Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-19

sin. and the brother who insists or lib
erty is apt to set at naught the weak
brother and hold him in contempt.
Rise to Higher View
Then st. Paul reminds both the
weaker and stronger brother that the
kingdom of God is not eating and
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit
The radical brother who insists on his
freedom should remember this higher
meaning of the kingdom and the
brother of uneasy scruples should
rise to this higher view. Finally. st.
Paul proposes to both parties to con-
sidrr this question in the light of a
new principle: Whether. therefore,
We eat or drink. Or whatsoever We do,
do all to the glory of God
'The special problem has no longer
any interest for US. except as it Illus
trates a perennial problem of society.
The discussion is involved not between
the good and bad people. nor Chris
tians and idolaters; if it had been it
could easily have been settled. 1t was
rather between progressive and con-
servative Christians.
professor Borden p. Bovine says:
The only thing that is fixed and alb
solute in morals is the good will and
the will to do right. The Law of love
and loyalty to what We conceive to be
right are of absolute and inalienable
obligation. No outside authority and
no conceivable change of circumstances
can absolve US from this central and
basal duty
"Our codes of life. our social GUS
toms. our personal habits. our polit-
ical practices are always undergoing
criticism in a living community. and
are slowly being adjusted to growing
knowledge and experience. We need
to look back only 100 years to find
great advance in Christian codes. The
saints of n century ago would hardly
be tolerated today. Distinguished saints
owned distilleries and defended the
slave trade. Lotteries were used for
the endowment of colleges and the
building of churches, but now they are
outlawed.
Religion Ra~tionaIized
Religion has been purified and ra-
tionalized. social customs ameliorated.
laws humanized. and the empire of con
science has been extended Over larger
and larger fields of life. The time
was when in the name Of God and
conscience, the divine eight of kings.
the passive obedience of subjects. the
sin Of resisting authority. no matter
how iniquitous it might be-especially
the sin of criticizing ecclesiastical au-
thority-the awful consequences of
thinking critically about religious teach
ing were stoutly insisted upon; but to-
day We are living in a land where Il man
may worship God according to the die
tates of his " conscience.
Conscience may easily become an
enemy of progress and even of human
itv. The challenge which comes to the
fundamental issues of life as revealed
mount ambition of the church and So
ciety. I recall the case of a mar who
had been brought up on the notion of
the impiety of singing hymns. Once at
the bedside Of a dying friend who wish
cd a hymn sung, he consented to start
the tune as no one elese present could
do it,. But his conscience so smote him
that be afterward said he felt worse
than if he had stolen a horse. This
is n type of a conscience that holds
petty issues superior TO the higher
moral law. There is a strong AMI
growing impotence among thoughtful
persons with religious pettiness: the
must be rs broad as the needs
of humanity in every sphere Of l'fc.
The church will not become tho church
of humanity until it finds a holy place
for all the interests of %hunanitQ.
Only Truth Is Safe
The matter of the weak brother
been very mch misunderstood. In
deciding what is right or wrong in it
self. the weak brother cannot be on
sidered at all. This is Il question
of truth and right reason. To
truth for the weaker brothers
sake is to make ignorance and preiu-
lice and weakness. rather than the
of things the ground of morality
and religion. Weak brethren abound
On all sides of every question. If one
is offended by the enlargement of lib
srty. another is offended by its limit
Only truth is safe and only truth
makes free. To covet earnestly the
1est things for men is the church's
great obligation. Whatsoever things
are just and true and lovely and gra-
'ious and pure and helpful arc to be
in the largest possible meas
ire. Nothing is to he hold or cher
shed because it IS old. but because it
s true and helpful. As soon as a bet |
.er is assnredly in sight. the old, no
how good. must go. With this
firmly grasped and with the
'aith that this is Gods world. the
would take it's place. where it
'eally belongs. at the head of MI the
in life that make 1T once for
~permanence and social prog
'ess." !