The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-12-03

Al ANo"s H. "A o103hGoG
of Young Mems Christian associations
and tract societies and Sunday school
unions and pronounced undenomina-
tionai Journals to snow the fafsity of
the charge that we are fighting among
ourselves by gathering all Christian de-
nominations on one platform orlaunch-
ing the united sentiment CT all Christ
| endom from one style Of religious print
ing press.
| Unity, complete unityi Never was
any other army on earth SO thoroughly
united under one flag and inspired by
one sentiment and led by one comman-
der as Is the church militant Christ
| commands aIl the troop of all denomi-
nations of Christians, and they are 60
ing to shout together in the final vic
tory when the whole world isredeemed.
| But We AVE in all our denominations
got tired Of trying to make other peo-
pie think as we do on al points. The
here5y hunters in all denominations ara
nearly all dead, thank God, and we are
learning that when men get wrong in
their faith, instead of martyrizingthem
by Arrangement we do better to wait
for the natural roll of years to remove
them. Men die, but the truth lives on.
We may not all agree as to the number
of teeth in tine jawbone with which
Sampson slew the Philistines, or agree
as to what vas the exact color of the
foxes which he set on fire to burn up
the corn shocks, but, on the yitals of
religion, we all agree.
If we could call into one great on
vention the 645,5 $50 Episcopalians, the
1,42O, 9G5 Lutherans,+ the 1,460, 346 Pres
byterians, the 4,153,S57 Baptists, the
5,653,289 Methodists, putting unto them
the following questions, we would get
unanimous swe in the affirmative:
Do you believe in a God, good, holly,
just, o~mnipotent? Do you believe
in Jesus Christ as a Saviour?
Do o believe in the convict
ing, converting and sanctifying power
of the Holy Ghost? Doyou balievethat
the Gospel is going to q all ma
tons? If you should put these ques-
tiOns to those assembled millions on
millions, while there would not be SOL
ltary negative, there would be an aye,
aye, aye, loud enough to make the foun-
dations of the earth rtremble and the
arches of the heavens resound. Let
there be platforms, let there be great
occasions let there be undenominational
printing presses to n forth the
unity Of all Christendom. One Lord.
One faith. One baptism. One God and
father. One Jesus Christ. One Cross.
One leave
So also there is room for a religious
journal that stands for liberty as
against all oppression. 30 authority
political or ec~clesiastic. must be per-
mitted to make us believe this or that.
Liberty of the Armenian to worship
God Independent of the Turkish gov
Liberty of Cuba as against
Spanish domination. Liberty of Ha-
as against all ~monarchical au-
thority which it has thrown off. Civil
liberty. Political liberty. Religious
liberty.
The religious journal on whose
severDth anniversary 1 preach has had
FOR its owner and publisher one who in
his ancestry experienced just the oppo- !
site. His father, an exile from his ma
tive land because of his opinions, his
c~onfiscated, his life imperiled
landed on American soil bereft of every !
thing that foreign oppression could rob
him of. Naturally his son knows right |
WeH how to appreciate liberty. The
most Of us are decended from those
who imperiled all to gain their natur-
al and religious rights. Let the type |
and the printing presses and the edi-
tors chair be Overthrown which dare to |
surrender to any attempt again to put
on the shackles. The movement has
started for the demolition of all the
tyrannies of church and state. Relig-
lous newspapers must stand shoulder |
TO shoulder in this mighty march for J
and the worlds rescue.
OLD FASHIONED EVANGELISM.
Again, IN this seventh anniversary
[ say there is room for a religious pa
per charged with old fashioned evan
Other styles Of religious news
paper may do for advertising purposes
Or for the presentation Of able essays
On elaborate themes, but if this world
IS ever brought to God it will bethrOugn
unqualified, unadulterated, unmixed,
lnmistakable evangelism. It was as
founding that the Lord Almighty
have gone into great bereave-
submitting to the loss of his
'nly son, that Son stepping off the door
'1l or heaven into a darkness and an
that no plummet has ever yet
oeen able to fathom, and through that
'uneral of the heavens life is Offered to
he world. But how to get The tidings !
o all people and in such an attractive
way that they viii take hold of them lis
he absorbing question. The human
'oice can travel only a few feet away,
nd the world wants something further
nd wider reaching, and that is the
press, and as the secular
must necessarily give itself chief
y to secular affairs let the religious
newspaper give itself to the present
nd everlasting salvation of all who
read or, if not able to read, have
ars to hear others read. If there be
n opportunity higher, deeper, grander, ]
han that offered to newspaper evan
elism. name it and guide us to it, that
re may see IT'S affairs, its pillars. it's
ONES. its inflnitude.
Again, On this seventh anniversary !
T the Christian Herald I notice there i
room for a religious paper thorough c
7 humanitarian. The simple fact is
ne majority Of the human race have s
OF enough to eat or wear. The ma e
of the human race are in trouble. =
to multiply loaves of bread and q
lcrease the fuel and heal the wounds i
shelter the homeless are questions c
lat Christ met equally as soon as he
ID spiritual necessities. The first heart d"
respond to the cry Of sufferers from