Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-03-09

falsehood; and into Theosophy and
Spiritism, the receptions Of the fallen
angels-demonism? How comes it
that all these unscriptural theories
now flourish, whereas only a century
ago Gods Word was respected and it's
doctrines were studied by Christian
people of various and conflicting
creeds? The answer is that with the
increasing light of our day the creeds
of the past are seen to be fallacious,
irrational, by all who use their think
ing apparatus. The leaders in the va
rious Churches discovered this in ad-
vance Of their f1ocks. They promptly
and reverently set their creeds on a
high shelf where the people might not
so particularly notice their flaws, but
might continue their reverence for
them, until gradually their attention
would be drawn aside and their hope
and faith transplanted to Evolutionary
soil or Theosophistic and Spiritualisdc
child's play.
With the decline of Christian doc
trines, including heart union with
Christ and an understanding of it's
terms and conditions, Churchianity
came in, to take the place of Christi
anity. Today the pride of all denomi-
nations centers, not in their doctrines,
but in their institutions. The people
are no longer exhorted to hold fast to
the doctrines of Methodism, Calvin
ism. ETC., but to hold fast to the Sys-
tenn. They are no longer encouraged
to think Of their system as being the
only one, outside Of which there would
be no salvation, but they are encour-
aged to cultivate a partisan spirit,
which takes pride in their organiza-
ton, its wealth, the value of it's church
property, the largeness of it's collec-
tons, the grandeur of it's music, the
wisdom, learning and ability of it's
preachers, and the fashion and wealth
of 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-Criti-
cism to the firm foundation, the solid
rock of Truth-God's Word.
1.-THE Wounds of Friend"
Faithful are the wounds of
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 it's creed-idOl,
the present Laodicean stage of the
Church would speedily come to it's
,
| Then, instead of feeling themselves
rich and increased in goods and hav-
ing need of nothing, our dear Chris
! tan brethren of al denominations
/ would realize the meaning of our
Lords wOrdS-that Churchianity Nas
whole today is poor and naked and
miserable and wretched and blind
81.
of all denominations we have cause of
rejoicing that we have outgrown the
| trundle-bed creeds of the past and that
we can no longer wrap ourselves COM
fortably in the 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 a man can stretch himself
on it; 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
Lrd0S1UlOn mas Deen accompanied Dy
great falling away into HigherC Crit
cism, Infidelity, Evolution, ETC., never
theless even these errors are in many
respects preferable to the blindness
and bigotry. Happy are we, deal
friends, if, the eyes of our understand
, ing being opened, our hearts are led tt
closer walk with God, more care
full and prayerful study of his Word
and to subsequent growth in grac,
and in the fruits of the hn3g Spirit
Do some inquire for clearer specifica
ton respecting the features of tn
d creedS put upon the shelf which w
e think should be no longer cared for, blu
s allowed to fall? We answer that O
e course there are good features in al
J. OF our creeGS-truths which will neve
! fail. But with these truths are nike
;, the errors which are, as the Proven
says, dead flies [thatl cause the oint
ment to stink Ecclesiastes x, /
IL There is plenty more of the ointmen