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(159-163) be without employment—-not only the actual residents of the stricken city, but those who resided in the cities around the Bay, and what will result from it remains only to be seen by waiting and exercising patience and faith in God. It is impossible for any but those who have witnessed the effects of this catastrophe to conceive how complete was the destruction of what every one must confess was a wicked city. Brother Owen and myself viewed the ruined city from an eminence that gave us a complete view of both the burned and unburned districts. My estimate is that two-thirds of the city was destroyed, while Brother Owen thinks four-fifths was destroyed; but in either estimate it is very bad. What the suffering and inconvenience of many have been and will be for a time can only be surmised. We ean, all of us here, thank God for this object lesson, and the strengthening effect it has upon each one of us, as does every experience in life, and, as you say, assists us in recognizing in this the near approach of the kingdom which shall forever end such calamities and afflictions. Your brother and servant in Christ, H. M. Fitcu, California. ZION’S WATCH TOWER ALLEGHENY, PA. PILGRIM VISITS OF BRO. B. H. BARTON London, Eng. June 2-4 Uddingston, Scot. June 22 Luton, . ”? 6,7 Motherwell, ’’ ” 23 Wing, Leighton, ” 8 Glasgow, ” ”? 24 Birmingham, ”’ 2? 9,10 Dundee, ”? 7) 25,26 Sheffield, ,”? 7? 41,12 Kirkealdy, ” ? 27 Leeds, ” 7? 13,14 Hawick, ” 7? 28,29 Barnoldswick, Seot. ’’ 15 Edinburgh, ”’ ?930-Jul.2 Glasgow, ” ?? 16-18 Bedlington, Northumb’ndJul.3 Greenock, ”? ” 19 WNeweastle, Eng. July 4 Gourock, ” ” 20 Stockton, ” ”? 5 Rothesay, ” ” 21 = Eston, ”? ” 6-8 VOL. III. DAWN IN DANO-NORWEGIAN We have just issued the above, in cloth binding only. Uniform in style with English edition. Price, 25c., postpaid. CLIPPINGS FOR THE EDITOR Friends are requested to send us clippings unfavorable to the interests of the Truth, as well as special news items, writing on same the name of the journal and date of publicatton. Vou. XXVIT ALLEGHENY, PA., JUNE 1, 1906 No. 11 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER THE WESTMINSTER CONFESSION AGAIN No doubt our Presbyterian friends thought they had buried the Westminster Confession of Faith so deeply under their new statement of Presbyterian faith, that they would never have further trouble from its bad odor. Rev. Samuel T. Carter, D. D., was one of those who warred for its burial at that time. Satisfied for the time, apparently, Dr. Carter now realizes that the Westminster Confession is still the ereed of the Presbytcrian ehurch and the newer statement a mere blind. His honest soul now charges into the battle afresh for its complete repudiation. He recently wrote to the Presbyterian General Assembly on the subject, and we quote from his letter as follows:— “(Fathers and Brethren:—Many years ago, when I was ordained to the ministry of the gospel, I declared in the most solemn manner I believed the Westminster Confession to be the truth of God. JI now in an equally solemn manner declare I don’t believe it to be the truth of God; that I utterly reject it as a setting forth of the character of the heavenly Father. There never was, there is not now, and there never will be such a God as the God of the Westminster Confession, “It is an idol of man’s invention, as truly as any worshiped in Delhi, Pekin or Africa. I believe the great and true God is inftnitely and exquisitely good and gracious; that the one thing that we can neither fully receive nor deelare is the boundless love of God; that all the noblest exhibitions of human love are but bright and beautiful sparks from that intense and divine flame—the love that through ages and generations has been Icading men by the fullest wisdem and most tender providence to heights of knowledge, love and boundless hope that far transeend ali human thought. I lift up this overwhelming divine love before my fel'ow-men, believing that this alone will draw all men unto Him. ‘*T believe that the Westminster Confession darkens and denies this great love of God and should not be retained as a Confession hy any church today, and that our church is false to its greatest duty of being a true witness for God so long as it retains this Confession.’’ * * * Brother Carter’s experienees encourage us to hope and wait patiently for further awakenings amongst the theological ‘‘dry bones.’? For years and years Dr. Carter preached under the Confession which he did not believe. For years he lent his name and voice and influence for Goddishonoring error until he got strong enough and courageous enough to protest and ery for lberty from his slavery. The partial liberty granted was doubtless appreciated; but now he longs and cries for more, more liberty to think. He desires to be sct free. His conscience longs and cries out that it can stand the galling errors no longer. Poor Brother Carter does not see the inconsistency of his position. He should not have entered the Presbyterian house of bondage! He should never have confessed the Confession which his head and his heart repudiated. Or, if he did belicve the errors at the beginning of his Christian life and ministry, and learned of them later, he should have been prompt to obey conseience, and should have stepped out of Presbyterianism into the liberty wherewith Christ makes free indeed. Presbyterians who honestly and truly believe the statements of the Confession have a right to hold it and to tell it abroad. It is the others who are at fault. If all who disagree with the Westminster Confession would promptly and decidedly withdraw from the denomination into liberty, explaining their reasons for withdrawing, the effect would be a hundred times more satisfactory. ‘* Actions speak louder than words.’’ Dr. Carter’s words say that he is an honest, bold, advocate of truth at any cost; but his actions speak the reverse. They tell us, ‘‘The Westminster Confession has ties and emoluments which I love more than I love the truth and the liberty which Christ offers. I prefer the bondage, and to be amongst those who misrepresent my God, than to forsake all and follow the Redeemer and his ‘little flock’ whom the world counts ‘fools’ for Christ’s sake and too conscientious.’’ We hope that Brother Carter and many others will ultimately grow stronger in the Lord and still more devoted to the truth, so that ultimately they will take gladly the spoiling of their goods—worldly prospects, ete.—for Christ’s sake, the truth’s sake, hoping for the ‘‘ better resurrection’’ as ‘‘more than conquerors.’’ EPWORTH LEAGUE FACING A CRISIS Throughout the entire Methodist church, we are informed, ‘‘mutterings of uncertainty and dissatisfaction’’ are being heard in regard to the future of the Epworth League, the young people’s organization, which has a membership of about 2,000,000. Indeed, the crisis has become so serious that The Epworth Herald (Chicago), official organ of the League, is publishing a series of articles about it from the pen of Dr. Wentworth F, Stewart, author of the ‘‘Evangelistic Awakening.’’ Dr. Stewart says it is his observation that ‘‘the League in many places is lacking in vigorous, self-sustaining life; in others, is a problem in itself; and only rarely is it measuring up to reasonable expectation in spiritual qulture, evangelistic zeal, and a missionary enterprise; ..|. it is not a reviving and recruiting force, and is not saving to any reasonable degree the young people within its reach.’’ He says:— A GENERAL CRITICISM ‘‘Our whole ehurch has been for years committed to the numerical ideal of quantity instead of quality. Anything to secure a crowd, multiply numbers, increase the membership roll. Some churches and some leagues double their membership while the same pews hold the congregation, the same chairs seat the people at the mid-week prayer service and the devotional meeting of the League, and only the same prayers and testimonies are heard because there is not leaven enough to permeate their entire following. ‘“To gain our membership one by one, seeking their conversion first, and relation after, through a slower process, is infinitely more valuable than a red-and-blue contest with no significance attached; the same amount of energy thor. oughly spiritualized and spent in evangelistic activities [3782]