The Portland daily press., 1898-01-22

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discs of devotion and in acts OF charlty
using all cody and sober conversation.
Some of the churches, l am glad TO say
not or my own communion, by this use
| OF sensationalism, are not only demorailz-
ing the community but are commi6tihe
| suicide: After every earthly means mas
been tried and the end Of sensatlonallslh
comes as it surely will, the last condlGlon
Of that church afflicted with it, Will pc pc
worse than the first. The minister VIII
nnd that the curiosity seekers have uaKeh
themselves to greater attractions. ne
VIII have demoralized church on hls
| hands, not able to hold and save It's own
children
| If you darken room and then let in
single ray of sunlight andgpass it..through
asgIass prism what is called the solar
spectrum will be cast on the screen LIZ
will be found tha5 the ray of sunlight
contains colors rivalling the colors OF the
rainbow. If a prism of gold is used III
the experiment it will foil to do what the
glass prism did because it is not trans
parent. In this dark and sin-cursed
world the church must be like trans
parent prism rejecting the light of divine
truth. The moment the church assumes
any other work she is shorn of her glory
and her strength. A sures sign of the
purity of glass is its transparency and
clearness. tits as true of the church as
1t is of glass. st. James says:
1.-THE wisdom that is from above Ia first
pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to
be entreated, tree of many and good
fruits, without Partially and without
hypocrisy" "And the fruit of righteous
ness is sown in the peace of them that
make peace. ;" There are good many
fantastic notions of what constitutes a
pure church. Suffice it to say that they
are unscriptural and unchristian. Purity
has first Of all to do with intention. If
man sincerely and honestly intends to
do right, he will do right. Now divine
grace will purify human intention. A
| man pure intention tmay make mis-
takes of judgmentIand therefore live an
| imperfect life when it is measured by the
divine standard, yet he may be pure
man nevertheless. Add to purity OF IN
| tention, purity of love, and you have
man easy to be entreated. gentle, peace
able, full of mercy and good works.
What is true of the individual Is true OF
| the church. 1t must possess purity OF
intention and purity of love to accom-
plish the work God intends it to do.
After all l have said it may seem like
a strange statement to make to say that
| am firm believer5in sensational preach
ing. But it is not of the sort I have been
speaking of. There is nothing that pro-
duces greater sensation than truth. The
simpler and palmer the presentation Of
that truth.t greater will be the sensation
it produces. 1t was the simple preaching
of the truth that gave the apostles their
mighty power.
What WAS the nature of apostolic preach
ing? ST. Paul says "We were bold in our
God to speak unto you." The apostles
were bold speakers. They were not physi-
cally violent. they possessed the courage
of their convictions and SO were able to
speak the truth There is very little bold
preaching in these days. Sceptioism is
bold, SO is criticism and indifference. But
the gospel has assumed pale and neutral
tint. ST. Paul was not afraid of con-
tention. He says eve were bold in our
God to speak unto you the gospel of God
with much contention" The spirit OF
contention in this age is a mild thing In
comparison with the same spirit in the
apostolic age. But above the tun1ult was
heard the clear voice of truth speaking
words of tenderness and love, of pity and
compassion. The apostolic exhortation
twas not of deceit, nor of uncleanness,
nor in guile.' There was no attempt to
make the gospel of Christ a mere trick:
The gospel that lives by trickery will
perish by triekery. St. Paul plainly says
ESQ we speak not as pleasing. men but
God, which trieth our hearts, "Neith-
err at any time used we aattering words. =
This most courteous of men was at the
same time the most candid and truthful
of men. But this model preacher says
"Nor of men sought we glory" The
ministry of the church should receive the
respect the honor aud love due to the
position it occupies. But the glory be-
longs to God.
But there was positive side to the
apostolic ministry. St. Paul says, "We
were gentle among you 'Afectionately
desirous of you." There are nurses that
can be.hired for gold but the love of a
mother is above price. Her gentleness
and love is as lasting as her life. The
church is our spiritual mother and her
care and love must express itself toward
her children in the spirit the men show
who serve at her affairs. But how did tho
church receive such>a ministry in apos-
toIic times. ST. Paul says of the Thessa-
Ionians, We received it "not as the word
Of linen, but as it is in truth, the word OF
| God There is a vast difference between
| the word of man and the word Of God.
Words, phrases, sentences which men use
| are as tie shell to the mutt The word OF
| God must be within the word of man.
! The shell is to be thrown away but the
kernel is to be eaten. When the word of
| man is silent and forgotten, the word of
| God which it represented and conveyed is
| lodged in good and honest hearts and will
spring upland bear fruitsan III undred fold.
In my Judgment the only preaching
| that can accomplish lasting and profound
good is Biblical. Such preaching can
never become monotonous OF insipid. A
pulpit built upon Invention, cleverness,
| ingenuity, audacity and originality must
! be self humiliated and self destroyed. To
me the Bible is Divine Revelation. En-
| throned amid the infinite blaze of un-
mum bered suns is the infinite God who
made them. he will reign when all
created things shall pass away. | accept
| the revelation of his will as complete and
final / come to it with no preconceived
notionssofssits origin and inspiration. l do
not attempt to time the rising of the san
by my watch. 1 set my watch by the sun.
Nor do I attempt to adjust the Bible to
my thought. My thought must be ad-
| justed toythe Bible. ! know that the sun
SHINES because the proof of its shining is
about me on every side. I also know that
the Bible is.the revealed will of God be-
cause it carries proof of this thought on
every page. Theory and dogma. doctrine
andFcontroversy. orthodoxy and hetrodoxy
may change with the changing thought
of man, but the word of the Lord abideth
| forever. And upon this word build my
faith, Nay more. from this word l take
the message God gives me to speak to my
| feilowmen. The effect of that message I
am content to leave in the hands of him
who gave it.