Page:Southern Presbyterian Journal, Volume 13.djvu/560

 than we, preserve the position of the Reformers, Let them read the Confession.

We too should read the Confession. And we should preach it with vigor. Not only have Romanists, modernists, and neo-orthodox departed from the teachings of the Bible, but there are also others, who in spite of professing to adhere to the Scripture, have diverged, sometimes widely, from the truth.

There was a Bible professor in a Christian college who taught that man was a sinner, man was in a bad way, man was sick in sin. Now, salvation, so this Bible professor explained it, is like medicine in the drug store; and the sick man ought to drag himself to the store and get the medicine, and be cured. There was also a convinced Presbyterian on this faculty, who taught in accordance with the Westminster Confession. So evident to the students was the contrast between these two theologies that the President disconnected the Presbyterian from his post.

The Bible and the Confession teach that man is not just sick in sin; he is dead in sin; and salvation rather than being compared with medicine is compared with a resurrection.

Another form of minimizing sin is the belief that sinless perfection is possible in this life. The Confession says, "This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin."

The error of the "holiness" groups is similar to the Romanist and modernist error in that it is a failure to recognize the exceeding sinfulness of sin. To them, sin seems rather superficial, and therefore it can be eradicated in this life. They sometimes restrict sin to "known sin." But if the aim of the Christian life is merely to avoid known sin, then the more ignorant of the law we are, the more righteous we would be.

Yet for all their sinless perfection, these are the people who hold that one can lose one's salvation and become unregenerate a second time. This shows that the Scriptural view of sin, so accurately summarized in the Confession, has far reaching implications. Its force is seen in the nature of salvation, the perseverance of the saints, the varieties of free will, the imputation of Christ's righteousness, and in fact throughout the whole system. Nor should we be satisfied with knowing only a part. We need the complete Confession.

Billy Graham Team Close Month-Long Crusade In New Orleans Famed "Sugar Bowl" At Tulane Stadium, October 31; 61,500 Persons Attend Final Meeting; West Coast Tour Follows

New Orleans, November 2—special—Attendance records for evangelistic meetings in the State of Louisiana were shattered on Sunday, October 31, when 61,500 persons assembled in New Orleans famed "Sugar Bowl" for Billy Graham's final sermon. Not only the people of the State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans rallied for this closing meeting of the Greater New Orleans Evangelistic Crusade, but flanked on either side of the young evangelist on the specially constructed platform were the government and religious leaders of the City and of the State including Governor Robert F. Kennon and Mayor deLesseps Morrison.

Governor Kennon, Chief Executive of the State of Louisiana, spoke briefly before the vast crowd and made his own appeal for dedications to Christ when he said: "Almost all of us expect to improve our personal relations with God one of these days . . . let's become Christians and better Christians . . . now is late enough." Mayor Morrison, New Orleans' first citizen, declared: "This crusade is something New Orleans can be proud of. The thousands of people who have heard Billy Graham during his mission here I'm sure are better citizens and better Christians."

Beneath a brilliant sun and cloudless sky for this final message in New Orleans Billy Graham used as his subject, "Will God Spare America?" He told the vast audience in the great bowl-shaped amphitheatre, "Ever since Adam, his creation and his fall, man has tried to ascend to the status of prophet, priest and king." Then moving into the story of Moses on Mt. Sinai, he said: "Just as Moses admonished the Israelites in that day that they must 'choose whom they would serve,' so I beg of you today, take your stand. All of you who want to be on the Lord's side, get up out of your seat and come stand here." Warning his great hushed out-door congregation that God Who spared not the angels, Who spared not the Ancient World and Who even spared not His own Son, would not spare them in the Day of Judgment, the young evangelist made a final plea for repentance in New Orelans. Moving quietly from their seats down the long ramps and across the playing field of the famous stadium which has seen outstanding football competition, were 814 persons whose decisions for Christ were recorded.

Pelican Stadium Meetings Average 15,000 On Sundays And 10,000 On Week Nights Beginning October 3 at Pelican Stadium, home of the New Orleans Baseball Club, the Greater PAGE 6