News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-11-12

l''Do you make the grace of God fail
ure 2" No, grace is not failure, but
man is 1t is evident that God knows as
much in regard to man as Mr.. Moody,
and vet our Lords commission to disci-
pie all nations, extends to men, to all
men in every place. Paul's commission
to turn men from darkness to light, and
from the power of Satan unto God, urged
him forward in duty, believing that God
meant what he said, and that the needed
help would be afforded him in the ac-
compliShment of the work. Was man a
failure in the apostolic age? Was he
then as much as he is now in his natural
state. living without God and without
hope in the world ? But what a specta-
Gle of love and power did the ,pentecostal
church present Some of the greatest
barriers of human SelfShness, those
which consist in every form of opposi-
ton to Gods plan of saving men, the
whole melted away before the presence
of the Holy Ghost, who testified in pow
er the assertion of Christ and the Heaven
ly glory of that Jesus, who but a short
time before had been put to death. Par
doned through his blood and all vitality
one with him.
We may well linger over the divine
record of the church's earliest history.
''And the multitude of them that be-
lieved were of one heart and of one soul.
I And with great power gave the Apostles
witness of the resurrection of our Lord,
and great grace was upon them. Acts
II; 80, 35. Let any unbiased individual
sit down and read the Acts of the ApOs-
ties, and the success of the early mis-
sionaries of the cross will appear. Can
we doubt that satan was ignorant of
their success =? He knew we'll it was their
Wholehearted devotion, their absorbing
| 1nyo tn GhriCt fhnir 11ftpr ohnnnafinn
the world. 1t was their entire absOrp-
ton in the salvation of their fellow men,
and the glory of their God. 1t was an
enthusiastic religion that swallowed
them up, and made them to become
wonderous on the earth. 1t was this
degree of devotion before which Satan
saw he had no chance. Such people
must ultimately subdue the world. The
arch enemy saw clearly he must lose his
hold, as the God of this world substitu=
ted the form of goodness for the power,
a half conservation for an entire conse-
Grafton. Let the world see real living,
self-sacrificing, Woodworking, toiling,
triumphing religion, and the world will
be influenced by it. 1t is not difficult to
see what religion is, when stripped of
| CumberouS ceremOniallSm, a deadnIng
| Journalism, cut the church loose from
such baggage train engineered by rlch
|
of nominal Christians, impeding the
march of missionary progress and ere
/ long a repenerated Christianity will cons
uuer the world. 1t will yet appear when
the set time has come to favor Zion
what a mine of wealth, and what mag
azine of power, were all along IN possess
sion of the chureh's head for the reeoV-
ery of lost world. Ii the number OF
protesting Christians all told amount to
[ 70 an6 char11H tho hor of
real Christians amount to 81, 1000, 900 a
cent a week paid by each individual will
| amount to SIS, 500, 900 per annum, a sum
more than is paid by all the missionary
societies in the world. 1t must be adj
| mitted that more money has been paid
| into the missionary treasury, and as a
result. more has been accomplished by
missionary enterprise during the past
| fifty wears than for several of the CEN
turies that have preceded them, and
even now, it must be admitted that we
are in the beginning of the modern
| missionary movement. 1t took some
| time for the French and English to place
their batteries in position, for they had
! to do so. in the presence of CALLING fire
from the enemy, and when it became
evident, that the fortress OF SebaStopol
could not be taken, but by batteries
nearer and nearer. AT great sacrlhce
fortress fell into their hands. The chief
work of the missionary cause is to plant
their batteries; they are doing so east,
west, north and south it may take some
time to do so, but when the work Is ao-
cOmplished, nation shall be born in a
day and kings and queens will become
nursing fathers and mothers.
It is certain that clearer view was
afforded the prophet Isaiah of the better
days that were to bless the world than
was granted to any other of the ancient
prophets. In an age distinguished more
than any other since that of the apostles
for efforts for the conversion of the
whole world to God, nothing will so en-
tirely fall in with the leading character
isticS and efforts of missionary activity,
as an attempt to establish some just
views of the right Interpretation OF the
prophesies on this subject. Men will
put forth great and noble exertions
when the object is clearly defined, and
when they have some distinct view OF
| what it is possible to attain. A right
apprehension of what is to be on earth
will do much to form the plans and
shape the efforts of those who seek the
worlds conversion. 1t will do much to
suppress unauthorized hopes, to repress
wild and visionary schemes, and to
secure well founded and judicious efforts
to accomplish the object. As an illus
tration of the influence of Isaiah in
| forming the opinions of Christians in
regard to the better days which are to
| bless the world, we instinetiYely turn TO
the glowing visions of the son of Amor.
| Nor would we be understood that the
reign of the Messiah is confined to Isaiah
and to the other prophets, or that the
| New Testament was silent in regard to
the conflict between Christ's kingdom
and the kingdoms of this world. On the
contrary the conflict is continued from
the beginning to the close of the Christ
ian dispensation, but the kingdom of
Christ wins the victory. Premillennial-
lists affirm that Christ will have no
kingdom till his second advent, and to
expect the conquest of the world through
the ordained means, is but vain and
visionary hope which missionaries should
not cherish. One class of premillennial-
lists differ from others, in making the
mortal state of the church to run parallel
with the triumphant state OF the elect
bride, after our Lords second advent.
All classes say confidently that mission
airy enterprise will fail to accomplish the
evangeliZation of the world, and the
only hope before the church is found in
destroying judgment in connection with
the second advent. Such views are well
calculated to discourage missionaries
abroad, and to empty the missionary
treasury at home by paralyzing mission
airy expectation.
Is it true that Christ will have no king
dom until his second advent? In the
Gospel of st. Matthew the Church is
spoken of no less than thirty-six times as
the Kingdom. st. Mark, st. Luke and
st. John never use the phrase Kingdom
of Heaven; other descriptions or titles
are found in the Evangelists. The church
is Christ's household, the salt and light
of the world Christ's flock, but the gen
eral description of the church is, that it
is Kingdom.
When did it commence | answer,
from the date of the fall; for Christ is
the Lamb slain from the foundation of
tho world consequently tho MpdiatOria1