Article March 19, 1904 Issue

From our Exchanges

with contributions from C. W. Brooks, L. A.

It is not, on the face of it, easy to understand why a gross and notorious sinner should be nearer to God's kingdom of grace than the intelligent and cultured transgressor whose outward life conforms to the standards of decorum. But to some chief priests of his time, the very teachers and religious leaders of the people, Christ said, "The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you;" and then he went on to reason the case with them. The most notorious sinners repented at the preaching of John the Baptist, and believed his message; but the chief priests believed not, either before or afterward, and hence rejected the divine overtures that came to them.

The vile man, who lives, so to speak, in the gutter, can be easily reached by the appeals of the Gospel. What he is, is known to all men. He conceals nothings, denies nothings, and often he does not pretend to justify his manner of living as to speech or conduct. The self-righteous man, on the other hand, is an adept in self-justification. He is ready to condemn the notorious evil-livers, and just as ready to insist upon his own morality, while the professors of Christianity are probably accused of hypocrisy.—The Examiner.

Very much has been said and written in the past thirty years about a "new theology." There has been a large demand for a restatement of the cardinal doctrines of our holy religion, the allegation being that the statements made by the fathers need revision to keep pace with the advanced thought of this progressive age. I do not care to enter into the merits of this discussion, but there are some thoughts that always flit through my mind whenever I read or hear of this demand for a revision of our theological statements.

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