Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-05-25
Y. N. C. A. MASS MEETING.

A MASS MEETING SUNDAY EV ENlNd-
REMARKS BY REV. DIR. MBRYDE OF
LEXINGTON, AND AN Address BY BIsH-
.OP RANDOLPH-THE FIRST PREsBYTE-
RAN CHURCH PACKED WITH PEOPLE
TO HEAR THEM.
&C., NC, &C.
On Sunday afternoon at 4:30, the First
Presbyterian church was filled to its ut
most to participate in mass meeting.
before which Bishop Randolph of the
Protestant Episcopal Church would dellv-
er his lecture On ''Tne Bible, the book fer
the young men of to-day.' The members
of the Association marched into the build
ing in body, and shortly after. Bishop
Randolph accompanied by Rev. DR.. r. j.
McBryde, rector of the P. E. Church at
Lexington and member Of the 7. NJ. g.
A. State Executive Committee, and Rev.
w. q. Hullihen, rector of Trinity church,
arrived, and took seats on the platform
with President Guy Cochran of the Asso-
citation, H. M. McIlhany of the State
Executive Committee, Rev. DR.. D. K. Nc
Farland pastor of the church, and Rev. DR..
| II. HI. Halves of the Second Presbyterian
| Church. The singing was conducted by
| Mr.. Jos. J. Shirley, who sang the solo
parts, while the congregation joined in the
| chorus.
After prayer by President Cochran, who
| led the meeting, and singing by the con-
gregation, Rev. DR.. McBryde was intro
] duced and made brief but interesting
| preface to the Bishops address. He COM
| menced by abiding to the Importance of
young men being trained in prayer, so as
to be ready when called upon in any
emergency Many a Christian man if
called on to pray at the bedside of the
,, dying, would be entirely unable to do it.
simply because of having received no pre-
commentator of the Association work
that it taught men how to pray for others
under all circumstances. Another inapor-
tant feature of the work is its classes for
Bible training, by which great familiarity
with the book and the locality of its con-
tents was given. He had but lately heard of
an instance of the value Of this familiarity
in the case of student who belonged to
the Association of Washington u Lee Uni
versity. The young man had approached
fellow student on the subject Of his SOULS
salvation. He was asked, why are you
talking to me about this, where is your
authority? The young man had his Bible
in his hand and turned Immediately to
''Let him that heareth say come" The
subject of the conversation replied that he
wanted to be let alone about this matter;
he had other things to attend to. The
Bible reader turned at once to the passage,
what will it profit man if he gain the
whole world and yet lose his own soul ?"
He replied that he was not bad man
he lived pretty good sort of life and there
was no particular need for him to better
it,. This was replied to by turning to the
passage, How shall we escape if we
neglect so great salvation ?" To every OBJ
lection, this trained Bible reader offered no
reply of his own, but simply turned to
the words of God. 1t is a great advantage
in the work of saving our fellow men, to
be able to use the words Of God instead of
our own.
In the Young Mems Christian -Associa-
ton, its aims and work, DR.. McBryde
said he saw the spirit Of Christ who came
not to be minstered TO but to minister.
There can be no such case as that of a
man absorbing the spirit Of God and never
imparting any of it to anybody else. In
this Association movement which is grow
ing every day and which has swept around
the world, is contained love for our fellow
man, and out Of this springs up daily new
work for our fellow men. We cannot
love our fellow men without working for
them, nor work for them long without low
ing them. 1t was but the other day that
a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute
who had been brought to Christ, told him
that he had found that he had at once
taken an interest in his room mate, a feel
ing he had never had before.
In this Association work the workers
are realizing that unity among denemina-
tions, that oneness in Christ which he be-
lieved the Lord Jesus prayed for. The
world cannot understand the divided con-
dition Of che denominations, each consci-
entiously working on its own line. But
when it sees them come together in one
Association like this, as they do. the world
sees that they all have the same central
thought, and that they all are one in work
ing for the Masters cause. The Associa-
ton is leading US all-all Christians, called
by whatever name-to a closer brother
hood. It is drawing US all together and is
going to make this the world that Jesus was
sent to die to save. AS pastor, the speak
or found that when he wanted work done
in the Sunday school and other ways, he
always got a good man for it when he took |
a member of his church who was active in
the Association. He found such man
equipped and ready for the work. The |
layman active in the Association, he found |
took more interest in tightening the bur
dens of his pastor. than a layman who took |
no interest in the Association.
Mr.. FL. M. McIlhany, at the close of |
DR.. McBryde's address. said that the re-
representatives. OF the Stanton Association |
at Petersburg had heard Bishop Ran
dolph's address there, and that receiving
their account of it on their return, the !
Association here had :rnestly solicited
him, on Its own behalf and that of the |
community, to repeat it here. He then
introduced Bishop Randolph.
Bishop Randolph in opening, said he had |
been struck by DR.. McBrYde's idea that
the 7. M. G. Association was the fisId On |