The Somerset reporter., 1888-01-04
Christmas Sermons.
The following are abstracts Of sermons
delivered to churches in this village Christ
80 o..,,.,i.1 -, L., ,,aoL

The following are abstracts Of sermons
delivered to churches in this village Christ
mas, crowded out last week
METHODIST CHURCH.
At the Methodist church on Christmas
day the Rev. J. VI. Frost preached on
"The Tfiumphs of the Gospel" the last
of series Of st rnons from which few
statistics are as follows
This Century is tine missionary Era
which began in 1872 and now has lsi
great socitcs controlling 10000 workers
in foreign lands for their eyangelizaton;
that is one worker To every $4,000 per
SONS. In 1872 not one opening existed
| for such work; now, every barrier is
| down and the Bible translated into 90
| languages.
The end and aim of The gospel IS the
exaltation of Christ and Christianity
above every other name and system Of
thought, this end IS in plain view. The
| present population of the world is about
| Ito ,000,O 600 divided rcigiously it includ-
eS protcstants, lGj,00O00O; Moneth
ests but Ccremonialists, e. Z. Roman
| Catholics, Mohammedans, etc, 4G5 00O,-
900; Heather e. 2 Buddists, Brahmns,
etc. 800 600, 900; Pagans or those with
out literature, 300, 900, 600. Christianity
is gloriously triumphing in cyfry part Of
the world In Protestant lands, q. ..
America, where from one Evangelical
church to l740 people in 1900 a. D, now
there is one to every 300 and while the
population during that time has increas.
ed nine fold, church membership has in
! twenty-Seven fold.
In Papal lands e. z. Italy aud Mexico.
Italy absolutely controlled by the Pope
| till 1872 now contains $50 Protestant
churches, and in Rome Protestant de-
| nominations and 50 schools while the
| government welcomes this work. TWEEN
ty eight years ago this Christmas day.
| Popery in Mexico received its death blow
when Juarc2 established a republican gov
eminent and expelled the Jcsuits In
France every order of the Roman church
is commanded to leave her schools with
| in five years.
In Heather lands, where in ISIS, co.
| 600 people in Southern India alone were
converted from idolatry, and Burmah and
China. are being slowly reyolutionizcd,
while nothing is left in Japan as it was
30 years ago except the natural scen-
cry. In Pagan lands where in NADIA
gascar and the Sandwich Islands nations
have been born in Il day, amongst the
fierce Maoris of New Zealand are ~
900 Christians: 10000 of the II 900 in
societies supporting l25 schools. The
terror of the Fiji Islands is gone and
1902 600 out of 100000 inhabitants are
regulars worshiperS in their 500 churches.
At the birth of pomare, Queen of the
Samoa group of the South Sea Islands not
one convert had been made, at her death.
at 40 years of age more than 300 islands
were ChriStianizcd.
Over the grave of John Geddic in one
of the New IIcbrdcs groups of Islands is
this laconic epitaph;
"Whcu he came here
lie found no Christians,
When he left
lie lett no hcathcns."
One missions field of the Baptist Soci-
ETY., that Of Burmah now ranks third in
its list of donors, only exceeded by II few
Thousand dollars by Massachusetts and
New York States. When missions in
stead of going out with $4,000, 000 from
our own country shall 70 out bearing
away the 5000 ,O00, 600 wasted annually on
liquors; when Christian government
votes its surplus in the treasury for this
cause rather than coast defeuceS; when
the $1,000 who annually fill drunkardS
graves and as many more whose lives are
thrown away for lack of any noble pur-
pose shall give themselves to Christ and
missions; when supplies and forces Wor-
thy of Christian nation shall be sent to
the front where mere handful are
wrestling with the thrones and dOminiOnS
of the God of this world then it will not
bn Iong hnfnr. missions will rrtnrn and
the shout ascend 10 heaven, "The king
doms of this world are become the king
doms of our Lord and of his Christ, and
he shall reign for ever and ever"
BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH.
At this church the pastor preached on
sunday afternoon from hoih' ;3Z; ne
that spared not MS own son. out ucllNer-
ed MN up iof us an no" Shail ne hot
WIN MN aiSo lrcclN SlNc US an 'hihSS'
In opening the speaker alluded to the IN
tercst OF heaven III the olrtl Oh CHRIST
the anger proclaimed IL 10 lhe Wohuer-
ing shepherds ana the heavenly chorus
added their lofty strains OF praise ana
adoralloh.
In our thoughts OF the Cirlslchlio, we
generally consider the meaning OF MS
mission TO us. 1T IS We'll however, 10 no
tlce what the coming OF christ meant 20
Cod. The giit OF the Son was an act OF
real though mysterious sacrlllee on tlie
part ot the rather. Ills sacfilce Ill tiie
sending OF hrlst, rs much trahscehas
any sacrifice that we make III lne peSlow-
al OF our CUTS, as ms nature lrahscehdS
ours; SUCH was ms IoVG Tor inc WORM
that he Wonld NOT spare MS oily pesoI'en
Son Ana whlie We may not unHers,ahu
the relation Whlch mas always existed De.
tween Tue son ah'. Tue ralhcr' we mus
view the Incarnation as lnNolRlhS true
sacrlhce on the part Oh Hoa' oocll
view Is necessary III order 10 tl'e
acceptance Oh lllc XIII VI NHllsC Will oc-
Io,I.ns iP,o a',, tho S .Ia dn-
livcred him nm for ms ALL lie was to be
not only an example but also substi-
tute; not only pattern for the right
conduct OF NE, ont also propltlaloh LOT