Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-04-13

school system or school teacher that
ignores these facts will prove failure.
A school system should awaken cor
rect thought, and a school teacher
should be leader of intellect of his
district. It is true that present popu-
lar approval is not always permanent
success. 1t often happen that he who
only succeeds in arousing personal op-
position, proves eventually to have been
the best teacher.
This district is fortunate. It has no
lawyers. It is true there are some
people who delight in stirring up strife
among their neighbors. But their in
fuence is limited, being neutralized by
the good sense of the community.
It is true, that there are people not
a few, who, if they could litigate at
home, and have the State bear the ex-
pense and pay them besides, would
keep the neighborhood in hot water
perpetually.
But the justices are conservators of
the peace, and so refer them to the
grand jury, and when they must go
seventy or eighty miles, their interest
in the peace and dignity of the State of
Missouri. like Bob Acres valor, oozes
out at the palms of their hands.
But in sizing up district, the church
must not be overlooked. In this dis
trict there are eight places where
prayer is wont to be made, and Metho-
dists, Baptists and Campbellites wrestle
with worn out theories, when called to
grapple with conditions.
Christianity, like its Author, is the
same yesterday, to-day and forever.
But the mode of its presentation to men
varies, so as to connect with the high
est phase of thought in the age, and
among the people to whom it is sent.
The Biblical history of the evolution of
Christianity, is contained in one
sentence. God, who at sundry times
and in divers manners, spoken in times
past unto the fathers by the prophets,
hath in these last days, spoken unto us
by His Son. By this process of evolu-
tion, Christianity has risen step by step,
the tendency in every change being to
simplify.
The incarnation of Christ was not
the end of evolution. 1t only organized
new departure. Up to that time
Truth had been clothed in local image
ry, which those not to the manor born
failing to grasp, cried in agony, "Oh,
that knew where might find Him!"
God stepped out of all the shadows and
called, ..Reach h1ther thy finger and
behold my hands, and reach hither thy
hand and thrust it into my side, and be
not faithless but believing" Then God
appeared as a man standing on level
ground, within arms length, waiting to
be gracious.
From that day to this, in spite of all
the dilatory and fill clustering tactics
of tower building and tabernacle build
| ing, and all the fee-faw-fum of cove
nants of work, and covenants of grace,
election and reprobation. and every
thing else whereby men could wrest
the scriptures and darken counsel by
words without knowledge, Christianity
has crystalized into a few simple facts
understood by all men.
| He that would see Christianity Alright
must take his stand not on Calvary
merely, but at the cross of Christ, and
in the added light of eighteen certu-
ries he will read that Christ lives, died
and reigns to promulgate, vindicate and
apply to the hearts and lives of men
certain great principles. These are
called the foundations of the earth, be-
cause they are that political economy
under which God governs the world.
He sends His Holy Spirit, who is God,
applying redemption to open the under
standing of men, so that they can grasp
the truth of God and purify their con-
science from dead works to the service
of the living God, that they may re-
ceive the truth in the love OF it. So
| that when the grace of God that bring
eth salvation comes unto men, it teach
es them that. denying ungod1iness and
worldly lust, they should walk soberly
and righteously and godly in the midst
of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom they are to shine as lights
in the world, holding forth the word of
life. This presents Christianity in the
indicative mood and present tense, and
embodies the consensus of the heart
and intellect of mankind, and shows
that theory of religion devised to meet
| a certain condition, when that has
passed away, ceases to be the bread Of
life and becomes the husks which the
swine do eat. Churches that glory in
the antiquity of their theories OF relig-
ion in proportion as increased intelli-
gence and improved facilities of
communication raise the people OF the