The Washington times., 1921-02-22

Dol. Like baptism. IL is worm
less and meaningless rite uhless
the man and the woman have oeen
born again into the spirit releaseo
from the law. ~,
"If they are still. as 81. Pau
would say. in the flesh, let them
have, IL they wish, civil pefhit
TO live together. for the spirit can
have nothing 10 do with such
union. True 10 herself, the Church
symbolizes the union OF her mem
bers. the reborn. She has nothlhs
TO do with laws and conventions
which are supposedly for the sood
OF society, nor Is any union accom-
plished IL those whom she suppo6-
edly Joins are not reborn.
"If they are, the Church can
neither make II nor dissolve ~
but merely confirm and acknowi,
edge the work OF the Spirit. Ana
every work OF the Spirit Is sacrs-
ment. Not baptism and commun-
ion and marriage only. but ever!
act OF life"
"Oh. John" she exclaimed, her
eyes lighting, "I can believe thst!
How beautiful a thought! see
now what is meant when II Is saio
that man shall not live by bread
alone hut by every word that pro-
ceedeth out of the mouth OF God.
That is the hourly guidance which
Is independent OF the law ana
how terrible TO think that all inc
spiritual beauty OF such rehgioh
should have been hardened INTO
chapter and verse and regulation
'sYou have put into language
what I think OF Mr.. Bentley-that
his acts are sacraments II
is so simple when you explain IL
this way. And yet / can see why
IL was said, too, that we must pc
come as children to understand IT,
"The difficult thing repiiea
Holder. graveiy, lis to retain 1t,
to hold II after we have Understood
it-even after we have experienced
Il To continue to live in the Spirit
demands all our effort. all our cour-
age and patience and faith.
1--WE cannot. as you say, promise
TO love for life. But the marriage
service, interpreted, means that
we will use all our human endea-
yor. with the help OF the Spirit TO
remain in what may be called the
reborn state, since II is by the
spirit alone that true marriage is
sanctified. When the Spirit Is with
drawn, man and woman are indeed
divorced.
THE OPEN DOOR
The words "A sense OF duty
belong to moral philosophy, ana
not to religion. Love annuls them.
I do not mean to decry them. but
the reborn are lifted far above them
by the subversion Of the will by
which our will is submitted to
Gods. 1t is 70 we develop and be-
come. as 1t were, God. And hence
those who are not married in the
spirit are not spiritually man and
wife. No conservation has taken
place, church or no church.
az rebirth occurs later, to either
or both, the individual conscience
which is the Spirit-must decide
whether, as regards each other'
they are bound or free, and we
must stand or fall by that.
Men object that this is opening
the door to individualism. What
they fail to see is that the door
is open, wide, today, and can never
again be closed; that the law or
the naturally born is losing It's
power, that She worn-out author
ity of the church is being set a
naught because that authority was
devised by man to keep in check
those who were not reborn ih'
only check to material individual
ism is spiritual individualism, and
the reborn man or woman cannot
act to the detriment of his fel-
low creatures"
In her turn she was silent, sun
gazing at him. her breath coming
deeply, for she was greatly moved.
Yes" she said simply, Il can
see now why divorce between us
would be a sacrilege. l felt IT,
John, but I couldn't reason 1t out.
1t is the conservation Of the Spirit
that justifies the union of the
flesh. For the Spirit, in that
sense, does not deny the flesh"
THAT would be to deny life,"
Holder replied.
IL see. why was it all so hid
dem" The exclamation was not
addressed to him-she was staring
pensively into the fire. But pres
entity. with a swift movement, she
turned to him.
You will preach this, John,-all
of itr'
It was not a question, but the cry
of new and wider vision OF his
task. Her face was TRANSPORTED.
And ber voice. low and vibrating,
expressed no doubts. "Oh. am
proud of you! And IL they put you
out and persecute you I shall al
ways be proud. shall never know
why 1t was given me to have this,
and to live. Do you remember say
ing to me once that faith comes to
us in some human form we love?
YOU are my faith. And faith in
YOU is my faith in humanity. and
faith in God"
Ere he could speak of his own
faith in her, in mankind, by grace
of which he had been lifted from
the abyss, there came knock at
the door. And even as they an
swcred 1t deeper knowledge nj
tered into their hearts.
MArace Bentley stood before them.
And the light from his face. that
shone down upon them, was their
benediction.