T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
June 1924
399
THE F IVE POINTS (Continued from page 342) were equally examples to His Church of charity and good will toward all m ankind.” That deliverance fu rth e r says: “T h ese five a rticles o f fa ith are essen tia l and n ecessary. O thers are eq u ally so. We need not fea r fo r God’s tru th as it is rev ea led in th e H oly Scrip tures and con tained in our W est m in ister Standards. W e b less God for the d octrin es of H is W ord sh in in g in th e Standards. T h ey stan d firm lik e the tow erin g b eacon on the shore, ca stin g a beam across th e dark w a v e Of th is w orld ’s sin .” Therefore regarding th e FIVE POINTS we inevitably reach certain decisions: 1. T h at th ese F IV E POINTS o f d octrine rest upon th e co n stitu tio n a l rig h t of th e G eneral A ssem b ly to m ake a u th o rita tiv e d eliv era n ces reg a rd in g doctrine. 2. T h is rig h t of th e LG eneral A ssem b ly is u n a ssa ila b ly stren g th en ed by th e fa c t th a t the d e liv e r a n c e ; w a s reached through th e findings of the Ju d icial C omm ission w h ose findings are n ot su b ject to rev ersa l or revision. 3. T h ey are a u th o rita tiv e in terp reta tio n of the Standards of our Church. 4. T h ey are th e Standards of the, Church. W ith regard to th e first p art of th e M inority R eport there is bu t little for me to say. I w ant to quote another paragraph from the communication from which I quoted a little earlier; th is w riter goes on to say: “L ater, and con cern in g th is I h ave seen still le ss referen ce, the A ssem b ly o f 191?, on th e report of the B ills and O vertures C omm ittee, sp ecifica lly reaffirm ed th e d eliveran ce of ,1910. In rea ch in g a d ecision , the C omm ittee w a s alm ost in d espair for a tim e of b ein g ab le to m ake a rep ort sa tisfa cto ry to the m a jo rity of its m em bers. T here is not tim e here to go in to the story. B u t th e hub of It Is, th a t th e rep resen ta tiv es of the P resb y teries a sk in g d ra stic action a g a in st the N ew Y ork P r e s b ytery cam e in to con feren ce w ith th e rep resen ta tiv es of the latter, and as a resu lt o f th is, th e la tte r agreed th a t th e N ew York P resb y tery had n o t been lo y a l to th e 1910 deliveran ce, but w ou ld u n d ertak e to be lo y a l in th e fu tu re. On th e b asis of th is co n fessio n— as it rea lly , w a s— and th is u n d ertak in g, th e d isturbance w a s brou gh t to a con clu sion .” One is surprised in th is day of grace to see how faithfully this promise of th e representatives of the New York P res bytery was kept. When I read one name among the one hundred and fifty and am told th a t he was one of th e men th a t helped frame the FIVE POINTS, I am constrained to cry w ith Caesar, “ et tu B ru ti” ? The Call of th e Hour The call of the hour in the P resbyterian Church is for men who are loyal to her historic position, loyal to her courts and obedient to her deliverances. W hether her Standards are Christian judge ye. “ By th e ir fru its shall ye know them .” If the tree is to be judged by fruit, then let history be th e answer to th e question. This tree, to adopt ano th er’s eloquent paragraph, may have, to prejudiced eyes, a rough bark, a gnarled stem , and boughs tw isted often into knotted shapes of ungraceful strength. But remember, it is not a willow-wand of yester day. These boughs have wrestled w ith th e storm s of a thousand years; th is stem has been w reathed w ith the red lightning and scarred by th e thund erbo lt; and all over Its rough rind are th e m arks of th e battle-axe and the bullet. This old oak has not th e p lian t grace and silky softness of a greenhouse plant, b u t it has a m ajesty above grace, and a grandeu r beyond beauty. Its roots may be strangely contorted, bu t some of them are rich w ith the blood of glorious battle-fields, some of them clasped around the stakes of m arty rs; some of them hidden in solitary cells and lonely libraries, where deep th ink ers have mused and prayed, as in some apocalyptic Patmos; and its great tap-root runs back, un til it tw ines itself in living and loving embrace around th e cross of Calvary. Its boughs may be gnarled, bu t they hang clad w ith all th a t is rich est and strongest in the civilization and Christianity of human history. (Continued on next page)
Books make the most acceptable Graduation Presents W e commend the follow ing
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of David Livingstone By W. Garden Blaikie, D. D. "The Bookman” says: "Af ter all the years that have in tervened, this book still re mains the most complete, au thentic and inspired of all the biographies of Livingstone.” The unusual advantage ac corded by the family to Mr. Blaikie alone, to use the un published Livingstone journals and correspondence, has given this edition a precedent over all others. Cloth, $1.50 My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns By Ira D. Sankey "If ever a man was raised and endowed for a special work by Our Divine Master, that man was Ira D. Sankey. He introduced a peculiar style of popular hymns which are calculated to awaken the careless, to melt the hardened, and to inquiring souls a guide to the Lord Jesus Christ. This book gives the simple story of the great power of sacred song. Clotb, $2.00
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Edited by R. M. Offord, LL. D. A book to read and thbn ponder upon the glorious Gos pel and its effects upon men so low in the mire as to be almost unrecognizable as hu man beings. Jerry McAuley is dead, but his wonderful work for Christ will live for ever. Cloth, $1.50 If money does not accompany order, goods will be sent C. O. D., unless otherwise specified. If books are to come by mail add 10% for postage.
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