The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-02-07
ADDRESS BY DIR, ,RAINSF0RD
BEFORE THE MEMS CLUE At THE
UNITED CHURCH.

Speaks or the Subject: "Fishers of Men,"
ard Urges the Need of Greater Indi-
viduaI Activity Among Christian People
Says Many Ideas of Christianity To-day
Will be Considered Heathenish Later.
Rev. DR.. w. S. Rainsford of New
York spoke before the Mems club in
the United church last evening. Ev-
cry seat in the house was occupied and
many stood throughout the address.
DR.. Rainsford spoke on the subject
Fishers of Men," and in the course of
his address he dwelt at length ON the
duty of Christians to devote them
selves to the salvation of the world.
He said that the people of this country
to-day are tired with the mass of du-
ties which are placed upon them. They
are wearied with the constant round of
pleasures. They are wearied with their
constant exertions to make money.
They are wearied with the demands
made upon them by constantly in
creasing duties in political affairs. They
feel the need of greater freedom, of an
inspiration to serve others to become
fishers of men and not mere seekers of
their own ends.
Jesus Christ was fisher of men. He
believed that He could find good in
men and women and sought it among
"a
because He sought it. What band
of great helpers He gathered about
Him from out Of the common people.
The church of Christ was founded and
exists for the purpose of saving men
whether in ages of bgotry or of liber-
alism. Still it's object has been to save
men and the constant effort of it's
members should be to find out new
ways of fishing for men, even though
others disagree with them and brand
them as heretics and by other hard
designations.
Jesus Christ expects, however, that
we shall serve Him individually and
not alone through an organization.
though this is right also. Men are so
constituted that they cannot be reach
ed and saved except through the ef-
forts of their fellow men. Jesus Christ
recognized this fact in His mission to
the world. He found the Jewish
church the most venerable because
of it's age, the best organized and con-
tanning the best people of the time, and
yet He was unable to make use Of it.
1t lacked the force which should have
inspired every member of it to seek in
dividually the salvation of men. We
have no right to be idle or Indifferent
because this is the most advanced age,
but should endeavor to do still more.
Many men feel that in becoming
fishers of men it is necessary for them
to give up all their other aims in life.
1t is not this at all that Christ asks
us to do He asks us to inspire our aims,
not to change them Let the man be
a doctor, or lawyer, or farmer, as he
planned before, only let him aim to be
inspired that he may catch men. Many
men try to put in substitutes, but there
is no such thing in fishing for men as
putting in substitutes.
DR.. Rainsford said that it was the
worst of cant to say that a man was a
good family man and that he had this
virtue and that virtue when, as is often
the case, he was most iniquitous in the
counsels of the nation. Passive virtues
will not do. Jesus Christ demands
that our whole lives be inspired in His
service and that we have active vir-
tues To excuse mans sin in one re-
spect by saying that he is a good fam
lily man is the same as the attempt of
the young man who came to Jesus and
boasted of his having kept the COM
mandments. He had sinned against
| God.
| In closing, DR.. Rainsford said that
he believed that in the future many of
| the ideas held by Christianity to-day
| would be looked upon with scorn and
that it's view regarding money making
and the use of money will be looked
upon as heathenism.