The times., 1886-06-25

THE BAPTIST CHURCH by REV. THos.
STALKER, OF THEsM. E. CHURCH, SUN
DAY EVENING, JUNE 90.
TEXT:--I Cor. 1918.
If you had been with Paul when he
wrote this letter to the church at Corinth,
and asked him what the world needed
most, he would, ! think, have answered:
great thought and great men. And is not
this still the worlds great need? What
constitutes the darkness of the world?
The absence of strong thought And what
constitutes the weakness of the world?
The absence of strong men. We have
Some strong thought and some strong men
but not enough of either rto burden. Paul.
ia his day, was an example of both. BY
the authority that belongs to noble,
heroic, self-sacrificlng man, he had right
to say to his fellow laborcrs and soldiers,
"Quit you like men, be strong" 1t is
good thing for common soldiers when
their officers set them examples of cour-
age, endurance and patriotism. 1t is a
good thing when pupils see in their teach.
ers what they ought to strive after, both
intellectually and morally. 1t is bad
thing for pupils, when their teachers are
either intellectually incompent, or loose in
their morals. Paul was not only a suc-
cessful minister and teacher but one of
the noblest examples of his age, of what
men ought to be and do. Paganism had
ats Socrates who, rather than violate his
convictions, drank the cup of poison; and
| its Regulus, who, rather than violate his
! promise, returned to Carthage to endure
! torture and death. But Paul has given to
4 the world the grandest example of the
| highest type of moral heroism. He was
thirty-fve years q martyr. Bern in the
land of the sun and of the palm, lowered
with magnificent powers, educated at two
great centers of thought, one philosophic,
the other religious; converted to christian
J ity while attempting to destroy it, then,
after three years of preparation for his
work, he filled his life with labors, heroic
conflicts sRd sacrifices for the good of his
race and the glory of God. Such a man
had right to say, not only to Corinthians,
| but to men of all ages and all climes
"Qua yoS like men, be strong" That is,
"Je strong S,e1,." Be strong in faith, in
love. in thought, in will. The church and
! the world need such men-men of culture,
with the Heavenly unction of apostolic
men resting upon them. These words,
"6e strong men," have a meaning for this
age, for this great Nation, for the men of
this city. for the graduates of our High
| School. Success will crown the efforts of
all who heed the injunction.
Some one has said: "There are three
commencement days of human existence
the day of birth, when we begin to be
children; the day of graduation, when we
| begin to be men, and the day of death,
when we begin to be devils or angels" All
of us have passed through the first COM
mencement, few the second, and soon
we shall all pass through the third. When
that time comes, may we rise, not TO be
angels, but glorlfed men. But this is i'm
possible IN the absence of thought and
manly effort. Life is full of con1icts diff
| fculties beset us on every hand. whether
we are in the wilderness, or city, on the
vast prairie, or rocky mountains, amid
the palms and orange groves of the South,
or the SHOWS and soltudes of the North.
we cannot escape them. No age or cline
is without them. Emerson says: Times
of heroism, are generally times of terror,
but the day never shines in which this
element may not work. Human nature
demands her champions and martyrs, and
the trial of persecution at,cdys proceeds.
| Do we ask aohy we cannot have men of
strong thought, disciplined powers and lofty
character, without conflicts2 The answer is,
because there is kingdom of bad powers,
| kingdom that must be fought and con-
quered, or life's great purpose will be de-
feated Paul knew this, and he says:
BE strong men" then you shall succeed.
But how can you be strong men? By bat.
Ting with difficulties, resisting temptations,
ONCiCOhlih5 OboetSiSo, ohu W
ward the city that hath foundations. whose
maker and builder is God. Who are the
men of strong thought? The men who
think, think, THINK. The pupil who
works out his own problems, strengthens his
intellect by the process. He who spends
his school days in intellectual Incidence,
weakens his intellect. AT least, he fails
to elevate, expand and solidify it. He
may have rich uncle, fine coach, n
noble horse, clothes cut in the latest style,
elegant shoes. beautiful Frenchifed
mustache, and white gloves, sweetened
with the perfumes of Arabia, but he will
also have q weak intellect. This uncle
cannot buy him deeply convoluted brains,
as he can buy him q fine silk hat. These
come TO those only who have solved their
own problems. No disrespect is meant to
the rich uncle, but q strong intellect is the