The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-03-22

your hadtons-the traditions Of the ancients
Uohn vi, II; Marx WI. -; Peter i. l6).
ooOts---r-.-s-.-.-.-.-.-.
or its constituency.
1t is not our wish to offer a single
unkind or unbrotherly criticism. 1t is
our duty and privilege. however, to
point out that the creed doctrines Of
the various denominations, now set on
the shelf as too frail and imperfect to
stand handling and investigation, are
not and never were the doctrines of
Christ and the Apostles 1t is our duty
and pleasure to show forth to Chris
tan people to the extent of our ability
that the teachings of the Bible, the
doctrines of Christ, are grand, noble,
reasonable. worthy of all accepta-
ton" To the extent that we succeed
in doing this we are bringing back
straying Christians from the deceptive
boys of Evolution and Higher Crit
cism to the firm foundation, the solid
rock Of Truth-God's Word.
1.-THE Wounds of q Friend"
Faithful are the wounds of a
friend" is the Divine assurance. We
cannot. therefore, better show our
friendship and Christian love to our
brethren than by pulling down from
the shelf their reverenced creeds and
allowing them to fall in pieces beyond
repair If every church could be thus
Induced to pull down its creed-idol.
the present Laodicean stage of the
Church would speedily come to its
senses. as suggested by our Lord
Then. instead of feeling themselves
rich and increased In goods and hay
ing need of nothing, our dear Chris
tan brethren of all denominations
would realize the meaning of our
Lords words-that Churchianity as a
whole today is poor and naked and
miserable and wretched and blind
Revelation iii. 14-22) As Christians
of all denominations we have cause of
rejoicing that we have outgrown the
trundle-bed -eeds of the past and that
we can no longer wrap ourselves COM
fortably in "he narrow bigotry of err
ror. The Lord caused this to be writ
ten in the long-ago through the proph-
cts. saying. For the bed is shorter
than that man can stretch himself
on 1t; and the covering narrower than
that he can wrap himself in it, isaiah
xviii, 20). If in connection with this
growth which has come to us and by
which we have nobler conceptions
than had our forefathers of the rights
of man under the Golden Rule, it is a
cause for rejoicing. Even though the
transition has been accompanied by a
great falling away into Higher-Criti-
cism, Infidelity, Evolution. ETC., never
theless even these errors are in many
respects preferable to the blindness
and bigotry. Happy are we. dear
friends, If, the eyes of our understand
ing being opened, our hearts are led to
a closer walk with God, a more care
full and prayerful study of his Word,
and to subsequent growth in grace
and in the fruits Of the holy Spirit.
Do some inquire for clearer specifica-
ton respecting the features of the
creeds put upon the shelf which we
think should be no longer cared for, but
allowed to fall? We answer that Of
course there are good features in all
Of our creeds-truths which will never
fail. But with these truths are nike
the errors which are, as the Proverh
says, Dead flies [thatl cause the ONT
ment to stink" Ecclesiastes K. y.
There is plenty more of the ointment
IN Gods Word. 1t is indeed the balm
of Gilead" and pure-without the cor
roding fly OF error. This is what we
all want, whatsoever our denomina-
tional name. and the sooner we get it
the better for us, for the Cause and
for ''the brethren" whom we love to
serve.
/ give an illustrations: Those Of us
who are Calvinistic may well hold
fast to some of the precious Scripture
teachings so long revered but we
want to cast out quickly and effective
ly the gross error which teaches that
all the non-elect, instead of having
hope for a blessing through 1.-The
elect" are to be eyerlastingly tor
mented Those of us who are Ar
minian in doctrine have much that is
precious. but need also to cast away
from us the thought that our loving
Heavenly Father is merely good-in-
tentioned and lacks the power. the
ability. to make his benevolent desires
effective towards any except small
h0 nd TIl of hmm nft v nrP 10
friends should cast asid" the thought
contained In their teachings that only
the water-immersed experience for
giveness of sins and reconciliation to
God and salvation from eternal tor
ment. Similarly those of US who are
Baptists. while holding to the precious
truths which so long have comforted
and strengthened us. should insist now
on casting away as unscriptural and
irrational the thought that has long
perplexed US. namely. that no others
than the water-immersed could be
members of the Church Of Christ.
heirs of glory, and be saved from dam
nation. Once we get these absurdities
removed, not only from our heads and
hearts, but also from our professions,
we shall be ready and anxious to have
the doctrines of Christ on these sub
jects. Then we will search the Word
and have Gods blessing In finding its
harmonies "He that seeketh findeth;
and to him that knocketh 1t shall be
opened" (Matthew vii, 81. But so long
as we hold to the fallacies how can
we seek or pray for or find the Truth?
The Value Of Doctrines.
The word doctrine signifies teaching.
The doctrines of Christ. therefore, are
the teachings Of Christ; the doctrines
of men. the teachings of men. What
the Church needs today is, to receive
into good and honest hearts afresh the
doctrines of Jesus and the Apostles
allowing these to displace the doctrines
which Christendom now holds but dis
esteems, and which were formulated
in time of less light than the present.
Instead. therefore, of discouraging
each other in respect to the study of
Christians, become more earnest In the
study every day, hoping and expecting
that in the wonderful light of our time
God would be able to make clear to
our understanding the harmonious in
terpretations of his Word. We should
study to find the relationship between
Election and Free Grace. We should
clearly understand what is meant by
baptism and what kind of baptism is
necessary for our induction into the
Body Of Christ as members. On every
line we should be looking for the har-
monies, INSTEAD Of rejoicing in the err
rors which have long divided us into