The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-06-17


France probably not more than two per
cent of the population have any real
faith, in Germany probably less than
ten per cent In America probably not
more than twenty per cent, and In
Great Britain probably not more than
thirty per cent. still trust in the living
God. and still smaller per cent re-
gard the Bible as His inspired Message,
and seek to be guided thereby. How
short distance the world has to go to
ignore 1t entirely!
Are the Masses Not Christians?
To the question, the Pastor said, two
answers might be given: one answer
might be that all civilized people claim
to be Christians. In other words the
term Christianity has been substituted
for civilization in the minds of the peo-
pie AS one gentleman replied to this
question: I'VE are certainly not Jews.
nor heathens, / reckon therefore we
must be Christians
The other answer to the question.
the Pastor said, was that a Christian
is one who processes to believe the
teachings of Jesus and His Apostles.
and who processes conservation. in his
daily life following those teachings and
the example which illustrated them.
This, the Masters view of Christian
ity, and the Apostolic view the Pastor
declared to be his own view Let us
see. he said, to what extent the teach
ings of Christ and the teachings Of the
Bible are still believed
How few believe that Jesus existed
as a spirit being before He was born
of virgin in order to become the
Man Christ Jesus"-in order to be
qualified to give His life Ransom
price for the forfeited life of Adam!
How few believe that He really did
die at all! What the majority believe
on the subject seems to be that He
merely appeared to die on the cross.
but really was as much alive as ever
In some spiritual sense How few be-
lieve that He really arose on the third
day-the majority seemingly believing
that In some way the Bible account is
untrue; and that If Jesus arose at all,
He experienced that resurrection on
the cross!-Luke 24:46; Acts 1O:4O.
Or coming down to the effect of
Christ's death as respects the forgive
ness of sins, said the Pastor, how few
have any serious conviction that they
need a Savior, or that they could not
come to God, If they wished to, without
Redeemer. without sacrifice, with
out an Advocate with the Father! II
would appear as though the attempt of
the last fifty years to ignore doctrines.
instead Of correcting the doctrines of
the past in the present light on the Bi-
Bile has been a great mistake. which is
now bearing its injurious fruit in that
very few Christian people know def
nitely what they believe or what the
Bible teaches on any subject
The effect of all this on the rising
generation is disastrous. They see the
doctrines of all denominations discred
tied In pulpit and pew, and especially
In the colleges. They perceive that the
Bible is classed with the creeds, and is
claimed to be their foundation. This
Is the alarming mistake The sooner
we get rid Of the creeds Of the Dark
Ages, the better for us. But If we
lose the Bible, are we not In danger Of
losing all that has tended to steady
our civilization-the foundation of all
our faith and hope beyond the present
life?
The Loss Is Greater to Some.
The majority of mankind, with
strong animal tendencies which need
to be curbed. require an incentive for
that curblng Such an incentive the
Bible gives in its promise Of everlast-
ing life But the misstatement Of our
creeds Is, that all have eternal life with
out the Life-giver, and that the ques-
ton merely is whether we will spend
that eternal life in Joy or in misery.
This proposition has become so trans
parently illogical that it is generally re-
pudiated- Human justice fails to ap-
preclate as justice at all an arrange
ment which would create a race with
the foreknowledge and foreintention
that nearly all of that race would suf-
fer torture throughout eternity In pro-
portion as that theory advocated In the
creeds of the Dark Ages is still pro-
claimed, in that same proportion intel
ligent minds repudfate everything, and
denounce all religious teachings as
priestcraft.
The average man needs the Message
Of life and hope which the Gospel
holds out for him in the future in or
der to make the trials. the discourage
ments and the sorrows Of the present
life endurable. and in order that these
may operate In him, may serve him as
lessons in Acknowledgement.
In Kingston, Jamaica, learned that
class distinctions. hatred and animos-
ity are growing, and that the minis
tiers of the Christian Churches there
are having more and more difficulty In
maintaining an interest in religious
matters. more and more difficulty in
securing audiences. Yet when my sub
1ect was announced. indicating a hope
beyond the grave, Kingston's largest
auditorium was packed solid, nearly as
many standing MS had seats. and as
many more were turned away-about
four thousand altogether The local
clergy were astonished. and tried to
account for such wonderful interest in
religion.
Finally the minister of the Anglican
Church remarked to the Presbyterian
minister and myself that the secret of
the matter lay in the fact that | was
preaching to the people a Gospel of
Hope. | quite agreed with this. and
trust that the ministers In Kingston
may be encouraged to proclaim the
same God of Love. the same Gospel of
Hope beyond the grave-a hope for
the sanity of becoming joint-heirs with
Christ in His Kingdom; hope for the
remainder Of the race, that they will
receive only just and reasonable
stripes. or punishments for sins, pro
portionate to their wilfulness-and
that withal the Lords arrangement is
graciously to grant all mankind an op-
portunity of restoration to human per-
lection in worldwide Eden. All this
is to be brought about through Mes
siah's Kingdom, and that Kingdom is
nigh. even at the door.
Tho New Decentralization.
The Pastor declared that he well un-
derstands the attitude of the rich and
fine learned and how thav discount tho