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seem almost courteous to refer the question to One who used to be consid ered quite an au th o rity on the subject, who, when asked, “Lord, are th e re few th a t be saved?” replied “Strive.” People of average modesty feel in competent to decide as to w hat takes place in a soul th a t goes from No Man’s Land to th e righteous F ath e r. I d are no t fix w ith mete and bound The love and power of God. I t is no kindness to th e soldier to flat te r w ith false words because they are smooth, or throw aside th e chart, w ith out which th e good ship which carries all our hopes shall sail th e seas no more; and th a t for which our brave men gave th e ir lives shall b reak in pieces on rocky shores of doubt and anarchy. Recent movements have frayed away the edges of th e Sunday question— al ready theadbare. We have to break into a dead ru n to keep up w ith th e procession of those whose Sunday is agreeable to a spineless religion and th e worship of a democratic God. We now see th a t pushing a spade is more p atrio tic th a n thum b ing a hymbook, and quite as religious; th a t one can sta rt seedlings for th e paradise gar dens in th e mellow soil of the back y ard as happily as- by teaching a class of lively boys in Sunday school. The New Bread o f L ife. All th is is pleasant and cheering— a kingdom of heaven w ith an o rn a m ental Christ, entrance on etern al life w ithout th e disagreeable repentance of sin, salvation by self-assurance; the crowd ambling happily along the straig h tish and narrow ish way toward th e Get-Together society above. How modern and refresh ing th is is! I t is as much like C h ristian ity as Demas is like Paul. I t is as likely to carry th e world into a brotherhood of righteousness as a beanpole is to change into a p illar for th e temple of
The Waÿ Some Men Trÿ To Read The Bible These Days God by being coated w ith fu rn itu re polish. The new form ula works as smooth as th e key of a safe, bu t w hat jewels of reverence and faith are found w ithin? The label on the new loaf of th e bread of life is prom ising, if it is a little gaudy, b u t the pebbles b reak over our teeth and th e gravel starves the soul. We may go on H arm less a n ’ cherfle ez crickets, cherishing th e fancy th a t a cross smothered w ith flowers is a v ast im provem ent on th e old v ariety ; th a t sal vation w ithou t th e Redeemer is b etter suited to th e m odern ta ste th a n the searching summons to tu rn from sin to Christ; th a t a gospel embellished by vague and optim istic ph rases meets all th e requirem ents of quite a promising religion; th a t passing from selfishness into th e Republic of God is as slick and easy as filling a motor ta n k a t a Socony on Sunday morning. Thus pleasantly is one inoculated w ith a de
ligh tfu l modern religion. On F low ery B eds Of Base.
Some versatile people are talk ing about a “ Church outside th e Church.”
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