The record-union., 1898-10-09

the people worship the sun, the fiow-
ers and animals. Travellers going into
their temples find these things occu-
pying prominent positions, and i'm
stantly it is said, these are objects of
worship. But suppose that a person
who had never heard of Christianity,
save that 1T was a great religion hav-
ing many followers, should suddenly be
brought into one of our modern
churches, rich in frescos and stained
glass, and he should see over the altar
an imitation in glass of the sun, some
where on the walls or in another win
dow the figure of lamb, and again a
dove, and yet again a bunch of lilies,
would he not naturally say, Christian
worship the light, the lamb, the dove
and flowers? And some one has called
attention to the cry of the Buddhist in
his worship, o. gem of the Lotus as
being paralleled in the Christian eX-
rressions, o, Lamb of God O, Light
of the World Recognizing the trans
cendent character of Christianity, there
is no occasion for fear in bringing it in
contrast with the best in other relig-
ions, and the Christian method must be
the fair method"
Frederick Campbell, writing in the
New York Evangelist" (Pres.) says:
simultaneously with the dissolution
of country churches, as might have
been expected. there has come about
change in popular habits of church at
| tendance. The existing churches do not
command the attention of the rural
population as they once did. A GER
tain Methodist minister having lately
| returned to a charge which he served
| sixteen years ago. notes the change
within the brief interval; he probably
has more country parishiOnerS than
any other pastor in the same village,
| yet he says that his church sheds-the
! fair measure of rural attendance
which once were hardly sufficient for
| the people, are now three times as
| commodfous AS they need be. There
| are entire districts where it is difficult
| to find a single family with regular
| church. going habits. l myself have
! spent a Sunday afternoon passing
| along q main country thorOughfare,
and calling at every Protestant home
| for a distance of more than two miles
and not finding one family with any
| church relations, and yet all living
within the sound of church bells from
twol to five miles distant"
1T must be remembered" says the
| New York Outlook" that the most
| important work of life is not the dis
| covery Of truth, but the absorption of
| truth into ones nature and its per-
| manent expression in character. One
often learns more in che hour of vision
| than he can make his own in a year of
| living. The mountain SUBMITS are not
| our homes; they are too much exposed,
| and the abr about them is too rare;
| they are for our occasional ascent;
| they show us the distant point to which
we are travelling, but the path we are
| to take runs through the valleys or
along the lower slopes. The SUBMITS
| give us outlooks, but the valleys shell
| ter and feed US. The possession of
great truths is not matter of search
| ing, but of living; and the long, dull
| days which often intervene between
/ our visions are rich in the quiet as
| sdmilation of what we have seen and
in quiet preparation for what We are to
| see. The greater part of the growth
of some plants is accomplished before
the blade sees the light"
''The directest way to serve ones
God and fellow with money" says
| the New York Independent" lis by
providing the influences. which are
| those of the church, that make men
! moral and religious, and, therefore,
! happy. There is no better way than by
supporting mission work at home or
abroad and caring for ones own
| church. Then follow the equally di
! rect but less fundamental methods of
doing good, by endowing colleges, hos
| pitfalls, museums, Libraries and public
| institutions. Such gifts may best be
made during life, but may be made
| by bequest when the giver can hold
them no longer. The grace of the gift
will not be entirely lost. By such uses
as these money achieves Righteousness.
The unrighteouS mammOn becomes
righteous The giver of aims gets
treasure in heaven. So after all,
| money answers all things temporal and
eternal"