Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-13

book of Isaiah the prophet, and was re-
peated anew at the lips of Jesus Christ,
and SO comes to us with the supremest Of
sanctions, is just this message of happiness,
this good tidings of great Joy. To preach
the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken
hearted, to preach deliverance to the cap
tives, and recovery of sight to the blind to
set al liberty them that are bruised, to
preach the acceptable year of the Lord
what is this but to seek out the sorrowtul.
and to stay their tears, and to put new
heart into the disheartened, and, in a word,
to minister happiness in world of sad
ness?
The Real Mission of Religion.
Religion is not meant to come with a
scowl, nor> with threat, on its errand to
the sons of men. 1t is not meant to drive
out any real pleasure. 1t was never sent to
make the heaven black over our heads, but
to brighten it with all the sunrises of hope,
and with all glory of faith and love. Its
mission is to greet us with proclamations
of delight
Religion has been made too somber 1t
has been used as a device for soaring people
into goodness. 1t has been represented too
often by men and women with long faces
and grim voices, who have looked with dis
approval upon pleasure, frowned at the
Vi yOulD, anu OO0e bn6lr DeSG TO
make life disagreeable, whereas, religion
ought to be synonymous with JOY. 1t ought
to be associated in everybody's mind with
all holiest pleasures, with all worthiest ex-
periences, with the best of life, with litera-
ture and art and music, with all that is
most interesting, most inspiring and most
helpful. Be sure that something is the
matter with the message when God our
Father is represented as desiring anything
but the most satisfying happiness for every
child of man.
Yes. for every child of man. For this
gospel is of universal application. The
good tidings of great joy are meant for all
people.
Mind and Body as Well as Soul.
The gospel is intended to touch the planet
at all points. 1t is meant for every race,
for every generation, for every century.
1t is as wide in its intention as the all-sur.
rounding atmosphere, and is as new every
dav as the air we breathe. And as it is
meant to touch all people, so is it meant
also to touch all life; that is, to affect the
being of all the people all the time. 1t is
for the church; but for the home as we'll,
and for the shop. 1t is for Sunday, but SIX
times more for the rest of the week. It is
concerned, indeed, with what is commonly
called religion, but just as much with busi-
ness, and Just as much with society," and
Just as much with politics. It has to do
with rogation days and it has to do with
election days; and one duty is as Chri stian
as the other.
We are blessedly aware now that this
wonderful new message of good tidings
which Jesus Christ brought into the world
is message of absolutely universal signifi-
cation. We no longer account that alone to
be religious which relates to the soul. We
know that the body and mind belong to
God, and are to be considered bv the people
of God, and come within the responsibilities
of the minister of God. Christianity, thus
interpreted, is Gods agency for the uplitr-
ing of all life. The Christian church is SET
in the world to be the center of all manner
of uplifting influences The church has
discovered that men are not all soul Men
have minds and bodies.
Duty of the Christian Minister.
Accordingly, the Christian minister to-
day, looking out into the world we live in,
and trying to have some understanding Of
the times, endeavors to bring Christianity
to bear upon every side of human life. His
mission is to persuade men not only to be-
lieve like Christians, and to pray like
Christians, but to behave like Christians
He is to bring the common transactions of
the market to the test of true religion, He
is to remind.people that there are no vaca-
tions in Christianity, no times and no places
in which it is permissible for Christians to
be unchristiau. He reminds his people,
even to weariness, that the mission of re-
ligion is to help the people to be happy
themselves, and to make other people happy;
and that this joy is gained by Christian con-
straInt upon the temper hy Christian
speech, by Christian honesty of dealing and
by the constant exercise of Christian love.
The Christian minister feels himself per-
the world. For unhappiness is a condition
OF things which the Christian religion has
come to Danish out of human life. And,
though the unhappIness be such as concerns
the body, and only indirectly touches the