the statement that1 from a sectarian standpoint1 one church is just as good as another4 ,we will also grant1 for the sake of the argument1 that from the standpoint of piety1 talent1 learning and consecration1 one church1 on an average1 is just as good as another4 ,but does this go to the bottom of the subject8 ,the doctor who1 through ignorance of medical science1 gives your child medicine that cripples it for life or kills it1 may be just as good morally and intellectually as other doctors who know their business4 ,his blunder of ignorance may not destroy his hope of heaven2 but is that a reason why you would just as soon have him treat your child as another doctor8 ,so sectaries who teach erroneous doctrines may be just as honest1 consecrated and learned as those who teach the gospel truth2 but does it make no difference to the cause of ,christ and the salvation of souls1 whether they teach sectarian vagaries that divide and desolate the church1 or exalt the ,christ and his ,word so as to unite all his followers in the conquest of the world8 ,but1 you ask1 how can good and learned people differ so in their beliefs8 ,we may not understand how it is1 but we know it is and ever has been so4 ,our minds are so constituted that we must see all truths alike1 logically1 mathematically and in every other way1 if we see them at all4 ,the trouble is that our vision is so warped through prejudice and limited ideas and information that we fail to see the simplest truths1 and find in the ,bible and elsewhere what we bring with us through heredity and environment4 ,the ,bible recognizes this truth4 ,jesus prayed1 ,father1 forgive them1 for they know not what they do 7,luke #bc3cd74 ,paul says1 ,i obtained mercy1 because ,i did it ignorantly in unbelief 7#a ,tim4 #a3ac71 and again1 ,the times of this ignorance ,god winked at2 but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent 7,acts #ag3cj74 ,it may seem paradoxical1 but it is nevertheless true1 that the greatest hindrance to the spread of the truth of ,god has come from pious1 consecrated and ,god-fearing souls who were misled by their hereditary prejudices4 ,the majority of those converted under the preaching of the ,apostles1 as recorded in the ,new ,testament1 were devout saints who needed to be delivered from their hereditary ,jewish prejudices and enlisted in the re-alignment of religious forces for the conquest of the world for ,christ and his kingdom4 ,the ,pentecostians were devout men1 the eunuch was a devout worshiper1 ,saul of ,tarsus was a conscientious man1 ,cornelius was devout and a philanthropist4 ,a large per cent of the ,jews were honest and devout people1 but were fighting against ,christ because they were blinded by hereditary religious ideas4 ,peter1 even after ,pentecost1 was subject to these influences1 for it took ten years1 with special miraculous manifestations1 before he could see that ,gentiles were creatures to whom the gospel was to be preached as well as to the ,jews4 ,while sectarian divisions are largely due to selfish and wicked men1 most of them are due to devout ,christians who are misled by inherited prejudices or simply drift with the tide4 ,if these things are true1 we should tremble lest we are upholding error and opposing the truth unintentionally through hereditary bias4 ,we should make a prayerful and diligent search for the truth as it is in ,christ ,jesus4 ,although we have discovered that none of the sectarian doctrines are of vital importance1 let us remember that it is different with the faith system of teaching which was once for all delivered unto the saints 7,jude #c7 by the ,apostles and for which we are duty bound to earnestly contend4 ,since so many devout and learned preachers are teaching so many contradictory doctrines1 which cannot all be true1 let us not accept their statements unchallenged1 but let us test them 7,i ,john #d3a-f7 by searching the ,scriptures daily to see if these things are so 7,acts #ag3aa74 ,after that we are assured that we have found the truth ourselves1 let us be gentle unto all men1 apt to teach1 patient1 in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves3 if ,god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth2 and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil1 who are taken captive by him at his will 7#b ,tim4 #b3bd-bf74 ,in view of the fact that at least the great majority of the members of denominational churches must be in error1 it should be a crowning glory to change one's religious affiliations through an investigation of the truth4 ,the hope of the cause of ,christ lies with those who1 hearing the voice of ,god's truth in their conscience1 are ready to obey it1 even if it results in breaking the dearest human ties and leads to ostracism and persecution4 ,almost all the promoters of this union movement have themselves found their way out of sectarianism after heart-rending efforts to rid themselves from their hereditary prejudices and errors4 ,they are simply entreating others to do what they themselves have done1 for the sake of ,christ's cause1 and help to establish local churches of ,christ after the ,apostolic model4 ,that they have fundamentally reoccupied the primitive ground is admitted by all who have fairly investigated the subject4 ,if they are yet in error on any points1 they are in a position and ready to correct these as fast as they discover them through a further study of ,god's ,word4 ,the ,church ,triumphant4 ,christ declares that the evangelization of the world is dependent upon ,christian union4 ,therefore1 the ultimate triumph of his church necessitates the triumph of ,christian union4 ,we praise ,god for every movement that looks toward a closer union of ,christians2 but we are sure that nothing short of the removal of every vestige of denominationalism and the complete restoration of the one body or church of ,new ,testament times will satisfy the demands of ,god's ,word4 ,a number of forces such as the ,sunday-school1 ,c4,e41 ,y4,m4,c4,a41 ,evangelical ,alliance and ,church ,federation are destroying the sectarian spirit and the field is getting ripe unto the harvest for the restoration of the unity of the early church with its converting power4 ,the success of this movement for ,christian union on the primitive gospel has been phenomenal4 ,in eighty years its adherents have increased from ten thousand to about one and a third millions4 ,the per cent of gain in membership1 from #ahij to #aije1 in the six ,american religious bodies that number a million each was as follows3 ,christians or disciples of ,christ1 #id per cent42 ,roman ,catholics1 #gc per cent42 ,lutherans1 #ea per cent42 ,methodists1 #dj per cent42 ,baptists1 #ch per cent41 and ,presbyterians1 #ce per cent4 ,barring out the ,catholics and ,lutherans1 who get most of their gain by immigration1 the ,christians or churches of ,christ show more than double the gain of the other three bodies4 ,we glory in this growth only as the glory of ,christ is involved in it4 ,it is an earnest of what ,christian union will do even through very imperfect instruments4 ,what will the harvest be1 when the prayer of ,jesus is answered and all his followers are united in one glorious church1 holy and without blemish1 not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing 7,eph4 #e3bg71 going forth to the evangelization of the world fair as the moon1 clear as the sun1 terrible as an army with banners1 looking forth as the morning 7,s4 of ,sol4 #f3 #aj76 ,may the prayer of ,jesus for the union of his followers be our prayer1 and may we do all in our power to bring a speedy answer6 ,amen4 ,the following is a splendid statement of the aim of the ,restoration movement4 ,i do not know its author3 ,,our ,,aim4 #a4 ,the restoration of primitive ,christianity and consequent union of all the followers of ,christ in one body4 #b4 ,to build a church of ,christ1 without a denominational name1 creed or other barrier to ,christian unity1 whose terms of fellowship shall be as broad as the conditions of salvation and identical with them4 #c4 ,to lead sinners to ,christ in the clear light of the ,new ,testament teaching and example4 ,i have summarized the situation as ,i see it as follows3 ,,are ,,these ,,things ,,true8 ,,search ,,the ,,scriptures ,,and ,,see4 ,,acts #ag3aa4 #a4 ,christ wants all of his followers to be united in one church as they were the first three centuries 7,john #ag3bj1 #ba2 #a ,cor4 #a3aj-ac2 ,eph4 #d3a-f2 ,rom4 #ae3e-g74 #b4 ,sects and divisions among ,christians are wasteful1 carnal and sinful and result from exalting human leaders and their opinions above ,christ and his opinions revealed through his ,apostles 7#a ,cor4 #c3a-d2 ,rom4 #af3ag1 #ah2 ,gal4 #e3bj74 #c4 ,as soon as we drop human names1 creeds and customs and build churches after the divine model1 by teaching and practising as the ,apostles did1 the unity of the primitive church will be restored 7,heb4 #h3e2 #a ,cor4 #aa3af2 ,jude #c74 #d4 ,churches on an average are about the same in piety and consecration1 but so long as they teach contradictory doctrines they cannot all be right1 but may be wrong4 ,therefore you should examine for yourself and be sure you are guided by ,god's ,word rather than by inherited traditions which perpetuate sects 7,mark #g3f-ac74 ,the following guide to salvation1 which ,i take from one of my circulars used in gospel work1 has the merit of being taken entirely from the ,word of ,god1 except the word warning and the few words in parentheses4 ,if it is in harmony with the context1 and we sincerely believe it is1 then it is an infallible guide1 and those who follow it cannot be mistaken4 ,these men are the servants of the most high ,god which show unto us ,,the ,,way ,,of ,,salvation 7,acts #af3ag74 ,,what ,,must ,i ,,do ,,to ,,be ,,saved8 7,acts #af3cj2 #b3cg2 #i3f74 ,believe 7unbeliever7 on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and thou shalt be saved 7,acts #af3ca74 7,see also ,acts #h3 #ab1 #cg2 ,mark #af3af2 ,rom4 #aj3i-aa1 #ag2 ,john #c3ah2 #bj3ca2 #a ,john #e3a47 ,,warning4--,he that believeth not shall be damned 7,mark #af3af74 ,repent 7believers7 and be baptized for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the ,holy ,ghost 7,acts #b3ch74 7,see also ,acts #h3bb2 #bf3 #bj2 ,luke #bd3dg2 #b ,cor4 #g3i1 #aj47 ,,warning4--,except ye repent1 ye shall all perish 7,luke #ac3e74 ,confess 7penitent believer7 with thy mouth the ,lord ,jesus1 and thou shalt be saved 7,rom4 #aj3i1 #aj74 7,see also ,matt4 #aj3cb2 #af3af2 #bf3fc2 #a ,tim4 #f3ac2 #a ,john #d3ae47 ,,warning4--,whosoever shall deny me1 him will ,i also deny 7,matt4 #aj3cc74 ,be baptized 7confessor7 and wash away thy sins 7,acts #bb3af74 7,see also ,acts #b3ch2 ,mark #af3af2 ,gal4 #c3bf1 #bg2 #a ,pet4 #c3ba47 ,,warning4--,rejected the counsel of ,god1 being not baptized 7,luke #g3cj74 ,walk in newness of life 7those buried with ,christ in baptism7 7,rom4 #f3d74 ,,warning4--,walk not after the flesh1 ,for to be carnally minded is death 7,rom4 #h3a1 #f74 ,then they that gladly received his word were baptized2 and the same day there were added unto them 7joined church7 about three thousand souls4 ,and they ,,continued ,,steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine 7no human creed7 and fellowship 7weekly collections1 #a ,cor4 #af3a1 #b71 and in breaking of bread 7weekly communion1 ,acts #bj3g71 and in prayers 7attending prayer-meetings1 ,acts #b3da1 #db74 ,the disciples were ,,called ,,christians 7,acts #aa3bf74 ,for while one saith1 ,i am of ,paul2 and another1 ,i am of ,apollos2 are ye not carnal8 7#a ,cor4 #c3d74 ,if ye are reproached for the name of ,christ1 blessed are ye444 if a man suffer as a ,christian1 let him glorify ,god in this name 7#a ,pet4 #d3ad-af1 ,r4,v474 ,now ,i beseech you1 brethren1 by the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that ye all speak the same thing1 and that there be ,,no ,,divisions among you2 but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment4 ,now this ,i say1 that every one of you saith1 ,i am of ,paul2 and ,i of ,apollos2 and ,i of ,cephas2 and ,i of ,christ3 is ,christ divided 7,i ,cor4 #ab3 #ab78 ,was ,paul crucified for you8 or were ye baptized in 7into7 the name of ,paul8 7,i ,cor4 i3 #aj-ac74 ,therefore1 ,,go ,,on ,,unto ,,perfection 7,heb4 #f3a74 ,grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of ,god and of ,jesus our ,lord4 ,according as his divine power hath given unto us all things 7in ,bible7 that pertain unto life and godliness1 through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue4 ,whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises2 that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature1 having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust4 ,and beside this giving all diligence1 ,,add ,,to ,,your ,,faith virtue 7courage72 and to virtue1 knowledge2 and to knowledge1 temperance 7self-control72 and to temperance1 patience2 and to patience1 godliness2 and to godliness1 brotherly kindness 7love of brethren72 and to brotherly kindness1 charity 7love of everybody74 ,for if these things be in you1 and abound1 they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,but he that lacketh these things is blind1 and cannot see afar off1 and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins4 ,wherefore1 the rather1 brethren1 give diligence to make your calling and election sure1 for if ye do these things1 ye shall never fail3 ,for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ 7#b ,pet4 #b3b-aa74 ,,good ,,works4 ,for the grace of ,god that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men1 teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts1 we should live soberly1 righteous and godly in this present world2 looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great ,god and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 who gave himself for us1 that he might redeem us from all iniquity1 and purify unto himself a peculiar people1 zealous of good works 7,tit4 #b3 #aa-ad74 ,,works ,,of ,,the ,,flesh are manifest1 which are these3 ,adultery1 fornication1 uncleanness1 lasciviousness1 idolatry1 witchcraft1 hatred1 variance1 emulations1 wrath1 strife1 seditions 7parties71 heresies 7sects--,r4 ,v471 envying1 murders1 drunkenness1 revellings1 and such like2 of the which ,i tell you before1 as ,i have told you in the past1 that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of ,god4 ,but ,,the ,,fruit ,,of ,,the ,,spirit is love1 joy1 peace1 longsuffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 faith1 meekness1 temperance1 against such there is no law 7,gal4 #e3ai-bb74 ,,finally1 brethren1 whatsoever things are true1 whatsoever things are honest1 whatsoever things are just1 whatsoever things are pure1 whatsoever things are lovely1 whatsoever things are of good report2 if there be any virtue1 and if there be any praise1 think on these things 7,phil4 #d3h74 ,now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think1 according to the power that worketh in us1 unto him be glory in the church by ,jesus ,christ throughout all ages1 world without end4 ,amen 7,eph4 #c3bj1 #ba74 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,our ,,neglected ,,fields4 ,,note4--,this chapter is an address that was delivered at the ,centennial ,convention of the movement for the restoration of primitive ,christianity1 held at ,pittsburg1 ,pa41 during ,october1 #aiji4 ,it is here given because it deals with the same general subject as the rest of the book and shows why and how the reunion of the followers of ,christ on the primitive gospel is the greatest issue before the ,christian world to-day4 ,ask the brotherhood what ,our ,neglected ,fields are1 and the answer will come in a multitude of voices speaking from diverse viewpoints according to each speaker's knowledge1 experience and field of operation4 ,this is natural and proper4 ,if your wife is not the best woman in the world1 you are not much of a husband4 ,if your country is not the best country on earth1 you are not much of a patriot4 ,love for everybody and everything in general is a good thing in its way1 but the specialized affections are of still greater importance in the world's progress heavenward4 ,but while this babel of appeals in behalf of different places1 classes and kinds of work is natural and proper1 it does not solve the problem as to what are really our neglected fields and as to the relative amount of work and money we should give to the various calls4 ,standing on the banks of the ,mississippi1 it is impossible to determine the origin of the various color elements in the water2 but if we go to the source1 it is easy to discover that the red mud comes from the ,arkansas1 the black mud from the ,missouri and the coal dust from the ,ohio4 ,so if we wish to discover the principles that will guide us in selecting fields of operation1 we must go back to the fountain-head of the ,new ,testament4 ,if we are in the streets of a strange city1 all is confusion as to the lay of the land2 but if we climb to the hilltop in the rear of the city1 we can readily get our bearings4 ,so we must climb to the hilltop with ,christ and the ,apostles and from there get our bearings in our missionary operations4 ,let us then turn to the ,new ,testament and see if we can discover where we should go first and the relative importance of the individual and society1 the earthly and the heavenly1 the temporal and eternal1 the material and spiritual1 and their relationship to each other4 ,in looking for the scope of gospel work1 we discover that the salvation of the individual and his attainment unto eternal life is the supreme aim in view4 ,from the multitude of ,scriptures that teach this we select the following3 ,for ,god so loved the world1 that he gave his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth on him should not perish1 but have eternal life 7,john #c3af74 ,go ye into all the world1 and preach the gospel to the whole creation4 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved 7,mark #af3ae1af74 ,who will render to every man according to his works3 to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption1 eternal life 7,rom4 #b3g74 ,the ,scriptures are just as clear in placing the spiritual1 eternal and heavenly infinitely above the material1 temporal and earthly3 ,we look not at the things which are seen1 but at the things which are not seen2 for the things which are seen are temporal2 but the things which are not seen are eternal 7#b ,cor4 #d3ah74 ,set your mind on the things which are above1 not on the things which are upon the earth 7,col4 #c3b74 ,took joyfully the spoiling of your possessions1 knowing that ye have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one 7,heb4 #aj3cd74 ,lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth444 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven444 for where your treasure is1 there will your heart be also 7,matt4 #f3ai-ba74 ,for our citizenship is in heaven2 whence also we wait for a ,saviour1 the ,lord ,jesus ,christ3 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation1 that it may be conformed to the body of his glory 7,phil4 #c3bj1 #ba74 ,at best a very small per cent of ,christians can ever hope to attain unto wealth and worldly success2 and to present these things as an incentive to godliness is but mockery1 for if we have only hoped in ,christ in this life1 we are of all men most pitiable 7#a ,cor4 #ae3ai74 ,we are constantly tempted to be deceived by the delusion that wealth1 health and worldly success necessarily bring happiness1 while the opposite is as often true1 as these things are not an end in themselves4 ,while the ,scriptures thus clearly teach that the supreme effort of ,christianity is to prepare people for a glorious hereafter1 good works in this life are demanded and are of vital importance4 ,it is the nature of godliness to seek the well-being of others1 in this life and the life to come1 and no soul can remain saved without doing all in its power to minister unto others4 ,ye tithe mint and anise and cummin and have left undone the weightier matters of the law1 justice and mercy and faith3 but these ye ought to have done1 and not to have left the other undone 7,matt4 #bc3bc74 ,created in ,christ ,jesus for good works1 which ,god afore prepared that we should walk in them 7,eph4 #b3aj74 ,the promise of eternal life is to them who continue patiently in well-doing 7,rom4 #b3g74 ,every branch in me that beareth not fruit1 he taketh it away 7,john #ae3b74 ,in all his works and words ,god seeks to reveal his love to men with the purpose of wooing them back to himself1 and good works of love have an important place in winning souls to ,christ4 ,thus ,jesus did many works of mercy through which he made manifest his and the ,father's love for sinners4 ,even so let your light shine before men that they may see your good works1 and glorify your ,father who is in heaven 7,matt4 #e3af74 ,having your behavior seemly among the ,gentiles1 that wherein they speak against you as evil-doers1 they may by your good works1 which they behold1 glorify ,god 7,i ,pet4 #b3ab74 ,that even if any obey not the word1 they may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives 7,i ,pet4 #c3a74 ,emerson says1 ,what you are speaks so loud1 ,i cannot hear what you say4 ,this is1 alas6 too true of our ,christianity4 ,unless our love for people is incarnated in the good works of our lives1 sinners will lose faith in us and in our religion4 ,this does not mean that the church is to forsake prayer and the ,word of ,god to serve tables1 or forsake its spiritual ministries and mainly turn its energies to ministering to the physical1 social and intellectual man4 ,chiefly1 the church1 through its spiritual ministries1 is to inspire its members and others to good works of love in their daily walk and conversation4 ,as the anchor of the buoy or the ballast of the ship holds it upright1 so the good works of ,christians hold the spiritual salvation aloft to be seen of men1 and commend it to a dying world4 ,having considered the scope of gospel work as revealed in the ,new ,testament1 let us next inquire where we shall go first4 ,as we cannot go everywhere at once1 where shall we begin1 and where shall we go next8 ,is this left to chance1 or is an order of procedure revealed in the ,new ,testament8 ,we believe that there is1 and that it is of the greatest importance that this order should be followed4 ,christ gave the order of march in ,acts #a3h1 ,ye shall be my witnesses both in ,jerusalem1 and in all ,judaea and ,samaria1 and unto the uttermost part of the earth4 ,if we have any doubt as to the interpretation1 the ,apostles interpret it for us in their work under the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,other things being equal1 they went to the nearest territory first4 ,again1 we notice that the ,apostles were especially led to the cities1 the great centers of population4 ,this enabled them to reach most people in a given time4 ,beginning at ,jerusalem1 their missionary journeys were determined by the location of the leading cities4 ,furthermore1 we learn from the teaching and practice of ,christ and the ,apostles1 that they went to the ripest fields first4 ,christ came to the ,jews1 the best prepared people on earth1 to gather a nucleus for his coming kingdom and to scatter preparatory light for the gospel message4 ,the ,apostles commenced their gospel work at ,jerusalem on ,pentecost because the most devout and enlightened saints on earth were gathered there4 ,for this reason the order was first the ,jews and then the ,gentiles 7,acts #ac3df1 #dg74 ,paul passed through ,amphipolis and ,apollonia and came to ,thessalonica because a synagogue of the ,jews was there 7,acts #ag3a74 ,the ,spirit forbade him to go to ,asia and ,bithynia and led him by ,mysia into ,macedonia because there were hearts there ready to receive the message 7,acts #af3f-aj74 ,christ commanded ,paul to depart from ,jerusalem because they would not receive his testimony there 7,acts #bb3ag-ba74 ,open doors were considered as guides by ,paul in his missionary operations 7,i ,cor4 #af3h2 #b ,cor4 #b3ab1 #ac2 ,acts #ad3bg2 ,col4 #d3c74 ,summing up1 we find that the ,apostles1 in their effort to preach the gospel to every creature1 were guided by nearness of territory1 density of population and ripeness of field4 ,that is1 all things considered1 they went along the line of least resistance4 ,this is the way of mercy and common sense as well as of ,scripture1 as it is the quickest way to reach every creature4 ,it enlarges the army of conquest as fast as possible and always meets the enemy at the point of least resistance4 ,it will help us to understand the matter if we keep in mind that it was not only the purpose of ,christ to save individuals here and there1 but also to organize a salvation society or church through which to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth1 provide a home for the new-born spiritual babes and to extend his reign on earth as far and as fast as possible4 ,the matter will become still plainer if we consider another principle taught and practised by ,christ and the ,apostles2 viz41 the necessity an absolute union of the forces of ,god under ,christ for the accomplishment of his work4 ,christ said1 ,every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation3 and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand1 and he prayed for a perfect union among his followers in order that the world might believe in him 7,matt4 #ab3be2 ,john #ag3bj1 #ba74 ,paul says1 ,whereas there is among you jealousy and strife1 are ye not carnal8 ,for when one saith1 ,i am of ,paul2 and another1 ,i am of ,apollos2 are ye not carnal8 7,i ,cor4 #c3c1 #d74 ,again he says1 ,if ye bite and devour one another1 take heed that ye be not consumed one of another 7,gal4 #e3ae74 ,divisions inevitably lead to weakness1 waste and defeat4 ,a small army united in the authority of a wise commander can defeat the largest army on earth if it be divided through every officer doing as he pleases or as he thinks best4 ,therefore ,christ demanded absolute union in his authority1 and the ,apostles first of all worked for a union of ,jews and ,gentiles in one body or working force4 ,if the purpose had only been to save individuals1 the ,jews might have been saved as ,jews1 but the object was to enlist the ,jews with the ,gentiles in ,god's new army of conquest4 ,this new union under ,christ1 or re-alignment of religious forces1 was so important that the salvation of both ,jews and ,gentiles was conditioned on their entering it1 and1 if necessary1 all other unions and alliances had to be broken to maintain this4 ,all race and class distinctions must succumb4 ,there can be neither ,jew nor ,greek1 there can be neither bond nor free1 there can be no male nor female2 for ye are all one man in ,christ ,jesus 7,gal4 #c3bh74 ,not even family ties were permitted to interfere with this union in the authority of ,christ4 ,he that loveth father or mother more than me1 is not worthy of me2 and he that loveth son or daughter more than me1 is not worthy of me4 ,for ,i came to set a man at variance with his father1 and the daughter against her mother1 and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law3 and a man's foes shall be they of his own household 7,matt4 #aj3ce-cg74 ,the subjection of wives to their husbands and of children to their parents is limited in the ,lord 7,col4 #c3 #ah1 #bj74 ,summing up the ,new ,testament principles that are to guide us in our gospel work1 we may say that we are to go as a united force along the line of least resistance1 making the eternal salvation of the individual our supreme aim4 ,the ,restoration movement became necessary because one of the fundamental principles of the gospel had been violated2 viz43 that of ,christian union4 ,the success of this movement for ,christian union on the primitive gospel has been phenomenal4 ,in eighty years its adherents have increased from ten thousand to one and a third millions4 ,but what are these among so many8 ,the work has but fairly begun1 and the field is just beginning to ripen for the larger harvest4 ,sectarianism is still present in all of its hideousness1 but the people are beginning to see the desolation and sinfulness of divisions and are groping in the dark in various efforts at solution4 ,however1 a careful investigation will reveal the fact that the great drift towards denominational union is more due to a dying faith in sectarian doctrines than to a growing faith in the doctrines once for all delivered to the saints4 ,about a year ago it was declared in a large meeting of clergymen that ,protestantism is decaying and will be displaced by some sort of a new ,catholicism4 ,the statement was vigorously applauded4 ,this simply means that sectarian ,protestantism is decaying4 ,it should be remembered that every large religious body in ,america1 except that represented here to-day1 originated in ,europe under the shadow of ,roman ,catholicism and under political1 social and religious conditions entirely different from those that now prevail in ,america4 ,these sectarian systems brought to ,america have been thawed out by our free ,american religious atmosphere so that there is not a large sectarian body that would dare to promulgate seriously and persistently the basic principles that gave birth to it in ,europe4 ,the consequence is that sects are hastening to revise their creeds so as to get rid of their out-of-date features as gracefully as possible4 ,one of the leading arguments for union with other denominations used at the recent ,canadian ,general ,assembly was that it would give the church an opportunity to revise its creeds1 and to remove the barnacles and cobwebs that had gathered around them4 ,the leading speaker declared that not a single minister present would dare to enforce his own interpretation of the ,confession of ,faith4 ,the ministers hesitate to enforce these hereditary traditions1 and the members neither know nor care what the creeds teach1 and1 therefore1 we hear on every hand1 ,one church is just as good as another4 ,we thank ,god for this relaxing of sectarianism and for the trend toward ,christian union4 ,but the movement involves a grave danger4 ,having lost faith in their distinctive sectarian doctrines1 which they considered synonymous with ,new ,testament teaching1 many sectarian people are rapidly drifting into indifference1 worldliness and unbelief4 ,forsaking human leaders and their doctrines1 they are in danger of also forsaking the ,apostles as religious leaders and their doctrines once for all delivered to the saints4 ,sectarianism is bad1 but sectarian life and strife is better than a lifeless1 conviction-less1 graveyard1 sentimental union that is the result of a dying faith4 ,in a union revival in an ,eastern city practically all the ,protestant churches worked together for a month1 and we could not count five definite committals to ,christ4 ,any small sectarian church alone could have accomplished greater definite results4 ,after reducing their doctrines so as to avoid all that would give offense to any1 they become so thin that there is but little to contend for4 ,the indifference to the doctrines of the creeds and the ,new ,testament which is hastening the disintegration of sectarianism1 is partly due to infidelity in the churches4 ,discerning critics cannot fail to see that much of the drift toward denominational union is due to the leadership of preachers who1 through rationalism1 have lost faith in the inspiration of the ,bible and consequently in evangelical ,christianity4 ,as ,i was a student for three years at a ,unitarian theological school and have gone through the process myself1 ,i am able to speak on this subject as perhaps few of our brethren can4 ,misguided by rationalism1 ,i thought it my conscientious duty to accept1 step by step1 the dictates of destructive criticism until the ,bible was only inspired to me in religion as ,kant in philosophy1 ,milton in poetry and ,beethoven in music4 ,but when ,i came to the end of the business ,i discovered that my conscience1 that had urged me along1 was gone also4 ,for ,i was gravely taught that conscience is simply a creation of experience and education and that it is right to lie or do anything else so long as you do it out of love4 ,doubtless you have all heard of the farmer and his wife at the ,world's ,fair1 who went to see the ,exit4 ,there was nothing in it and of course they had to pay to get in again4 ,this was my bitter experience with rationalism4 ,i thought ,i was following a great light1 but ,i discovered there was nothing in it1 that ,i was following an ignis fatuus4 ,rationalism has indeed proven the ,exit to multitudes1 from the peace1 joy and moral security that accompany faith in evangelical ,christianity into the desert of doubt1 darkness and despair4 ,to those preachers who1 through rationalism1 have lost faith in the inspiration of the ,bible1 doctrines are no longer a hindrance to union1 for they have lost faith in all evangelical doctrines and therefore selfishness and utility draw them toward union4 ,if this is the religious condition to-day1 you can see that we are in danger of religious anarchy and spiritual death4 ,we are told that the splendid civilizations of ,greece and ,rome were made possible through the moral integrity and manhood inspired by their heathen religious systems4 ,when unbelief in these systems originated among the philosophers and through them permeated the mass of the people1 morality and sincerity were displaced by policy1 distrust and deception1 which brought utter ruin to the social and civil fabric4 ,how much greater must the calamity be if the faith1 integrity and morality underlying our splendid ,christian civilization should be destroyed by the antichristian doctrines already taught in the classroom at some of the leading schools4 ,the only hope lies in a return to the faith once for all delivered to the saints4 ,i believe we have been raised up for this hour4 ,our past work and opportunities are but a drop in the bucket compared with our present opportunities for work4 ,as never before1 it behooves us to raise the banner of ,new ,testament ,christianity as a standard to rally and reorganize the divided1 confused and retreating hosts of ,christ4 ,it is not a question of staying at ,jerusalem until each individual is converted1 but the question is whether we will ever go to the ,jerusalem of teeming millions in our land who have never even heard the plea for ,christian union on the primitive gospel4 ,just as the ,apostles went to saints 7pious ,jews7 and sinners and demanded upon pain of their eternal condemnation that they unite under ,king ,jesus1 so we must go to the saints of the sects and sinners of the world and insist that they unite under the non-sectarian banner of ,christ1 in order that the whole world may believe in him as ,god's ,son4 ,as in the days of the ,apostles1 so now we need a re-alignment of religious forces in order to conquer the world for ,christ4 ,having learned the ,new ,testament principles that should guide us in our missionary operations1 and through these discovered our chief sphere of work in view of the present situation1 let us turn to special missionary problems that constantly suggest themselves to us and consider our duty towards them and their relationship to the great mission that rests upon us as a distinctive people4 ,i refer to the ,indians1 ,mormons1 ,jews1 immigrants1 the lower and slum districts of our cities1 the mountaineers of the ,appalachian system1 the millions of unevangelized negroes in the ,south1 etc4 ,concerning these problems ,i wish to call your attention to the following considerations3 ,first1 these problems are largely educational1 legal1 social and philanthropic1 and as such should be solved by the united effort of all the good citizens of the land4 ,keeping in mind the ,new ,testament principles that are to guide us1 we can readily see that ,christians should do many things that the church was not ordained to do4 ,the church1 as a church1 should not go into politics and business4 ,on the other hand1 the church1 through its spiritual ministries1 should inspire its members to enter business1 politics1 philanthropic associations1 etc41 in order1 as far as possible1 to incarnate ,christian principles in their life in the world4 ,we may differ as to the finer distinctions1 but none of us would advocate a union of church and state or of church and business4 ,as this is a nation in which ,christians can control the laws1 they can do much through good citizenship to solve these questions and bring these classes within the reach of the spiritual gospel4 ,one of the great duties of the church in behalf of these people is1 through their spiritual ministries1 to constrain their members to make and enforce proper laws for their education1 protection and improvement4 ,christianity is the religion of a book1 and the first thing needful to bring these classes to an intelligent ,christian faith is at least a common-school ,english education4 ,those of us who have lived in cities that are largely foreign know that the public schools are doing more to bring these classes within gospel reach than all other agencies combined4 ,second1 ,i wish to throw out a warning against engendering or encouraging the class spirit which we find so severely condemned in the ,new ,testament4 ,in the ,new ,testament we read nothing about churches for different classes or about different classes as separate missionary problems1 but the effort is to reach all classes through the local churches along the line of least resistance4 ,the best thing on earth for these various classes is that they might be brought into vital touch with the best ,christian people in our local churches4 ,some have even gone so far as to claim that we cannot reach the slum element1 but must leave that to the ,salvation ,army1 etc4 ,if that is true1 so much the worse for our ,christianity4 ,a truly ,new ,testament church is the incarnation of the wisdom and love of ,god for reaching any and all classes of people4 ,the class spirit is the outgrowth of ignorance1 prejudice and selfishness and is always sinful among ,christians4 ,our experience with tuberculosis and with the modern complicated industrial and political systems1 is thrusting upon us anew ,christ's teaching about the brotherhood of man or the solidarity of the race4 ,on the whole1 it is true that the race suffers or rejoices1 rises or falls1 together4 ,we condemn the segregation of foreign races in different sections of our large cities4 ,but the segregation of the better1 or at least more fortunate1 classes1 is just as bad and more disastrous to the welfare of the city4 ,social settlements and institutional churches are manifestations of the ,christ spirit1 but they are only proxies and excuses for the mass of ,christians and but samples and crumbs in place of the square meal that a square deal would supply4 ,what these institutions are doing in a comparatively unnatural and artificial way is simply a hint of what could and would be done if all church-members would practise the ,christ spirit in all their daily walk and conversation4 ,to give a few dollars to help pay a few mission workers to live ,christ in the slum districts is all right1 but is no adequate substitute for all ,christians giving all their life to uplift and save their country and the whole world4 ,the best institutional church is the one that through its spiritual ministries inspires its members to live ,christ in politics1 in business1 in society1 in the home and everywhere else4 ,so far as possible1 let us minimize and discourage the class spirit in every way1 shape and form4 ,it is marvelous what the true ,christ spirit will do along this line4 ,a church of ,christ was recently organized at ,romney1 ,w4 ,va41 with two-thirds of the members foreign born4 ,with a few days' effort nineteen ,italians recently joined the ,christian ,church at ,uhrichsville1 ,o4 ,similar results have followed faithful efforts in ,new ,york ,city and at many other places4 ,if in love and faith we would make a serious effort to reach these classes through the local churches1 we would do ten times more to reach and help them than by seeking to reach them as classes4 ,in the third place1 we must avoid the materializing tendency of the age in our gospel work4 ,the constant tendency is to lose sight of the spiritual1 invisible and eternal1 to be blinded by the things of this world and to be conformed to them4 ,in reading popular books on ,home ,missions we cannot but be grieved at the flings and thrusts at the old evangelism and the laudations of the new evangelism4 ,for the context shows that the teaching is away from the spiritual and eternal salvation of the individual1 which the ,new ,testament makes the chief and ultimate thing1 to the material and temporal things of this earth1 which the ,new ,testament makes a means to a higher end4 ,to prove that the old evangelism is defunct1 attention is called to the fact that seven thousand sectarian congregations did not have a single convert in an entire year4 ,but can that be said of true ,new ,testament evangelism8 ,how prone we are to forget that only a comparatively few can attain unto worldly success according to the standard of public opinion and none so as to be satisfied with the effort4 ,for the more we get the more we want in wealth and fame and pleasure1 and none of these things in themselves bring happiness or well-being1 which is the real thing the soul hungers for4 ,who can estimate the eternal good ,b4 ,f4 ,mills did while he pointed individuals to the ,lamb of ,god and thus filled their souls with new life1 hope and courage to do and to dare for self and others because of the joy that was set before them8 ,but in an evil day he became spiritually near-sighted and spoke about saving society rather than the individual1 and now he is reputed to be a hotel-keeper1 ministering to the material comforts of his fellow-men4 ,oh1 what a fall was there6 ,but only an example of multitudes who have become near-sighted and unfruitful through a so-called new evangelism that is not new4 ,while giving good works their proper and important place1 let us never forget that to save the individual soul for eternity through the gospel is the chief work of the church1 and that it must ever subordinate the temporal and material to the spiritual and eternal4 ,furthermore1 it is well to remember that our sectarian neighbors1 having largely lost faith in what they once considered their distinctive mission1 are naturally turning much of their energy to general educational1 philanthropic and civilizing work4 ,under the circumstances it is natural and proper that they should give relatively more of their energies to this kind of work than we1 as we have a distinctive mission that demands our chief effort4 ,the classes enumerated above present indeed great missionary problems4 ,we should keep in mind the entire field and never plan for anything short of reaching1 as soon as possible1 every creature with the gospel4 ,but accepting the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit1 revealed in the ,new ,testament1 we must go to the ends of the earth as a body united in ,christ and his truth1 along the line of least resistance1 ever keeping in mind the spiritual and eternal salvation of the individual as the ultimate aim4 ,these things being true1 ,i still believe1 as we have always taught1 that the reunion of ,god's people on the primitive gospel is at present the overshadowing issue before us and that in working for its accomplishment we are doing the utmost in our power to solve all missionary problems4 ,christ can never conquer with a hopelessly divided army4 ,sectarianism ties up three-fourths of the men and money and kills three-fourths of the spiritual power that could otherwise be used to solve all missionary problems4 ,unite all saints in ,christ and set free these forces1 and within this generation the world will believe and know that ,jesus is the ,christ whom ,god sent into the world 7,john #ag3bj1 #ba1 #bc74 ,i believe that ,god has providentially prepared both us and the field1 and unless we perform the mission set before us he will raise up another people through whom to bring about ,christian union on the primitive gospel1 to our eternal shame1 but to their eternal glory4 ,thus it seems that1 pre-eminently1 our neglected fields lie among the teeming millions of ,america1 ripe unto the harvest for our plea1 but who1 through our negligence1 have not even heard that there is such a plea4 ,grapes of ,eshcol have been gathered from every corner of our land1 proving that it is a land flowing with milk and honey for primitive ,christianity4 ,look at the wonders done in ,oklahoma4 ,go to ,southern ,california and see the recent record4 ,go to the great ,northwest1 both in ,canada and the ,united ,states1 and see the ripeness of the field4 ,if we turn to the southeast we gather just as large clusters of grapes in ,florida and along the coast4 ,see the marvels accomplished in ,washington1 our capital4 ,two churches offered to us because we are non-sectarian4 ,turn to ,baltimore and see the marvelous growth4 ,two fields offered to us because we stand for ,christian union4 ,look at the recent and abundant fruit in conservative ,pennsylvania1 or pass on to ,new ,york and see the wonders at ,east ,orange and in ,brooklyn among the ,russians4 ,wherever we turn1 the field is riper than ever and we must haste to garner it in or the abundant crop will perish4 ,the heart of the country is already largely ours4 ,let us go forward with enlarged numbers and renewed vigor1 knowing that the ,god of the harvest is with us and we are well able to possess the land4 ,while greatly increasing all our other activities1 let us push the ,home ,society to the front where it belongs according to every principle of ,scripture1 mercy1 economy1 efficiency and common sense4 ,if we will renew among us the zeal and self-denial of the pioneers of this movement1 we will soon gloriously triumph to ,his honor and praise4