The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1885-05-27

Himself, it bears to some extent this re-
lation to all truth, yet there is a high
and peculiar sense in which the Church
is the custodian of the truth. 1t has re-
ceived from God by inspiration great
body of truth, historic truth, prophetic
truth, doctrinal truth, ethical truth, ex-
perimental truth, truth for the practical
guidance and government of life. This
body of inspired truth, constituting the
lively oracles" of God, has been COM
mitted, as a most sacred trust, to the
keeping of the Church She is respon-
sible to Him for the preservation and
maintenance in it's integrity and purity
of this written Word. Every segment of
its truth she must guard with sedulous
care. She must see that not one lot is
added to it, or one title taken from it.
Her testimony must be borne, clear and
decisive, against the application to it of
any principles of Interpretation that are
fallacious or dangerous. All her author
ity must be exercised, and all the power
of her discipline brought into requisi-
ton, II necessary, to prevent the inculca-
ton within her bosom, and with her APP
parent sanction. of theories of inspiration
and rules of hermeneutics which tend to
impair the confidence of the common
people in the accuracy and inerrancy of
plain, simple statements of the Word of
God
That which we have seen to be true as
to the Office of the Church in reference to
the truth is equally true in reference to
the ordinances and ceremonies of the
house of God. The Church is charged
with the duty and responsibility of main
tanning them in their simplicity and
purity, free from all the innovations and
superstitions of men. x *
Broader, even yet; is the mission of
the Church is establishing and maintain
ing uprightness in the earth. It's Office
has respect not only to the integrity of
the Christian faith and the simplicity
and purity of the Christian cultus, but
also to the development and perfecting
OF individual character in all uprightness
of conduct and holiness of living. It is
designed of God to be the great conserv-
ator of virtue, the great bulwark of mo-
rality, the efficient safeguard of the
rights and liberties, of the intelligence
and virtue, of the benefcence and charity
that now beautify and gladden. the
world. And this in fact it is, and has
been through all the ages Whilst it has
nov, as it has had in every generation,
many unworthy members, many whose
lives are very inconsistent, some whose
lives are positively vicious and vile;
whilst it has thus in every age given &C.
casion to the cavils of those who delight
to nourish their own unbelief feeding it
upon the inconsistencies of Christian
people, and thus, as the ancient prophet
says, eating up the sins of Gods peo-
pie, yet it cannot be denied that the
most potent of all agencies for private
and public virtue, the one hundred
fold more potent than all others COM
bined, is the Church of God. Take it
away, and the humanitarians who now
deride or disparage it would find them
selves confronted with elements of law
lessness and violence which would walk
the earth like lions that in the absence
of their keepers have slipped their chains.
II. We notice, in the second place,
that this God of Jeshurun is said to ride
upon the heaven" Living, as we do, in
an age In which the current of advanced
thought" as it is called, runs strongly to-
wards materialism, it may be well for us
to dwell for few moments upon this
thought. We cannot enter the favorite
walks of philosophy at the present time
without realizing that the atmosphere
about US is different from that in which
our fathers lived. Whether or not it be
more intensely scientific, there can be no
question that it is more essentially god
less. 1t is true that the infdelity of the
present day has lost somewhat of the
boldness and hardihood of that of the
generations past. 1t no longer comes
out with frankness and says, there is no
Cod" but, with great afectation of
modesty, it says, eve do not say there
is no God we only say that, if there is
one, we have never seen any evidence of
His presence or power. We have, with
the aid of the telescope, penetrated to the
furthest realms of the universe, as known
to us. We have, through the microscope,
searched the atomic world to its depths
of in6nitesimal minuteness. We find
nowhere any scientific evidence OF His
existence. We find at every point the
presence and domain of natural law.
We trace all effect and all cause in the
play of physical forces, which, though
apparently many and varied, are all at
last receivable into single primordial
physical force This is the only God we
know. Of infinite personality, intelli-
gence or will we know nothing, and we