The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-12-06
A Common Christian.

was talking with Jedediah Jones
about coming to prayer meeting, when
he said: sNow, brother Oldachoof, you
needn't be 80 hard on me, if / am not as
regular as the minister and the Elders.
You know that l can't speak or pray in
public. have no special gifts. / am
just common Chtistian-a high private,
and nobody misses me when I am away"
This remark started train of thought.
What is common Christian? He
belongs to the rank and file of the great
army. He is enlisted as soldier ef the
cross. But, because ,he is not On officer,
has he. no special duties and response.
bilities9 Let us go into camp and see.
The reyeille sounds. The high private
turns over in his tent aud composes
himself for q morning nap. He says:
s'.Trhat's for the Captain, the Lieutenants
and the Sergeants. They all ought to
get up early and, attend to camp and
guard duty; but Alb only common
soldier, it ftakes no difference what /
do" That high private would soon find
that he was very much mistaken. After
breakfast comes the call for company
drill. We go on the parade ground.
We find the officers there with only a.
handful ofsoldiers. We say: "Captain,
how is this? Thought You had q hun
dred men in your company, and here
are only twenty. five in response to your
CALL" co., he replies, ''the sergeant,
corporals and Ale.leaders are all here,
and few others but the rest say that
they are only common soldiers, that
they don't amount to much Anyway
that if they came they would only handle
muskets and march and countermarch in
obedience to the word of command. So
some of them are visiting, some are
lounging In their tents, reading novels
and newspapers" Would any Captain
endure such conduch mitch 1883 excuse
| it? No, every soldier must respond to
| the call for drill, for dress parade or for
guard mounting, Ifhe does not, unless
excused by the Surgeon he is punished.
| It is the common soldiers-the rank
and file of our armles-th win the
victories in waf. The advance to
the charge With their officers in the
| rear. They compose that line of battle
| on whose steady movement the issue
depends. Every man in those serried
| ranks must be hero. He must stand
in bis place without finchipg amid the
shower of shot and shell, He MUST keep
step with bis comrades when a charge is
ordeIad. He Is like D link in q chain
it fai!!.. IF he fails. He is like stone in
wall-if he fails out of linz the line
tumbles into confusion and the army is
routed. Great are the responsibilities of
the common soldier. Without his brave
CO operation and prompt obedience the
most skillful General could never win
battle. And hence it is that army dis:
cipline is strict, and that months are
spentin drilling sDldiets for active service
| in the Geld.
And isit not so In the army Of the
Lords Are not the rank and file to be
ready to respond to every call of their
leaders, Does not the great responsi:
bility rest upon them7 If they fail, can
the officers alone do. anything? The
Captain of our salvation has place and
q work. for every man. he has enlisted
great many common soldiers because
he needs them. What, then, are some
of the special duties Of tho common
Christian 2
/. He hus! put on the whole armor Of
God. He must appear, in uniform that
sllmay know to whom he belongs. He
must be ready to come to the company
headquarters, -the church, Whenever
summoned. The full strength of the
company should appear at every Sabbath
service, and at every k-day service.
The moral effect Of. q full attendance is
| greater than most people think: Every
ones presence encourages others, and
every ones absence discoursges his
brethren. a church all Of whose men,
bers are at the prayer meeting and the
Sabbath school will be q power in the
community. It will move like ia Mace.
donian phalan3. Such attendance is the
common duty of every common Christian.
The very excuse that he makes for non.
attendance shows that he ought to
attend. 1.-The is not gifted so that he can
speak in the prayer meeting he needs to
beyt there. in order to be edited by the
gifts of others. If he is not wise enough
to teach in the Sabbath school he ought
to be there as scholar.
2. The common Christian car invite
bis friends and neighbors to 60 to church.
This requires no special gift. Yet every
man that you persuade to come and hear
the Gospel you preach the Gospel to, you
make the, minister's sermon to him by
bringing him to hear it. "Let him that
heareth say come," cries our Saviour.
IF we are interested in what We hear we
will;try to get others interested. If all
the common Christians would attend
earnestly to this easy and obvious duty
our sanctuaries would be crowded, and
the power of our ministers doubled.
3. The common Christian caniapeak
word of warning or sentreaty to the COM
mon sinners whom he: meets from day to
day. just because he is "a common
Christian he knows how to talk with.
them. He is intellectually and socially
on their level. he is in full sympathy
with them in many worldly interests.
The minister's visits aud exhortations
are regardedas official. It. is his bust.
ness to talk with people about their
souls; and for that very reason bis talk.
ing does not impress them rs that of a
companion and equal would.
A. The common Christian can hold up
the hands of his minister not only by his
regular attendance and his prayers, but
by talking to his brethren of the truth
presented on the Sabbath, and by trying
to illustrate the beauty and power of the
Gospellin his life. We are all living
epistles. Many read us who never read
the Bible: Many watch US and Judge
of our religion by us, who never 60 to
church. When DR.. Beecher was asked
iuregard to the great revival 10 Park
Street Church, on Boston, under his
ministry, he said: "It is the work of
the people and the Lord. I preach as
able sermon as I can on Sunday, and
then my four hundred members 60 out
all over the city and repeat that sermon
through the week." No wonder there
ht,ndrod