River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-08-13


people-did not help them to any un-
Outstanding Of the deep meaning OF
the Law and the Prophets. In our
context Jesus said to them, You bind
heavy burdens upon the people, griev-
Gus to be borne, but you do not at
tempt to carry them yourselves.
So is it today with the Jewish Rab-
bis, as well as with other ministers:
for instance, a minister stands as A
representative and mouthpiece of the
church creed, which in roundabout
terms declares that whoever does not
live a sanity life will suffer an eter-
nifty of torment. Is not this a grievous
burden TO put upon any conscientious
soul? Has it not caused unreliable
anguish to many of Gods true people?
Has it not driven away from God and
the Bible thousands of the most intel
ligent minds in the world?
AS the Jewish Doctors of Divinity
carried no such burdens, neither do
the Doctors of Divinity of Christen-
DOM In private they acknowledge
that they carry no such burdens. In
public they give the inference that they
d0--not so much by positive terms as
by implication, tone and infection of
the voice, and by the general fact that
they stand for and are representatives
of the creeds which so teach. 1t does
not excuse these influential teachers
for them to claim that in their official
capacity they lose their personal re-
sponsibility and shift it upon those
who made the creeds and those who
adopt them. The people are no longer
trusting the creeds. They realize that
the creeds contain many inconsistent
cies, and that greater light is shining
today from one page Of the Bible upon
another than shOne in the days when
those creeds were formulated.
The common people trust the Bible
Jesus, the Apostles and the Prophets.
They know that all the creeds of
Christendom claim to be built upon
the inspired Record. They understand
the Scribes and Pharisees Of today, the
Doctors of Divinity of Christendom, to
give assurances that those creeds prop
ble The creedal chains would become
ropes of sand if all the prominent Doc
tors of Divinity Of Christendom came
forward and publicly renowned the
creeds, as they nearly all do in private
conversation.
1t was this matter of misleading the
people, deceiving them, that cOnstitut-
ed the basis of Jesus charge against
the Doctors of Divinity of old; and
we believe that His judgment is very
similar today respecting the Doctors
of Divinity of Christendom-"Ye have
taken away I've have hidden] the Key
of knowledge. Ye have not entered
in yourselves, and them that were en-
tering in We hindered."
Christian people today are so dis
gusted with the creeds which have sep
arated them and their forefathers into
six hundred different denominations
that they are quite ready to discard all
creeds, and to come together as one
Church of the Living God to study the
Bible in it's own light.
Systematic Key Hiding.
The Scribes and Pharisees of our day
are proving themselves to be the anti
types of those addressed by Jesus in
our text, and have substitute for
knowledge. Taking away the Key Of
knowledge, they say to the common
people, do not bother your head about
doctrines; leave doctrines to the clergy;
let the clergy endorse all the creeds,
however conflicting they be. We do
this in order to lull you to sleep. There
is nothing SO disturbing to the Chris
tian's rest as the discussion OF the
doctrines of Christ.
eff there be in any congregation
those who cannot feel satisfied with
out some kind of Bible study, let them
have it; but get them rather to discuss
the geography of Palestine and the
habits and customs of the people, ETC.,
than the prophecies of old or the in
depreciation of them, as given by Je-
sus and the Apostles. We ministers
will keep aloof from such Bible study;
we will leave the impression that we
understand these prophecies perfectly,
and we will keep watch upon the BIZ
BILE classes, but will interfere only
when we find some brother therein
who is inclined to delve after the doc
trines of Christ and the Apostles
One minister, voicing this opposition
to Bible study, especially along the
lines of difference where it would be
of special value, said, 1.-The Church is
like a great hospital. Everything like
doctrinal discussion must be banished
and excluded, just as in hospital all
noise is forbidden, in order that the
patient may sleep; or just as In a
nursery all noise is excluded"
Alas! 1t is too true that the nominal
Church Of Christ is like a hospital,
many of the patients in which are
blind, deaf, asleep and mentally con-
fused But the trouble is that these
got into this condition because of a
neglect Of healthful exercise; and the