The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-07-13
Moral cowards Everywhere.

supported by the governments, have In
turn upheld these governments; and If
they have not told the people that the
voice Of the emperor or the king is the
voice Of God, they have certainly not
disabused them Of that idea, which the
clergy Of past generations inculcated.
Now that the war has come, and the
misdirected people are blindly fighting
for their errors and misconceptions
what is the attitude Of the clergy :?
Under the pay or the protection Of the
governments, are they not all support
ing the governments from which they
receive their payi Are they not intent
upon encouraging the ambitions of
these governments and stirring up the
people to war? Do they not approve
the legend ON the belts of the German
soldiers, God with u.s.? Do they not
follow the lead of the Archbishop of
Canterbury, In England, In encourag-
ing the thought that all who enlist are
engaging In a holy war for God? The
Archbishop Is credited In the press
with urging the boys and the girls of
Great Britain to marry early and bring
up large families, that there may be
more such Christian soldiers to battle
for church and state.
Policy and hypocrisy are written all
over the affairs of the world falsely
called -Christ's Kingdom.
These are not Christ's Kingdom, nor
are these Christ's ministers, If we shall
judge by the Sayior's statement, His
servants We are to whom We render
service''-whether God or Mammon.
The clergy of lands not directly In
.volved In the war are praying, and
urging the people to pray, to God to
stop the war; but we hear no sugges-
ton, from any quarter, of proper
preaching and teaching to show the
people the brotherhood OF the human
family and the sin of murder, whether
committed by commands of kings, en-
perors, or otherwise Where Is the
courage? Where is the moral stamina !?
1t is lacking. Why? Because true
Christianity Is lacking.
Chrfst's true followers are courageous.
Jesus refers to them all as overcomers,
not sycophants; as lovers Of peace, who
contend not with carnal weapons His
followers must necessarily, neverthe-
less, be true heroes. copies Of their
Master, not afraid to speak the truth
and not afraid to die for their courage.
What power quarter of a million
professed ministers of Christ might be
II they truly took their stand on His
side, lifted up their voices, and even
now confessed how seriously they have
misled the people in respect to earthly
things, as well as regards the things of
the hereafter!
Hypocrisy the Greatest of sins.
Judged by their utterances, the great
mass of those protesting to be minis
tiers of Christ are hypocrites In pri-
vate conversation, IL cross-examined,
they confess that they do not believe
the Bible, and declare that no educat-
ed person could believe it to be a d.
vine revelation. Asked whether they
believe In a future life, they answer
that they have some hopes Of future
life. but that these are built, not upon
the Bible declaration of a resurrection
of the dead. but upon the Platonic phi
losophy that nobody is dead. Asked
whether they believe In eternal tor
ture, they reply, Certainly notI Indi-
rectly, however, they have given the
inference that they believe it; and
surely they have not done anything to
take from the people that nightmare
invented during the Dark Ages, when
for twelve hundred years the few BIZ
bles there were We're relegated to the
cloister and the closet, and the world
was taught by self-styled apostolic
bishops, who claimed the same author
ity of inspiration as the Twelve Apos-
ties whom Jesus named as His only
mOuthpieces.
There were murderers, thieves and
drunkards In Jesus day, as there are
today; yet the Master denounced as
still greater sinners the religious hypo-
critics of His time who made void
Gods Word, substituting for it human
radition-deceiving and misleading the
people,"blind leaders of the blind"
We're He to speak forth today, His
strongest condemnation would be ex-
pressed against the clergy, who seem
intent upon keeping the people in dark
ness respecting the true teachings Of
the Bible teaching them evolution and
unbelief If they are educated, or de-
lusions of the Dark Ages IL they are
uneducated. Policy seems to take the
place of honesty. The Apostle speaks
Of such as having their consciences
seared-toughened, hardened.
AS result, nearly all ministers will
say, 1--WE do not believe In the doctrine
of eternal torture We would not think
Of torturing anybody ourselves; we do
not know any human being so deprav-
ed that he would wish to torture his
fellow-creature everlastingly We do
not believe that any god would do so.
We doubt whether any devil would
long take pleasure In such sufferings."
Asked why they support creeds which
so teach. and why they give such In
ference to the public, some reply, at
Is required of us by our denominations.
We would much prefer to tell the truth
about the Love of God and His ar
rangement for the blessing of the non
elect during the Times Of Restitution.
(Acts 319-21) But we are bound hand
and foot. Our support and our honor
amongst men depend on our adherence
to this doctrine. II we could see a
way out of the difficulty, We would be
glad to be liberated"
Others answer that they give their
consciences no concern, that their de-
nomination takes the responsibility fog
its creed and for its teachers. 9th
ers answer that they are Higher Crit
les and Evolutionists, who believe
that they must not tell the people their
heart sentiments; but that they hope
that soon public sentiment will out
grow the influence Of the Bible, and
that then they win be called upon to
teach Christless and, II necessary, a
Goddess morality.
After the Example of Judas.
Such. bartering of the honor of the
Almighty for honor Of men and an
easy living is as difficult to understand
as that of Judas, who sold Jesus for
thirty pieces of silver. So scared are
the sconsciences Of these educated men
that they seem not to realize that bias
phemy sis the most serious of sins;
and that directly or indirectly giving
the inference that the God Of all grace,
the Father of mercies, Is roasting 900