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THE
MEMORIAL
CELEBRATION
The
annual
celebration
of
our
Lord's
death,
rather
than
a
more
frequent
one,
commends
itself
to
the
Lord's
people
more
generally
every
year.
At
Allegheny
the
number
participating
this
year
was
much
larger
than
ever
before.
Anticipating
thIS,
Carnegie
Hall
was
secured
for
the
afternoon
discourse
on
Bap
tism,
as
well
as
for
the
Memorial
Service
of
the
evening
of
April
16th.
The
death-baptIsm
was
symbolized
in
water
at
Bible
House
baptistry
by
10
brethren
and
31
sisters,
after
their
public
confession
of
faith
in
the
redemption
accomplished
by
the
precious
sacrifice
of
Christ,
of
their
renunciation
of
sin,
and
of
their
full
consecration
to
walk
in
Jesus'
footsteps
in
'3elf
sacrifice,
even
unto
death.
THE
EVENT
AND
THE
DAY
At
the
Memorial
service,
explanation
was
made
of
why
we
celebrate
the
g-rcate,.,t
event
of
history
annually-not
weekly,
monthly,
quarterly,
etc.
Not
that
the
very
day
or
hour
or
moment
IS
of
bpedal
conscquence,
but
that
it
was
meant
to
be
a
yearly
celebratIOn,
and
that
so
observed
it
is
more
than
proportionately
impressive.
In
facil,
as
all
are
aware
it
could
not
be
celebrated
throughout
thc
world
at
the
same
moment
or
hour
or
eVl'n
on
the
same
day,
so
great
is
the
difference
of
time.
.For
in"tanee,
the
brethren
in
London
had
celebrated,
and
it
was
past
midnight
and
they
were
asleep
while
we
at
Allegheny
were
celebrating.
And
for
us
to
have
partaken
at
the
same
hour
With
them
would
have
been
a
day
too
early.
A
similar
difliculty
is
mrt
with
by
the
Jews
in
their
celebra
tion
of
the
Passover.
History
tells
us
that
the
early
church
met
with
the
same
difficulty
and
that
it
was
partly
to
correct
this
that
it
was
decided
to
always
commemorate
our
Lord's
death
on
the
day
of
the
week
nearest
to
the
Passover
date
"Good
Friday."
This
arrangement
has
three
advantages:-
(1)
It
g-roups
the
events
of
that
momentous
week
more
aceurately
before
the
mind's
eye:
Palm
Sunday,
when
our
Lord
rode
on
the
ass
as
King
of
the
Jews;
Monday,
Tuesday
and
\Y{'(lnesday
at
thc
Temple
teaching;
Thursday
preparing
for
the
Passover
Supppr
eaten
that
night
and
tollowed
by
the
institution
of
our
Memorial
Supper,
the
lessons
and
prayer
of
John
14-17,
the
experiences
of
Gethsemane,
of
Caiaphas'
court,
and
on
Friday
morning
before
the
Sanhedrin,
and
at
Pilate's
and
Herod's
palaces.
Then
the
scenes
of
Calvary
and
Jospeh's
new
tomb.
Saturday
our
Lord
lay
dead,
hope
being
buried
with
him.
Sunday,
the
resurrection
day,
with
its
new
hopes,
then
comes
in
most
appropriately-an
Easter
day
of
new
hopes
and
impulses.
(2)
It
would
bring
m
into
closer
fellowship
and
sympathy
with
those
who
celebratc
Good
Friday
and
Easter
Sunday,
and
our
celebration
of
the
Memorial
on
Thursday
night
would
suggest
thc
appropriatcnes8
of
that
date
and
cause
them
the
more
to
qnestion
the
a
uthority
for
and
the
wisdom
of
more
frequrnt
(·('\ehrations.
(:3)
In
civilizell
land~
Good
Friday
is
quite
generally
a
l{'gal
holiday.
and
all
th!'
assoeiations
and
precious
memories
of
om
Lon!',;
death-day
would
find
the
better
opportunity
for
exercising
ollr
minds.
Since
it
is
impossible
for
all
to
celebrate
on
the
same
night
and
hour
anyway,
the
congregation
was
asked
to
consider
these
arguments
for
hereafter
having
the
celebration
on
the
Thursday
night
before
Easter
Sunday.
And
now
the
same
thought
is
offered
to
all
the
dear
friends
scattered
abroad.
THIS
DO,
REMEMBERING
ME
The
occasion
was,
as
usual,
a
very
solemn
one
as
we
com
muned
respecting
our
Lord,
the
"Bread
from
heaven"
broken
for
us.
Nevertheless
we
rejoiced
as
we
recognized
in
it
a
token
of
the
"Love
divine
all
love
excellmg."
We
rejoiced
afresh
as
we
assured
our
hearts
that
if
God
so
loved
us
while
we
were
yet
sinners,
much
more
does
he
love
us
now
as
he
sees
us
daily
striving
to
walk
in
the
footsteps
of
J
esus-"not
after
the
flesh
but
after
the
spirit."
The
bread
spoke
to
us
of
the
human
rights
of
Jesus
sacri
ficed
for
us
and
of
which
we
who
believe
may
eat-appropri
ate
by
faith
to
ourselves,
reckoning
ourselves
justified
to
all
the
rights
originally
possessed
by
Adam.
Then
we
took
the
further
lesson
suggested
by
the
Apostle's
words,-"The
loaf
which
we
break,
does
it
not
signify
the
communion
[fellow
ship]
of
the
body
of
Christ?
For
we
being
many
are
one
body:
for
we
are
all
partakers
of
that
one
loaf."
-1
Cor.
10:
17.
The
"cup"
we
recognized
as
symbolic
of
our
Lord's
blood
his
life
poured
out
during
the
three
and
a
half
years
of
his
ministry
and
the
dregs
at
Calvary.
It
was
shed
for
us
yes,
"shed
for
many
for
the
remission
of
sins."
Not
the
blood
which
flowed
from
our
Redeemer's
side
when
pierced
by
the
soldier's
spear.
No,
he
was
already
dead
then.
Blood
is
used
symbolically
to
represent
life,
and
our
Lord's
life
or
being
or
soul
was
poured
out
into
death
before
the
spear
was
thrust.
We
sa
w
the
necessity
for
this
under
God's
law,
that
"without
the
shedding
of
blood
there
is
no
remission
of
sins."
While
we
sorrowed
we
again
rejoiced,
singing
in
our
hearts
unto
the
Lord-
"His
blood
can
make
the
foulest
clean,
His
blood
availed
for
me."
Then
we
got
the
still
deeper
meaning
of
the
"cup"
from
the
spirit's
teaching
through
the
Apostle's
words,-"The
cup
of
blessing
for
which
we
bless
God,
is
it
not
a
participating
[sharing]
of
the
blood
of
the
Anointed
One?"
(1
Cor.
10:16)
Viewing
it
thus
our
Lord's
words
would
have
a
deep
meaning
to
our
hearts,
"Drink
ye
all
of
it;"-partake
of
my
shame
and
death,
walk
in
my
steps;
so
shall
ye
be
my
disciples
indeed
and
where
I
am
there
shall
my
disciples
be.
We
thanked
God
then
for
the
privilege
of
being
broken
with
him
as
part
of
the
great
loaf;
and
for
the
privilege
of
drinking
of
his
cup
and
so
filling
up
that
which
is
behind
of
the
afflictions
of
Christ;
assured
that
"if
we
suffer
with
him
we
shall
reign
with
him."
About
550
were
present
and
probably
525
partook
of
the
emblems
of
the
broken
body
and
shed
blood.
Then
we
sang
a
hymn
and
went
out
to
remember
the
scenes
of
the
night
of
the
betrayal,
and
of
the
day
of
suffering
which
followed
it.
YOLo
XXV1
ALLEGHENY,
PA.,
MAY
1,
1905
VIEWS
FROM
THE
WATCH
TOWER
No.9
SOCIALISM
SPREADING
IN
THE
WEST
Rev.
Charles
Stl'lzel
recently
appointed
by
the
Home
Mis
"ionary
SO!'iety
of
the
Presbyterian
church,
was
a
machinist
until
recently,
and
is
now
appointed
to
look
out
for
the
welfare
of
wage
('anwrs
and
devise
lIIeans
for
interesting
them
in
Presbyterian
Christianity
on
the
basis
of
its
new
Statement
of
Faith,
which
quite
cov('rs
and
hides
the
doctrine
of
fore
ordained
damnation
of
all
except
the
"very
elect,"
stated
in
the
\Ye"tmll1st('r
COlltp~sioll
~till
retained-SlITI
1
().~a.
Rev.
Stelzel
visit!'<l
the
region
of
the
Colorado
miners'
strike
recently.
and
his
report
of
what
he
found
is
set
forth
in
the
Boston
Trallscript
a~
follows:
"In
an
interview
l\Ir.
Stelzel,
after
his
return
from
Colo
rado,
where
he
had
been
studying
the
labor
situation,
said
that
Socialism
is
increasin~
alllong
the
workingmen
of
the
West
faster
tllan
Easterners
r{'alize.
In
Colorado,
for
instance,
the
issue,
as
he
discovers
it,
is
not
unionism
but
Socialism;
and
the
strike
has
entered
many
churches,
officials
differing
funda
mentally
on
the
issues
involved.
For
thousands
of
working
men
Socialism
has
become
a
substitute
for
the
church,
the
idealism
of
tIle
earthly
propaganda
taking
the
place
of
the
visions
and
ideals
of
the
religious
faith.
This
Mr.
Stelzel
has
tested
not
only
by
word-of-mouth
conversations
and
by
hearing
the
speeches
of
orators,
but
by
It
careful
poll-through
corre
spondence
of
the
leaders
among
the
\Vestern
labor
leaders.
He
finds
that
they
are
sending
ahout
the
country
as
organizers
and
'tgitators,
men
who
were
formerly
ministers
in
Protestant
churches
or
who
were
Roman
Catholic
priests,
who
will
use
the
religious
terminology
and
appeal
to
the
religious
motives,
but
to
the
end
that
an
earthly
Utopia
may
be
set
up,
and
without
any
reference
to
the
life
beyond
the
grave.
He
believes
that
the
church
must
begin
a
propaganda
which
must
be
carried
on
out
of
doors
wherever
wage-earners
congregate;
that
literature,
inexpensive
and
attractive,
written
in
the
language
of
the
peo
ple
among
whom
it
must
circulate
and
written
to
their
level,
must
be
printed
and
circulated
lavishly."
This
is
significant,
and
points
exactly
in
the
direction
and
to
the
events
portrayed
in
God's
Word,-in
its
pictures
of
the
"day
of
wrath"
coming
on
Christendom.
THE
GERMAN
"DOME,"
OR
CATHEDRAL
The
completion
and
dedication
of
a
great
Cathedral
at
Berlin,
Germany,
is
an
event
of
world·wide
note.
It
is
to
be
to
Central
Europe
what
St.
Paul's
Cathedral,
London,
is
to
Great
Britain
and
what
St.
Peter's
is
to
Rome.
Newspaperdom
concludes
that
it
marks
the
closest
possible
approach
of
the
German
Emperor
to
the
position
of
Pontifex
Maximus
to
Ger·
mans.
The
N.
Y.
Times
considers
that
"under
the
direct
and
personal
care
of
the
Emperor"
it
as
closely
marks
"the
estab
lishment
of
a
state
church
as
the
exertions
of
the
monarch
could
bring
it."
It
adds:-
"That
would
be
the
conclusion
to
be
drawn
from
the
estab.
lishment
of
the
cathedral,
even
without
more
explicit
explana-
(127-131)
[3548]
THE MEMORIAL CELEBRATION The annual celebration of our Lord’s death, rather than a more frequent one, commends itself to the Lord’s people more generally every year. At Allegheny the number participating this year was much larger than ever before. Anticipating this, Carnegie Hall was secured for the afternoon discourse on Baptism, as well as for the Memorial Service of the evening of April 16th. The death-baptism was symbolized in water at Bible House baptistry by 10 brethren and 31 sisters, after their public confession of faith in the redemption accomplished by the precious sacrifice of Christ, of their renunciation of sin, and of their full consecration to walk in Jesus’ footsteps in self sacrifice, even unto death. THE EVENT AND THE DAY At the Memorial service, explanation was made of why we celebrate the greatest event of history annually—not weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. Not that the very day or hour or moment is of special consequence, but that it was meant to be a yearly celebration, and that so observed it is more than proportionately impressive. In fact, as all are aware it could not be celebrated throughout the world at the same moment or hour or even on the same day, so great is the difference of time. For instance, the brethren in London had celebrated, and it was past midnight and they were asleep while we at Allegheny were eelebrating. And for us to have partaken at the same hour with them would have been a day too early. A similar difficulty is met with by the Jews in their celebration of the Passover. History tells us that the early church met with the same difficulty and that it was partly to correct this that it was decided to always commemorate our Lord’s death on the day of the week nearest to the Passover date— “Good Friday.” This arrangement has three advantages:— (1) It groups the events of that momentous week more accurately before the mind’s eye: Palm Sunday, when our Lord rode on the ass as King of the Jews; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at the Temple teaching; Thursday preparing for the Passover Supper eaten that night and tollowed by the institution of our Memorial Supper, the lessons and prayer of John 14-17, the experiences of Gethsemane, of Caiaphas’ court, and on Friday morning before the Sanhedrin, and at Pilate’s and Herod’s palaces. Then the scenes of Calvary and Jospeh’s new tomb, Saturday our Lord lay dead, hope being buried with him. Sunday, the resurrection day, with its new hopes, then comes in most appropriately—an Easter day of new hopes and impulses. (2) It would bring us into closer fellowship and sympathy with those who celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and our celebration of the Memorial on Thursday night would suggest the appropriateness of that date and cause them the more to question the authority for and the wisdom of more frequent cclebrations. (3) In civilized lands Good Friday is quite generally a tegal holiday, and all the associations and precious memories of our Lord’s death-day would find the better opportunity for exercising our minds. Vou. XXVI Since it is impossible for all to celebrate on the same night and hour anyway, the congregation was asked to consider these arguments for hereafter having the celebration on the Thursday night before Easter Sunday. And now the same thought is offered to all the dear friends scattered abroad. THIS DO, REMEMBERING ME The occasion was, as usual, a very solemn one as we communed respecting our Lord, the “Bread from heaven” broken for us. Nevertheless we rejoiced as we recognized in it a token of the “Love divine all love excelling.” We rejoiced afresh as we assured our hearts that if God so loved us while we were yet sinners, much more does he love us now as he sees us daily striving to walk in the footsteps of Jesus—“not after the flesh but after the spirit.” The bread spoke to us of the human rights of Jesus sacrificed for us and of which we who believe may eat—-appropriate by faith to ourselves, reckoning ourselves justified to all the rights originally possessed by Adam. Then we took the further lesson suggested by the Apostle’s words,—‘The loaf which we break, does it not signify the communion [fellowship] of the body of Christ? For we being many are one body: for we are all partakers of that one loaf.”—1 Cor. 10:17. The “cup” we recognized as symbolic of our Lord’s blood— his life poured out during the three and a half years of his ministry and the dregs at Calvary. It was shed for us yes, “shed for many for the remission of sins.” Not the blood which flowed from our Redeemer’s side when pierced by the soldier’s spear. No, he was already dead then. Blood is used symbolically to represent life, and our Lord’s life or being or soul was poured out into death before the spear was thrust. We saw the necessity for this under God’s law, that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.” While we sorrowed we again rejoiced, singing in our hearts unto the Lord— “His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me.” Then we got the still deeper meaning of the “cup” from the spirit’s teaching through the Apostle’s words,—‘The cup of blessing for which we bless God, is it not a participating [sharing] of the blood of the Anointed One?” (1 Cor. 10:16) Viewing it thus our Lord’s words would have a deep meaning to our hearts, “Drink ye all of it;”—-partake of my shame and death, walk in my steps; so shall ye be my disciples indeed and where I am there shall my disciples be. We thanked God then for the privilege of being broken with him as part of the great loaf; and for the privilege of drinking of his cup and so filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ; assured that “if we suffer with him we shall reign with him.” About 550 were present and probably 525 partook of the emblems of the broken body and shed blood. Then we sang a hymn and went out to remember the scenes of the night of the betrayal, and of the day of suffering which followed it. ALLEGHENY, PA., MAY 1, 1905 No. 9 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER SOCIALISM SPREADING IN THE WEST Rev. Charles Stelzel recently appointed by the Home Missionary Society of the Presbyterian church, was a machinist until recently, and is now appointed to look out for the welfare of wage earners and devise means for interesting them in Presbyterian Christianity on the basis of its new Statement of Faith, which quite covers and hides the doctrine of foreordained damnation of all except the “very elect,” stated in the Westminster Confession still retained—suh 708a,. Rev. Stelzel visited the region of the Colorado miners’ strike recently, and his report of what he found is set forth in the Boston Transcript as follows: “In an interview Mr. Stelzel, after his return from Colorado, where he had been studying the labor situation, said that Socialism is increasing among the workingmen of the West faster than Easterners realize. In Colorado, for instance, the issue, as he discovers it, is not unionism but Socialism; and the strike has entered many churches, officials differing fundamentally on the issues involved. For thousands of workingmen Socialism has become a substitute for the church, the idealism of the earthly propoganda taking the place of the visions and ideals of the religious faith. This Mr. Stelzel has tested not only by word-of-mouth conversations and by hearing the speeches of orators, but by a careful poll—through correspondence of the leaders among the Western labor leaders. He finds that they are sending about the country as organizers and agitators, men who were formerly ministers in Protestant (127-131) churches or who were Roman Catholic priests, who will use the religious terminology and appeal to the religious motives, but to the end that an earthly Utopia may be set up, and without any reference to the life beyond the grave. He believes that the church must begin a propaganda which must be carried on out of doors wherever wage-earners congregate; that literature, inexpensive and attractive, written in the language of the people among whom it must circulate and written to their level, must be printed and circulated lavishly.” This is significant, and points exactly in the direction and to the events portrayed in God’s Word,—in its pictures of the “day of wrath” coming on Christendom. THE GERMAN ‘‘DOME,’’ OR CATHEDRAL The completion and dedication of a great Cathedral at Berlin, Germany, is an event of world-wide note. It is to be to Central Europe what St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, is to Great Britain and what St. Peter’s is to Rome. Newspaperdom concludes that it marks the closest possible approach of the German Emperor to the position of Pontifex Maximus to Germans. The N. Y. Times considers that “under the direct and personal care of the Emperor’ it as closely marks “the establishment of a state church as the exertions of the monarch could bring it.” It adds:— “That would be the conclusion to be drawn from the establishment of the cathedral, even without more explicit explana [3548]
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