The Portland daily press., 1899-08-14
REV. DIR. MERRILL.
He Occupied His old Pulpit at the
second Parish Yesterday.

Rev. James G. Merrill, d. d., Dean Of
Fisk University, and for long time
editor Of thu Christian Mirror. preached
yesterday In his old pulpit at the Second
Parish Congregational church. Fisk
University, which Is located at Nashville,
Tenn, is one Of the greatest insti tutions
for the education Of the colored people
In America. 1t has large faculty, good
buildings and prosperous alumni.
In Dr. Merrill's sermon yesterday his
text was the parting injunction Of Jesus:
Go ye unto all the world and disciple
the nations" After q brief introduo-
tion describing the scene whom this ut
terance was made and tho germinal char
acteristios of our Lords words were
AFFIRMED, the preacher announced his
theme, Our Lords latest utterance In the
light of the la test century.
The first point mads by the speaker
was that the world has never seen an
hour when to disciple men to Jesus eignI-
fed so much as at the dawn Of the TWEEN
tieth century. All things pale before
personally. The personal Christ is the
regnant thought in present theology. For
che last 80 years there has been an en-.
thusiastic and thorough study Of Christ's
life hitherto unequalled. No library Is
complets without its modern lives of the
Nazarene. The book which ranks In
the number of copies sold TO Uncle Toms
Cabin, and bidS far to surpass even that,
is simple story of the Christ life, iittsd
int1 present day conditions. Hoffman
A
truth that in no way is the gcdhood of
Jesus more fully brought to view than by
depicting his perfect manhood, All this
makes Jesus's command to disciple su-
perlative. Ethusiasin for his personality
awakens devotion that doctrines ard
duty the motives Of the past, could not
arouse.
The second point made By the sermon
was that 'the nations'' had meaning
today such as 1t never has had In the
past. The solidarity of humanity, the
accessibility Of the nations, the value OF
the ethnio philosophies ard chafecteris-
tics in building up completed world
life, ths perils to all natioIH attendant
upon neglect Of any single nations were
dwelt upon ard the conclusion reached
that at the present moment no man with
4 broad horizon could fall of being
aroused to the depths of his being by
Jesus's appeal for the entire world
The last part of the discourse had par
ticular reference to the work OF Fisk
University, Of which the speaker is dean.
He said one other word In the text
commands attention, "Ye." This en-
phasizes the individual, and individual
duty Is determined by the day in which
one lives. 1t is the exigent which is
imperative. AS when man determines
TO improve his house he may increase
the number of his rooms, may add to its
beauty, but he must attend to its sanitary
condition. With this axiom in mind the
alert Christian and patriot will not fail
to know that the problem which Fisk
and similar institutions are trying to solve
is the exigent problem of the hour
In closing, the ex-pastor OF the Second
Parish told his former people of the ia.
oilities afforded by Fisk in accomplish
ing this urgent work. Among other
matters he told of the s5 acre campus.
formerly state plantation. of the eight
substantial buildings, eight professors
and "a instructors, of the aim of the in
stitution to afford tuition. room rent and
board to ench pupil for s115 per year. He
spoke of the poverty of the students and
their need of help and of the plan to
afford them scholarships. the maximum
being $50 The university. he added,
must have endowment. 1t has an un-
surpassed plant. there is plenty OF raw
material and the finished product is ex-
nellent as the record of the alumni amply
shows. 1t must have capital, and here
concentres the parting word of the Lord
The duty OF each one by person. pen or
purse to disciple those who undisoipled,
are to be q menace to the country and
world, who won are to be a mighty factor
in the oncoming glories of the oncoming
cantury