The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-04-15

in God-dishonoring theologies so VIC
lently unreasonable that their best
friends and supporters are ashamed of
them and prefer never to think of them.
The Pastor claimed that the repul-
siveness of the creedal rubbish heaps
hinders people from looking for the
grains of Truth which they contain.
And this is well. he said Why should
we trouble and disgust ourselves to
search for the grains which the vari-
Gus creeds contain, while we have in
the Bible whole garner full Of Truth,
clean and pure? He urged all Chris
tan people to abandon their creeds and
to come together as Bible students. in
tent only on knowing the testimony of
Gods Word and obtaining the guild
ance of His Holy Spirit in the under
standing of it. So doing. he declared.
all true Christians would soon be so
united in heart and spirit that outward
forms of federation would be useless
and as absolutely ignored as in the
days of Jesus and the Apostles.
Jesus held up to ridicule and scorn
the Inconsistencies of His day If He
were here today, He would similarly
show us many Inconsistencies in our
estimation of sin and righteousness,
the Pastor believed. Jesus ridiculed
the religious leaders of His time when
He pointed out their carefulness to
give 1.-THE of their increase, even to the
smallest of seeds. and their snowy re-
ligious performances to be seen of men
Our Lord declared that while so do
ing. they praetised the greatest out
RACES against the very spirit of Gods
Law of righteousness; that in mean
ways they took the bread from the
poor, the orphan, the widow and to
divert attention from their course. they
hypocritically heightened their pray
ers 1t was not that praying was
wrong, or that tithing was objection
able, but that their recognition of
these showed them to be all the more
responsible In their gross violations.
In "devouring widows houses and
other sharp practices whereby they
took advantage of those within their
power through adversely or otherwise
This principle still operates, said
Pastor Russell. The same sins lie at
the door of many processing godliness
and holding church membership, To
day, as in our Masters time. there is a
way of keeping within the limits of
the law way of keeping out of the
penitentiary, while at the same time
the spirit of the law is outraged and
trampled in the dust of avaricious
money getting And now. as then.
these money-lovers often pose as phi
lanthropists. and hold high places of
honor and churchianity The Pastor
spared not this class. He declared re-
ligious hypocrites the worst of sinners
in the sight of Heaven. OF all sins
theirs were the most scarlet in Gods
sight. he believed.
Greater and Lesser Sins.
Today wealth covers a multitude of
sins. To be financially unsuccessful is
a crime ON account of which many will
consider that wife is justified in
breaking the obligation Of her marriage
vow and seeking divoree-a crime on
account of which some churches would
feel justified in rejecting the culprit as
undesirable and striking his name
from the list of members What mat
tiers it that Jesus addressed some of
His most comforting words to the
weary and heavy-laden and unsuccess-
full? Matthew 11:2S-3Ol What mat
ters it that the Scriptures declare that
not many rich. wise. great or learned.
has God called to the Heavenly inheri-
tanee-but chiefly the poor of this
world rich in faith?-1 Cor 1869.
1t is the same amongst Catholics as
amongst Protestants SO long as the
sinner remains a member of the
church. almost every crime can be alb
solved. But be the person ever so just.
ever so reverential, his would be a sin
of scarlet hue and unforgivable, were
he to attend Protestant services OF IN
any way seek fellowship with God
outside of the Roman communion.
Sins Scarlet and Crimson.
The Prophet Isaiah discriminates be
tween scarlet, a bright red. and Grim
son, a deeper red, as indicating shades
of guilt in the same kind Of sin For
instance, murder would be scarlet sin.
If committed by a worldly person; but
hatred would be crimson stain-a sin
of deeper dye-if cherished by the
child of God AS love would be the
fulfl1inC nf rho Divfno aur so no trad
which is the most violent form of self
ishness, implies It's fragrant violation.
The Ten Commandments mention Gov
etousnesS of our neighbours possess
sions and happiness. theft of his prop
erty or good name or influence, and
murder, the taking of his life, as the
elimination of selfish disregard for his
rights In olden times, when chemis-
try was less appreciated. less under
stood, scarlet and crimson dyes were
estimated the most durable the most
difficult to remove: hence in our text
these are used to symbolic sins of
greater selfishness and depravity.
All mankind have inherited sin
tainted blood from Father Adam. Self
ishness of varying hues is found in ev-
cry member OF our race. One difficulty
with many is that they do not have
the proper focus upon the Divine Law.
They know that any transgression of
Gods Law is sin. Taking the letter
of that Law they try to avoid the
cruder forms of theft, adultery. muir
der. This is the same mistake that the
Jews made
1t was Jesus, the great Teacher, who
gave the clearer conception of the spir-
1t of the Law According to His in
depreciation, theft could be committed
in the heart, by coveting in most
desperate way, by stealing the good
name or the business or the reputation
or the trademark Of another SINH
larry. according to Jesus. the crime of
adultery might in Gods sight be com
mitted without the overt act. Jesus
declared. whatsoever looketh on a
woman to lust after her hath commit
ted adultery with her already, in his
heart''-if he lacked merely the oppor-
tunity.-Matthew 5:2S
Whoever accepts these definitions in
diligently realizes that the worlds in
crease of knowledge has brought in
crease of responsibilities; and that if
open crimes today were much less fire.
quent than formerly, the responsibility
of today would still be greater than
formerly. But this is not so. Every
thing indicates TO us that human self
ishness has kept pace with the increase
of knowledge. The thievish spirit
abounds everywhere. not only amongst