e. Man must apply himself towards conversion. See quotation under c. Repentance, they say, is sorrow over, and a determined hatred for sin; it does not include faith, but is a preparation for it. The longing for the grace of God is not faith. Repentance is a feeling of sinfulness and accepting the grace of God in Christ, coupled with sorrow over, and hatred against sin, and with an upright and honest purpose to turn from it unto God. Repentance is a necessary preparation for faith. (Catechism, No. 3, p. 31. See 2, e, in this chapter. See Ch. II., a, 9, c.)

f. The characteristics of the Church, according to the Methodist Catechism, No. 3, p. 44, are her evangelical doctrine, the service of the traveling missionaries, and their Special Means of Grace, that is, The Love Feasts and Classmeetings. If these ordinances are means of grace they must be kept. "Whoever wilfully and premeditatedly breaks the customs and ceremonies of the church to which he belongs, when such have been ordered not against the Word of God and under lawful authority, he should be reproved publicly for this, as one that violates the general order of the church and wounds the conscience of the weaker brethren." Art. 22, of the Articles of Faith.

See Ch. III., 6.

g. The same Catechism asks (No. 3, p. 51) what bread and wine in the Eucharist should signify, and answers: "They signify as solemn emblems the body and blood of Christ * * How shall the body and blood of the Lord be received? Spiritually

See Ch. III., 8.

2. Errors peculiar to the Methodists are the following:

a. By virtue of Original Sin man is "far removed" from the original righteousness. Art. 7, of the "Articles of Faith." They say, then, that the image of God had never been wholly destroyed. They omit from the 39,

"Articles of the Episcopalians," the words regarding the total depravity of the lusts.

See Ch. II., a, 2, b and c.

b. Christ, they say is a New Lawgiver. "The best way to preach Christ is to present Him in all His offices, and to proclaim His Law as well as His Gospel to believers and unbelievers." (Doctrine and Church Ordinance, paragraph 131.)

See Gal. 3:24, (Christ is not to succeed the law as a schoolmaster.) Compare also the following:

John 5: 45, "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom you trust."

See Augsburg Confession, Art. XXVII: "As Christ says, Matth. 15:9, 'In vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.' Thus also St. Paul teaches everywhere that we should not look for righteousness to come from our commandments and worship such as invented by man, but that righteousness and piety before God proceeds from faith and confidence. Rom. 3:22, 'that we believe that for the sake of His only Son, Christ, God accepts us by grace.

**

"Ac

c. Their Catechism asks (No. 3, p. 36), "What is Perfect Sanctification?" Answer: "The state of being in which we are entirely cleansed from sin * cording to B. H. Carroll (Lehre und Wehre, 1901, p. 59,) Wesley constructed this new doctrine in 1725, thirteen years before his conversion. He teaches that any one that is regenerated can at any time through the prayer of faith be delivered at once and completely from all inborn sin and the inclination to sin, which has remained in regeneration.

See I. John 1:8, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Compare:

Matth. 5: 48, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (The believers always aim to be perfect. But from the fact that we are required to be perfect it can by no means be argued that it is possible to be perfect in this life.)

See Formula of Concord, Decl., Art. 1, 14. "We reject and condemn the idea that original sin is a mere blemish, not much of account, and that nature through it all has kept her good abilities also in spiritual matters."

d. The M. E. Church in particular vests the bishops with the authority over the church, although now in their conferences the laymen have equal representation with the ministers, since May 2nd, 1900. They say in their church discipline: "That the duty of a bishop is to appoint the ministers to their respective parochies, provided that he shall not allow any minister to be at the same place for more than three successive years."

* * *

See I. Cor. 1:24, "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy." See Ch. III., 9.

e. We have now arrived at the "electromagnetic induction" within the Methodist Churches (and other sectarian churches as well). The "bateries" are especially the revivalists. The "volts" are Spirit and power. "Induction" takes place usually in revivals. If the "batteries" give out, no more "induction" takes place. They seem to be indispensable, since, according to Methodist teaching repentance does not include faith. The longing for the grace of God which they require in repentance, is faith by no means. It is only a fair preparation for acquiring faith. The real faith for them is, not to rely on the Word of God, but to feel the testimony of the Spirit of God. This feeling must be brought on, by electromagnetic induction, of course. (See I. e, in this chapter.) And Wesley says in his sermons (1, 287) regarding that testimony of the Spirit: "The testimony of the Spirit, as I understand it, is an inward impression upon the soul, according to which the Spirit of God directly * * * bears witness with my spirit, that I am a child of God.”

Somehow these "batteries" are growing weak. The Christian Advocate of Pittsburg (1898) thinks that "the practical results of meetings conducted by Moody and Dr. Wilbur Chapman at that place are in themselves of doubtful benefit *** A single, conscientious pastor, having charge of a serious congregation, will often bring

in a greater harvest

* than all the noise and ex

citement of such large public demonstrations."

Now we have nothing to say about the "sermons" delivered on such occasions, after all that has been said so far in this book. The entire procedure of inflating new life into dying congregations by professional evangelists is a nuisance. The Lord prefers to provide for his congregations by giving pastors, elders to every church, Acts 14:23; overseers to all the flock: Ch. 20 : 28. Congregations should bear in mind, (1) that they ought to call capable persons apt to teach to take charge of the ministry, I. Tim. 3:2; (2) that those that are called, also take heed to the ministry according to the word of God, Col. 4:17. In such a case, however, congregations ought to be convinced that they are best taken care of by the pastors that God thus has given them. This is as certainly true as God has given to individual congregations certain persons that these should be pastors, Acts 2028, "The Holy Ghost hath made you overseers. For every congregation their own called pastor is invariably the best pastor. When the time comes that God would build up a congregation by some other minister He will present them with one properly chosen.

Besides it is the word of God itself, doing its own work. See Ch. III., 6, b and c. The word is always the tool of the Holy Spirit, even if Satan himself preaches it. The very testimony of the Holy Spirit with our spirit is impossible, if faith has no Word of God to grasp. Now you may from the fullness of the Spirit preach the Word of God externally, but you cannot pour out this Spirit, you cannot pour him into others; you cannot make other people feel as you do. The Holy Spirit converts whomever, whenever, and through whomever He wills, as the wind bloweth where it listeth, John 3:8.

CHAPTER VII.

Why should a Lutheran not join the Presbyterian Church?

Introductory Remarks: An insurgent against the government, a demagogue demanding the death penalty for those rulers that would not exterminate Catholicism, and at the same time, the founder of Presbyterianism, such was John Knox. In 1560 the Scotch Parliament accepted the Scotch Confession, as drafted by Knox. Since 1567 the Presbyterians are an independent organization. From 1638 to the time of Oliver Cromwell the Presbyterians put on the scene a political revolution having a religious character, gaining the upper hand during this time. Thus Parliament convened the Westminster Assembly, which met in sessions regularly from July 1st, 1643, to Feb. 22nd, 1649. The output of this assembly are the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechism.

The various Presbyterian Church bodies may be named as follows: The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Colored Cumberland Presbyterians, the Welsh Calvanistic Methodist Church, the United Presbyterian Church of North America, the Presbyterian Church in the United States, the Associate Synod of North America, the Associate Reformed Synod of the South, the Synod of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America, General Synod, the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Covenanted), and the Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States and Canada.

The Irvingites and Glassites are followers of two derelict Presbyterian clergyman, the former having apostles, of the "same rank as Christ," (L. u. W. 1907, 45.) and having become Episcopalian in character. The latter are of the Congregational type.