The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-12-23
Preachers Must DeIivsr Gols Message.

Some recent events have led 20 reviv-
al Of the broad Church plea that n
preacher should speak ont all that he be-
lieyes to be the truth. without fear OF the
! congregation. and unicitered by ortho-
doSy or heterodoXy. This irankness -
supposed to be warranted by Pauls word.
'as Of sincerity we speak The
who,e emphasis is pyt upon sincerity
But tie hrs5 emphasis should not be
placed there Sincerity is OF course, an
absolutely essential thing IN a preacher,
but tde.ty IS prime essential. \ man
may he cinccvelv mistaken, and his mis-
take may have far-rcaching consequences
OF Vi for others.
The hrst essential is fidelity TO trust.
The FIRST business OF a Christian teacher
d. 20 receive His message, and then, SIN
ccrC,y, 20 transmit II. The fundamentals
al that message arc permanently liked
they arc hstorcal-and no plea of sin.
certify must be allowed 20 interfere with
them. II the chief emphasis bc placed
upon cublectivc sincerity, the door Is cas-
liy opened 10 every hereSy and every fad.
This, IN fact. is what hSs happened times
without number.
It - sometimes asserted that the
"chIrchos are empty" because people viii
rot believe IN the miraculous. We are
bound 10 object TO the statement; 1t ~
not truc. But 1t Is, unfortunately, true
that many occupants OF the naves' are
IN a state of amazement at the fragrant
contradiction between the truths an.
nounced week by week in the Creed, and
the dcna.s OF these truths, or the watering
down Q. thea by many who live by
them.
The crux Of the whole question is not
in any detail concerning miracle, but IN
this Is God Master IN Hls own world, OF
IS lie not? And has He interiered or
not with It's order for the purpose OF saw
inr ECn2 III the answer is mo" IL a
man entitled to call himself believer at
all! But II God has intervened IN the
Person Of Jesus Christ 20 save the word,
If Jesus really came from Him 90 reveal
Him, then something out OF the ordinary
must have happened.
Our Lord either commenced His exis'
tencc for the first time at Bethlehem, OF
He came from "the other side into our
world. If the former then He was smp.
ly one member Of our race. and there was
no true incarnation. II the latter, then
miracle" IS not simply possible, IT is inn
pcratiycy demanded. a true incarnation
d-mands a exceptional entrance INTO and
an exceptional exit from our world. 30
the who,c matter comes 20 this: Have We
a Saviour or not2 Yes or no. ComprOm-
ise here Is both illogical and impossible.
One further thing, since the matter ~
wClld have the stories OF the virgin birth,
the resurrection and the ascension, either
eliminated from the Gospel record, or 80
etherealizcd az to be denuded Of all their
historic significance.
They have no reasons save their dislike
for the supernatural. But their nearest
approach 10 reason is the fact Of the
silence of the Gospels concerning these
great thinRs. Our Lord, II is said, never
mentions His own miraculous birth; some
evangelists omit the story. 81. Paul new
or mentioned Il, and this y Ead TO be
evidence 20 the contrary Evidenccl
1t ~ playing with words. They testified
20 the ultimate truth which included II.
And that is the great thing after all. Did
not our Lord say repeatedly that He had
come down from heaven; Did not John
speak of Him as come from the bosom OF
the Father, and as being ia the beginning
with God? Did not Paul speak OF lis
pre-existence with God; j. u not Just 10
omit reference 20 these things. What.
then. becomes Of this yaunted argument
from silerce "-London Christian.