The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-11-08


who has put ma in trust with the treas
ures OF uis love and His means of
grace FOR the salvation OF men.
For the salvation OF men This Is
very essential characteristic Of the
Christian gospel. IL is now regeu-
Grating force, applied FIRST TO the in
dividual man and thence TO the mass
Of men, producing In the first instance
Christian character, aud IN the second
Christian civilization And that im-
mense energy OF spiritual propagation
is OF the nature OF the church. because
IL is SO nominated IN the commission;
zoo We into all the world and preach
the gospel TO every creature " he who
uttered these words called himself the
light OF the world; and IL wou q ce|
laundering disloyalty TO put any limit
upon the mission of the church, or to
fail to recognize that by His command
the question OF missions Las received
the eternal closure.
And the fact, the potent and tre-
mendous fact, for us 20 realize, is that
the same infinite force OF leadership
which was in command then, is in
command now. In that respect, the
| frat and twentieth centuries stand to-
gether This sovereign headship OF
1
which puts meaning into the commits
J ION, and that elevate the duty OF
, .sr pagatiou to the front rank OF Chris.
! tiau obligation. 1t is an overwhelm-
n< thought that missions get their
au, u,lority rom, and the church owes
her missio lary responsibility to, one
| whose power is infinite, and whose
supremacy reaches to the soul Of the
hum blest citizen Of HE kingdom; and
| that the only honorable response TO
| that one Is obedience.
| II is well fitted TO Rppal the honest
| Christ an hesrt, to consider that this
majestic power, who sits In the seat OF
authority, aud in whose hands are .he
seepter and the sword, has subjected
| His divine intention 10 win the world
TO the fluctuations OF Christian zeal, so
that hating zeal, though 1t may not
not defeat his purpose, may postpone
the era of His final triumph, and 40
that zeal like that of the first cen
turies would repeat their victories. II
the fact that Christ Is the captain OF
the missionary hosts were infused into
the belief Of Christ, ndom, Christen-
dom would revolutionize It's Christian
ity For our own church ~ would
mean less luxury, less extravaganza Of
expenditure on self, less social Rmbl-
tion, leas pride of wealth, less self.in-
dulgence of every kind 1t would
mean more prayer, more unselhshness
and self.denial, more sympathy with
the poor, the vicious, the outcRst, the
heather; more catholicity OF evRngel-
ism, and less ecclesiastical self-suiiici.
ency; more Of the power OF the Holy
lGhost, and. therefore, the transforma.
ton OF apathy into the spirit OF con
quest.
For frat Of all, and chiefest OF all,
the nam who believes In Christ must
believe in missions, and nuat believe
i'm propagating the gospel. And II he
believe in everything but NIL sious, he
may repeat the creeds, receive the sac
raments, luxurihte himself In the poet
~ OF worship, addict himself to theo-
logical, cRnonical or scriptural knowl-
edge, and still be fecrennt in his duty
TO his Lord.
Wherefore, brethren, I'VE pray that
, your love may abound yet more and
: more in knowledge and In all judg-
ment; that ye may approve things that
are excellent; that ye may be sincere
: and without offense till the day OF
hrist: being filed with the fruits oil
( Righteousness, which are by Jesus
, christ unto the glory aud praise OF
: God
That branch OF the Church Of God
! to which we belong hath the heritage
OF sacred aud toble past in lhe his
tory the English speaking race,
which must be at oice her response
3 uiuty md her glory. Ono year ago
- your bishops met at Lambeth by invi-
tation OF the great a ch bishop who
e uccupi the see Of Canterbury, TO re
ca / IN reverence the ancient traditions
of I church and TO take counsel for
the future Of her great aud growing
} power througho the world. Yet n
Is OF tue very nature Of the catholic
church that her spirit Is restricted to
d no particular language, to no one
E people, 10 no special age and TO nc
separate race. She bears upon her nc
, stamp of Italy or Ed slRnd, no label o.
he fourth century or OF the sixteenth
E century Her spirit is free spirit anC
her catholicity Identifies her in close
a affinity with the genius ami iustitu
r tions Of the people among whom She
. dwells.
And wo are Americans, proud indeed
4 Of our traditions OF law and Liberty a.
I Anglo-Saxons, yet with the hopes an6
e traditions, the privileges and responsi
II
d is ca holie and free-free because abe
o is catholic, and catholic because she i
e free an American church; from cas-
Z TO west, from north TO south, one II
organic tion and government, yielding
d 10 no alien influence and subject TO M
l. foreign control. We have lately Visitei
3 the scene Of her FIRST ministry in thi
- land, at jamestown, and we rejoice II
e the record that from that year OF ou
II Lord 1907 (neariy 800 years ago. TO th'
y other day, when we raised the peac
II cross upon ST. Adams hill, overlookin
/. the city OF Washington, her chiidre
n have grown more and more In love an
re devotion TO our country.
"a To us, therefore, as members Of tn
y American church, must appeal wit
- peculiar force the great events which
~ in the prov dence OF God, have carrie
10 ou- nation into the forefront OF powt
'i among the government Of the eartl
- and compelled her 10 accept large
share Of responsibility In the upliftin
al Of mankind.
us But, most OF all, IL belongs 10 as
'u remind on, brethren beloved in ii
?, Lord, Of that final court Of appeal
oi which, In every opportunity and
oI every perplexity that today cOnfrOi
~ ms, we must carry the questions whic
Ih at this hour and In this land are
'e' Vrayest aud most urgent import.
no the life OF the nation, as Ia the life
u the church, we may not forget that
~ Is not our cleverness, not our wealt
VI ,ct c,,,r mum hers that are "a d determil