The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-07-25

Oh lltisliHu hDC-
trine. Intolerance
is illustrated in
the conduct of Daniel and the Hebrew
children in Babylon as related In the
Old Testament. Our Lord Himself
was not tolerant of those who desc.
Grated His Fathers house as money
changers. The form His intolerance
TOOK was that of laying hands on those
who offended. We may note. TOO, that
the apostle Paul in his letter to the
Galatians said that he dill not give
place, not for an hour. to the false
ously. When he met Peter at Antioch
he wlthstood him to the face, for he
was 10 be blamed.
Martin Luther came TO the place
where he found that any further toll
erance of religious error was not pos
sible. and he left US Professionalism, the
most precious heritage of our age.
The intolerant character of the P"ri-
tans of England drove them by way
of Holland to America to found the
greatest nation on earth. A single
woman's intolerance in the Old South
church of Boston saved evangelical re-
ligion In New England. Lincoln's In
tolerance in declaring TINT the United
States could not exist half free and
half slave broke the bonds of servi-
tude from millions of human beings,
and preserved the Union.
YHI~.o z 10 f~~aIn-ar1aA - fnIcn
teaching in the proper spirit. Testl-
mony against error can be perfectly
clear, and yet without the spirit of
hate and vengeance. Yet intolerance
of erroneous teaching is NOT justified
unless there Is clear proof that the
error is in opposition TO the Wort
of God.
The conception of intolerance I'm
plies that something abhorrent or con
demnable exists that is within the
power of tire individual or society to
eliminate. How shall this be done:
The warming of the Lord as 10 taking
out the tares is always wise, but there
can be no tolerance when the life OF
an institution is- imperlled by the cor
tinued existence levin ITSELF. that
evefsuaW in dfaH. Tr-enr1
of all evil is TO perpetuate
There can be no tolerance Wren the
honor of God is at stake. as when Je-
sus drove the money changers put OF
His Fathers house.
The danger in our time is the in.
clinatiOp m hQ tolerant If nrono
teaching or erroneous doctrine. The
assertion that there is no widely prev.
alent doctripal error in the church
of today is q testimony to the speak
er's ignorance. A very distinguished
missionary, now a professor in one
of the great theological semiraries OF
this country, said to the writer re-
Gently: THE church is on the verge Of
apostasy." The cry for peace wher
there is no peace means suicide. When
intelligent men. men of affairs. ties
tify that they go to church and rarely
hear the simple gospel message; when
the faith of young people by the
our advanced schools-many of then
church schools when the teachings Of
many ministers of the day are pre-
cisely what the teachings of infidel.
Of many years ago were; and VIXEN
evangelical denominations are on the
point of disruption because a large
number of ministers deny the teach
ings that have been the foundation of
those denomlnations-the hour has
struck when tolerance can no longer
be extended. One of the Antichrist's
methods for doing his death-dealing
work in the future is by peace de
stroying many" The man who claims
to be reluctant to fight for defrlte
truth because it would divide the
church, is not so anxious for the rood
of the church as he is for his easy
going life. His action is s~upremely
selfish.
Nehemiah was justified in his intol.
erance and saved Jerusalem by IT.
and the church of Jesus Christ today
is justified in calling its ministers and
others to account who openly and in
sultingiy deride the old doctrines upon
which the church has been built
Heresy trials are not evils in them.
selves, unpleasant as they are: they
are but the natural fruitage of error
and the blame for them must fall upop
those who invite them rather than
upon those who are the
and defenders of the truth. Nehe
miahs are needed in these soft DAYS
in which the very life of the church
itself is being threatened.