The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-07-10

culture, the tnOugnt, the lie OF the
village or CITY can be gagged by the
influence of its churches. Our
churches are our best institutions.
Their restraining influence from evil,
their watchfulness of the suffering
and the forsaken, their sympathy
with the afflicted, their fostering care
of all that is upright, their uplifting
of the masses, purifying the thought
and ennobling the aspirations of hui
mainly, their protection to the Ma
ton, cannot be estimated. How many
policeman, think you, it would re-
quire to furnish the protection to a
town or city that is given by the
moral sentiment of the church.
Does any person, not withstanding
his avowed antagonism to every
principle of higher life, wish to
make home in country where
there is no church? There are such
places; is he in haste to remove his
family to them?
Living as he does among these
church influences, Indifferent, un-
sympathetic or opposed to them
still he is the debtor to the church.
Is he excusable for not aiding in its
supports Is the church excusable
for not giving such persons a gra-
cious opportunity to do their duty7
True, he may say am not member
of any church, have no sympathy
with your church or with any church,
therefore am under no obligations
to it. Yet the stern fact remains that
he, for many values received, is still
its debtor.
So long as we are born into this
life inneriting its responsibilities, so
long are we under obligations to full
fill them. We may excuse ourselves,
but the law which we violate will
exact it's penalty. Ignoring response
bitity does not annul responsibility.
Many years ago we listened to a
sermon preached by venerable mes
senger of Christ, the ruling thought
of which was the union of privilege
and duty; that they came together
by the word of the Lord and ought
never to be broken asunder. 1t has
required to us many times that every
privilege brings its corresponding
duty, and while we gladly welcome
the privilege, just as cheerfully let
us perform the duty.
If many privileges which are falsely
termed duties could be rightly placed
in the worlds thought, and per-
formed with the same spirit that
possessed the old shoemaker, who
considered every piece of work as
specially given to him by God and
he was expected to do his best with
tiff such was the spirit, how work
would be glorifedl How the wall
ings of discomfort would be trans
formed into halleluiahs!
Again, habit is creature of growth.
It's power increases with the increas-
ing years. We all acknowledge its
force and the care with which it is
impressed upon the plastic mind of
the young.
Now, if the idea of a proper recon-
pense for values received could be
instilled into the thought and form
ing character of the child, which time
and discipline would develop and
strengthen into a living, active prin-
ciple in the man or woman, what a
transformation would take place in
the worlds life!
Systematic paying, not giving to-
ward the church obligations, with
the same business idea that food,
clothing and the necessaries of life
demand would go far toward settling
the question of church finances.
If child is trained in that habit,
think you that he will not be far
more ready to respond to his church
obligations in the financial lines, than
if he had been accustomed in his
boyhood days to no financial respon-
sibility, and had only known of
church expenses being met by giving
grudgingly?
If people have been in the habit
for years of Systematically meeting
church obligations of any form, the
habit alone will enable them to do
this much easier than it can be done
by those who do the work irregularly.
We havein mind woman whom we
have known over ten years in Califor-
MIA. She maintains a home, sup
ports an invalid husband, has reared
an adopted boy to years of manhood.
This she has accomplished by the
work of her hands alone, and work of
the hardest kind, that of going out by
the day to do washing and house
cleaning. She has been so compe-
font faithful lOval and truatuorth W