River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-04-15

f. go s-e.-=.ss=.@zj Sacraments. s.
Election by Free Grace"
In all its official utterances the Pres.
byterian church has been loyal to the
Bible as the inerrant, infallible word
of God. So far as know, it has never
uttered a word through any official
channel casting a doubt upon the BIZ
BILE as the authoritative word of God.
On the contrary, it has made religious
unbelievers very uncomfortable in its
ranks.
Robert Watts in answer to the ques.
ton, What is Presbyterianism? de-
clares that the heart of its teaching
is in the word Imputation 1. The i'm
putation of Adams sin to the race 2.
The imputation of our sins to Christ
3. The imputttion of Christ's righteous
ness to us.
The basis of all this is atonement
through the blood of Christ.
Though Presbyterianism exalts the
ordinances of the church into sacra
ments, there is no cleansing power in
the water of baptism, nor is there
transsubstantiation or consubstantia
ton in the Lords Supper. Election
by free grace" gives us the secret of
the blessings which have come to the
world through the emphasis which
Presbyterianism has placed upon the
sovereignty of God and conse
quent human responsibility. God
is the sovereign ruler of the
universe and should have no rival. AS
sovereign he has the right to com
mand, it is our duty to obey. Sin is re-
bellion against a sovereign God who
reigns in righteousness. Salvation
has its source in the love and mercy
of sovereign God.
Liberty.
This doctrine of Gods SOW
ereignty and mans consequent
responsibility has done more than
any other one thing to break
the rule of tyrants and give to
the world civil and religious liberty.
If God is sovereign, no man has
right to lord it over his fellows. All
are equal before God and all should
serve him while they accord to every
one else the same privilege
The men who in our history threw
the tea overheard in Boston harbor
believed that God reigns in righteous
ness and that it was not right in his
sight to pay taxes without represen-
tation in parliament. Faith in the
sovereignty of God inspired the SEN
tence in the Declaration of Independ-
ence. "All men are created equal"
When the people lose sight of the
sovereignty of God and become willing
to acknowledge the sovereignty OF
any man, however great, civil lib.
erty is at an end if ty-
rant is on the throne
Missions.
The sovereignty of God and mans
consequent responsibility has in
spired and carried forward the
great foreign missionary move
ments of the church. When the
duke of Wellington was asked his
opinion of foreign missions and he re-
piled: "What are your marching or
ders?" he emphasized the sovereignty
of God. Morrison went to China and
stayed there years without a convert,
not so much because China needed
him as because he had heard the
voice of his sovereign God saying:
go We into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature" 1t was
this voice of a sovereign God which
sent Livingstone to Africa, Carey to
to the New Hebrides.
RevivaIs.
The doctrine of Gods sovereignty
and mans consequent responsibility
has made great preachers and
produced great revivals, In this
was the secret of Pauls sue
cess as preacher. He spoke
as the ambassador of sovereign God
Finney was so powerful in his appeals
to. the reason and wills of men be-
cause he brought to bear upon them
the pressure of Gods sovereignty,
which demanded that they surrender
their wills and use their reason for
his glory. Charles H. Sturgeon, the
greatest preacher of the last century,
was mastered by his faith in the soy.
ereignty of God, and d. L. Moody
was ike MIN III tnlS, Ior He OICen salQ:
eff God should tell me to have my
own way / would ask him to have
his way in my life" When a
sinner is led to believe in the SOW
ereignty of God he will be convinced
of sin as rebellion against his king,
and to every Christian comes great
comfort in the faith that his father
is supreme ruler of the universe and
will somehow make all things work
together for good to them that love
God" Heaven means a place where
Christ is sovereign over all. None
dispute his sway. Crown him king in
your heart and life. Then you need
not go to heaven to be happy. Heaven
has come to you.