The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-06-29
THE SAVING POWER
REV. THOMAS DIXON On The NEED
or MORE EARNEST PREACHING.

Pref.s,anti-m Apparently Tasiiag In tn
Great cftsss-Caas~. Th~r.foT-Charel
Lark of vtiaIiry--Too Muel
Dixntsy-
! NEw YORK. June 25.-gev. Thonaa
Dixon. Jr.. closed this morning in Asso
citation hall the series Of sermons tina
have been running since the 18th of Apr
on The Gates of Hell In Modern Baby
lon The series have been one attendes
| rith extraordinary interest from the be
ginning The Sundays work also closes
the years ministry in Association hall
| The months of July and August he vii
have a. vacation and will preach prob
/ ably in the south during those tive
| months somewhere or the eastern shorg
Of Virginia. n c. The pulpit in AS
soc,ation ball viii he supplied by the
/ Rev Frank Dixon of California, his
| Younger brother. The subject of the
sermon this morning was Tho Church
| triumphant. The text chosen was And
the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it" Matthew xvi. lsl.
There never was time in the history
of Christendoln when the church faced
graver problems than the church of the
modern city Is now confronted with.
The rast 20 years have been conspicuous
in church work for its dismal failure in
orr cities. The progress OF Protestant
ism has been beneath contempt. Does
this mean that the gospel of Christ has
failed? Does this mean that the church
is on the down grade and must perish in
the twentieth century? All things are
surely being tested by the supreme test
of the furnace of these latter times.
All things must stand the test or go
the way of the past. Before all things
holy, all things sacred, as well as
all things traditional and secular, this
modern world has written large interro-
CATION point. The very existence of the
church is questioned by large class of
thinkers, and the need of priest or
preacher is called in issue. The Chris
tan ministry that survives must be
worthy. and the church that survives
must answer with a good reason for its
existence.
do not hesitate to say that l believe
as clearly as | believe in my own exist
ence that the church of Jesus Christ, in
its inadequacy, in its simplicity, in its
power, will triumph. Jesus has GER
tainly promised that it shall. However
dark the problems, however overwhelm-
ing the forces that oppose, 1.-The gates of
hell shall not prevail against it." Upon
what is this promise Of triumph based?
1t was based upon the confession of faith
made by the apostle. Peter said, Il be-
lieve." If the church is to triumph and
receive this promise, it must be through
the exercise of triumphant, militant
faith. If the church really believes in
its mission and in its Saviour, three
things must come to pass in securing its
triumph and must come to pass of ne
cessity because of that faith.
MAGNETIC POWER.
F1rst-She must present to the hosts
OF evil in our civic centers ministry Of
power Fhe preacher who survives in
the twentieth century must be a man of
power. He must be man called of God
to the work. The ministry that will
survive cannot therefore be mere pro-
fession. 1t must, in the highest sense,
be a calling, and that calling must be
based upon the bestowment of divine
s1fts-g1fts of brain, gifts of heart, gifts
II personality, gifts of magnetic power
Incident to personality. A ministry of.
power in the modern city must show in
he pulpit manhood first. The preacher
Who is man of power today must first
70 man-not clothes or ceremonies of
ecclesiastical machinery nor churches
Tor rituals-but man. The Office is
nothing, the man everything. Manhood
8 sacred; Office is name. The minister
II the future who is a man of power
must be SO from his mothers womb.
he must have the ordination of nature. !
The personal equation must grow neces-
arily larger.
A man will be sacred not because he
8 IN the line of traditions, but because
Il the inherent, the irresistible force of |
lis manhood. Jesus Christ declared that
10 had chosen men; that he had ordained |
he personality of men. Il have chosen
nd ordained you and sent you forth |
hat you should go and bring forth
ruit." A man delivered speech in the
ssenbly rationale of France which fell
pom hstless ears. Rousseau heard it.
aw 1T In its power, its thought, memo
lied it. and charged with his personal
y as delivered the next day it electri-
ed the assembly. Such must be the
over OF personality in the ministry
hat will command the rushing throng
the city that now is and that is grow
1g. A minister, finding the fire in the
rate had gone out, asked his wife to
ring In something dry with which to
ght 1t. The good woman went out and
ulled from barrel an armful of her
old sermons The dav has
one by when that sort of sermons can
even the istless attention of
,e passing few.
COUNTRY CLERGYMAN.
Such ministry must abide in Christ.
ne scope and method of its work must
. OF the scope and method of Christ's
ORR. 10 be successful it must be as
road as his gospel. He came to save
he world. Behold the Lamb of God
lat taketh away the sin of the world"
is mission was to save the whole world
The Lord ath anointed me to preach
le gospel the poor, to proclaim the
'ceptable yaar"-to preach to an i'm I
'lsoned woi d the gospel of liberty. He
'eached an Intensely practical gosnel
g cut to the very hearts of mems secret
yes. lie preached an applied gospel
preach Is not merely proclamation.
Is an appi cation practical to life. One
the secrets Of the failure of the church I
DAY IN its ministry is that it lacks the 6
Of directness. We ara no, 1
uched with the personal, everyday life /
the world We do not get at the Der. '
nahty OF t people. S
Inc Old N nod of singing cut men i
rs more ef.cacious In really reaching 1
em. a country clergyman recent,v
vi an experience that it might be we'll
r>ae pastors of some dead CITY churches +
adopt. The young people in the congre- v
tion had a habit of getting up and 90 d
out during the service. At last f. 8