Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-11

other purposes fmaginable-all worthy, all
in,portant-all dear and holy TO Christian
souls. But out of all: for precision
gle aim of seeking and finding
young men, and bringing them to Christ In
HIS church In particular way and by a
definite line Of action. And the method
was an important part of the purpose. 1t
was not the society. the brotherhood. which
was to do the work: It was to be done by
the separate individual labors and efforts
OF It's several members. So l was not quite
right In saying that the aim of the society
was to seek and bring young men to Christ
Its real aim and purpose as a society is to
enlist. and hold tlgether. and stimulate
and help the individual men who were,
each in his single person, to be the seekers.
] well remember how, in the birthdays of
the brotherhood, / was impressed by the
promise of power IN this singleness of pur-
pose and the simple grandness of this idea
of individual action. Here thought God s
blessing will come; here, IL only they can
tenaciously hold to this absolute simplicity
Of directness-here will be one of the might
lest auxiliaries the church has ever found
1t seemed almost an inspiration that SO
caught and applied the very soul of ST.
Andrews pattern. One single soul goes
after one single brother with the one single
purpose of bringing that one to Christ
Here. certainly. was our first requsite-a
purpose, definite and worthy.
The Brotherhood and the Clergy.
After considering the ideas and work of
the brotherhood at the beginning. following
the example Of St. Andrew. of private. per-
sonal, single-handed, unobtrusive Christian
work, the bishop went on:
But let me ask you frankly: Is it as
clear, as absolute in the life, the practice
the present actual working of the brother
hood? 1 am not q member of it. / have
to be exclusively layman's association
and work. The clergy are already bound
by their special VOWS to the seeking and
saving of souls. 1 am very confident that
the brotherhood would be today a far
stronger and more efficient power if no
clergyman had ever been permitted to be-
come member. But do not think there
Is any one who loves it more than / do,
or who longs more for it's fullest success.
SO, speaking as a friend outside, and with
all the love of your Father In God 1 look
from a standpoint different from yours
and may see some things which YOU DO not
IF l am right in thinking that at the
first the brotherhood was formed and an
nounced as a society Of young men for
seeking young men, then let me ask you
to consider whether you did not lose sin gle
ness, lose directness lose power, when, to
some extent, You practically dropped that
word young with the idea of enlarging
your work. 1 know how plausible, how
seemingly sound the argument Why shut
out older men, II We can do them good? If
on my way to find some young man | find
an old man whom i may help why not?
Andrew. the fisherman. is my answer, with
his absolute, personal singleness of aim
He had clear and very definite purpose
He wanted Simon. He no doubt met others.
passed others whom he might have helped
as he was seeking him; but they did not
deta1n him. He had one distinct duty be-
fore him, and for that time, one only
Il may be mistaken, but as L watch with
loving heart and loving eyes, / think / see
process Of change in purpose and in work,
going on almost without your conscious
ness. 1 have asked of rectorS, What rs
your chapter of the brotherhood doing?
DO its members really and fully obey their
foundation rules? Are they, by individual
personal work and prayer, actually seeking
and bringing young men TO Christ in the
church" And the answer in most cases
has been, oh, no. there is not enough of
that kind Of work to occupy them In fact.
there is very little If any, of it done But
they manage my Sunday school; they con-
duct mission; they visit the HOSPITALS and
hold services for me there; l call upon them
as lay readers when want them: they are
my best general helpers, my right-hand
men, ready for every good work All very
pleasant for the rectors in their appareut
present needs; and l may be very much
mistaken in my fears. But before the pro-
cess of change goes so far as to get beyond
your control, let me ask you, members of
the brotherhood, to face the question fair
ly and decide whether you are to be general
church workers, to get back to and to
hold fast to the magnificent simplicity of
one particular line of work and one way
of doing it. God guide you to the right
answer.
And if my voice could reach those many
rectoTs in whose charges chapters have been
organized, would implore them notto sac
rifice nor imperil the grand possible future
of the brotherhood; not to tempt it aside
from its grand distinctness and singleness
of purpose.
Let them find some other way for help
ing their parocEial interests and enter
prises, and leave the brotherhood men to
concentrate all their energies upon their
own high aim.
Most earnestly, therefore. dear brethren
because love your work and long for IT.
do L charge you as a brotherhood to hold
fast, as If your very life hung upon it, TO
the grand purpose in which You had your
birth"
The Young Men and the Church.
1T was said some few years ago that the
young men of the nation were very greatly
estranged from the church and from all re-
llgion; showing very great Indifference;
counting 1t more manly to be skeptical
soothing, irreverent: that the church was
left for older men and for women. Is it any
the less true today? 1t is hardly fair to put
that question in this place, where a special
enthusiasm has gatht red young men for an
immediate special purpose. But when i'm
my office as bishop, visit and with anxious
love study the separate focks, / find sad
reason to think that very much remains yet
TO be done. Here end there, indeed, q few
have been touched. But think for your
selves, from what you know of the young
men in city, or town, o. county; as you see
them in society, In business. in their pleas
ures at the clubs; consider their habits of
thinking ard speaking; count them in the
congregations Tor worship; ask them how
they spend their Sundays; find out what
they fead:~ find out, IL you can, hcw much
and what they think. And then ask of your
selves how much real fruit has been gained
Is the result commensurate with your num-
bers? Are there really 1900 young men
praying every day and enthusia stically
working every week, each one to find some
careless one and bring him in? Surely, sure
~, II would be but right TO expect that each
enc would, with Gods help. succeed three
times In year. Imagine 10000 souls thus
found. Multiply 1t into ten years. Multi
ply 1t into fifty. Would not the whole atti-
tude of the young men of the land be
charged? If this pa"ple are to be saved
from the unbelief which sometimes cloaks
itself under the name of science: from the
lnbelief of Indifference which boasts itself
as bread and liberal; from the unbelief of
that shallow pride which thinks it manly
to be ungodly, then the young men, as we'll
as the older men and the women, must be
brought where the hand and the love of the
Master can touch them. But your num-
bers will not Rake your success If they be
not all on fire with holy faith and zeal, that
very confidence in numbers may be disas-
trous.