The Newtown bee., 1898-02-11

CLCA 9 CApCA IChCC ds COAIaluCu C6pCSlaA- ly In the text is that there must be true religion in the heart before man can impart it to others. He can not give un- less he has first received. The str can rise no higher than it's source. First let there be 8 real conversion of the heart and life, a real turning of one's back up on sin and evil, and the setting of ones face steadfastly towards holiness, and then others may be brought into the same good and safe path.
 Three weeks ago, on the first Sunday after Epiphany, you will remember, we had something to say about the great coDquests
 WHICH CHRISTIANITY HAS ALREADY
 MADE,
 how It's supremacy Is now almC s5 univer- sally acknowledged,a and how Gods name is becoming more known throughout the. earth and great among the heather. There is much encouragement in this thought and the actual facts do justify it But we must not imagine that the prf S. ent condition of the world will justify any relaxation of personal, individual et- fort to make the Christian progress even more than it yet is. In dealing with the great subject of Christian missions VIC can not lose sight uf the great need in heather lands of the knowledge of Christ.
 To-day, however, this last of the Sun. days after Epiphany let us think of 'The need of the Christian world for Christ" We may be nominaly Christians and churchmen without being truly religious. We may live in outward conformity and allegiance to Christ's church without hay ing Christ dwelling in our hearts.
 "When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren" This is the true order to observe. This must be the order for the Christian world today. If only the Christian world first have true religion then they may freely give the true relig- ion to the non-Christian world.
 A short article on this subject appeared in one of our church papers, recently ,and l gladly reproduce some of it's sugges- tious: "The need of the Christian world fer Christ" Not only do heather lands need Christ but Christian lands need Him too. What travesty upon what Chr.s- tianity ought to be is the actual condition of 1t among us. Mohammedanism made it's progress chiefly by the ksword.
 The weapons of Christ's warfare are love and holiness. How much more love and how much more holines are needed among the nominal Christians of to-day We spe4k of the need of money for on the work of missions, this is right and necessary, it must be had and 1t ought to be given, but if only Christ by His love and holiness were iA power in Christians then they would feel that they must evangeli- ze the world, the money would be forth coming as matter of course, it could not l be held back. Let us remember that the real winning of the world to the al- 1 Iegiance of Christ will be accomplished I not by force, nor by war and battles, not by lron-clad gun'boats, not by na sional developments, not by eommercisl I not even by intellectual pro- zress, but by moral and spiritual forces lGd by these alone.
 Let us try to gee, then, in what re. spects the Christian world may be truly said to be
 IN NEED OF CHRIST.
 And, first, take the department of Cover nent. Ia 1t truly Christian in spirit and l purpose? Is it administered in the name l of Christ? Ia the idea of human brother hood, so forcibly emphasized by Christ kept clearly in view in national life and in international policy? There are the many thousands of suffering Armenians being mastered, ravished, ! aayed alive, and subjected to all imagi- nable kinds of indIgnity and torture by l a fanatical and half-civilized power, and l