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

August 12, 1914.
A FAMILY PAPER.
E D I T O R I A L
John W. Pritchard, Editor.
We gave in our issue of July 29 from the
late Professor George's book. The Divine Call
to the Ministry. Will not the people pray that
the young men who have had the privilege of
education, whose way is open, may be called
to this work of God, and may heed the
call The harvest is plenteous, the laborers
are few.
It is a coincidence that the Topic for the
Young People's IMeeting on August 30 is "Why
and How to Abolish War," and the article on
this topic (see page 8) by the Rev. A. A. Johnston
is a clear and able discussion, with illuminating
data, worthy of the careful reading and
study of all people, and not young people only.
But the young people should fillour churches on
iugust 30, having by previous study,, prayer and
mediation prepared themselves, as Esther, to
seek God's favor toward their intercessions for
the averting of war and the inbringing of a
world-wide and abiding peace, and the saving of
his people.
Rev. Dr. William S. Owens, a minister of
the United Presbyterian Church, died in San
Jose, California, June 30, 1914, where he had
lived for a number of years, retired. He was
born in 1842, in Clough, Ireland, and graduated
from Westminster College in 1866. He
was a pastor, first in the North Philadelphia
congregation, then in Indiana, Pa., and then
in Steubenville, O. He afterwards served for
fourteen years as Corresponding Secretary
of Home Missions. Then in 1899, Dr. O'wens
became editor of The Midland, published in
Chicago. He gave this work up and soon left
for California for tbe sake of his health. He
was an early and earnest worker for Reform,
and in hearty sympathy with the movements
for National Religion.
This is the month in which the Carnegie
Church Peace Fund provided for two Coii-
§;resses, one at Constance for Protestants, and
a second, also on the Continent, for Catholics,
What a comment it is to read that the Secretary
of this Fund is among the Americans
marooned by the war, that has so suddenly
sprung up!
The enmity between man and man can only
he removed by the Gospel of Christ and if
the ministry preach this faithfully in the
home land and in foreign lands, and if children
are taught the Scriptures in the schools
more effective vrork will be done and greater
results be procured from the outlay than by
other means; and we were not surprised that
one of our city papers rather made made light
of the Fund. The great call is to evangelize
the world.
THE WAR IN EUROPE.
At this writing the war in E:urope includes
Germany and Austria on the one hand, and Eng-
^^id, Prance, Russia, Servia, and Belgium on the
"ther hand—five nations united against the two.
^° far, Italy jjas refused to join with Germany
and Austria, insisting that the present war is on
their part one of aggression, whereas the Triple
Alliance applies in case of defensive war only.
Belgium was brought into the war by Germany's
attempt to march her troops through Belgium
territory to reach France. England, in defense
of Belgium's neutrality, gave Germany a given
number of hours to withdraw her troops from
Belgium. Germany refused, and declared war
against both England and Belgium-. The first
real battle of the war, began between Austria
and Servia, was thus brought about on Belgium
soil, at Liege, between Belgians and Germans,
during which, unless the almost unbelievable
figures should prove to be incorrect, 2.5,000 Germans
were killed. Germany then asked for a
truce to care for her wounded and bury her dead.
On Saturday last a French army had crossed the
border to the suiiport of the Belgians and were
hurrying toward Liege.
President Wilson, early last week, offered this
country's good offices for mediation to the heads
of all governments involved who have signed +he
pague agreement providing for arbitration, but
no nation has so far accepted his offer.
Europe is on the eve of the most gigantic, unnatural
and savage war in the world's history.
No merely human power can now avert it, but
God can, and his people will intreat Him to do
so. It is intolerable that any one man should
have the destinies of nations, for peace or war,
at his individual disposal. This war was not inevitable,
and the rulers of Austria, and Russia
and Germany needlessly brought it on. Permanent
world peace must be preceded by curtailment
of the power of sovereigns in Europe.
DEATH OF MRS. PRESIDENT WILSON.
As a result of a fall last February, Mrs. Wilson,
the wife of the President of the United
States, died in the White House at Washington,
on Thursday evening at 5 o'clock. She was conscious
almost until the end. The President sat
on the bedside clasping his wife's hand when
she passed away, and their three daughters
knelt about the bed. The physician was in the
room, and Mrs. Wilson's last words were to him,
saying, "I am going away, Doctor, look well after
Woodrow." After this she lapsed into unconsciousness.
Presently a clock in another room
was heard softly chiming five,the Doctor leaned
toward his patient, then uttered a whispered
word to the President whose head was quickly
bowed. The end had come.
In his unutterable sorrow, already burdened by
the cafes of his own great country and the horrors
of an unparalleled war among our neighbors.
President Wilson will have the sympathy of all
good people, and their prayers for God's sustaining
grace.
THE CHINA RELIEF FUND.
The following is from a letter, dated July 1,
by Miss E. Margaret Stewart, of Tak Hing, and
forwarded to us by Dr, Metheny, The immediate
need for thousands of dollars is apparent.
"I suppose you will have seen an account of
the great flood we had at Tak Hing and all along
the West River, long before you get this letter.
Mr. Robb and those who were in the fieldwill
also write you in detail. It is the great subject
on all our minds at this time though, so I cannot
refrain from mentioning it. We will certainly
need thousands of dollars if we attempt to relieve
the suffering in the district for which we feel
responsible. The missionaries in Canton have
already cabled the Red Cross Society for help
and hope for a favorable answer. It almost makes
us ashamed to lie down in comfortable beds and
eat square meals when so many are homeless
and hungry. We shall certainly try to do our
part as soon as possible."
ARE YOU A GRAFT
Regeneration and conversion are different sides
of the same process, or act. In regeneration the
sinner is wholly passive; God alone is active. In
conversion the sinner is active. In the former
the Spirit of God comes into the sinner with such
power as to initiate the new life. The man is
born from above. In conversion the new life
leads him to tum from the old thoughts and acts
into a new channel. Regeneration comes to the
sinner when he is dead; conversion is the act of
a living soul. Paul explains the process of
change by grafting. In itself the graft is a dead,
useless, piece of wood. It is fruitless. This bit
of wood is taken and put into a living tree. Attaching
it to the tree will not gain the end. The
tree must be broken to receive it. So far the
graft has been passive. When it is set into the
living stock the life of the tree pushes its way
into the graft. Some of the sap veins of the
tree connect with those of the graft until the
vital life of the tree is throbbing through the
graft. At once something else takes place. This new
life so fillsthe graft that it cannot contain it and
a little shoot is thrust out into the light. This is
the beginning of fruitage. Jesus said, 'T am come
that ye might have life and that ye might have
it abundantly," and through fruit-bearing does
the graft fulfil its~ mission. Connecting the graft
with the broken body of Christ is the work of regeneration;
the turning of the graft in response
to the new life within it is conversion. Without
being grafted into Christ there is no regeneration;
without regeneration there is no conversion;
without conversion there is no fruit that
will keep.
Are you a graft
"THE SPIRIT GR^ETH LIFE."
In the ir.orning of creation the Spirit brooded
over the waters. This was the beginning
of life, and out of the welter of chaos came
the land with its springing grass and forests,
the animals and man. For the life in all these
results of creation the Spirit is the single
source. Alen have spoken of dead matter,
but after such a statement science puts its
question mark. We learn that in the stone
on which we walk, of which we build that
which lasts the centuries, the particles are in
rapid motion ; that the bar magnet has its attractive
power in the fact that the little atoms
of steel are all arranged to point in one direction.
Did the Psalmist have a glimpse of this
when he spoke of the leaping of the mountains
Xow if this view is anywhere near
right, matter is not dead. Evidently the kind
of life in a rock is not the same as that in a
plant, nor is the plant life identical with animal
life. Each has a kind peculiar to tne
kingdom to which it belongs. Neither is the
life in the man out of Christ like that of the
Christian. Here again they belong to different
kingdoms. Each one has a life unlike any
other. Each one has a life more highly organized
than the one below it. Accepting the
views of modern thinkers about matters there
are four kingdoms to which the Spirit gives
life; inorganic matter, if it really is inorganic,
animal, man, and regenerated man. These
resemble each other, they apprcvtch each other,
but never merge. The molecule of the
rock does not become the cell of the plant or
the animal. The gulf between them mav not