The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1893-05-16
REV. POwICK'S SERMON.
His Discourse In the NJ. E. Church Sur
day Evening.


day Evening.
Tho sermon in the NJ. +. church on Sunday
evening was in commemoration of the fourth
anniversary of the Epworth League. The
text was from l Corinthians 9.22: Il am
made all things to all men that might by all
means save some" Paul's fertility of
resource and power of adaptation seem to
have known no limit. He was ever ready to
| brush aside prejudice and trample upon
! tradition and custom for the sake of saving
men, We need more Of the same spirit
day. While holding as tenaciously as
| Paul to what is essential we ought to be as
ready to sacrifice what is merely whimsical
and traditional if by so doing we can the
more etIectually save the people. If Method
ism means anything it means vital
Christianity seeking the best methods
whether new or old of saving men. That
child of Providence, John Wesley, the
founder of our church, was like Paul in at
least two respects intensely conservative at
| first and intensely radical at last. They were
both high churchmen of the straightest sort
but when the light of Christ shone into their
soul what things were gain to them they
counted loss for Christ.
This explains why Paul crcumcised
Timothy and refused to circumcise Titus
and why when preaching to the Jews he took
his texts from the Bible but when preaching
to the philosophers of Athens he took his
| texts from their tomb stones and altars and
1oJ tInr Ia, EnJ T., I'm,
whom he declareth unto them. 1t was the
same spirit that led Wesley to organize the
class meeting, Notwithstanding the objection
that it savored of the Roman confessional
| which it does not-and to institute the Office
of local preacher-one of the most useful in
the church and which has afforded exhibi-
tions of consecrated heroism unsurpassed in
the annals of human history and to establish
| the itinerancy which survives to day, al
though it is an anomaly in our civilization
and out of all harmony with its genius The
| Epworth League, the youngest child of our
church, is the outgrowth of the same spirit
which ever seeks by new adaptations to
meet the needs of the present hour.
This organization of our young people in a
supreme effort to "look up and lift up" is
clearly in the line of providential institu.
tiOns. 1t shows that the church is beginning
to realize, as never BEFORE the possibilities of
youth. 1t is high time, for the church of
tomorrow is to-day the church Of the young
They are coming to the front in the business
world as never before. The demand in all
the executive branches of commercial life is
for the energy of youth. Young men of
thirty are older than they used to be at fifty.
Why should it not be so in the religious life
The church has right to expect more of
her young than was ever before expected Of
youth. Yet it is to be feared that they are
developing more rapidly along other lines
than those which are religious. There are
perils in organizations as well as advantages
There is a tendency to substitute membership
in an organization for the performance of
those activities which belong to the indi-
vidual. 1t must be remembered that there is
no substitute for old fashioned duty-doing.
And then, not belonging to the society is
sometimes made an occasion for shrinking
ones duty. The craze for organization has
become so marked that there are some who
would not think Of rescuing drowning man
unless they belonged to the national society
for the preservation Of human life, nor of
feeding the hungry and clothing the naked
unless they are identified with the depart
ment Of mercy and help. As one recently
said, 1T will not do when we stand before the
great white throne to plead as an excuse for
neglected duty, Lord, l wasn't on the com
mittee."' The end of all our methods and
organization should be to uplifU fallen men
till they take hold upon God and are saved
from sin here and hell hereafter. This after
all is the true test of all our organizations
and all our methods.