The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-09-06

extent Thinking people refuse to be-
lieve that God for centuries has sat
calmly viewing the situation, allowing
millions to go to eternal torment.
They refuse to believe that their
hearts and sympathies are more ten
der than those OF their Creator.
Even the heather are getting awake
to the inconsistency of what has been
given them under the Gospel label
They are finding out that the word
Gospel signifies good tidngs," and that
what has been preached to them Is the
most awful message cOnceivable-tha
all of the heather and the majority
of their civilized neighbors and friends
and relatives have been decreed, sen
fenced, foreordained, to eternal tor
ture because of ignorance, because Of
misbelief In respect to which they
were thoroughly honest. Perplexed,
the missionaries ask, What shall we
preach? The message of damnation
does not sound good to the heather,
and they do not run after it nor feast
their souls upon II. The question
comes to the ministers and professors
Of colleges throughout Christendom
and they are perplcXed what answer
to give, The majority of them have
become "higher critics" and no longer
accept the Bible AS the Word Of God;
they are EyOlutiUniSts and no longer
believe the Gospel which the Mission
airy Societies were organized to pro-
claim. They are in perplcXlty. And
many of them are prepared TO aban-
don the former theory of missions and
TO continue their work hencefOrth
merely along humanitarian lines. In
deed, within the last twenty-five years
missionary effort has turned gradual
Iy TO secular education and medical
practice in the interests Of the heath
en-, with little religious doctrine-and
so much the better.
Everybody Is agreed that the King
dom of Messiah cannot be brought
about by the wholesale conversion of
the world. And logical people see
that larger numbers have been lost to
Christianity in civilized lands during
the last twenty-five years than were
ever claimed to be converted amongst
the heather. We say lost to Christian
ity, because why should anyone be
called Christian who has lost all
faith in the Bible-in the Law, the
Prophets and the teachings of Jesus
and his Apostles? The great cloud
N haxu r,htn
Christendom Is realized by ali earnest
people-churchmen and others. And
no wonder there Is certain dread
associated with the dark cloud. What
kind Of n storm will result? And what
will be the effect upon the great re-
ligious systems of civilization? 1t Is
to join hands against these omlnous
conditions that the clergy OF all de-
nominations are ur0using themselves
in favor of Church Union or Fedora
ton of some sort. But the people
the people feel comparatively little
interest in the proposition, which they
Will not oppose, however.
"The Hour of Temptation"
Ray. 3: 1O.-
The difficulty with the present sltua-
ton Is that we have stupidly and blum
derinGly mlsrcad the Bible. We have
twisted what we did read and picked
out certain portions which pleased
best our fancles and supported best
our various crecds. We have neglect
ed the honest truthful study which we
should have given TO our Heavenly Fa-
TIERS message. The confusion of
ChriStcndum Is the result. That con
fusion ana pcrpeXity the Scriptures
portray, assuring us that we are in the
midst of II great falling away from
fuith in God and in his Revelation.
We see iuNllcd all about us the Won
derful prophetic and symbolic picture
of Psalm ~. \ thousand fall at our
side and ten thousand ut our right
nd-ony the "lsraelites indeed" in
whom there is no guile win be kept
from stumbling in this evil day The
chaos which we alrcndy see every
where in evidence Is only beginning
Gods Great Remedy at Hand,
The fault of Christcndom has been
the rejection Of the Divine Plan aud
the acceptance instead of Il human
plan, The Church was going to con-
vert the world going to conquer the
world for Jesus and present II TO him
rs a trophy, Alas, we have not been
able to convert ourselves, which Is
the particular work the Master gave us
10 do, Greater humility would have
shown us'our folly long ago
Bible Students do not need to be re-
minded that all through the Old Tes-
lament Scriptures Gods promises
Nbound, telling Israel and all who have
'ars to hear of the glorious reign OF
Messiah and Of the success Of his
Kingdom aud how the result will be
hat every knee shall bow ana every
tongue confess to the glory of Cod"
OF how "ul the blind eyes shall be
opened ana all the deaf ears shall be
upstoppcd;" of how the blessing OF the
Lord will be with Israel restored to
his favor and operate through Israel
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