New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-06-22
THE HONE FIELD OF CHRISTIAN Rppoa7,


cmpntsls INC yoebSSf Mt"iedy VI TIE Axe.
The student OF History, who lcoks upon the ar,
engagements OF the world divine arrangements.
aud traces the inwro7ghs plans Of Providence in
every fabric which Time Is weaving viii note il as
a conspicuous and suggestive circumstance, that
the Christian Church is ever Church enosmped
on the Home Field. Even 10 Apostolic times-is
that era of History which might well be called the
era Of Christian invasion and oonquess-how few
Of the converts Of the age were detached from their
homes drawn to foreign fields, and set to the work
Of aggression and acquisition! And look over the
face ofthe world at this moment OF the millions
OF Christian men dwelling on Earth, how few are
abroad beyond the circle Of Christendom, fighting
the battles and setting up the trophies Of invasons
Fer what now, is the Church detained thus on
the Home Fieldi What work has abe 10 achieve
in every conquered province, aud among every
subject people. after abe has csptured the domain
and set upon it's nights the standard Of her King
1. is no sufficient answeg to this inquiry to say
that the Church is detained on captured sol for
purposes Of selfculture and selfimprovemensi for
in the peculiar economy OF Christ's Kingdom, self
ENDS are never main ends--and the selfcalture OF
the Church is ever an incident to some lofser enter
prise, and the satellite to some higher end.
Nor is it a sufficient answer to affirm that tbs
Church at Home is a great Army Establishment,
enlssng recEain and gathering resources fer the
foreign service.
The Prophetsof the Old Testament andthe Faith
ers Of apostolic times, striving locomotive, in ansic
patton of this great Home Work Of the Church, uni
tormly depicted it under the figure Of social snas
tasis--a reconstruction Of human society. Ia the
drama of Christian prophesy, the first great act OF
the Church is one OF conquest, the winning Of the
world into the hands Of herself and her King In the
progress Of this opening &C Of the Christian Era,
Daniel see. the kingdom and dominion Of the great
ness Of the kingdom under the whole Heaven given
to the people of the Saints OF the Most High Then
follows the second act of the drama. And In this
the Church is discovered. reconstructing the world
which she has already recaptured. The Prophets
and Saints taking materialobects as divine symbols
shadowing forth the Invisible things OF the mind,and
regarding the visible creation Of Christ az great
typical snalogy of his invisible kinsdom-picsured
TO themselves this coming reconstruction OF society
in the familiar hieroglyphs Of Nature. And ~ they
looked-looked into Nature-to behold her shadow
ing prophesies, and her material pictures OF the
distant Messianic ages-the waste wilderness, cap
tured by Christian hands, began TO change tsface a.
by new law of creation Gardens, pastures and
vines--hocks, flowers and harvests--the lowing
kline, the song of shepherds, the jubilee OF ringing
sckles and returning respers, covered the once
sterile acres, confessng the triumphs OF Christian
culture Upon the parched face Of the desert APP
peared cool silver streams singing as they passed
the torrid plain grew green with herbage-ths
myrtle and the lily and the rose crept from their
hiding places in the arid desert, and Nature unfold
ed into, new Heaven and new Il arth, testifyingim
all happy courses the grace that had restored her
disorders and fashioned anew the city OF God, the
Home OF his people. This resurrection OF an Old
Paradise buried now in the tomb Of disordercd Ma,
ture, 10 the prophetic type Of that resurrection IN
human society Of primeval order and beauty, which
the Church is to elect Of later times And this
image ofreoonsiructon Is the uniform conception
under which the ancient faith attempted to depict
to herself the Home work Of the Church Of the
Future
The Home Work Of the Church, then, is one OF
reconstruction-as her foreign work IL invasion and
conquest. And il, looking at the coudition oil the
world, we instantly discern the need OF isa actual
conquest to Christ, do we not also discover the
moment we inspect the condition OF human society.
as it is within the circle Of Christian conquest the
equal need Of q second work-the work OF renovs-
ton and reconstruction Look at society - il In.
Note tho fact that every community dwelling on
Christian soil is q community distributed into sePa-
rate families and that this law of domestic orgsni
- kk~l- - L.
man development Picture 10 your minds some
single domain, over which Christian banners are
waving, and from which ascends the daily incense
Of Christian worship. Remember that on that one
field ten thousand congegated families-woven TO-
gether by oil conceivable social ties-interiaced
by innumerable electrical nerves Of sympathy
coarsed from family to family by countless
arteries of common interests and common pas.
sions-orsanized thus into one living mass of en-
bodied miad-woven into one compact and vital
commonwedth-thes ten thousand families dwell
together, unfolding their Observation-Disclosures
their destiny. Remember. again, that out Of the
bosom Of those families, - from ten thousand
uncovered fountains, are to issue those streams OF
passion. purpose and character, which. mneling Ia
one common current, shall constitute the moral
Developments and the historic destinies OF that
great people. Consider further. what fountain OF
social disorder flowing down into the future b q
single family Possessed and poisoned BY bad pas
sjons. And then consider how many hostile lusts
may be bred and nourished 10 single house, and
how often, the nurture Of early years, these lusts
abandon the domestic hearth and become the va
grants Of the world-the invaders Of society. Con-
slider, finally, what numbers OF these corrupt, de-
PRAYED and contagious households have their home
in tho bosom Of every CHRISTIAN connunity-pour
ing their poison into all the arteries, and weaving
their lusts into all the mind of the State. And
what work opens before you in this ono spectacle
"a community on Christian ground viewed In its
Eamilies To remodel oil these domestic organiza-