St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-06-04

full claims of our social obligation.
All great missionary enterprises
have been carried forward by the con-
vlction that men are imperiled without
the gospel, and that Christians are UNI
der obligation to deliver them. Ii we
lay aside the belief that the heathens
are in danger of damnation, we must
substitute some conviction more true
and equally strong, or the world will
practically suffer. The same thing is
true of missionary work at home. Now
1t is simple fact that the liberal churches
have not been distinguished by the
missionary spirit and by those aggres-
Slye forms of work which build
christianity into large and permanent
forms OF power. 1t must be emphasized
everywhere that truth itself is the most
valuable possession of the human mind,
and there is an Infinite obligation, upon
the part of every one of us to teach the
things which we know. 1t must be seen
that love is regenerating force, and
there must come to us passion foFmen
that will give us no rest unless we are
lifting our brethren out of ignorance
and SIN into light and holiness. This is
widely different from that zeal Which
seeks simply to swell the number of sec
tarlan adherentS, and which reckonS no
work success unless it builds up one
particular denomination. 1t is fact
that much of the T. ~
SO-CALLED CHRISTIAN WORK 2 81
seems to violate almost every principle
for the vindication of which Jesusrlived
and died. And of many his words may
still be said: Eye compass sea and
land to make one proselyte, and when
ne IS made .ye make him two-fold
more a child of hell than yourselves"
Liberalism is in danger of obscuring
the truth of the supernatural. How
ever much we may Outgrow old state
mentS, it is impossible to eXaggerate
the truth that God is, and has ever
been. the mOlder of human history; that
lie is now, as ever, the loving Father of
the sons of men; and that to pardon, to
strengthen and to comfort, God will ''in
very deed dwell with men in the earth"
Liberalism is in danger of belittling
the doctrine of salvation. The old
penal substitution theory of the atone
ment may be as difficult for our under
standing, as it is abhorrent to our moral
with all our strength that Justice
could never be vindicated by Furnishing
the innocent instead of the guilty. We
may believe that such a theory vindi-
Gates the devil instead of God, but we
must not forget that His name is called
Jesus because He shall save His people
from their sins.'
When Edward III. captured Calais he
demanded six citizens upon whom he
might eXpend his wrath. Euatache de
st. Pierre and five others offered them
selves for the sacrifice. They would
suffer for their town. But when they
came barefoot and with halterS about
their necks into the presence of Ed
ward, all the lords and ladies prayed the
KING with tears to have pity on them,
and when he would not hear, his own
queen threw herself at his feet, and to
her he granted their lives. SO at thought
of the punishment of the pure for the
impure, the slaughter by divine venge-
ance OF the innocent for the guilty. |
think that the music of heaven would
have walled into s0bS, and the
TEARS OF THE ANGELS
would have flowed down on the streets
of gold, as they besought our Father
not to be the murderer of His only be-
gotten Son. And, believe me, the heart
OF no barbaric king, in the midst of the
ravages of war, can rival the undying
pity and the ineXhaustible tenderness
of our Father, whose very heart is love.
The holiness of God is not made mani
fest by a sacrifice like that of Moloch,
but it is revealed when. through faith
in Christ, through knowledge of God
and through His reconciliation of us to
our Father, we are made free from sin
and become servants of God, having
our fruit unto holiness and the end
everlasting life.'
We must preach Christ not less, but
more. We must emphasize His worth
as Savior, teacher, and master We
must show how it is that there is no
other name given among men whereby
of pardon. Through him the life of
God enters human society, After the
failure of the old rituals and old sacri-
fees He opened up "a new and living
way" whereby we come to God.