PRACTICAL RELIGION.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 December 1920, Page 6

PRACTICAL RELIGION.

(To the Editor.) Sir,—While reading in your paper tho account ol ? the Methodist Synod meeting in Now Plymouth, I thought of the advice of tho wise man who taught: In many councillors there is wisdom. According to their showing, things appear to be in u bad way, which every thi,nsig man and woman believes, and are continually being warned that they will get much worse, Which we clearly see they are doing in every department of life. It is very noticeable when men oneet together in conference they seem to get in a very happy state of mind, and if they only did half they proposed doing they would soon turn the world upside down, as it is evidently seriously out of place. We also take notice that this enthusiasm soon dies away, and there Is little heard of converting tie world till another conference meets, and the evils of all descriptions going on and increasing. A wise man wrote a long time ago: "The t;slk of the lips only tendeth to poverty," Tins advice is just as good and needed to-day as ever it was. At thuse. meetings n. good deal ii| spoken in favor of the Bible as lieing a reliable book to teach to the people, and creeds and con- i fesslons are held at a discount at such times. ' Now, Sir, it. appeals to my mind and all' thinking people if those men were honest la their bediefs they woujltl naturally do away with literature and' i*old fast to teaching which they know and' believe to bo true. Why not collect their old, musty creeds, which they acknowledge to be out of'date, and havo a huge bonfire? It Is on record in the Bible that wise men did this. Why not follow their example and walk in tl:e steps of wise men in order to become wise? At those limes of conference they deplore the divisions of the churches, 'and what but their creeds keep them apart? Immense sums of money are squandered, and many good men's time is lost, strife and envy being the results of their labors.. Why not put Into practice right away while they have the opportunity tire conclusions they have arrived at, and preach only those things written in the Bible r.nd give it a fair chance, instead of dreaming of some unknown heaven to which they hope to go when they die? I take notice that none are irt any hurry to go tl:ere, but quite the contrary. Why not those men be consistent and teach and practise what wise men have beeing teaching and practising all down time, and they know to be true? God's command to Adam was to subdue and replenish the earth, which belongs to the Lord. Surely there is work for all to do at our hands without dreaming about some otter imaginary place, and which the Bible knows nothing about, as this earth is the only planet it teaches is in dispute and who to rule over It. It was for those truths that all earth's noble sons lived and died for/ Why do not our touchers and preachers take up ttis work which they have laid down, and work on the same plan and specifications that they worked upon, drawn up by God himself and written in the Book which they own as His Word, ;;nd which places every other book and teacher under n curse and claims to bo unchangeable.—T am', etc.. AN EN'QTIIRER.