Telegram-herald., 1886-05-10
eatkcH. oArlrAL AND lABoE


elarch rsad 81 sue paper so - psrlsacEl-
efs yesterday morning 60 fas rclatisHs ~
tie elarel - Toe pfe1leA II e4gltal 4l4
lahor lhe PAPER sas READ q fsw d4ys siaee
before tie assenblsi clergy ot the aiQeess of
Western Michigan. 81 Tie missionary uasst-
llg tzla il h4s5ass. aea ellsltel a -
EeEaoie e9mmeuG Following IS s -s4sFels
a1sifaer 81 she aFoe's
al eier ~ .mFloFe t1iuzs is founded
apea belief in tLs lHpF0Fasliilg ~ things.
lle belief - lAe lm mFufFaD4llg OF tAitss
sas nrst deeply and lEnly roasted ln f1e
hsUt4n heart ~ lhe zosp=. of tarisF. 4, 3
fAet uf 28a1 DoteFsely tLat optimi,uc fieas
gi TIE are t1e accom- pa1i4ent u thrlstia4-
lTF aH1 seldom or never have nouu-nvQ Tar
f'8al lis influence. Although Il is no p4rl
ef lls oNn creet Christianity somehow dass
Yat belief la The .iaproyaDilify 0f tains- iat2
nearly az lives 4 ae rapid spread ol uioGein
e43iuuonafy theofle, Has facilitated Bgt -
ueeig created scientific habits % thought
hus 0y Tie optimistic tendencies into which
tAEisGanlly had bent All hearts. TIE fasel-
nation oI eFoiation for semi -cnristlanlzsd ~
uueu il that it Is ever pointing to s5nle son
0eflQl f1tufe attain nients for ilC Cmanity. bat
lhe f3seruunsr and companion Of thag hope
have alsays been-in antiquity the isisb 81
Abraham la mOdern lie, the apostles
creed
Yet IL astonishing that this faith in the
improyabllily of thngs is no part ~ toe
Christian lailh. The promised gl0fies oi
Ehe Nrw Testament are declared 10 be- nos
oi The world Dor for The world. Ca the lips
of Jesus. tic ther the World of nature nor 81
nfen Is exalted Nowhere Iu the New Ies-
lament Is tue world mentioned a. pleasant
and profitable place OF abode but as tle
best 0f all places 10 remove from. There is
nOJ bFeathed hope Tor 10, there Is not
suggestion OF It's appropriateness n0r.
pfophesy OF It's Improvement. Aud ia the
actual history OF the church We have the
astonishing fact thar the first aud only
agency that ever put into the human breast
faith ia human progress was grand wall
of despair for the world and ali who cling
t0lt. Witness the majestic indifference
with which Jesus viewed every worldly
oOmmOtOu OF His day, Yet out of the
words he breatned comes the insp ration,
conscious, or unconscious OF all struggles
OF man 10 transform the world of wretch
edness into place OF JOY.
And how DO We explain all this IL
lies IL the paradOxical nature OF Christian
ity aud everything connected with il. The
apparent contradictions Of holy believing
and holy living in a world that is not ana
never can be holy are utterly cOnfounding
TO certain grades OF intellect. In Christ
Jesus the unexpected aud the impossible
meet the small reasoner everywhere 70
nnd his lite, he must first lose It. Christ
came 20 save world unsalvahle and unim-
proyable. To keep life, one must hate IL.
To ind JOY, one must be sorrOSful. Tc
resch all points, we must turn directly
about aud take opposite courses All this
- most confusing 10 the worlds de-
vOtees, and TO the fool who saws there
is no God il is wholly unlntelli
gible IL Is the fOOlishneSs OF preach
ing. The whole grand paradox is histOr-
cally illustrated in the fact that this sort of
preaching has put into the world the belief
that the world can be improved and has
actually somewhat improved il.
Now have no reason 20 think that the
relation Of Christianity 10 any great move
ment of the world today differs from her
relations 10 the movements of other days.
/ IN the past the church has mdhie the
world more habitable, she may DO the same
IN the future by tie same process. ! ven
ture 10 say the church has not scored
single success m any effort 10 improve the
world bY direct management Of the worlds
social or civil affairs. | venture TO say that
M whatsoever the church deserves the
praise of men for beautifvlng the world she
has deserved il when she has seemed 10 be
doing another sort of thing altogether
After citing number of per-
| tinent historical cases 20 support
his pOOsitn. the speaker proceeded
% declare that the mission of the ch Irch j.
u cali men away from the world, as q vain.
empty insufficient thing 10 support the real
life Of man. "GOd permits us, he said, 10
use the world as the water of the ocean
when We tumble itnO it-use il as tenn
p0rary support while we swim out of IT,
I Wherever this.has been done and in pro-
portion as il has been done the refugees
have been saved. and the world has become
better and more saivable. Hence my first
conclusion is that the church ought not %
seek direct relations with this conflict OF
capital and labor. In so far as il Is con-
dict in ana Of the world. the church has As
little direct relation with IL as il had with
the wars Ot DiOclecian
But ask you to note that all this is not
the same as saying that the church ought
10 stand very far off from all human CON
fiicts IN stOlid Indifference tc the affairs Of
men. All souls are mine, says Gpd. A.
IS OF highest Importance that the church
know the sort OF education tor returning 20
God which men are receiving in the deu-
sive world The church shOHld study in-
dustrial prOhlems-n0t 20 step in and
settle labor troubles but that she may
know what the world. the flesh and toe
/ devil are doing in the souls that. by Divine
bequest. belong 10 her. Not 20 settle labor
troubles because they, in the nature Of the
case are insOuble. Ii was inevitable that
that the world would catch mp this hope ol
ideal perfection breathed in the New fiesta
ment and which the Holy Ghost puts into
regeuerated hearts and which Is wholly
u1attanablc in the world bat which. 30
the eiloTt to attain it. viii keep human
society and a SEA Of turbulence forever.
Illustrate this bv the facts before YOU All
labor conflicts arise from the desire and de-
termination Of workmen % bring about an
ideal equity of division Of the profits of
manufacture But the absurd mpossibilitY
of such a division will appear when We at
tempt CD Curreiate an t1e forces that enter
into The production of q given commodity.
aud % determine The exact portion when
the capitalist has produced and that which
the laoorer has produced. it is a complex
problem beyond the mental powers ct man.
aud ser the vOrkingman will never rfsf
satisfied until II Is solved. II is his super.
.tiriou 70 think iti soluble The Chusff8n
polpf tells the people ~ The weu8Criul
neizhts tn 9 hich every child of man may as
pire and these poor people. 20 bonn The z0s
pel Is nor preached. catching the confused
81 laes of distant seru1 4ns mistake tnf spirit
usi FIR the carnal. and Apply 20 their earth
iy fortunes the promises nlsfie 20 regenerstel
hearts Hence uprislnss and revolutions
WliI -sEcee1 one another to the end of time
hsesnse snder fhe preaching ~ the eIsi
< srei. men ideals i1 thls world are si-
VaFs sare 20 outresrt al possible resl-
iFafson.
the oi3 and The nev duty Of Size
church 10 make anxious un'e 90 fle segi-
"a hr-h fha rr~7f rlrnrrsi nf -a..