King's Business - 1919-02

T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S 101 greatly humiliated. They were forced to admit that the city authorities believed in sickness and death, and by closing their churches, compelled them to subscribe Jo such a law. They sought to violate the law by opening their churches and one church did ma^e a test of the law. The judge before whom the case came, was taken down with the influenza, and the ban lifted before he was lifted from his bed. It was a new lesson for a great city to learn,—the lesson of the possibil­ ity of disaster that would arise if the Scientists should be in the majority in the city government. Very many of the Scientists died, however, and strange stories have been told of practitioners down with the “flu,” attended by physicians who were urged to come to their homes at night, leaving their machines a block away so that the dear people would not know that the practitioners were sick. One physician, called by a Scientist, tells the following : On entering the room the Scientist said, in a quivering voice, ‘‘Doctor, what^do you think of my ease?” The doctor replied, “ You are a very sick man.” Trembling, “ Doctor, can you do anything for me?” “ Yes, if you will take my medicine.” Eagerly, “ I ’ll take your medicine, doctor!’’ and he did, and will live to testify how wonderfully he was healed by “ absent treatment!^” For they will all lie, and deceit is the basic principle of their cult, for a “ lie is but an error of mortal mind,” so—let it lie!—T. C. H. One of The Hague rules of war prohibits the making of improper use of a flag of truce, of the national flag, or of the military insignia and uni­ form of the enemy. It means that combatants must fight under their own nag and in their own uniforms. What would happen in Christendom today if church members who believe their Bibles should apply a rule of this kind to the ministry? When a preacher discovers that he is out of gear with the teachings of the Bible, and hopelessly at variance with the tenets of his Church, what should he do ? Should he kêep right on working under the flag of the Church when he is entirely out of adjustment with his ordination vows, either denying openly from his pulpit the fundamental doctrines for which the Church stands, or keeping silent on the supreme topics he promised to preach about, because he no longer believes in them? If any sinner on the streets were to be asked the question, “ What should a minister do who does not believe the doctrines of his Church?” doubtless a quick answer would be forthcoming. The most dangerous infidelity today is that which masquerades in the livery of heaven. It cannot be denied that there is an ever-increasing number of “ pulpit apostates”—men who, while they stand under the flag of the Gospel and wear the uniform of the Church, yet are doing the work of Ingersoli, Voltaire and Paine, and filling the minds of the people with interrogation marks instead of the love of Jesus Christ. Herbert Booth recently said, “ Thousands of sermons today, despite all the maneuvers of eloquence and gesture, don’t go. God is withholding His Spirit. The minister is a crackerjack at psychology, biology, physiology, Éet JÉ? D ISHONEST USE of the Gospel Flag and Uniform

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