The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-07-21

Iuuly IL lii IIlSlld IS not StdnQlnS, u Is nONlH IL fo
not receiving, but giving. Would that we all might real
ize this. How many of us have been attending the services
of the church all our lives, receiving instruction and Partak-
ing of the Holy Communion in the hope that we may be
freed from sin, and saved. Our whole thought is about
what we received, OAR own salvation that we hope to attain.
Little wonder that We remain but babes in the christian
life we need to for;ake the attitude of standing, of recelv-
ing, and to take thai knowledge and truth we have received
and put it into practice in our lives, and give it to others.
We have been concerned too much about our own salvation
we have made our religion absolutely selfish. We need to
turn our thoughts away from self, and think of the welfare
and salvation of others. Then indeed we will be our
selves saved, because we will be freed from selhshness, and
selhshness is sin-tfat from which all men need salvation.
ask therefore every person present that he do not SIMPLY
stand and listen but that he also 60 forward and act and
speak. l ask it for the sake of the church which needs
his aid l ask it fer his own sake, because in no other
way can he become a sharer in, a partaker of christianity.
| ask, then, that you do not simply stand and hear, but
that you do put into practice that which you receive. l
ask that you do this very positively, very definitely. 1t IS
not enough that you be as good as other men that as
you mete out justice to every man, you IN return de-
mand justice at the hand of every man. This is not chris
titan conduct. The trouble with. the world, to-day, is that
men insist on their rights. Men, to-day, insist on the right
they have to force to the wall some one who is unfortunate,
and unable to meet his obligations, although to do so is to
bring ruin upon him. Christianity says Look not every
man on his own things, but every man also on the things
of Others" If justice has any place in christian conduct,
lit is a Justice tempered with mercy, and love and forbear-
ance. Allow me to commend to you this as being a summing
up of Christ's teaching on conduct Think only of your
duties, and not at all of your rights. Let men but act on
this principle, and rights would cease to exist, and only
duties be left. Let not, then, your attitude be that OF one
simply who stands to hear, but, one who goes forward to
lact.
Engage, then, in some active, definite, christian, and
church work. For the lack of some definite church
work men lose their interest in religion, and their
whole christian life is weak and hating. My friends, I'M
It'll you do engage in christian work, you can never be hearty,
enthusiastic churchmen What would you think of a men,
Der of a society who never opened his mouth to say word
lin its behalf, who did nothing to advance its interest |?
What do you think of a christian of whom the same may
be said? Do you ask what work there is in this commun-
lily to be done This is a church-gong community, and
yet there are persons here who do not 60 to church regu-
larly. Why not, then, if you. think these services are worth
anything, if they bring to you any spiritual grace-Why
not, quietly and unobtrusively, as opportunity may offer,
extend an invitation to others to attend service? Do you
ask for opportunities for engaging in church work! Our
branch of the Woman's Auxiliary does not embrace in its
membership all the ladies of the parish. Our choir would
be glad o<welcome recruits. Our Sunday school ought to
have more pupils. Men to-day are being tempted to SIN,
and are giving away to temptation. There is no lack OF
opportunity for work. why stand we then gazing up into
heaven ~
But again, the apostles might have answered, perhaps,
that they preferred to be with Christ where He was, to see
His glory and majesty, to associate with Him and thus to
partake of His truth, and goodness and love. They might
have said that men about them were sunken in ignorance,
and unclean living; degraded therefore and repulsive, and
that with such men they had nothing IN common; they
would therefore remain with Christ. Such a feeling as this
is very natural, and yet l tell you it is utterly false to the
spirit and genius o. christianity. To take such a position
and attitude is to stand, and receive, and enjoy and to re-
fuse to impart to others. To do so is to lead a life wholly
different from thai of Christ, who, being endowed with
marvellous gifts, went about freely dispensing to those who
lacked them, to those who had need of them. Natural
then as is this disposition, it is false and one that we need to
guard against. Christianity is always in danger of resolv-
ing itself into a ccterie, a club of those who have con-
genial tastes; to become exclusive therefore, if not in name
yet in fact and feeling, and so to lose all touch and sym
pathy with a weary and sin-laden humanity; so to forget
utterly that it has any duty to perform for humanity, a duty
10 raise it, to save it. In order that the church may avoid
this error, it is necessary that you its members should
avoid it. Let me ask, then, that truth which you have, is
it a barrier between you and sinners-not between you and
sin, observe it ought to be a barrier between you and sin
but is it a barrier that stands between you and sinners,
cutting you off wholly from love and sympathy for them /?
If so, that whit you have is not the religion of Jesus Christ.
Infinitely pure and holy, He was the friend, the associate
of publicans and sinners, while you, yourself a sinner, al
low what truth and religion you have to come between you
and lost humanity. The most unchrstian lives in any
community are perhaps those of men of unquestioned in
tegrity, of unimpeachable character, who are hard and
nlerciless in their concentrations, not merely OF wrong
doing, but of wrong-doers. Their lives are most unchris-
tian because they do most completely fail in understanding
and exercising that love and compassion which our Lord
always manifested towards MISREPRESENTATION some
timec Of the lowest and most DEGRADED tVDe. Let