The object of this magazine is not to call attention to the many blasphemies that are current in these apostate days; but to keep before all who will read it, "Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, lovely, and of good report" (Phil. 4:8). But many Christians are ignorant of how swiftly the current of anti-Christian teaching is running, and how terribly men are being deceived in the name of religion and even in the name of Christ, and how the war has contributed to this that we feel pressed to seek to enlighten them, and to stir them up to deeper exercise and more earnest energy in their defence and circulation of the truth.
A 16-page tract, entitled "Blood Brothers," has been sent to us by a Christian soldier in France. The writer of it is J.J.Callan, a chaplain of the Canadian army; it has been published by the S.P.C., at the request of Bishop Gwynne, who is, we believe, the Deputy Chaplain-General of the Forces. We read it with indignation, and have no hesitation in saying that the writer of the tract, the Bishop who urged its publication, and the Society that published it are preaching "another gospel," and so bring themselves under the twice repeated curse of Galatians 1:8-9. May God have mercy on them and bring them to repentance.
The story of this tract, which we suppose is true — it would be a relief to learn that it is entirely fictitious — is of a soldier boy, who, like tens of thousands of his kind, was attractive, generous, and courageous. He had received a terrible and mortal wound in attempting the rescue of some of his comrades when he might have saved himself. We have the greatest possible admiration for his devoted courage, and should have been greatly rejoiced if some faithful servant of Christ had been near him to tell him of the wonderful Saviour who laid down His life at Calvary as a sacrifice for sin, and to save sinners
But instead of this the Canadian Chaplain seized his chance, and set to work to persuade the dying soldier that he was a most religious man, that he was in fact "like Jesus Christ," and that when Jesus saw what he had done He would say to Himself, "There is a chap something like Me, I must keep My eye on him." And God would say, "There's a chap willing to do what My Son did, nearly nineteen hundred years ago; he must be something like My Son; I must keep My eye upon him."
The lad at first stoutly refused to accept this strange teaching. He urged that he was not religious, that he could not be unless he were converted, and that "Jesus was so different."
But finally the lad's early teaching was overcome, and he was persuaded that he belonged to a "blood brotherhood" — "the brotherhood of saviours of the world," the chief of whom is Jesus.
And so the lad died, if the story be true, not with faith in the peace-giving message of an almighty Saviour who died for our sins and arose again, in his heart, but with the lie in his ears and the deception and darkness in his soul. But while he died, the one who deceived him lives, with thousands of his kind who will continue to preach their God-dishonouring, soul-destroying errors — blind leaders of the blind are they, and thousands will follow them to destruction, but the knowledge of this should make those who know and love the truth the more zealous and unflagging in their labours. Paul's last charge to his son Timothy comes ringing down to us; it is for us, and was never more needed than now.
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; preach the Word" (2 Tim. 4:1-5).