Appendix: The “Secret Book” So Called
Appendix: The “Secret Book” So Called
I feel that these Addresses would be incomplete without a few words about the so-called secret book.
And, first, there has been endless confusion as to which book has been thus designated. Please note that we have two small books,—one entitled “Orders and Regulations,” the other “Doctrine and Discipline,” and these are the only books of this character ever published. The five other parts referred to in “Orders” have not been written. Secondly, please note that the book referred to in Mr. Charlesworth’s letter in The Times was not the “Orders and Regulations,” as his own words prove. After giving his own monstrous assertions as to our teachings, for which there is not a word of justification in either book, he says: “I challenge you to make that book public—not the book to which you refer when these Orders are spoken of, which is only the general orders and regulations for the members of the Army, but the book given to your trusted initiated officers for their guidance and instruction, with an express direction not to show it.” This book is the “Doctrine and Discipline,” which, by the way, you can get for sixpence anywhere. I repeat, we have only these two books. Therefore, seeing that, as Mr. Charlesworth says, he does not mean the “Orders and Regulations,” given to the whole Army, he must mean “Doctrine and Discipline.”
With respect to this little book, I want you to note, first, that it is a catechism prepared specially for our cadets, of the simplest and most understandable nature, setting forth our doctrines; secondly, that it was never a secret book in the sense our enemies insinuate; but we, knowing that some of our views would differ from those of many other Christians, did not wish to be brought into collision by making the book public, and so at first it was confined mainly to our officers; but for some time now it has been sold at all our stations.
Now I contend that, seeing that we have views, and seeing that no religious organization can exist and operate without some human rendering of the word of God, we had as much right to inculcate our views as any other teachers; and especially seeing that God had used us to make a new people from amongst those who never had either any religion or religious views before. There is not a sentence in the text of “Doctrine and Discipline” of which we see any reason to be ashamed, and we fearlessly commit it to time and to posterity for their verdict.
I want you to note further, that notwithstanding Mr. Charlesworth’s express declaration that he did not refer to “Orders and Regulations,” our enemies have dexterously mixed up this book with the other, and tried to make this appear to be the secret book, so called; and this they persist in doing, although they know perfectly well that “Orders and Regulations” have been commented on in many of the public journals for five years gone by, advertised in the War Cry and sold at all our stations! Talk of duplicity! We might retort: “Pull the beam out of thine own eye,” then perhaps the moat in thy brother’s eye will not assume such vast proportions! But further, our critics state that this book teaches dissimulation. I challenge them to prove it from the text itself. The dissimulation is imported from their own suspicious brains and hearts. If this were true, how is it that they have been so long in finding it out? For this book has been in the hands of the editors of many religious journals for years, and read and recommended by some of the highest dignitaries of the Church long ago.2*
It is wonderful that anybody can be persuaded to believe that we intended to teach men to deceive, and at the same time sell the book containing these instructions to all comers for 2d.!3† It is too ridiculous, and yet it seems that nothing is too ridiculous to get up a case against the Salvation Army.
I will just refer to two or three paragraphs of this book which have been taken greatest exception to. The first is as follows:—
“2. But the only information we can rely on is that which you get by the use of your own eyes. An officer on this duty has no business with bashfulness or propriety. He should never wait to know whether he may go here or there. If a theatre door be open, walk in and inspect every part of the building until somebody objects. The remark that you want to see the manager, and that you are a perfect stranger groping your way, will generally satisfy everybody, and will prevent officials from treating you with disrespect. You can afford any quantity of apologies after you have got the information you wanted. But if you go in an humble, timid way, people will take advantage of you continually.”
Now, it has to be assumed, in order to import duplicity here, that the officer is not a stranger, and that he does not want to see the manager; whereas he is a stranger, and his visit to the town would be useless unless he did see the manager. We all know that theatres are public buildings; and if anybody wants to hire one, of course they need first to see it, and it would be useless for a man to go in a frightened timid way. As one of our friends said, “This is only what we do in business every day;” nobody thinks of pinning his heart on his sleeve when engaged for his own interests, why should we in the Lord’s? The next passage is as follows:—
“Ministers will, for politeness and decency sake, assure you that they take the deepest interest in your blessed work—which perhaps they do, provided it keeps at a distance from them. But if, thrown off your guard by this, you inform them of your plans, they may either mislead you by advising against the buildings where you would best succeed, or even may go so far as to persuade people to refuse the use of the places you most need.”
Our critics say that this teaches suspicion and disrespect to ministers and Christians. I reply, that we are heartily sorry that such instruction should be a necessity; but I throw back the blame of it on to those who have made it one! I could give you some illustrations, did time permit. Take one or two. In Glasgow, our people were negotiating for a church which was to let, when a leading man in evangelistic work went and offered £20 per year more, in order to keep us out! In another case we tried for a chapel which nobody else could fill, and were refused, the parties preferring to keep it empty rather than let us fill it with the perishing masses! These are only specimens of numbers of similar cases, often managed in the most underhand way, the movers in which now essay to teach us sincerity! I say, that we have again and again been treated without any regard to the first principles of honour, to say nothing of religion, compelling us to practise the sagacity of the serpent, and sometimes to “write on the ground” when we had the power to speak; but we deny that any sinful duplicity was taught or intended. The next paragraph is as follows:—
“The C. O. must always remember that everything done should be impressive, especially at the commencement of an attack like this. A large company of soldiers will itself be impressive, no matter how the men conduct themselves. They can shout and laugh and display the most perfect freedom. But two or three will not be able to produce a deep impression without far more careful conduct. They must either make a very great show of energetic zeal, or else profound solemnity and intense conviction.”
“Now,” say our critics, “here is dissimulation! Officers and men are to appear grave or joyous as best suits their purpose; but whatever appearance they bear is to be put on for the occasion.” No, no; nothing is to be put on, but only to be let out. This direction is given to people whom we know to be possessed of both classes of feelings, as the disciples who praised God with a loud voice on their way with Jesus from the Mount of Olives, but who a little while afterwards were overwhelmed with consternation and grief. We simply say to these inexperienced people, “If you are in sufficient force to make a great demonstration, you need not restrain yourselves, but let out your joyful feelings in the most natural way; but, if on the other hand, you are almost alone, it will not be expedient to manifest your feelings of joy so freely, because they will not be so appropriate and would not do so much good as the exhibition of the more solemn class of feelings. In order to import duplicity here, our enemies have to judge us out of their own experience; and not having many joyous feelings themselves, they imagine that we have not. People who know anything of our people, know perfectly well that they are utterly incapable of skilful deception. Even infidel papers give them credit for incontrovertible sincerity.
The next and most important slander concerning the Salvation Army is, that we set at nought the authority of the Holy Scripture. Allow me to quote one sentence from our Catechism:—
“12. What authority has the Bible with the Army?
“While we hold that God does, by His Spirit, speak as directly to His people in this age as in any other, still The Army does solemnly and most emphatically regard the Bible as the divinely authorized standard by which all other professed revelations are to be tried; and, if any professed revelations speak and square not according to that standard, such revelations are to be rejected as having no truth in them. Whatever is contrary to the teaching of this Book must be considered false and thrown overboard.
“ ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’—Isaiah 8:20.”
Of course our critics never quote that amongst their pretended extracts, because it would show the dirty business they are about, in trying to traduce the characters of people who not only believe in the Bible, but who practise its precepts.
I think these remarks will apply equally to all the misrepresentations with respect to our little books, except perhaps I ought to refer to the slanderous assertion that we are opposed to marriages amongst our officers! We may well ask, What next?
We answer this by simply pointing to recent facts, the marriage of our son and about a score officers within a few months. In judging of our instructions, however, on this point, please to bear in mind that we have, I should think, 200 women officers not more than twenty, and perhaps as many men of the same age, and you will see the absolute necessity, for their own sakes, for some oversight with respect to engagements. I believe the Wesleyans refuse to accept a candidate for the ministry if he is engaged, and do not allow their young ministers to marry until their four years’ probation has expired. How awful this must be in the eyes of our critics! We are accused of disregarding home ties, and sundering families. I answer, that the Salvation Army has restored more profligate husbands and prodigal sons and daughters, and created more domestic bliss in one month, than most of our critics have done in a life-time; if you doubt it, “come and see.” We do teach, however, that home ties, and all other ties, should be made, maintained, and used for the glory of God and the salvation of men; and this we intend to go on teaching, however much our enemies may rage.
In conclusion, I may say, however, that having learnt many new lessons in the five years’ continuous labour since the Order Book was published, and having found by bitter experience how easy it was to put a false construction upon some of the sentences, which were extracted (sometimes with little alteration) from the order book of Her Majesty’s forces, we had resolved upon a careful revision, which was in progress at the very time when these recent attacks were made. Of course under these circumstances we thought it necessary to go on publishing the book unaltered; but the revised edition will shortly be ready. In the meantime I pray God to bring to a better spirit those who have so undeservedly and bitterly maligned us, and thus, for a time at least, have “helped them that hate the Lord.”