The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-06-01

HOWdudys VINO seem uuWlllluS 10 DIS
sumo their religious responsibilities.
We are too often content to repose on
the well known devoutness of our
ancestors.
"Dr. P. was riding in the suburbs of
Buffalo with his small boy and stopped
at tavern to water his horse. The
child watched the operation intently,
and evidently thinking it clumsily man.
aged piped out:
Papa, why doesn't the horse take the
pail up with his feet and drink"
"Why, he isn't made that way"
"Why not?"
well, God didn't see fit to make him
So"
"Why didn't God make him so?"
"Ah. that beats me. How should /
know"
The infants respect for his father
! clearly suffered. well" he said after
moments hesitation, "I'll ask grandma.
| She knows God.' -Bufalo Commercial.
/ am afraid there are numerous in
stances like this, where ''Grandma"
knows God, but the rest of the family
do not Such a state of things is
surely to be regretted, for its effect
on the children, and on all the inter
ests of the home. 1t does not indi-
cate that truth and faith and love are
persisted out of the earth. Religion
cannot so easily be driven out of the
hearts of mankind. The sweet and
reverent face of the grandmother, in
her serene old age, is picture paint
ed in colors that cannot be effaced.
It will reappear in her descendants
as they work their own salvation.
But it would be well for this genera
ton to cherish the picture, and to
cultivate active and earnest religious
life, so that it lose not the present
happiness of the kingdom, the joy
and peace of believing.
To the church this spiritual life is
absolutely essential. 1t is the imper-
alive condition of it's existence.
Whatever else the church may be, it
is first of all the temple of the Holy
Spirit. It is the seat of Gods pres
ence. 1t is the resting place of the
Shekinah of the Covenant. No church
can fail so long as it possesses some
spark of divine fire.
Another spiritual condition of pros
perity is an enthusiastic belief in the
object for which the church stands.
No great undertaking was ever car
ried out to successful consumma-
ton without faith, burning with emo
ton. Earpestness of purpose must
be backed by earnestness of convic-
ton. The world is not too poor to
excavate the Nicaragua canal, or erect
a bridge across the English channel,
but the capitalists who command
money and credit are not yet fully
persuaded of the usefulness of those
vast public works. When faith is
established, success will fellow. The
Church of Christ has splendid
record of magnificent achievements,
nobly planned and carried out. In
it's early days there were many pro-
fessed believers who expected the
Second Advent, the new heavens and
the new earth. Then spoke Origen,
the man of Adamant:
do not idly dream away these
precious years. Do not sit down and
wait for the Millennium. Go forth and
preach the Gospel. Convert the
world. The Son of Man will conquer,
when the Empire accepts his truth"
And as the church awoke from it's
dream, and went forth to win the vic
tory of the faith, it converted the
Roman empire. 1t evangelical the
nations. 1t organized itself into a
mighty power. It carried on the
Crusades. 1t produced not only
priests and bishops, but also scholars,
artists and poets. 1t built those
stupendous and exquisite cathedrals,
which are still the wonder and adj
miration of the traveller.
And all these marvels the church
accomplished because it had faith
enthusiastic belief in it's creed and in
its mission.
The church that is alive and wide
awake is moreover united by strong
bond of fellowship. Its members are
as brothers and sisters and they find
mutual pleasure in the associations
of the religious tie.
They are unselfsh and elf-sacrific-
ing, willing to labor for good ends,
willing to give and to strive, and
growing daily in the graces of the
Christian life.
We have thus FAR been considering
church prosperity as to what it signi-
fies in its conditions. 1t may not be
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