Show MET KE revelation ELATION NEEDED A well known london missionary hugh price hughes hughei is by a religious paper quoted as referring to the present state of schisms and sectarianism tin in the christian world in the following characteristic mancer of cour course coursed seI I 1 know that our ecclesiastical and theological points of difference are so profound that we shall require the whole eternity for their adequate discuss discussion iOD why then waste the present time I 1 move that the debate be adjourned till we reach eternity and that we now unite our energies in the suppression of the liquor traffic I the lines quoted are noticeable not noti loable cable as in the tendency of the religious world at the present time questions once considered so important that slight light differences of opinion would cause ostracism i torture burning at the stakes stake devastating crusades and all the horrors of fanaticism are now viewed with indifference or made maae the subjects of stinging ng irony clear minded theological thinkers are really ing that they have tangled themselves ul up to lo a not net of doctrinal perplexities so intricate that the more they struggle for liberation the tighter the meshes close around them their efforts to find truth are hopeless and an ad journ ment of the debate for eternity or rather sine die seems the only ex bedient left the deplorable condition of the religious world at present needs no more apt illustration IU leaders are forced to acknowledge that with no direct communication with the divine head bead of the church with no direct revelation they are left mainly to their ow awu resources records ot of revelations given in former ages they have but in order to apply these to the r requirements quire ments of the present era which are widely different from those of former times logical deductions are necessary neoe seary and since no theologian be be ever so well versed in the v various rious branches of science can claim infallibility for his bis reasoning it follows that his teachings can have no divine authority he may be right or he be way be wrong he is to in the same position as the student of nature who arranges and classifies and reasons from what he be sees seen of gods work in creation as the theological student occupies himself with the manifestations of the almighty to lo the history of mankind both deal with facts and eternal truths but unless guided by revelation the statements of one are no more I 1 infallible than those of the theother other new discoveries co veries are always possible and it often happens that they completely overthrow previous theories and in the meantime the so called churches are lett left to the mercy of the changing orangi ng tide of human opinion now dritt drifting britting ing one way and now another how can they then a lave ave the lives jives ot of those who perish in the deep of ignorance and sin except by mere chance never was the true church so situated when the great nazarene came to save that which was lost he spoke with authority in this respect different from the religious teachers of his time his imm immediate eulate followers did the same what they anjou announced coed to the world was not more mere ly their opinion lone but actual knowledge they were t witnessed I ol of things both temporal and eternal for their minds had bad been opened and their heir spirits had communicated with beings beyond the veil and could 11 testify to what they had heard beard and seen theirs kasnot was not a hearsay gospel but one received through revelation hence their power and authority it is impossible to imagine peter or paul PAUI extending his hand to pharisees Pharis ees and sadducees or to the stoics and others and proposing to them to adjourn the ahe debate about their differences until eternity aud to unite in some philanthropic scheme they were meis to the world not for that purpose but to promote the truth to reveal the errors and to bring about union between earth and heaven on the basis of the fulfillment of gods godshaw God s slaw law there could be no compromise for that on their part would have been to deny what they knew ta 0 be facts facto tiie the true church of issue christ tandi stands today in the same position the original oal church formed through ugh revelation and taught by inspired servants of the lord her mission is in to lead mankind away from all their errors until the world to Is saved and in the full enjoyment of that truth which brings practical happiness to all god has again spoken and his hia children have listened to the voice as aa of old in order that the purposes of the eternal might be brought about but although the church must occupy an uncompromising position in relation to erious it does not follow that this to is marked by sectarian narrow mindedness this feeling is the offspring of ignorance while knowledge causes the heart to open wide to all follow fellow beings no true saint ever dreamed of a heaven where he be and a dozen more should enjoy themselves in ID contemplation of the eternal tortures of everybody else As the love jove of god embraces all so the church with infinite zeal reaches alter after both living and dead performing her mission faithfully testifying to the truth without reserve and thus making it possible for all to obtain the blessings given and conferred by divine revelation thus it is not feces sary to adjourn the debate but to seek diligently for the truth and those who will surely find its precious treasures |