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February 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
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he declared, that in proportion to the population we have forty times as many murders as our modern neighbors, twenty times as many as Germany and ten times as many as England. The murder rate in the country in 1925 reached the appalling number of one to every 9000 of the population, A veritable reign of terror exists in many places. “Open warfare between crime and authority is steadily increasing. Robberies in the crowded dis tricts of cities and upon the public highways are of daily occurrence. Although relatively few crim inals are caught and fewer are ever punished, the number of persons imprisoned for crime is at all • times, over 200 , 000 .
aided to the world in the name of Sc'.ence, only to quickly pass into discard. The church should certainly value the testimony of sincere scientists, and should be the first to appreciate the marvelous benefits of modern inventions. However, it would only be to repeat some of the bad blunders of past ages, to attempt to suit the interpretation of the Gospel to the present day evolutionary theories, for there is little reason to believe that these notions will be stereotyped for time to come. The attempts of unbe lievers to explain the universe on some other basis than is taught in the Word of God constitute an endless sys tem of guesswork, and never can be anything else. The Duke of Argyll, in his book, “Geology of the Deluge,” says: “I doubt if we shall ever come to know by science anything more than we now know about the origin of things. I believe we shall always have to rest on that magnificent and sublime outline which has been given to us by the great prophet of the Hebrews.” Contradictions between well settled facts of science and correct interpretation of Scripture do not exist so far as we are aware. There has ever been, and ever will be, conflict between immature conclusions of scientists and plain statements of Scripture, and between facts of science and some biased interpretations of Scripture. Dr. John McNeill says: “We may sometimes tremble on the Rock of Ages, but the Rock will never tremble under us.” It is the one writing that has survived with out change or loss of power in human lives throughout the ages. While men, weary and heavy laden, find it the one window of hope in this prison of life through which they can look out into .eternity; while sin-laden souls, thirsting after God, through acceptance of the old Gospel, find it to be “the power of God unto salvation,” so long will the Church withstand all efforts to sweep it aside into “the back currents.” ' It was the great Gladstone who said: “If I am asked to name the one comfort in sorrow, the safe rule of conduct, the true guide of life—I must point to what is called in the words of a popular hymn, ‘the old, old story,’ told in the old, old Book, which is God’s best and richest gift to mankind.” General Washington and General Pershing H ERE is a striking statement made by Gen. Washing ton concerning the age in which he lived: “If I were to be called upon to draw a picture of the times and of men, from what I have seen,
“The spirit of lawlessness seems to be threaten ing the very foundations of our government. Who are responsible for this shameful condition? The only answer is that the citizens of the country are to blame. The government can be no better than the average of its citizens. We can have exactly the kind of government we want if with firm resolve we constantly exert ourselves’ to get it. If that state ment is, not true, then the system of government under which we live is a failure.” , : ,
Abraham Lincoln— Christian M UCH space could be utilized in reproducing what great editors and authors have written concerning that singular character, Abraham Lincoln, whose birth day the nation will remember oh February 12th. Inter
esting would it be to read the conflicting reasons they give for the place he holds in the esteem of American people. Abraham Lincoln never joined a church; n e v e r made what we would call a public profession of his acceptance of Christ; yet the church claims him, and he is the very kind of man the preachers are looking f o r as a demonstration sample of the Gospel. He attended church reg
ularly, read the Bible and religious books, prayed much and gave religious advice to many, yet he was not a denom inational man. It is said that the reason he did not join a church was because of a kind of modest under-estima tion of himself, a sense of weakness and short-comings. Who doubts that he was a real man of God? In his life we find exemplified the very traits of character defined as the “fruit of the Spirit.” He was a close student of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and it was surely more than human power that enabled him to live them. “It is in order to make men like Abraham Lincoln,” said the late Russell H. Conwell in one of his addresses, “that the Scripture is intended. It is for that that I ever preach and teach and insist.” We are making much of our creeds just now, and not a few become so vehement in defense of the doctrines they hold that they seem unaware of the fact that their lives are barren of the first fruit of the Spirit. Are we not put to shame when a man like Lincoln, son of a poor
heard, and in part know, I would in one word say that idleness, dissipation and extravagance seem to have laid fast hold of most of them; that spec ulation, peculation, and an insatiable thirst for riches seem to have got ten the better of every other consideration and almost every order of men.”
In the light of the above, Gen. Pershing’s re cent statements at an Arm istice Day event in Chi cago are of interest. Statistics recently prepared show,
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