The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-12-27

| cares is OF Divine arrangement. The
many topics OF interest end profit to
humanity all have their tl;ne and place.
But the preaching Of hr Gospel has
| an exclusive right OF way in the Church
of Christ. II some claim that the peo-
| Pile will no longer attend Divine sery-
ice to hear Gospel preaching. we reply
| that there are three reasons for this.
Qh The Church lost the real Gospel
during the bark Ages. and few Chris
| tisn people have yet recovered 1t. The
word Gospel. as all agree. signifies
gobd fdings. message CT joy: but the
| message handed down to humanity
! from the Dark Ages has been the re-
| verse OF thiS-bad tidings Of great mis-
| cry for nenrly nli OF our race. Is 1t
| any wonder that the great ma jerity
are dis=nsted with the, horrible mis-
| representations of the creeds.? Man
| kind have trials and difficulties enough
| in the present life. and need encourage
| inent TO hope for better things in the
| life To CONE,
"a Responding to the growing senti-
,nent Of intelligence. the ministers of
| The various denomina tons Of Christen-
dom have ceased to preach bad tidings
Of great misery for all but THE very
! elect, Nearly all ministers. gradu-
/! ated within the last twenty years. lost
all their faith In the Bible as the in
| spired Word OF God. in the theological
i semluaries, where they were taught
| haH fh1. ~ yfnh
Criticism: where they also were taught
! TO consider it honorable to stnltify
| their manhood by accepting ordination
aud salary for serving a denomination
whose published creed they dfsown
and despiSe. In the same seminaries
| they acquired the thought that it is
right and honorable to receive title.
i honor and salary from a~church, osten-
sibly as a Christian minister and Bible
exponent. and then to use the oppor-
tunity to undermine the faith Of the
church and to destroy confidence in
The Bible al the inspired Word of God.
/ Under these conditions. what shall
these ministers preach instead OF the
Gospel Of Christ which they no longer
/ believe? Is it any wonder thai they
preach those things that they ought
not to preach. and leave unpreaohed
those things that they ought to preach?
/ Not many of their hearers care for
scientific disquisitions: not many Ot
them care to hear commonplace essays
on good morals So how can such min
listers avoid foolish preaching?
| (3) Not content with undermining
the faith OF the people who trust and
honor and obey them, these ministers
mix their higher critical views and
evolutionary views with diluted moral
i ity, and serve this as Instead OF the
/ Gospel of Christ. He who thinks that
] such message will convert mind
from sin to righteousness. from unbe-
lief to faith in God. deceives himself
He who thinks that such messages Will
have a sanctifying power in the hearts of
! Gods people. equally deludes himself.
No Gospel Without Redemption.
The essence of the Gospel of Christ
is that He died for sinners. the lust for
the unjust. that He. might bring man.
kind back to God. But the false Cos
pels deny that man ever fell from the
! likeness OF God. ana equally deny
! therefore that he needed Redeemer
! and that he has Redeemer. Such
spurious gospels, which leave out the
very core and essence OF the Divine
Message. are false, by whatever honor
able channel they may have come. We
! may be sure that they are OF the Ad-
7 versary himself: for they make void
the Word of God. the death OF Jesus
and His resurrection. and His coming
again to give to mankind the glorious
blessings aud privileges bought with
4 His precious blood.
). The Tfne Gospel the good tidings
great joy. which shall be unto all
people. contains not a single word re-
specling an eternity Of torture at the
bands of fire proof demons. 1t contains
!, NOT u single, word which would dis
credit the Wisdom. Justice aud Love
Of the Father above. whose tender mer-
ei..s ARE over nli His works and whose
salvation j. yet 10 lie extended to the
/ en,is Ut the earth,
, The True Gospel. acknowledging that
humanity has come justly under pen
atty or ctirse OF death. sets before 4 he
grenning creation a glo.ious hepe. It
prociaiins. as sIesiis- did. that the TIME
II canning when the -clirae shall Ia re-