The Republican journal., 1896-09-03

ii. Moore, Presbyterian, Doyiestown, Pa.
H1NDRANCEs. What are the hindrauces
to the growth of the Church in this our
day? They are many, and sad and seri-
Gus, and it is lamentable to state that we
are losing more than we gain. A few odd
conversions will not make up for the thou
sands who are every day being lost to the
Church from three causes-intemperance.
fashion and mixed marriages. REV. j.
NJ. Kelley, Catholic, Brooklyn.
Duty IN PoL1TIcs. Politics is the sci
ence of government and there is no duty
more sacred than to take our part in the
shaping OF ends of our Government. Let
us see to it that education and religion
keep step with the march of our nation
and let the flag of our country float, Il
symbol OF great nation and free PEI
pie. Rev. A. A. Willetts, Methodist,
Spring Lake, \. J.
GODS WORKSHOP. The Church is
Gods great workshop, and every man in
it is supposed to be workman But the
truth is that the majority of church mem
bers simply stand with folded arms and
see others work. They can not be relied
on for the performance of any task, be-
| cause they have not learned aud will not
| learn how it must be done. Rev. DR..
| Hawthorne, Baptist, Nashville.
THE BIBLE. The people think they
know the Bible, but they do not That is
the everlasting delusion of the devil, the
ever running sophism of hell No man
knows the Bible as he ought to know it
its music, its conception, its sweep of his
tDrlr3l inform itS
love. 1t amazes me every time | look into
| its sacred pages. Rev. A. J. Harris
Baptist, Fort Worth Tex
NATURALIZED AMERICANS. When
foreigner becomes naturalized he should
be American, body, soul and brain. Let
him feel deep interest in his mother
land. That is right and proper, but his
first allegiance and his entire devotion
should be to the country that gives him a
home and to the flag which floats over
him. Anything less than than that is
| treachery; it is treason. Rev. Z. B. Rog-
ers, Baptist, Springfield, Ill.
THE BALLOT. We must personally I'M
seltshly, intelligently, periodically exer-
else the right of suffrage and teach our
children the necessity of a pure and free
ballot. They must be taught that the
privilege of casting a ballot carries with
it the solemn obligation to cast that ballot
on the side of right, 50 far as it is posi-
Bile to determine the right. Rev II. B.
Warning Baptist, Mount Carmel n. Y.
CITIZENSHIP. Patriotism should be
taught the young and its spirit confirmed
among all classes. Intelligent patriotism
is power almost invincible Both are
pOWerless to conserve the best interests of
a nation unless the truths of the Gospel
are heard and needed. so as to become
the foundation of all legislation and ma
tioual conduct. Conscientiousness is in
diSpensable to good citizenship 1t is the
Intelligent, patriotic, conscientious Chris
tan citizen who gives strength to a repub-
| lie. Rev. j. W. Harsha, Presbyterian,
! Pittsburg.
COPS LAW God never came to save
nation as such, but to save man as such.
| and when we come to understand this
righteousness will be incorporated in the
laws of men. Gods policy is the only
| policy to save the people. 1t is not to any
party to give to nation pledge for per-
manency of prosperity unless it recognizes
| God law and human rights. All enact
ments must be preceded by a right aim.
| Rev. 5. I. Ford, Baptist, Lowell, Mass.
| IHE MYSTERY OF LOVE. The word of
| God is full of love. 1t covers almost
every page, yet we can not comprehend it
| any more than we can comprehend God.
/ God is love. Sometimes we think that we
! can grasp it, plain and so simple, yet 50
| deep and SO mysterious, so far reaching
in its nature reaching back the centuries
| of time into the eternity before man was,
| before the creation, extending again down
the eternal ages to come. Rev. n. b.
! Grubb Mennonite, Philadelphia.
! LIES STRUGGLE. 1t is the struggle
| with lower nature, the fight between the
! spirit life and the beast life, that makes
man sublime. Evolutionists tell us that
| it is the struggle for existence that has
| made everything that is noble and beauti-
ful in the world 1t is the struggle for
| moral existence that proves man akin to
! Cod, who lives, rather than to the beasts
! that perish The peace that comes through
| giving up that struggle is the peace of
moral death. Rev. W. p Merrill, Pres
byterian, Chicago.
ETHICS ABOVE CREED. What Christ
Taught concerning character tells us OF to-
day that only Christian ethics gives a
firm foundation and is superior to the
ology, which is only theory, whereas re-
ligion is life. The world selects men for
what they are. If we select Receiver
for bank on a guardian for an estate we
would not select man because he was a
Unitarian, or Calvinist, or Trinitalian,
or an Armenian; we wonld select him be-
cause he was honest and true man before
men. Rev. 7. G. Dickinson, Methodist,
| Columbus, O.
Our NATIONAL PERIL. The great peril
threatening the country to-day is the in
difference to political duty on the part of
many good citizens. The ballot box should
be guarded against the immoral vote and
the disloyal vote. America was founded as
an asylum for the oppressed, and she must
ever be refuge for all people. But there
| should not be welcome accorded to any
one who does not come to our land to be
an American. The preacher of revolu-
ton, the apostle of dynamite and the fol
lowers of the red flag should not be allow
ed entrance to our ports. Rev. J. +. Car
son, Presbyterian, Brooklyn.