Morning journal and courier., 1893-09-25
AFFINITY M. Il. CHURCH.
improvements Made During the Sum-
mer-Dr. Wallis Sermon, sour Call to

improvements Made During the Sum-
mer-Dr. Wallis Sermon, ssOur Call to |
be workers with the Lord.''
A very large congregation assembled at
Trinity M. e church yesterday morning. |
The church has been greatly improved dur
ing the past summer and presents won
derfully freshened up appearance. The
ceiling overhead has been frescoed light
pearl gray tint. The auditorium has been
entirely recarpeted and a new stop has
bsen added to the organ! The eongrega-
ton are very much pleased with the in
proyements that have besn made and con-
graduate themselves on possessing one of
the finest church edifces in the city.
The pastor, the Rev. DR.. Vail, preached
on "Our Call to be Workers With the
Lord" from Acts xvi, 10, "Assuredly
gathering that the Lord had called u.s."
In the time OF Pauls great success among
tbs churchee of Asia Minor he suddenly
found that door after door was closed against
him. Quite as strangely there came call
| over into Macedonia, an opsn door into
Europe. From Tfoas he had vision of
| tho tman of Macedonia" that beckoaed him
| across the Afghan sea. The man of Macs
| donia was the finest type Of the Greek.
| God purposed to send the great preacher
| to European cities and to unite the energy
| and strength, the culture and learning of
the Greek and Roman with the fire
of the new religion. Paul passed from city
| to city until he had established Christian
| ity in the great southern European cities
| of the empire, ending in Rome itself.
1 ohoxx oil vi fho o1
| of Christianity on the old religion, and
nothing Indicates more forctbly the cour-
age and the faith of the new leaders than
the change of base from Asia to Europe.
Separation" was to be the waschword of
the Jew, but the Christian was to be sin
the world" and from that standpoint was
| to exercise his influence. 1t had no special
seat of authority or throne of power. but
| each Christian was to reach every possible
| man by daily contact and constant effort.
Macedonia not only works a new field OF
labor, but a new method of reaching men
Paul fully believed in the divinity of the
that henoeforth marked the history of the
church. We hear no more of penitentia
days, when men were gathered in by the
thousands. In comparison with Peters
work his own ministry would have seemed
to Paul as weak and feeble. Hencefortt
we have converts gathered by ones ant
twos, and with marked and decided con
versions. They were gained by faithful
pereonal work, and Paul. after he became
prisoner and was chained daily to Roman
soldier, yet he continued his effective work
and before the end of the first century thu
church had gained scores from the palaces
| hundreds from the armies and thousand
from the most intelligent and prosperoul
| classes.
We need to-day to consider the fact tina
God is scaling the church to new lines ant
methods of work. We have attempted t.
build the church by peculiar methods, au'
as result of these substitutes for faith
full personal effort We discover that tn
multitudes do not attend our churches
The pulpit has tried to meet the intellectus
needs of the people that the Sunday pa
pers and the illustrated magazines can d
quite as we'll. 1t has given over its mis-
} | sion to the heart. It has tried to make tn
entrance into the church SO easy that
} has abused and brought into contempt II
great doctrine of salvation by faith. An
, again class of very good people have q
represented the doctrine of the baptism G
= the Holy Spirit as to bring confusion an
weakness into the ranks of the ministry
by condemning the preaching of many 6
lacking the peculiar seal of the Spirit. A
these methods are 80 many substitutes fc
: Gods methods of bringing them into II
> 1 church.
Our Lords plan is that you should fin