The Portland daily press., 1879-04-21

| uncharitable persecution which follows from
! the tongues of the critics If they do not see i
| to be their duty to do what nature certainly
intended they never should do. 1t is the
| same danger as that which we saw in The
| school-the danger of crushing the PERSONAL
ty. The model must be copied, imitation j;
to be the law OF Christian life, nou-conform
ty is the great SIN. What is wheel worth
1t the spokes be not all alike? What is the
church good for if its members be not all du.
plicates.
Snall illustrate once again? Turn to our
benevolent work as a church. The impulse
of the age is a Nay from thought toward ac
ton. Men are more anxious to do than 10
think. Our hands accomplish more for God
than our heads As Horace Bushnell says.
"Must OF our religion is below our elbows
Now it is the tendency of tho ught to sepa.
rate men. Each one must think for himself
aud by himself. So it is the tendency of &C.
tion to bring men together. Men work In
bodies aud to this end they must plan aud
distribute the labor, and organized benevo.
lence becomes the rule of the day. Our vast
missionary machineries-our consolidated
CHART es--our religious corporations which
act 90 our behalf all our reli gious organiza-
tlons clearly reveal how, in their Christian
work, the individual merges into the mass
Our benevolence is largely done bv proxy
our religion is placed in the hands of comln't-
tees and boards of managers. Once more /
say-do not mislnterpret my words. I do
not say these things are wrong-on the con-
trarY believe them to be eternally right-but
they have their dangers. Their DRIFT is just
now towards great evil-the deadening OF
the individual conscience, the stupefying Of
the sense of personal responsibility, the trans
terence of religious affection from a diviue
Chrlst 10 human system, the unconsciou.
feeling that the advance OF Christ's kingdom
d, pe"ds, not on individual life, but on com
bined work.
0i couioe you have anticipated the second
method of work. 1t is implied in our theme
Responsibilities of the Christian citizen. l.
emphasizes the person, it exhorts ''L-t him
that bath give to him that hath not" Bib-
cal religion elevates the individual, it edu-
Gates the individual, it demands service irou
the individual, it never loses sight of the one
10 the many, the prayer teaches is, EWhat
wilt thou have me TO do?" II does not talk
about s'the masses'-it calls its servants b,
name. 1t does not sweep its hand over the
church aud say, ''G0 all and labor 10 nv
vineyard" but it singles out you, and you.
and you, and commands go thou and work
in my vlneyard." Aud still further it re-
CARDS diversity of gifts. II does not say "Let
him that hath a coat go and give meat" 1t
SOuuCuuo uO mdu uOL WdtkiuS Ill Tue
shoes of another. II does not fit men to uni
forms, but com NJ ands each to select what is
best for him. 1t gives to Saul sword and a
coat OF mail, but to David sling and five
smooth stones from the brook. Nor does it
permit men to shuttle eff the sense of person.
al sin. 1t does not suffer us on Fast Day 10
come together aud comfortably lament the
transgressions of that indefiuiIe thing which
we call our country. Nay, it takes you not
as community, not as churches, but one by
one, and says to you each, ION your knees,
before God, look into your own heart, tell
yourself honestly what Kind of man you
must be in Gods eyes to-day, and then tell
Him just where YOU deserve to stand in his
tayer" Friends, we rebuke the R ,mlsh
Church for its confessional, buS verify we
need some power to do for us what the con.
fess onal does for the devout Catholic-some
power to pull our conscience away from the
iniquity of our neighbor, and in the solitude
OF confession, to bring us face to face with
personal sin and personal God.
II have spoken to any purpose so far, you
will agree with me that every individual
member of the Christian church has an indl-
vidual responsibility for bis part in the life OF
the church. Also that his responsibility is
measured by no dictum or fashion of mel,
but by the peculiar powers and gifts which
he has received from God. You will agree,
too, that such conception would carry US
nearer to the religion of Christ than we are
to-day, that such a religion would sanctify
every life TO lis peculiar duties and make ev-
duty sacred. And l am sure you will agree
with ne that such a religion is our great
need. We want some John Baptist 10 pull
us out of the smothering atmosphere of
churches and organizations and machineries,
and place us one by one in Gods presence,
till fapls S(rnd and n
beings in all the universe" aud then, with
that sense of personality quickened, we need
to 90 back into the life OF the world, not to
initiate some other soul, but each one 70 do
his own work. ''Gud has made me Just what
l am that | may accomplish the peculiar
work he has given me to do-just little dit
ferent rom all others that l may do some
thing which 40 one else could do"
believe that we nerd this spirit to day in
this country. l believe that we live too
much in the mass-too little in the unit. /
believe that, as churches, our prayers, our
work, our belief, our life, are too uuch In the
lump. l believe that too much OF our piety
is in the hands of committees. / believe that
we are organizing all originality out OF the
lives of individuals. believe that the world
is dying for need of personal example, person.
al eff ,rt, personal belief. Aud ii you have
really come here to-day to learn in auy way
how the year before ! Ou may be more fruitful
to you aud your country than the year be
hind 1 would say, $50 out from this church
into lite knowing that Gods kingdom de-
pends on you-talk just that religion which
has prov, d itself true in your experience-no
other-let 10 man irighten you into any duty
which God has not given you-let no mau
frIghten you out of any duty which your pc
cullar powers enable you to periorm-ape no
one in work, creed, or life be dead in earn
est that your religion shall be pure and Jude
fiied-and God will care for the religion of
the church and the nation.
AT the risk OF disproportion in the outline
OF our thought, have dwet much longer
upon the first division Of our theme thau l
intend TO dwell upon the remaining divi
sions-and that for two reasons-first, be-
cause the intrinsic Importance of the first is
much greater; aud secondly because ths un-
derlying principle of responsibility having
been shown in the first division to lie iu the
personality OF the agent, it only remains to
apply that principle more briefly TO the re-
naming cases.
''Ano what shall we do?" asked the publi-
cans, coming next. These publicaus we're
business men. Much mouey passed through
their bands. The government assessed a
certain tax which they were to collect receiving
certain COMMISSION. Above tue amount OF
this commission they hlled their pockets with
dishonest gain by compelling the helpiess
poor to pay more than was legally due. "Aud
what shall we dos" said they. "Take rellg-
ion right back with you into the streets OF
Jerusalem; be upright in your business; let
men see that eighth wonder of the word-a
thoroughly honest publican" This was the
substance of the Baptist's reply. Aud this
OF course, suggests the Responsibilities of The
Christian citizen in Business. They belong
to him especially because he is Chrlstiau.
Personal religion must sanctify his CONNER
cal dealings. In saying this am conscious
that we 60 back eighteen hundred years
back from the age Of civilization to an age Of
comparative ignorance. 1 am conscious
that we are very presumptuous to set at
Daught The dlctum OF some OF the first au-
tboritles in commerca al circles, who say that
religion has nothing whatever to do with
business. And l am aware too. that in max
ing this assertion, we take, for our authority,
a man who bad no practical acquaintance
with mercantile enterprise: mere religious
teacher, who had never made successful
specu alton nor understood the ins and outs
OF shrewd bargain. Yet l am lncliDed TO
think him tight when he told these publican
cash keepers that the fruits Of repentauce in
them would be strict integrity and honesty in
business affairs.
II there is any fact more conspicuous than