The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-03-07

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
bogs of Evolution aud Highcr.C Criti-
cism to the firm foundation the solid
rock of Truth-God's Word
"The Wounds Of a 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 it's creed-idol,
the present Laodlcean 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 nothins, our dear Chris.
tian brethren of all denominations
would realize the meaning of our
Lords words-that Churchianity as
whole today is poor and naked and
miserable and wretched and blind
Revelation iii, 1920. AS Christians
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 shorte:
than that Il man can stretch himself
on 1t; and the covering narrower than
that he can wrap himself in IT, isaiah
xviii, 20). II 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. 1t Is
cause for rejoicing. Even though the
transition has been accompanied by n
great falling away into Hlgher.Criti-
clsm. Infdelity, Evolution, etc, never
theless even these errors are in many
respects preferable to the blindness
and blgotry. Happy are we, dear
friends. If, the eyes of our understand
ing being opened, our hearts are led to
closer walk with God, 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 spccifica.
tion respecting the features of the
creeds put upon the shelf, which we
think should he 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 mixed
the errors which are, as the Provcrb
says. Dead flies Ithotl cause the oint-
mcnt to stink" (Ecclesastes X, u.
There Is plenty more of the ointment
In Gods Word It is indeed the "balm
of Gilead" and pure-without the cor.
roding fly of error. This is what we
all want, whatsoever our denomina-
tlonal name, and fhe sooner we get 1t
the better FOR us, for the Cause and
for "the brathreu,? whom we love to
serve
| ] give an illustration: Those OF MS
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
" the gross error which teaches that
all the non-elect. instead of having
hope for blessing through "the
| elect" are to be everlastingly 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-ln-
| tentioncd and lacks the power, the
| ability, to make his benevolent desires
effective towards any except n small
! handful of humanity. Our Disciple
| friends should cast aside the thought
| contained In their teachings that only
the water-immersed experience for
| glveness of sins and reconciliation to
God and salvation from eternal tor
mentA 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 anc
irrational the thought that has lone
i perpleSed us namely, that no Others
than the water-immersed could b'
members of the Church Of Christ
heirs OF glory, and be saved from dam
nation. Once we get these absurditie'
removed, not only from our heads ant
hearts. but also from our professions
we shall he ready aud anxious to have
the doctrines of Christ ON these sub
jects. Then we will search the Wor'
and have Gods. blessing in finding III
harmonics. "He that seeketh iindeth
ant to him that knocketh it shall b
opened" (Matthew vii 81. But so lonl
as we hold to the fallacles how caI
we seek or pray for or find the Truth
The Value Of Doctrines.
The word doctrine signifies teaching
The doctrines OF Christ, therefore, ar
the teachings Of Christ; the doctrine
of men, the teachings of men. Wha
the Church needs today is, TO receiv
into good and honest hearts afresh tn
doctrines of Jesus and the Apostles
allowing these to displace the doctrine
which Christendom now holds but dis