The Portland daily press., 1891-02-02

In every Christian life that Is lived anv.
where under the heavens there Is power Civ
en- by God, to be used for God. The Y. P. @.
E. numbers 10000 such individuals united
by striving to glorify their Master. Singly
little could be accomplished In the direction
aimed. but as a united society their power Is
large. Vast are our opportunities. There Is
no place under the sun where men are found
where you shall not find, not only the
| church's vineyard. but also the proper vine
| yard Of the young people Of this organiza-
ton. Many believe the Idea Is limited TO
some section Of the church work; but 10 Is
not so. our eyes are not yet trained to look
on the distant fields white already for the
harvest.
Passing to a consideration Of the aeeounta.
bility endeavor members are under, he
said: knowledge Of the work given us to
do will be exacted. II Is not true of the
Christian church yet that Il knows its busi-
ness-the breadth and depth of the work
before 1t In all parts of the work. The great
mass Of Christian people should move out TO
gelistic work among the low people In cities
Is calling for workers.
Real service is required. We have been In
danger Of considering the Christian Endeay-
or like gymnasium. and the committees
like the apparatus-mainly as place for
self-training and preparation for work not
yet before US. He desired TO cry out against
any such conception of the Endeavor Idea.
individual Christian nature should be sec
should be the work done for the Master.
Self should be forgotten. Endeayor prayer
meetings are not training schools, but su-
preme opportunities where each Christian
who need the Saviour that thew NAV be re-
deemed.
Fruits Of service will be required. by the
Master. We are accustomed to say that God
holds In His own hands the ma ter OF fruits.
and / do not mean to belittle this truth,
which Is one Of His great teachings, and yet
believe that we ought to insist npon results
from our service, that we should without
boastine and In utmost humility strive for
actual results.
Toward the future we can look with much
hopefulness. and the chief thought should be
to make the Endeavor with each growing
year an advance upon the past.
wILLIsToN CHURCH.
Rev. G. II. Barber spoke In the evening,
selecting the following text: "Speak unto
the children of Israel, that they 60 forth
Exodus xiv, Is. He drew attention to the
unwillingness with which Pharaoh Of old
granted freedom to the children Of Irael. and
then his future pursuit Of them, and how de-
llyerance came by the miracle at the Red
Sea. saying: The church In the wilderness
Is type of the church of today. We, too,
are journeying from Egypt to the land Of |
promise. The pillar of fire does not go be
fore us as Of old, but the great Captain Is L
leading, and saying. very plainly by the
voice Of his Providence, '.go forward"
Viewed In the light Of Christian life, this /
means that we are to grow In grace. trying |
to do better and better service for our Mas
ter.
Coming to Christ has been compared to a
vessel, then all his troubles and dangers are
over once on board the ship, and he Is all
right. Comparisons Of this sort are liable
TO mislead. II man truly repents and be-
world and for the world to come; but IL Is
not true II man makes a profession Of re-
liglon and then lives a disoDedient life, that
he is saved. We are to advance In the face
of difficulties, and when IL costs self-denial
The person who thinks he Is going to glide
into the eternal harbor with sails all spread
has wrong idea Of the matter.
The Christian worker should enter the
conflict Of life prepared to fight not for day
but for lifetime, to cut his way through
his enemies and finally come to the end tri-
umphant, although perhaps covered with
scars.
In the western parts of this country and
far across western ocean there Is much mis-
sionary work to be done. Gods command to
preach the gospel to every creature
should be needed.
1t seemed to him there never wac a time In
the worlds history when the forces Of evil
were so gathering them elves for final, de-
cisive conflict with the religion of Christ as
just now. Also that there never was time
when so many doors Of usefulness were open
to the Christian church, and when such
grand work awaited every one who had
mind to labor.
In closing. the speaker referred to the
grandeur Of the cause in which the members
OF the Christian Endeavor are now engaged.
Rev. Dwight NJ. Pratt then spoke briefly
OF the significance Of the Endeavor move
ment.