The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-06-03

Took on this picture and then look on thst
and cay which shall be the picture OF your
home, your heart, and your country ~
Yes, thank God, the Gospel remedy has been
fairly tested. IL was tested In the beginning, in
| the midst of the very abOninatiOns OF Greece
| ard Rome, to which have alluded. IL taught
CHASTITY at Corintb humility at Athens. humanity
| at Rome. and converted the very jail at Phi-
| lippi INTO Christian church. Yes, Paul could
turn from the revolving moral pecture OF tue
society around him in that day. whose portrait
ture he has drawn in few strong, dark, inetface-
able lines in his letter to the Romans; he could
| turn from this sad pictures TO the members Of
| the Christian churches he had founded in this
| moral waste, and say TO them, "Such were some
| of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sancuHed,
| but We aie Justified in the name of the Lord
| Jesus, and by the Spirit OF God"
Yes, my friends, here is the true leaven for
/ human society. 1t is exactly adapted to the
nature and needs of the human soul. 1t has
| just the light the mind needs; just the motives
| The conscience needs, and, above all, just the
| love the heart needs. Yes, it is exactly suited
to the human heart, and it is never admitted
there but 1t assimilates like leaven with all the
| faculties and affections of the nature and makes
q new nature and a new creature in Christ
| Jesus. Oh how wonderful, how wonderful,
my friends, is that moral transformation which
| this leaven of the Gospel is working in human
classes Of society, all grades of intellect and all
| degrees OF enmity to the religion OF Christ.
SUme word from this Gospel, some text, some
| simple statement OF doctrine, some narrative
| from the evangelical history, or some presenta
tion of facts such as l have given to-day falls
| on their minds, and suddenly they find their
| minds seized upon by an influence they cannot
shake of-an unseen hand seems to be upon
| them-they find no rest, no peace, till they sub
| nit to the truth and find peace in believing /
| What is this? 1t is only the realization of tue
! truth of my text. 1t is the heaven of the Cos
| pei iermenting IN their souls. And oh, what an
| agitation it causes there how every faculty,
affection, and function OF the nature heaves
| under its mighty influence What repentance !
| What humiliation What sorrow What lOve
| What gratitude it suddenly makes! Only few
days before, it may be, they were scoaers, BIAS
the Gospel religion. But behold now the
| change! Their whole moral nature recast. At
fections, desires, tempers, pleasures, prospects,
| all new! New creatures in Christ Jesusl
The vast mass of human society will surely
| yet be brought to feel its quckening and ele-
| waiting influence the great moral change goes
| on every hour False religions tremble and
fall false PHILOSOPHERS become helpless and die
| while the Christian world heaves and rises
| higher and higher towards the divine ideal I!
| Oppositions, struggles commissions, there will
be from opposing forces " turnings and over
tu1nings" until He whose right it is to reign
shall reign, and whose Kingdom shall glow with
| the gloIies of truth, OF justice, of righteous
ness, of peace, and Of love!
10! long expected day, begin!
| Dawn on these realms of death and sinn
Is this your prayer, my brethren? Oh, then,
| put in leGuen! put IN eduen by every agency
and in every placel Oh, then, nike angels re-
| joice and Jesus smile, and your own hearts
| glow, by throwing your whole hearts into this
work of leavening human society. What a
grand work it is How exalted the privilege OF
being permitted TO share in it.! Oh, then, aid
it, Aid it, oh ye people favored SO, by every
means you possess, at every opportunity you
enjoy First OF all, be sure and get the leaven
IN your own soul Embrace the Gospel !
Accept the overture Believe the promise |!
Adore the Giver and Brnger of salvation, and
implore His quickening grace And then.
when you feel its monltiOns, however feeble
they may be-however little the conviction of
| sin-hoWeVer little the earnest desire for saliva
| tion-however little the trembling of faith-Oh |!
cherish it Cherish it 1t IS of celestial origin.
1t never came from earth or hell-it is from
heaven 1t is the kingdom of God come into
you 1t is an element divine 1t has power
omnipotent 1t can change your whole moral
nature! Cherish 1t Give it fair chance
Initiate the woman who brings the meal into
which the leaven has been put, into a warm
| atmosphere, where it can work without hin
drance and amid genial influences So do you.
| Bring your heart into Gods house, away from
the cold and stupid world; set it down by
the warm fire of Gods altar, and it shall work
till it has leaVened the whole nature. And
when you have thus secured the leaven in your
own soul, seek to secure the same divine inhu-
| ence for Others
Yes; for this is the grandest OF all employ
ments, and the most ennoblng of all exercises.
1t is to this simple and sublime work, dear
friends and brethren, we come to devote the
| balance Of our days and the sum total of all
our energies--the work of putting the 'leaven of
| the Gospel into the society around us. We
come to be loving fellOw-laborer with all who
are engaged in this noble work. We come,
hoping to enlist some who are not engaged in
the grand employment. o how great Is the
work. how limited the time how glorious the
| rewards Of faithful eXertion! Come then, dear
friends all who are not engaged heart and head
| aid hands elsewhere, come Join US in the good
| work. Here is q vide and noble field here is
| grand standpoint, and here is a band of Chris.
tian men and women ready TO JOIN hands with
| you in earnest, loving labor for one simple
| obiect--th salvation of souls, the elevation o
society on the Gospel basis, and the enthrone
ment of Jesus Christ as the true King OF the
| heart and the world.
Does the work seem impracticable or chmeri
cal to you Oh, it has the promise of God to
ensure its triumph, and the power of God to aid
| Its progress. There is nothing surer than sue
cess here. Yes,
''We may not live to see the day,
| But earth shall glisten in the ray
OF good time coming"
'The Kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,
| which woman took and hid in three measures
! OF meal till the whole was leavened." Yes, it is
| coming; a good time coming! when the whole
| lifted up by the regenerating influence OF this
! blessed Gospel of the Son OF God! Oh then,
"Let us aid 1t, all we caE,
| Every woman, every man,
| The good time coming"
| And oh, thou Spirit of the living God, aid us
I Enlighten our minds; warm oar heartsi purlly
| our motives; fire our zeal
| And oh, move, move upon the mass of our poor
| fallen humanity Oh,quicken them; OH lift them
| up, lift them up, lit them up, till the whole
| redeemed host shall stand IN robes OF light be-
| fore the throne OF God
THE USES OF CHRISTIAN TALENT.