The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-12-05

some of our young people to other
churches. A sufficient number of
cases have come under my notice to
warrant generalization. In a very
few instances, social considerations
or intellectual prediction to ultra
radical thinking has led them into
our sister liberal church, but by far
the larger number of the young who
have gone from us have found their
way to evangelical churches. In some
cases whole families of children, de-
votedly reared in our faith, do thus
drift away from the church of their
father and mother. Our leaders have
been laundering away against the
evangelical creeds, convincing the
heads of Christendom, till the old
forts are indeed crumbling into ruins,
yet the garrisons remain intact, and
now and then are recruited from our
own forces.
We lose sometimes those that
we need most, the thoughtful, the
earnest, the consecrated. In not a
single instance of the many that have
come under my observation has the
change been brought about from in
tellectual reasons of creed or doc
trine. They have found elsewhere a
preaching and an atmosphere more
stimulating to their spiritual life.
The religious motives are stated in a
way that appeals to them more feel
ingly. Believe me, the strength OF
the evangelical churches never was,
and is not now, in their creeds, but
despite their creeds, in the inculca-
ton of loyalty and devotion to the
Son of God
The Universalist Church has in its
keeping the grandest faith ever
preached to men, infinite in it's pos
sibilities for good. We have of nee
essity been a controversial church,
but that day is over; our strength
will become our weakness unless we
use our creed to bring the spir of
the living Christ home to the hearts
of our people.
The minister that would be help
full to the young in his discourse
m st never forget the mighty truth
80 often rrpe ated, Devotion 10 tire
personal Christ is tie moving power
of all religion" Thank God we are
beginning to feel this already in the
life of our church. Our recent liter
ature is full of it, our ministers are
kindled by it; the Up. G. U. is salts
flying the religious instincts of our
young people and has already re-
turned to us many whom we thought
lost.
We are being led back to Christ,
y6b bu0 OulNOI5dllob OuuiCH oblll
needs prophet, John the Baptist,
whose mighty influence shall carry us
anew to the matchless life, whose
voice shall echo in our heart of
hearts as he speaks his Ecce Homo,
Behold the Lamb of God," the way
of strength and power to the individ-
ual and the church.
in suggesting thought of the
helpful sermon, | would not, for one
moment, be considered as without
appreciation of the clergy of our
church. The grandest work to which
men are called Is that of the Chris
tan ministry. Rich are it's deserts
and rich its rewards. The minister,
full of faith and aglow, like Moses
and Elias of old, with the lustre that
shines from the TRANSPORTED Christ,
brings to us in the pews the spoken
word of the sermon as the message
of the Infinite to man. Brethren of
the laity, the fruitage of this word
can only come in good soil. We
must furnish responsive hearts, not
critical heads. The helpful sermon
must be worked out into life by us.
We have consecrated ministry, let
us be consecrated people.
sLo! here the man that hath seen the Wis
ion,
The portent holy and marve Gus,
And yet remaineth a man like us,
Albeit nobler in his decision,
Or shade more gentle and piteous.
60! here the man that hath seen the
Splendor
And still remaineth man like us.
No mystic silent and marvellous,
But with kindly word and blithe song or
tender
To tighten the march laborious.
"And we know not sometimes till we read
his story
In the light of his dying, not till
then,-
That the marvel of marvels is wrought us,
when
God hides, as the growth of once seen
glory,
A saint and hero as man with men,"