The call of the North. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1923-1924, 1923-11-14

Christianity that gave to the W0rlC
all that he Reformation proclaimed
Let US study for a moment the
exact things that were founded upor
the Scriptures produced by the Refor,
nation, and that are today the God.
given heritages of Professionalism.
First. The mind was liberated
Men were permitted to think and
write and speak.
Second. The Scriptures were lib.
Grated. They had been chained by
tyranny, suppressed by assumption
and denied to the common. people by
cruelty and a viciousness beyond
any mans description.
Third. Christ, Gods Mediator be.
tween Himself and man, was revealed
to the world. He and His blood were
held up to the whole world as the
only means by which man could be
saved. Justification by faith was the
light that illuminated His face and
led a depressed world to fall at His
feet and beg for mercy. It lifted
the world from the doctrines and pen.
ances and indulgences of paganisn
and tyranny up to the htrone where
the righteousness of Christ and His
vicarious death became the ground
on which God rested the justification
of the saints.
Fourth. The Reformation poured
out judgment on the beast. That
judgment has had it's effect up to
the present minute and will have its
fruition in the future if timidity and
cowardice does not weaken the arm
of Professionalism.
Fifth. The Reformation started
the, Protestant church, with it's doc.
trines of liberty and salvation, on its
march toward the evangelization the
world and the establishment of rep.
resentative government on the earth
In other words, the great funda-
mental doctrines of Professionalism
that were pronounced by the Refor.
nation are the following, viz:
First. The absolute supremacy Of
the Word of God.
The Reformation unclaimed the
Bible. It dethroned councils anG
Vaticans. Whatever help or illumina.
ton may be in Christian conscious.
ness or cultivated scholasticism or or.
dained priesthood, the supreme, un-
questionable authority in all matters
of faith or morals is the Word OF
God. It is the dominant authority in
the soul of the Christian, the one
text book of the church, and the su.
preme study of the minister. This
authority should be emphasized. The
formula of Chilling worth continues
to be the expression of our faith
''The Bible, the whole Bible, anc
nothing but the Bible is the religion
of Protestants."' The open Bible is
the chart of our American civiliza.
ton. Its ethics are our efficient pro-
lection for public virtue. It has been
largely eliminated from our public
schools, and our successive genera
tions have lost its training for a citi.
zenship of integrity and patriotism
1t should be reinstated in its place
in the instruction of the common
schools. Both Old and New Tesla.
ments should be restored to fire and
large place in pulpit reading, instruc.
ton in family worship and personal
study.
What are we doing to keep the
fact of the supremacy of Gods Word
before the people? Let me ask you
three questions:
(a) Are we reading it, mastering
it, believing it?
(b) Are we preaching it? Or are
we trying to emasculate it?
(c) Are we demanding that it be-
come the foundation of our educa-
tional system? and are we forcing
it's introduction into the educational
institutions of the country? This is a
fundamental doctrine of Protestant
ism and of Templarism, and upon all
these doctrines rests this Republic
What are we doing to perpetuate
these foundations of the Republic?
Second. The absolute supremacy OF
the Grace of Christ.
Justification by faith alone. The
atoning work of Christ cannot be
added to or taken from. The church
must not be put in the place Of
Christ. There can be no intermed-
larry. The sacrifice of the Mass has
no Scriptural recognition. There can
be but one sacrifice for sin. The sal
walton Of the soul is not by any sac.
ramental agency or priestly authority
much less by character or any human
ability or experience, but by the blood
Of Christ alone. There is no new
gospel. The message of the Refor-
nation is the message of evangelism.
The address of the pulpit should be
direct and unmistakable. Whenever
the church fails, it is when she be-
clouds or conceals or perverts her
mission. The evangelistic note is the
note of her salvation, the effective
challenge to human sin and need, and
the breath of benediction to the
homes and liberties of the nation.
Perhaps we should not stop to dis
cuss with men their shades of de-
nominational distinctions. They have
no place nor part in our discussion.
R,,t 1ye do bave the suprorna nlaco