The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-06-21

Higher Criticism, to Evoution-wan-
dering farther and farther daily from
the faith once delivered to the saints"
dude iiD. We fault them no more
than we fault ourselves. AS whole
we have been toorkmen ioho need IN
be ashamed. We have dishonored God
through misunderstanding and misrep-
resenting his Word and his Chnracter.
We have driven away from God and
the Bible some Of the most intelligent
of our fellows. by reason of the con-
Trajectory nonsense of our creeds.
The Apostle urges, "Study to show
thyself approved unto God" We are
not to suppose, therefore. that the
highest of all science, that which per-
tains to the Divine purpose and the
Divine plan, can be acquired without
study. We are not In this claiming
that study alone would bring the de-
sired results of proper knowledge. We
osition that "the world by wisdom
knows not God" We are not there
fore to study along the lines of world
ly wisdom. but along the lines Of that
wisdom that cometh from above"-
along the lines of the inspired Scrip
lures. We must study! Whoever will
not study will not know. 1.-The secret
of the Lord is with them that rever-
ence Him. And reverencing him
means the giving of our best thoughts
and talents to the study Of his Word,
that we may "know the things freely
given to us of God" Il Corinthians ii,
12).
We should note further as Bible stu
dents that we must not study to be ap-
proved of men, but to have the Divine
approval. This will bring to us. as 1t
did to the Master and his apostles, the
disapprobation of the worldlywise and
nominally religious. 1t was the Chief
Priests and Scribes and Pharisees. and
not the common people of the Jews, nor
the Roman soldiers. who were guilty
of the crucifixion of our Lord. And
we must expect similar conditions, be-
cause, as the Apostle says, "As he was
so are we in this world" The class
who called the Master Beelzebub is the
same class which will oppose his foot
step followers.
God permits all this with wise and
loving foreintentlon. Nothing connect
ed with the opposing forces is in any
sense of the word interfering with his
great Program. He set apart with Di-
vine wisdom this Gospel Age of nearly
nineteen centuries for the sole purpose
of selecting from the world 'the
Church of the firstborns"-t antityp-
ical Priests and Levites. The restric-
ton of his message. the darkening of
counsel. the clashing of creeds, the OPP
position of the world. the flesh and the
Devil, are all wisely permitted with
the foreintention on Gods part that
thus all through the Age the way Of
the cross-in the footsteps of Jesus
should be marrow way" so that
comparatively few finding it would
care to walk in 1t.
1t is those few, that ''llttle flock"
jealous for God. for his Word. for
righteousness. that he Is now marking
out as the prospective joint-heirs with
Jesus In his glorious Kingdom. which
is to bless the world with full opportu-
mites for earthly salvatlon-"restitu-
ton" The trials of the faith, the pa
tience, the love, the devotion of this
little flock" are all designed and not
accidental. Satan and his hosts may
think to thwart the Divine Plan and
may mislead and use humanity as their
tools, but 1t shall yet be seen that all
of the Divine purposes shall be ac-
compllshed. The Word that has gone
forth out of Jehovah's mouth shall
prosper In the thing whereto he
sent 1t.
ST. Paul declared of earthly Israel.
that they enjoyed "much advantage
every way, because to them were com,
mitted the oracles of God" So now.
dear friends. it seems to me that you
and | and all sincere Christians the
world around enjoy much advantage
every way. Looking to the past we
find great excuse for our dear forefa-
theirs who with sincerity of heart, so
misunderstood the Divine Word and
30 lulSluleTpIeleu inc SlliTlI ol Tue
Master that they burned one another
at the stake. We should not think so
hNrshly of them for lhis-as though
they lived today under the greater ad-
vantnges which we possess we
should sympathze with them. We
should consider them as blinded by
the great Adversary AS was Saul of
Tarsus, when he. as member of the
Sanhedrin. authorized the stonlng of
ST. stephen. We should think of them
ympathetlcally-as st, Peter spoke of
the Jews who cruciiled the Lord. He
said, II wot, brethren, that in igno-
rance ye did 1t, as did also your rul-
ers" So also we should kindly. low
lngly cast mantle of benevolence
over similar conduct on the part of
John Calvin ana others of our forefa-
Tiers. But rs we would not go to the
Jewish rulers. nor TO Saul of Tarsus
for religious instruction, neither should
we pn IN Rrothar Calvin or others Of