what is wanted in China is not new lightning methods, so much as good, honest, quiet, earnest, persistent work in old lines and ways.'' Some changes in methods are required, but not those that involve the abandonment of Christ's methods of dealing with men. Grant that there are some difficulties, some tragedies, some failures of our cherished plans. Our failure is not
necessarily God's failure. More than once we have made this mistake. But God is not tied up to our methods. They may be defective. Let us not be ashamed to confess that we have made some mistakes, and let us be ready to readjust our methods from time to time as God in His Providence may direct. —Extract from an address by Rev. Arthur Judson Brown, D. D.
Notes by the Way. J. H. i
FALLIBLE SCIENCE. We hear of " exact sciences,'' and, indeed, the accuracy of scientific ob- servation is worthy of admiration. Many astronomers have followed with telescope and pencil the mazy march of Halley's comet through billions of miles of space. They predicted its ar- rival within Earth's orbit to the sec- ond. |'May 18th at 7:39:10," was the auspicious moment. But science erred! The L. A. Express, commenting on the faet, after paying a just tribute to the marvelous achievements of men of sci- ence, remarked: " I f the event proves the predictions erroneous they were, nevertheless, right at the time they were made and would have been ful- filled had the conditions under which they were formed been maintained un- changed." This is just where science fails and demonstrates its untrust- worthiness as a critic of the Scripture records. If present "conditions maintained" science would be more competent to tell what has and has not taken place, and to predict future material effects. But " a ll things (do not) continue as they were from the beginning," 2 Pet. 3-4, and we do well to cleave to the "Word of Prorthecy." as " t o a light shining in a dark place," 2 Pet. 1-19. "HERESY HUNTERS." We have heard of ' ' heresy hunters'' but have never seen one. We have heard heresies. We have seen heretics. But why should they be hunted? They abound. They always have abounded. The trouble has been not to find them, but to keep them out of the fold. Even this has proved impossible. They swarm through the very doors.
But all honor to the men who have kept the watch, sounded the warning, and done what they could to eject the destroyers of the sheep. If to do this is to be a heresy hunter, i t is a glori- ous title. Which of the prophets, or of the apostles, or of the reformers, was not a "heresy hunter"? The epistles to the Corinthians, to the Gal- atians, the Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, the epistles of Peter and John (some save his gospel also), were against her- esies, and so was that of James. Paul said, "Of your own selves shall wolves arise not sparing the flock." Is it evil to resist them and save the flock? "He r e t i c s" are and always have been the aggressors, the hunters of the sheep. THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO. The Presbytery of Chicago con- demned Rev. David Swing for being unsound in the faith. About the same time Bev. Newman Smythe withdrew of his own will to avoid a similar fate. Much was said about heresy hunting and the bigotry of dogmatism. But time has shown whither those gentle- men were drifting and how just was the condemnation of their departure. The church of which Newman Smythe is now pastor, at Hartford, Conn., it is reported, has limited its condition of membership to " a belief in higher life, and moral purpose." It has discarded the "Apostles' Creed," and the asser- toin of the deity of the Lord, and spread their old orthodox confession on the records where it will prove " a n interesting literary curiosity." May the Lord raise up more, braver, and abler "heresy hunters," or the whole church will soon come to regard the faith once for all delivered to the saints " a literary curiosity."
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