Word and Mork.

DECEMBER 30th, 1886.

TOPICS-TERSE AND TIMELY.

HE year closes ominously. The nations of

Europe are armed to the teeth, and adding to their troops and arms daily, waiting only for the blast of the trumpet to hurry into the field of carnage. France cherishes rancour against Germany; Germany is resolved to forego none of the gains acquired in the Franco-German war; and Russia seems determined to reach Constantinople, and thereby to menace the peace of the world, even more

than she does at present. The troubles in Bulgaria only bring out prominently dangers which are never absent. Apparently the map of Europe is to be reconstructed at no distant time.

MANY of our readers have followed with deep interest, earnest prayer, and ardent hopeful

ness the advance of the Livingstone Inland Mission, in the face of grave difficulties, up the Congo. But lately it was told how a station having been planted at Stanley Pool, the wide reaches of the Upper Congo, a waterway of many thousands of miles, had been opened to the Gospel.

NOW, however, the entrance from the West, even

as recently from the East, seems suddenly checked. The tidings brought by Capt. Coquillhat, last week, to Brussels indicate that the International Trading Association, as well as the missionaries, have been driven from Stanley Falls by the Arabs, with whose profitable but murderous slave-hunting expeditions their presence interfered. No one will wish to win by the sword acceptance for the faith, but all will pray that these ruthless hunters of men may be quelled, that peace may reign, and the messengers of the Gospel find their way back to the populous

interior of Dark Africa.

THAT

ПHAT Mohammedanism contains some truths no one will deny who knows how largely Mohammed was indebted to the Bible in framing his creed. That it is superior to Paganism may be as truly admitted, and that on this account it can raise some African tribes to a higher level is no more than might be expected. But to suggest, as a writer in the Contemporary Review has ventured to do, that Mohammedanism is probably better for the negro, in his present condition, than Christianity, is a shock to common sense. Intoxicating drinks and gunpowder have nothing in common with Christianity, and, though they may have been introduced by men from Christian countries, they must be left out of account. Let genuine Christian negroes be compared with genuine Mohammedan negroes, and we have no fear as to the verdict. It is not fair to compare earnest Moslems with superficial or hypocritical Christians. The Gospel regenerates men; the Koran does not even profess to do anything of the kind.

MONTHLY there has been issued from Exeter

Hall, London, an excellent periodical chronicling the progress of Young Men's Christian Associations. Some, who are not content with safe and steady advance, are anxious to take up the cry of progress. Another monthly takes the field with the opening year under the title The Young Man. Judging from the first.

number, its progress is backward rather than forward. One who is called an "esteemed correspondent" advocates theatre-going, and adduces in defence of it the names of Drs. Parker, Haweis, and Bevan, and last though not least the advanced Henry Ward Beecher !

ANOTHER

writing from Brighton, says: "We have a noble NOTHER correspondent of the paper referred to, town missionary here who cannot say Amen to the horrible doctrine of almost universal perpetual torment, and in consequence he is finding out that the terrors of the Spanish Inquisition are reproduced in some nineteenth century Evangelicals!" We suppose the modern Inquisition consists in refusing support to one who no longer believes the truths he was hired easily rescue their friend from the Inquisition by to teach. The deniers of future punishment can agreeing to pay his salary.

GODLESS MORALITY. FAITH in God has hitherto exercised some in

fluence in the sphere of morals. Even when it has not been sufficiently strong to control the life it has sometimes checked excesses which would have flourished in its absence. The prevalence in society of a belief in the Divine administration of the world sustains and diffuses a certain tone of thought unfavourable to breaches of the moral law. Evil-doers,

who cared nothing for the displeasure of Heaven, have been often restrained by the fear of a scathing social verdict from the lips of their fellows. In many instances also, though there has been no real regulative faith either in Divine rule or retribution, there has been an uneasy feeling of the possibility of both, which acted as a drag on the wheels of passion.

What would be the condition and order of society if the last vestige of faith in God were eliminated? We are assured, by many voices, morals would still be safe, but we fear the proof, which hitherto has not been produced, is never likely to be forthcoming. If a man believes he is only accountable to himself, the

strong probability is he is not likely to be careful in keeping accounts. If, in addition, he has to adjust himself to the views of a society which punishes no sin unless it injures itself, he has no inducement to restrain desires which a social law so lax neither forbids nor condemns.

Lord Tennyson sees the present tendency of Agnosticism in the laxity of morals to which it cannot fail to give rise, and in the Promise of May which forms the larger part of his new volume of poems, he introduces the villain of the piece reading as he walks a

volume.

all but proving man

An automatic series of sensations.

Adopting this materialistic philosophy, he soliloquises :

What can a man, then, live for but sensations-
Pleasant ones? Men of old would undergo
Unpleasant for the sake of pleasant ones.
Hereafter, like the Moslem beauties waiting
To clasp their lovers by the golden gates.
For me, whose cheerless Houris after death
Are Night and Silence, pleasant ones-the while-
If possible, here! to crop the flower and pass.

spirit which is always willing to learn from a competent teacher. The Editor of the Christian recently requested one who is eminent both in scientific and Christian circles to state the actual attitude of scientific men towards revelation. The reply appears in the form of an interesting communication which was published in the pages of the Christian a fortnight ago. The writer says :—

I have known the British Association under forty-one different presidents-all leading men of science, with the exception of two or three appointed on other grounds. On looking over these forty-one names, I count twenty who, judged by their public utterances, or private communications, are men of Christian belief and character, while, judged by the same test, only four disbelieve in any Divine revelation. Of the remaining seventeen, some have possibly been religious men, and others may have been opponents; but it is fair to suppose that the greater part have given no very serious thought to the subject. I do not mean to say that all these twenty have been men of much spirituality, and certainly some of them would not be classed as orthodox," but the figures at least indicate that religious faith rather than unbelief has characterised the leading men of the association,

SCIENCE OR THE BIBLE-WHICH?

WITH

ITH the general contents of this communication we have no fault to find. But there are two statements which we cannot pass without comment. In stating the difficulties, or, rather, the conflicts, which rise between science and revealed truth, it is said :—

The methods of modern science are the reverse of those frequently employed in theology. When religious truths are inculcated merely on the authority of the teacher, the young mind is apt to rebel, and belief cannot be re-established unless maturer thought should happily show that the essential facts and principles of Christianity do rest upon reasonable evidence. As long as infidel advocates alone assert that science and religion are diametrically opposed, it does not much matter; but it is disastrous if young men and women of our religious communities perceive that their teachers are afraid of the advance of science, or hear them argue, even from the pulpit, that the long periods of geological time, the antiquity of man, theories of development, &c., are incompatible with the Word of God. Such young people often find themselves placed on the horns of a fearful dilemma, and being convinced of the truth of the scientific conclusion, feel bound sorrowfully to give up the faith of their fathers.

We are not quite sure what the writer means by the "authority of the teacher." If he means the human teacher in the pulpit we think with him that truth should not rest on his ipse dixit, but if he means (and we confess we are not willing to think he does) the authority of the Bible, in which the truth is revealed, then we differ, because this authority is the best evidence known to us. Our study of nature is conditioned by our capacities, and our knowledge of nature, therefore, makes slow and changeful progress; but a Divine revelation contains final truth from Heaven, given in the most intelligible and useful form. The facts which the student of Scripture finds in the Book of God are certainly not less trustworthy than the facts found elsewhere by the student of science; and he is as much entitled to classify and compare them as is his co-labourer in other fields. The truths contained in the Bible are certainly as worthy of acceptance, to say the least, as any of the inferences which scientific men draw from the observation of natural phenomena.

Therefore we must express our surprise and regret that the writer, in speaking of the antiquity of man and theories of development being opposed as incompatible with the Word of God, should use the following language:" Young people often find themselves "placed on the horns of a fearful dilemma, and, being "convinced of the scientific conclusion, feel bound "sorrowfully to give up the faith of their fathers." This can only have one meaning, for there is no rebuke administered to those who thus abandon their faith. If scientific conclusion point in one direction, and the Bible in another, we have no choice, according to this writer, the authority of the Bible must be laid aside.

We do not wish to raise any argument here about the antiquity of man and theories of development. We content ourselves with saying that there is at present no evidence of Adamic man earlier than the common chronology assigns to the Creation; and theories of development are at best theories waiting to be proved. If any one for such scientific conclusions, which conclude nothing, abandons the faith of his fathers and disowns the authority of the Bible no condemnation can be too scathing or severe.

We must repeat, what we have often said in other words, the science of to-day is not the science of to-morrow, nor is that the science of the day after. There are few facts and fewer theories in science which do not lie open to question. On the other hand revealed truth, like the Lord Jesus, is "the same, yesterday, to-day, and for ever."

EACH me the way of salvation Psa. XXV. 5; Matt. xi. 28, 30;

John xiv. 26; John v. 24; Acts xvi. 31 2. Teach me the way Psa. xxvii. 11; John xiv. 6; Prov. xvi. 25; Psa. xxxii. 8 3. Teach me Thy paths. Psa. xxv. 4; Prov.

iii. 13-17, iv. 18; Eph. ii. 17-24; Titus ii. 11-13 4. Teach me Thy statutes Psa. cxix. 12; xix. 7, 11; cxix. 26, 27, 130; John viii. 32; vii. 17; Jas. i. 21;

Acts xvii. 11; 1 John v. 13

5. Teach me to pray Luke xi. 1; Mark i. 35; Matt. vi. 5-15; Luke vi. 12 ;

Acts xvi. 25; Gen. xxxii. 24, 26

6. Teach me Thy judgments - Psa. cxix. 108;
Prov. iii. 11, 12; Psa. xix. 9;
Heb. xii. 6, 8; Rev. iii. 19;
Hab. iii. 17, 19; Psa. xciv. 12

7. Teach me to number my days - Psa. xc. 12;
Eccl. xii.; Job xix. 25-27; Deut. xxxii.
29; Matt. xxv. 1-10; 1 Cor. xv. 55-58.

S. R. BRIGGB.

SIR

Correspondence.

Church Organizations.

TO THE EDITOR OF "WORD AND WORK." IR,-You append to an extract from the Record in your current number a query which I was very glad to see: "Is there not something wrong in Church organisation, so long as no provision is made for the use of all the gifts which our ascended Master bestows? "I suppose this was meant to suggest inquiry, and I earnestly hope it may do so. It is about five-and-thirty years since my attention was first directed to this subject, and I then gave it serious consideration. After much inquiry into the New Testament Scriptures bearing on this point I came to the conclusion that there was something wrong in our ordinary church organisations, inasmuch as no provision was made therein for the gifts bestowed, except on a very limited scale indeed. Since that time there have been great changes in this respect, rather, however, by the force of circumstances than from an intelligent return to the scriptural idea. Many who would not then have ventured to open their mouths have now no hesitation in doing so; but even yet it is only or chiefly in extraneous services, Sunday schools, &c., where these find a field or come into operation. In church organization, however, there is even yet no place for such other arrangements stand in the way, and preclude together the idea of such a thing; and it would appear, so far as one can see, as if these had been entered into with a view of preventing any such intrusion; at all events, this is the result. It is very difficult to get people to think for themselves, even in reading the Scriptures, on a point like this; they are so often looked at in the light of prevailing customs, and consulted not so much to discover whether there is any church polity indicated there, or what it is if there be, as to identify with it some preconceived theories.

Without entering into details, a thoughtful reader cannot but be struck with the great contrast between churches as they are and those of the New Testament, whether as to the edification of the body, or as to evangelistic work. A vast amount of talent is lying dormant-unemployed-in a sense useless compared with what it might be, and that is a matter for lamentation. Take any of our better-off congregations, and think how many of their members and office-bearers are men who have received a first-class education, and who can appear on any platform and address their fellows to some purpose, and yet, from January to December, all their lives long, they sit only as recipients of instruction, and are never asked to be the mouthpiece of their brethren in prayer. I am quite aware that there would be a great indisposition to do otherwise than is done, but that is no reason why it should not be done; and should it turn out, as it might not be difficult to show, that this would better realise the Divine idea, should we rest content that "no provision" is made for the use of Heaven-bestowed gifts? It surely needs no argument to prove that the possession of a gift from God is, in fact, God's call to the exercise of that gift. The talents bestowed on the Church are infinite in character as well as in degree, and all God asks is that each talent be employed for its own special work. The material on which His work is to be done is as varied as the talents He bestows for the doing of it.

I have no doubt that a time will come when our present Church organisations will be viewed with amazement, as we now look back on some of the medieval arrangements, or even on the comparative lack of missionary effort up to the close of the eighteenth century. The Lord educates His people not only by His word, but by His providence: see how He sent a storm of persecution on the mother Church at Jerusalem. At present it may be that the churches are not fit for the adoption of His own plan, as set forth in the New Testament, but without a doubt He will bring them back to it sooner or later, and they will then wonder how it had been missed so long. We are now reading our Bibles by moonlight, and hence our mistakes. The darkness is in us, not in the Record; but there is a day approaching when the light of the moon shall be as that of the sun, and that of the sun sevenfold as the light of seven days. Trusting that your suggestion may stimulate enquiry and bear fruit, I remain, very truly yours,

Edinburgh, December 13th, 1886.

JAMES WILKINSON.

The "Elder Women."

TO THE EDITOR OF "WORD AND WORK." IR,-Knowing that all true believers must be more or less

S one to serve their own generation,

by the will of God it seems to my mind that more mutual help might be afforded, by the members of the one body, for the

attainment of this object, than is yet realised among us. With this thought, I venture to ask if, through your means, I might seek the formation of fellowship in one class in particular, that to which I belong myself, those Christian women who, because of advancing years, feel peculiarly applicable to themselves the words which are the heading of this letter.

Whether our natural or our spiritual strength is decayed, we are ready to think despondingly about the decay, forgetting the great and glorious promise of renewal of strength to those who wait on the Lord.

Now could it not be, that as in the Young Women's Christian Association there is mutual encouragement and help afforded for the holy war, so the "elder women" might find means to comfort and edify one another? There are many things occurring to me on this subject; and if even one of the class referred to would write to me, we might both realise thus that "two are better than one."

May I, at all events, make trial in giving you my address for this purpose?-Yours in the Lord,

A Cabman's Shelter.

TO THE EDITOR OF "WORD AND WORK."

E. S. S.

SIR,-A committee has been formed for the purpose of erecting a cabmen's shelter for the men using the cab rank at Notting Hill Station. It is to be placed on land belonging to the rail. way companies, which will be let to the committee at £1 per annum, subject to a short notice, and the expense of erecting a retaining wall for the purpose of securing the railway embankment, viz., about £20. The money already paid or promised to the committee amounts to £58 18s. 6d., about £121 more is required. The committee earnestly appeal for support because on this cab rank there is room for sixteen cabs, and there is no place where the men can get warmth and refreshment except the public-house.

The committee comprises Rev. W. E. Emmet, Dr. H. Sin. clair Paterson, and Mr. John Short. Mr. Wyndham A. Bewes, 67, Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill, W., is Hon Treasurer. H. T. PHIPPS, Hon. Sec. 16, Ladbroke Crescent, Notting Hill, W.

Seamen in the Mediterranean.

ISSIONS to our sailors are second to none in importance. The hardy mariners are exposed, not only to tempest by sea, but to land sharks on shore. Their open-hearted ways make them a ready prey to designing sharpers, who lay in wait to lure them to dens of drunkenness and vice. Sailor Rests and Homes are a sure refuge for them. There they find shelter, and are helped to send their hard earnings to their families. Over, and, above all, in some of these Rests, their spiritual interests are cared for, and many a weary seaman has found rest for soul as well as for body in these havens. Most of these institutions are, to a great extent, self-supporting. Money sent to their managers is well invested. Before me lies a report of one such Rest, which I have visited ere now, and can cordially recommend, not only for its care of the seamen, but for the special interest taken in their spiritual welfare. It is called The Sailors' Rest for Seamen of all Nationalities," and is located 40, Quai du Port, Marseilles. Recently it has undergone considerable extension, and been removed to the above capital premises, which has occasioned necessarily increased expenditure, and calls for the sympathy and co-operation of the Lord's stewards. It is sad that devoted labourers should be crippled for want of means.

Contributions should be sent to the Hon. Director, Mr. Charles E. Faithfull, 40, Quai du Port, Marseilles. CHEYNE BRADY,

Les Avelines, Cannes.

A Cry from the Far East.-A letter in the Chinese character has been received from the brethren of the Hak-ka church by the foreign missionary secretary in London of the Presbyterian church of England. The following is a translstion of one of its paragraphs: "We hope that men of earnest and devoted spirit will be found who will gladly come to our land to help Dr. Riddel and Dr. M'Phinn in spreading the glad news. In a former age Paul at Troas saw in a vision a man of Macedonia standing beseeching him to go over and help them; so we, the farthest east kingdom in Asia, in like manner beseech you men of Western Europe to come from the west to the east to help us."