The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1919-02-28
ST. MARC ARET's NEWS
Rev. Father j. N. samueIs- Beihoder,
icar.

fi2ed the clo!ee ol twelve young peo-
pie On tneir Savior and their God at
st. Nj galet s. TIER confirmation
MAS as solemn as human hearts can
ns.sse u their entire deinealor showed
them to be band of people whose.
1 hearts God had touched. The service
was 50 o.dered Us to end in the joy
fui vocal hymning Ct trust and aecep
spi itual etelnities that await the
faithful, calling upon the legions OF
mankind TO buckle on the armor of
Christ for the warfare against sin.
The Creed was the sacramentum of
the Christian soldier. The prayers
besought the Father to make men
strong to win. The hymn before the
sermon was. fervent invocation of
the Holy Spirit in behalf Of those
about to start in the warfare. The
sermon told what the warfare is, who
may join the army, who their Captain,
what in time the reward to all who
fight Loyalty and faithfully The
hymn following was prayer to Jesus
TO be with them all .in the hour Of
trial, lest. by base denial, depart
from Thee The beautiful words and
the magic music of this hymn melted
the hearts of all. 1t filled the little
church with volume peculiarly
charged with the mystic power and
presence of the Holy Spirit 1t brought
tears of remembrance to all eyes.
Conscience, helped by memory, con-
deinned the will before the bar OF God,
but the soul was singing for forgive
ness and new strength with Jesus
Christ as its Advocate, standing be-
side it. Then came the central act
the Confirmation; and the good bish-
ops godly admonltion. II was fol-
lowed by the old English anthem, COM
posed by an organist of Westminster
Abbey, LONDON, and sung by the choir
with the solo parts IS Master Edward
Parsons. His youthful voice was rich
and strong and clear i His whole atti-
tude was :,Ayerant lie understood
and felt the meaning: Turn thy face
from my sins, and blot out all my mis-
deeds. Make me clean heart. q God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence,
and take not thy Holy Spirit from
me" The bishop then prayed for the
vicar and his people and blessed the
congregation, who, with the choir,
sang In trustful acceptance, He Lead
eth Ne The church was chowded to
overfIowing.
II is abundantly proved by the Holy
Scriptures that confirmation or lay-
ing on of hands by the apostles has
always been one of the chief notes and
customs of the ancient church; and
this order has continued to this day,
thus linking the present church to the
church of the immediate apostles of
Jesus Christ Himself. Today, the
bishop fills the place and performs
the holy duty of the apostle. See Acts
s: 14-17; /. and III. Timothy. Trace
laying on OF hands in marginal BIZ
BILE for other passages. Baptism pre-
pares one for the receiving Of the
Holy Spirit through the laying on Of
the Scriptures.
A great number of people are
taught to believe that only good
person should "join,' as they term it,
the church. They have heard this
from the lips Of preachers" SO often
that they believe it, and will fight to
defend their belief in it. They have
also been taught that no person is
truly converted who has not been
Converted in revival meeting" or
church" service, in the presence OF
others; and who has not showed vis-
ible physical evidences in that Com
version TO these people, to say that
you never had such experiences as the
"preachers" say they must have, is to
say that you are not converted and
that you are sinner damned. They
take no notice of Christ's words that
d man changes spiritually knows
not how, he only knows that he is
changed. He is born from above
"another."
In the first place, these good-mean-
ing folk have been deceived from the
first, and their ministers either refuse
to enlighten them, or themselves know
no better For (a) as to whether only
the good should "join' the church, if
we wait for that, none of Us would
ever get into church; for Christ
Himself says, There is none good but
One. even God,' and He refused to be
called "good master He also told it
plainly, Il am not come to call the
righteous, but sinners" you right
eous folk do not need me, sinners do,
and IN fhnnY on Todav tha church