The Gospel Trumpet - 35:17

              So will I seek -out -_my sheep, 2nd will dellver them out of all ~laces wher·e th_ey have been •cattered in the cloudy and dark day. -_ - E.zek. 34:12.
And they &hall be my people, and I will be tho1r God.-Jer. 32:38. At evening tlmo It anoll be light.-Zech. 14:7.
Volume XXXV. Anderson, Ind., U. S. A., Thursday, April 29, 1915. No. 17.
In the United States, industrial conditions are
~uch that many are without employment; but in
the kingdom of Christ there is a constant de­mand
for more laborers. In the industrial world
it is the least efficient laborer who finds little to
do. In the Lord's vineyard those who are com­petent
and faithful are always busy:
The services of every competent worker in the
' :ingdom of Christ are so much in demand that
i ; is sometimes difficult for him to refrain from
n1dertaking more than he c-an complete. ·He
s b.ould therefore undertake only that which God
Urects him to undertake.
The world was not made in one day nor can
all the people be converted in a year; Christ
was a Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world, but the 'Yorld was four thousand years in
preparation to receive the Savior. All the prin­ciples
of mathematics were not discovered dur­ing
the lifetime of one man. Nor did Luther
discover every truth contained• in the New Testa­ment.
Inasmuch as the gospel had been hidden
for centuries,- it would have been marvelous
had he done so.
To grow au oak reqUires a hundred ·years,
but a squash will reach maturity in six months,
or a mushroom will spring up in a. single night.
The mushroom may be crushed beneath the foot
of a·. mere . child, a single blow will burst the
squash, but many a stroke from the woodman's
axe is necessary before the oak will fall.
RECOVERING FROM THE DEVIL
The following significant paragraph was
copied from The 1/wthera;n Survey: ·
"Fifty couples gathered at a banquet in the
basement of a congregational church in an ·ohio
city. After the banquet they danced. Their
pastor was with them, and he approved. · His
approval went as far as ·to move him to play
the drums in the orchestra to the music of which
the fifty couples danced. Feeling that his con­duct
in the case would probably need defense,
· he explained that he did not believe in allowino­the
devil to keep all the good things he has stole~
away from God's people, and that he was really
figlJting the devil by pursuing the course which
he had chosen."
That there are many good things of · which
Gnd 's people are deprived because of the im­mornl
use to which th~se things are !mt, is be­yond
question. 'l;his Cl\!1 hardly be said of dane-ing
; for judging from the long train of evils
that follow the practise, must we not ·conclude
that it is purely of devilish origin 1 This par­ticular
Ohio preaeher is not the only religious
leader who encourages his · followers to dance,
but the fact that religious leaders follow certain
practises does not change the nature of those
practises.
FURNISHING WAR MATERIALS TO
BELLIGERENTS
Newspapers and magazines are at present
giving considerable space to the disc'\ission of the
question of furnishing war materials to the bel~
ligerents. Some believe that German influence is
back of every effort to stop the sale of all war
materials to the warring nations by United
States. Others claim that disinterested persons
are carrying on the crusade against our traffic
in arms. Why should it make any difference
what nations are affected I Why should it make
any difference· whether the .allies are benefited
more than Germany or not! With us, a neutral
nation, the question of right and wrong should
receive the first consideration. · ·
If given an opportunity .to express themselves
it is probable that all good citizens of United
States would be against furnishing arms and
ammunition to belligerents without regard to
who · started the · protest.
DEFINITE DOCTRINAL PREACHING
Definiteness in gospel work is the crying need
of our day. From the extreme of int{)lerance
during the Middle Ages and the early Protestant
Period the religious world . has gone to the ex­treme
of indefiniteness in teaching. ·Few minis­ters
have the boldness to ·declare certain doc- ·
trines absolutely true arl.d brand others lis false.
Of course, in view of the multiplicity of church
organizations, the only consistent course might
seem to be for the different r eligious leaders to
continue "to live and let live."
In all the writings of the apostles there is 11ot
one indefinite statement. Again and again tli'e
gentle, beloved J"-ohn . says, "vVe know." Of
J esus it was said, " He spoke as one having
authority." God's ministry may also speak with
authority. There is nothing indefinite about the
message. The doctrines of justification, sancti·
:fir,ation, divine healing, baptism, and many
others are just as clearly taught in Scripture as
twice two is four is taught .in. arithmetic. · The
mail who is not able to . explain the1ie doctrines
so clearly that there will be nothing indefinite as
to what is correct, can not speak with authority.
The minister who leaves his people undecided
regarding what is the true church, who fails
to point out to his flock the evils of division, who
leaves them undecided respecting what is the
proper mode of baptism, or who long leaves
them in doubt as to other distinctive do.ctrines,
is altogether too indefinite in his teaching and
leaves t he . way open for many in his congrega­tion
to be deceived.
The ministers of the church of God in · the
evening of time must not become less definite in
teaching. It has been the preaching of definite
Scriptural doctrines that has gleaned out a pU:re
people, and . the same definite, straightforward
teaching is necessary to keep God's people pure
and free from the entanglements of this world.
True, much love and wisdom must be manifested
in preaching the gospel, but the message must be
definite.
SUMMER EVANGELISTIC WORK
Now that the summer season is rapidly ap­proaching
when on account oi. . the heat it is
next to impossible to hold revival meetings in
halls or church-buildings, many will be inclined,
to abandon evangelistic wor)r. In many lines of
business those i nterested ·are more active dur­ing
the summer season than in any other . part
of the year. The forces of evil are always at
work and men and women pass into eternity
in summer. as well as in winter. Surely the
church· should be actively interested in summer
evangelistic work.
The congregations . in. variolis places own gos­pel-
tents, which should not remain unused .. Other
congregations could use a tent-to good advantage.
In many respects . a tent-meeting has a great
adyantage over other meetings; A tent, when
properly seated and lighted, is very comfortable
in the hot summer evenings. Many people who
would ·not otherwise . athmd religious services
will attend meetings held in a tent. Then too,
there are corri.munities where no suitable build­ing
can be had for a winter revival. In such
places a t ent can be used to good advantage.
Excellent meetings have been r eported dur­ing.
the . past winter, and there has · not been . a
season for many years when so.many have been
saved. If t.he church will put forth effort neces­sary
to r each souls, the snmmer season can be
made equnlly fruitfuL The chur~ sh.ould never
.. relax her efforts while time lasts.