The record-union., 1897-07-10
CONVENTION OF THE
CHRISTIAN BNDBAVORERS.
tContinued from First PageJ

this transaction. If you can offer an
excuse for imperfectly keeping the
pledge the society has no jurisdiction
in the matter. Your own conscience III
the solemn light Of your promise 10
Christ must approve or condemn.
'Secondly-You are to keep TINS
pledge in His strength trusting III
the Lord Jesus Christ for strength.
The strength which comes from Jesus
is life. He strengthens from Withlh'
and not from without. 1t is the dlfer-
ence between the tree standing erect
because of the life that courses through
its trunk, and the tOttering wall sup
ported by means of external pressure.
The one is strong in the strength Oh uh-
seen power; the other is kept from col
lapse only so long as ii is buttresSed- IL
is the difference between the law ana
the gospel; the one seeking allegiance
trough command and penalty, the othef
through the importation Of life, renew
ing the heart and Strengthening the
will Jesus offers unto US life, ana II IS
in the strength of this life we are made
able to keep the pledge. And keeping
the pledge thus in the strength of life
the strength which comes from Christ
we have liberty The pledge is not
kept under a sense of restraint, but be-
cause it is the inclination OF spiritual
life thus to express itself. 1t is the
principle taught by the story of Ulysses
and Orpheus in passing the Isle of the
Sirens.
You are to seek His approval in the
keeping of the pledge: Whatever He
a. t.
thing to do duty because commanded;
it is quite another thing to do it with
the view of winning the approval Of one
whom you love. In the one case there
may be only the recognition of statu-
tory enactment; in the other case there
is the recompense of a person whose
favor you earnestly desire. The one is
the obedience of the slave who fears
penalty; the other is the obedience of
loving son, who is seeking a smile
What would Jesus like to have me do?
is the question of one who feels the
sentiment:
Nor is there aught more fair
Than is the smile upon his face"
ct is told of a Frenchman who
fought in the Napoleonic wars that on
every battlefield, when tempted to play
the coward or to shirk duty, he whis-
pered the magical word. 'Francais,' and
then pressed on to victory. What
would my country like to have me do?
was his inspiration. So when you are
tempted to neglect any duty mentioned
in the pledge, when you feel like giving
up and going back, whisper Jesus
that sweetest name on mortal tongue,
and 10! you shall be strong again.
Finally, the pledge is a stereotyped
reminder Of our Christian obligations.
1t is true that the pledge requires moth
ing more than is involved in our pri-
mary acceptance of Christ, but that
surely is no objection to the pledge.
Can it be hurtful to make explicit that
which is implicitly declared by US in
our original acceptance of Christ? Can
it be harmful to crystalline that which
our confession Of Christ holds in solu
ton? Is it dangerous to stereotype a
conceded duty that thus the duty may
be made palmer and more emphatic?
The pledge is simply putting in black
and white certain known Christian OBJ
ligations-the making of them visible
that we may constantly be reminded
of them. 1t sustains to our Christian
vows the relation which the wedding
ring does to our marriage VOWS One
may be married without the wedding
ring, but the ring simply emphasizes
the vows of love, and is an ever present
reminder of those vows. So the pledge
is a constant reminder of the souls
VOWS to Christ. 1t speaks to us from
the walls of our churches; if confronrs
US on our prayer-meeting cards; it
looks upon US from the pages of our
Christian Endeavor journals. It says
to us in language we may read-in our
native tongue-in simple words that a
child may Understandable is what
your acceptance of Christ means; this,
in brief, is your original obligation put
before you In definite form. Read and
remember and act
What a gloriously successful Chris
tian life the keeping of this pledge
would make! The world then will take
knowledge of US truly that we have
been with Jesus
DR. Powell was followed by Rev. w.
H. G. Temple of Seattle, Wash, who
spoke of Committee Work. and said
he feared that those who thought they
could sing themselves into everlasting
in everlasting blister. Christian En-
deavor," said he, SIS something which
puts a work to do into the hands of
every member Jesus Christ is the
most practical master that ever put
servants to work Our duty may not
be loud-mouthed thing at all; it may
be something that Will knock two or
three stories off our self-conceit.
What do I mean by sentiment? A
brook is a sentiment as it comes dane
ing down the hillside, but turn it into
millrace and it becomes a service
May we learn that Christian Endeavor
is not formulation of but a following
after Christ
Mr.. Temple was jocular almost to the
END, but his closing peToration was an
impassioned oratory. and he spoke of the
Christ who came to serve and save the