The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-03-10

Oohn VII, vs. Walk VII, W. 1 etei loJ'
ooO.-.".~.-.-.--.-.-.-.-.-
falsehood; and into Theosophy and
Spiritism, the receptions of the fallen
angels-demonism? How comes it
that ali these unscriptural theories
now flourish, whereas only a century
ago Gods Word was respected and its
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 adj
vance of their focks. They promptly
and reverently set their creeds on
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 Spirituaistic
child's play.
With the decline of Christian doc
trines, including heart union with
Christ and an understanding of its
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-
TEN. They are no longer encouraged
to think of their system as being the
be no salvation, but they are encour-
aged to cultivate partisan spirit,
which takes pride in their organiza-
ton, its wealth, the value of its church
property, the largeness of its collec-
tions, the grandeur of its music, the
wisdom, learning and ability of its
preachers, and the fashion and wealth
of its constituency.
1t is not our wish to offer 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 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-i 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 hav-
| ing need of nothing, our dear Chris
| tan brethren of all denominati tons
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. 14-22). 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 shorter
than that 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 Il
! cause for rejoicing Even though the
transition has been accompanied by a
great falling away into Higher-Criti-
cism, Infidellty, 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
D closer walk with God, more care
full and prayerful study of his Word,
and to a subsequent growth in grace
md in the fruits Of the holy Spirit
Do some inquire for clearer specifica.
lion respecting the features of the
ereeds 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 mixed
The errors which are, as the Proverb
says. Dead flies [thatl cause the ONT
ment to stink (Ecclesiastes Y. II.
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
oil want, whatsoever our denomina-
tional name, and the sooner we get it
the better for us, for the Cause and
for 1.-THE brethren" whom we love TO
serve.