Article June 14, 1913 Issue

FROM OUR EXCHANGES

with contributions from W. F. Adeney, Ashley A. Smith

[Rev. W. F. Adeney, M.A., D.D., in The British Congregationalist.]

Fear has always hindered the spread of light and truth in the church of Christ. It tried to check Biblical inquiries during the greater part of the nineteenth century. Bishop Colenso, Samuel Davidson, and Robertson Smith were all sacrificed to fear, shameful fear, for in each case the church concerned has been forced to honor the memory of its heretics. Fear has kept back the honest teaching of young people, and so has prepared them to fall an easy prey to the shallow, skeptical orator. A faithless fear in every case. If it had been a strong faith, we should have been spared all this flustering of the self-appointed guardians of "the ark of the Lord." Can we learn one lesson from these humiliating flusters of timorous religionists,—the one true lesson that it is wiser to trust God and to possess our souls in patience, knowing that He can guard His own cause, since truth is truth and right is right?

There are signs that this new century is going to be a century of the Spirit of God. It is not without significance that our deepest thinker describes his philosophy as the life of the Spirit, and what we want to understand is that the Spirit of God is quite close to us. What we need in ourselves for the awakening of faith, and in many churches for the awakening of life, is simply not to expect a new Pentecost, but to receive the Spirit.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
June 14, 1913
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit