National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-01-07
THE GROWTH op CHRISTIANITY.
Rev. DIR. sundcrioud's sermon om Evan
goilcal Development.

gelloal Development.
DIR. Sunderland preached last night from
Matt. vi, 1o--"Thy Kingdom Come In al
luding TO tho text suggested by tho evangch-
cal alliance committee for pulpit use, ~ be-
ginning tho week Of prayer "Whatsoovcr yc
shall ask in Ny name that will do that the
Father may DO gloriHcd in the SON. he said
his thought had been to sum up all the bless
ings the church may ask OF tho Father in tho
name OIL tho Son and form one petition, which,
when granted, would most gloriiy tho Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost together This one
petition he believed would DO THY Kingdom
Come"
Abiding to tho religious services through
out Christendom for tho coming week, no
spoke of prayer ~ the mightieBt telephone tho
world has over Bcon aud said, "'Phs limos he
tween the Great Heart above and the church
heart, tho faith heart below will bo in con-
slant and glorious usc.'
For eighteen centuries tho prayer, "Ihy
Kingdom Gomez has been repeated by be-
licving, waiting souls The question to-day
Is, has the kingdom come in amy degree? Is
it coming2 Hore followed short review of
religious action and reaction from the time Of
the first schi5m among the sauscrit-spCH
peoples, dividing the Persian MaWi and the
Indian Brahmns, down to the Protestant
reformation OF the sixteenth century. TAX
ing Professionalism rs the truCst exponent OF
Christianity, he said "Thii Professionalism
has ever been conscious of weakness and inn
perfection making necessary siltings, mOdi-
tCatiOn5, and rCstatemcnt5 TO purge itself
more and more from tho relics OF past error
Its life has been growth out OF some pain
full deformitus, and tending always to tho
better and purer in it's approximation tn tho
perfect standard of Christ, its living head.
Professionalism has boon living its lie and
doing its work undcr great DISADVANTAGES in
al, sgFg A.
a revolt against old errors it must have its
currents and cddies, extremes reactions, and
many incidental evils. Divorced from tho
at tic in some Of the foremost countries. and
operating in an aye Of most intense intel
Icctual activity, IL has required superhuman
effort to survive these distractions and retain
It's hold on the popular masses IL has been
predicted that left alone, without %
compact, subtle, organized system TO
support IL, tho Influence Of Protest
antsm would finally waste away
and be lost like rain shower in morasS.
Here in America since the revolution 1t has
rested on the voluntary principle alone, and
has borne the test with surprising and plu-
rIous results. Modern thought and Protest
ant theology have been mutual bcnpluctOr3
and benciciarios, and Theology is to-day less
scholastic, more scripturGl; crcads are shorter
but broader, deeper, moro vital. What - al
leted by some 10 BIO its disinteeration is but
that il may have more life and v.Sor IN it.
new scope
Facts and statistics from bool. by DR.. Dor.
chester wcrO cited rs PROOF thNt the smpl,
doctrines OF this New Testament are Ending
their way moro and moro INTO tho heart uuO
life Of our people, and Christian uthigs az,
everywhere dominant. Eighty years ago, s.
and around Boston, within % radius Of ter
miles, there were % liberal churches TO d.
evangelical To-day, within tho same limits
there are ~ evangelical churches to Ct
liberal churches. Out OF LOO graduates o
Harvard college in the last ten years tn
records show only two slep.iCi, aud thor
were never before as many members OF evan
geical churches students ut that venerable
institution as there are now.
Attention was called TO tho outburst %
vitality in the Protestant church, US wit
messed in the woTl. of modern missions TN
forces of al nature and Of all nations ar
being pr. sscd into the service Of Him win
has gone forth as the captain OF oursalvatiOn
ana has promised TO build His church agains
all odds.
Prayers still ascend from eager hearts il
Chris.endOm, Thy Kingdom Come" and w
know that 100000 900 carth's population ar
already the loyal subjects of that kingdom.
The speaker closed with the cyhortatior
Let Us 80 forth to our task another yea
with now courage and now loal. We hGy
all the mightic55 on our side. We will, i
Gods name do our best to break down satan
empire in our own hearts and homes, in on
nation, and in tho world
We are living in proud aud awful time,
u ga llgc on ~ telling
To be living Is sublime.