The Reformed Presbyterian Standard and also 0\ir ... - Rparchives.org

July 22, 1914.
A FAMILY PAPER.
EDITORIAL
John W. Pritchard, Editor.
The Home Rule bill has not yet received the
Royal assent. The Amending bill was introduced
into the House of Lords, and has reached the
committee stage. The Lords favor amendment
to take Ulster as a whole, and not by counties in
voting for exclusion from Home Rule, and also to
"remove the six year limit from the bill. In the
meantime Mr. Redmond has endorsed the Irish
National Volunteers, and appeals to American
Irish societies for money, writing to 'M. J. Ryan,
of Philadelphia, one of the leading nominees ai
the Pennsylvania Democratic Primaries for Governor
last spring.
THE PSALMS—THEIR MEANING.
After our Savior had risen from the dead on
the first day of the week, he appeared in the
evening to the company of his disciples, gathered
In Jerusalem. As they were filled with astonishment,
he showed them his pierced hands and
feet, Luke gives us his words: "And he said
unto them, These are the words which I spake
unto you, while I was yet with you, that all
things must be fulfilled which were written in the
law cf Moses, and in the prophets, and in the
Psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their
understanding that they might understand the
Scriptures" (24:44,45). Turn then to the Psalm
of the Cross, the 22nd, and in the 16th verse,
we read: "They pierced my hands and my feet."
When the day of Pentecost was fully come, and
the Holy Spirit was given, Peter preached to
the multitude of Christ: "For David speaketh concerning
him: I foresaw the Lord always before
my face, for he is at my right hand, that I
should not be moved- Therefore did my heart
rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also
my flesh shall rest in hope, because thou wilt not
leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer
thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast
made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt
make me full of joy with thy countenance." Such
large use did the apostle make of the 16th
Psalm on that memorable day.
The converted Saul of Tarsus spoke in the
synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia these words:
"We declare unto you glad tidings, how that the
promise which was made unto the fathers, God
liath fulfllled the same unto us, their children,
m that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is
written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son,
'llis day I have begotten thee. And as concerni"g
that he' raised him up from the dead, now no
"'ore to return to corruption, he said on this
Wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
Wherefore he saith also in another Psalm, Thou
Shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption,"
Read In the light of the New Testament exposition
of them, how glorious the Psalms appear
I" their setting forth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Of
^W, the exposition of the Psalm in the Sabbath
morning service has had a place in our Church.
To this we may trace in part the abiding love
of our people for the Psalms. They see somewhat
of their fulness. They may then sing them in a
sense of their eminent fitness to New Testament
Ofship,. They crave no more, for in them is
''lohness unsurpassed, and unparalleled beauty.
* very mind of Christ Jesus on the cross is
^*t forth in one of them. His cry to the Father
"e Its opening words, and it closes with the
^oice Of triumph, "jt is finished."
MR. CARNEGIE'S JVIONEY.
Two fruits appear of the large means possessed
by Mr. Carnegie, fruits of an opposite
character—discord and peace. When he had
gained his great wealth, and planned his endowment
and pension system for the colleges,
many colleges had been long in existence
which were founded by Christian
men, allied to Christian denominations, and
supported by them. A condition was made
that this denominational connection be sundered.
This introduced into church circles
controversy, ahenation and even lawsuits. A
notable case of late was that of Vanderbilt
University in Tennessee. The authority of
the Methodist Church has been ignored, and
the Trustees have gained in the issue between
them and the parent church. The late
General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South, in session at Oklahoma
City, adopted a report, by a vote of 176
to 114, which virtually renounces all denominational
interest in the Vanderbilt University,
on account of the decision of the Tennessee
court. It voted to turn the school
back to the Annual Conference, which fifteen
years ago ceded it to the National Conference.
Lafayette has its troubles over the
Carnegie money, as so have other Presbyterian
institutions.
Now for the peace side, even for the cler­
gy-
The Palace of Peace at the Hague for the
Nations was built by Mr. Carnegie's money.
The income of the Carnegie Peace Fund was
largely used of late to advocate the British
side of the Canal Tolls question, but the repeal
cai ried in the Senate not on this basis
of right, but of expediency, thus not reaching
the true foundation of peace.
Again JVlr. Carnegie has opened his coffers,
and has founded a Church Peace Union,
with the Secretary in this city. The income
of two millions is at hand. This summer
there are two over-the-sea meetings, one
Protestant and one Catholic, held on the
Continent under the auspices of this Church
Peace Union. The unifier for the Protestants
is Mr. Carnegie. This wil! be in effect
for non-Catholics, while the head of the other
body is necessarily the Pope. The Federation
of Churches has appointed its Secretary
to attend the Protestant meeting at
Constance, and so it goes. We call attention
to the words of the Pari of Shaftesbury in
his letter to Rev. Dr. James McCosh, quoted
in our issue of July 8, as to the harmony of
nations and within the Nations as essentially
connected with Christ. Consider the
words of the Apostle Paul on Mars Hill:
"God . . hath made of one blood all nations of
men for to dwell on the face of the earth."
The same Apostle also wrote: "Ye . .
have put on the new man, which is renewed
in knowledge after the image of him that
created him; where there is neither Greek
nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision;
barbarian, Scythian bond nor free; but
Christ is all, and in all." (Colossians 3:9-11.)
The retiring Moderator of the United Presbyterian
General Assembly, Rev. Dr. R. M.
Russell, spoke strongly on the peace project
that leaves out Christ, the Prince of Peace.
In view of Mr. Carnegie's past attitude to
the Church of Christ, the term Carnegie
Church Peace Union seems a little strange,
but here is a later announcement of July 13:
"An exchange of pastorates on an extensive
scale between ministers here and peace
advocates in the pulpits of England, Germany
and some other European countries,
is planned by the Carnegie Church Peace
Union. The plan will be one of the subjects
discussed at the World's Church Peace Conference
at Constance, Switzerland, beginning
Sunday, August 2. The carrying out of
such a plan. Dr. Frederick Lynch, secretary
of the Carnegie Union, announced yesterday,
will probably begin this fall, as the project
is one of the main reasons for organizing
the union.
"It is hoped to have men like Monsignor
Giesswein, if Germany, prominent Catholics
in the peace movement in Europe,
come here," said Dr. Lynch yesterday. "We
also want Dr. Siegmund-Schultz, the Kaiser's
pastor at Potsdam; Dr. Dryander and
Prof. Harnack."
When the plan of this Union was firstgiven
out, one of our city papers said:
"Mr. Carnegie's latest benefaction is an
appropriation of $2,000,000, in trust, the income
from which is to be used for the instruction
of clergymen in the United States
in the ways of peace. Was there ever a
more cruel satire or a more brutal sarcasm
than the grateful acceptance of this donation
by various ministers of the gospel of
the Prince of Peace In times of great popular
agitation, especially when moral or humanitarian
issues are involved, the pulpit
is likely to be belligerent. Wars do not string
from the spirit of conquest or from commercial
greed alone. Very few of them have
lacked the sanction, even the incitement, of
the clergy, as in Ulster. Mr. Carnegie's devotion
to peace is greatly to his credit, but
is there not little craft, not to say guile
in this spectacular attempt by a man, himself
an unbeliever, to pacify the pulpit"
Stephen Girard provided not only the
foundation for Girard College, but gave so
largely that all its needs were provided for,
and its enlargement as well. Mr. Carnegie
has been often criticised as providing monuments
to himself in towns and cities to be
maintained at public expense, with increasing
taxation. How changed would his view
be if he had Christ as his centre! Of him it
is written, "His name shall endure for ever:
his name shall be continued as long as the
sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations
shall call him blessed." In many a
church at communion seasons have these
words been sung-in Scotland, so dear to Mr,
Carnegie, his native land.