Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-14

down upon Samaritan village which had
refused them hospitality. They were as
sailed by the temptation which has proved
too strong for multitudes OF their success
ors, the temptation to lord it over the herit-
age of God.
They were jealous, so they thought, for
the Lord God. The personal element
seemed not to enter in at all. They felt
bound to hold the dignity of the apostolic
office, not that they themselves might be
the gamers, but that the office might be ex-
allied. They felt that obligation was laid
upon them to insist upon acceptance of the
whole truth of God and the whole will of
God as it was taught by them. Any allow
ance of departure, or variation, or diminu-
tion, would be treachery to their steward
ship. At least, enough of this spirit al
ready showed itself In the conduct of the
apostles SO that one who knew human
nature could readily see that it would pres
emily grow into this, and then into worse.
Good Ideas and Wrong Practices.
The best words IN the world have been
the maxims again and again of the worst
cause. "For the greater glory of God" !"
What an inspiring motto to write upon
banner! Yet it has been the watchword of
all theological bigotry, of all ecclesiastical
despotism. Men have accounted certain
formulas to be the adequate expression of
the entire truth of God. And, being in
authority, they have refused to abate even
letter. Thus must all the rest of us be-
lieve, whole and undefled, or else perish
everlastingly. Or certain customs have
been accepted, certain offices acknowledged,
as of the Lords own appointment. And
these have been forced in their entirety
upon mems obedience The authority of
the church must be maintained And the
result, over and over, has been discord,
persecution, spiritual loss The troubles
which disfgure ecclesiastical history from
the beginning have arisen in great measure
from this insistance of the steward upon the
whole amount which he considers to be
owed his master.
Christ teaches in this parable the lesson
of wisdom. The steward is commended who
remits somewhat of his lords bill. The
sons of the world are declared wiser than
the sons of the light. The business man, for
example, knows better than to grasp always
after every penny that is due him. His
purpose is, indeed, to make money; but he
knows that one good way to make money is
to make friends. Our Lord seems to mean
that the church and the truth will prosper
by the same procedure.
The Triumph of the Truth.
What we want is the triumph of the
truth. We want to bring all men into the
knowledge and the obedience of God. And
the lesson of the parable, according to this
is that the triumph of the
truth will be won by gentleness rather than
by exacting severity. make to yourselves
friends by means of the mammon of un-
The only unrighteous
that Is, worldly treasure-well
called "unrighteous" from the temptations
which it brings with 1.-THE only unright-
eous mammom which the apostles had was
their position of authority as teachers and
leaders OF the church. This they had for
the good of men, that they might exalt men
into "eternal tabernacles. p" And Jesus
teaches that if they are to be helpers they
must first be friends He was How patti
ent and gentle in all of his dealings with
the unbelef and the sin of the world! Never
with hyprocrites- tyrannical, willing
10 accept part where he would prefer the
whole.
Certain it Is, that boys and girls do not
grow into the best men and women out of
homes where the domestic law is enforced
IN every detail and with unceasing severity.
rhe wise father and mother overlook every
lay great many departures from the law.
rhe bill reads hundred measures of wheat,
,ut the debtor may write fourscore. The |
ill reads a hundred measures of oil, but |
he debter may write 90 That transaction, |
translated into the language of morals, takes |
,lace between the parent and the child in |
very well-conducted household every day.
Tho Right Rules for the Child.
The steward knows that he might not get |
uite so much wheat and oil, but he would |
et Just so much friendship, which is better.
1Lap har Epn fhof oh
ute so much actual obedience as if she |
rere more strict, but she will get more love.
And love is always better than obedience,
or it includes obedience. What the mother
wants is to gain not so much the outward |
ct OF obedience to her authority, as the al
egiance of the heart. And she gains that
" wise gentleness, by o judicious COM
by shutting her eyes and ears
ood deal of the time.
This is just as needful in the larger FAM
ly, the church. The purpose of the church
) to win men to Christ, to get them to be-
ieve in Him, and know Him, and obey
lin, and love Him. And the church, for
he sake of that good purpose, and the bet
er to get it accomplished, must be content
o make all allowances, must be patient
1ith imperfection,
Here is the complete sum of obedience
7hch we account to be due our Master
,et us not excommunicate all who fail to paw
he whole of it, else we may excommuni-
ate, first of all, ourselves Let us not try
D make the church into club of saints.
let us not set down great many elaborate
ules Of conduct and say that we will pun
III every act of disobedience. We will dis
ourage people. Take 20 per cent off from
be bill.
Patient With Imperfections.
Here is the complete amount of theologi-
Il faith which we believe to be due our
ord. We will not do we'll to insist upon
le prompt and entire payment of every
art of it by every Christian. 1t is remark
BILE how patient God is with the imperfec-
ons of human belief A large proportion
the race is still ignorant of Christian
'uth, and vet God does not seem unwilling
accept them; he does not hesitate to love
lem. Let us not try to draw the lines of
lith too narrowly. There ought to be room
| the great church of God for all the hon.
it heretics. Faith must grow. And we
ay be sure that it will never grow in the {
armth of the fires that are kindled by the {
,al Of persecution;. it needs the warmth of
we. Christ won people into believing in ]
i'm not by abusing them for lack of faith,
ut by taking them with whatever scanty {
ith they had and making them His
lends. Take 30 per cent off from the bill 6
faith. GEORGE HODGES
WORK FOR YOUNG EXPLORERS.