The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-24
Dr.. Paden's Theme at the Presby-
terrain Church.
OST THROUGH NEGLECT
PLEA FOR THE UNFoRTUNATEs
AT HOME
Sermon That Will Be Delivered Be-
fore San Francisco Theologic al
Graduates-Returned Missionaries
Speak at the Tabernacle - Rev.
Alfred Henry's Sermon.

In the First Presbyterian church yes
terday the Rev Mr.. Paden took for his
subject, The Black Sheep of Christen-
dom" The sermon was an unusually
good one and it is Mr.. Paden's inten-
ton to use the same text in his address
to the graduating class of the San
Francisco Theological seminary some
time this week. a synopsis is given be-
Low.
Mr.. Paden said that we might make
plea for the heathens, or the outcasts,
or the waits. or the brothers of the
slums, but that his plea was for lie
lost sheep Of our own homes and
churches-not for the child who was
born lost, but for the child who has
been lost or got lost. Not for the
brother who was born in the far coun-
try, but foa' the brother. who, having
received his portion, has gone with it
into the land of darkness. The black
sheep of Christendom are chiefly prod
igals, who have drifted, broken, or been
dragged away from our own homes and
churches. The vast majority of nom
church goers have been or are in con-
tact with the Christian church and they
have lapsed or are lapsing because the
church does not VitaliZe that contact.
Her hand upon them has lost its grip.
The great majority of the non-church-
going masses are not people far re-
moved from US, but are those with
whom we are in daily contact The
wolf lives on lost sheep. A great many
more people fall into the slums than
are born there. The sediment of society
is not all made at the bottom. Most OF
it settles from above. We must check
this settling. While Booth and the
summers work on the sediment, we
must see to it that the making of sedi-
ment, stops.
Let us glance at the causes of the
settling. Some are mislaid-they are
lost through neglect Others are mis-
led. Jails are full of our brothers, Of
whom we say, They were easily led
Shame upon u.s. If they were so easily
led, why did we not keep our hands
upon them and lead them right?
Yet, there are others lost who are
neither mislaid nor misled. They are
lost by going their own Wilful way.
First they are wild and wilful: then
they are lost. Thus do all sorts and
conditions of men get lost.
But with all our efforts many of the
gates of destruction cannot be closed.
But we can mark them as dangerous.
The lapse OF our friends is often due 10
the collapse of our faith. We lose saw
ing contact with men because We are
not in saving contact with God
1t is not enough, however, to prevent
disease or remove its occasions. We
must also care for those already ailing
We must not only stop the war, but
we must care for the wounded. The
question is not merely what shall we
do to keep men from getting lost, bat
what shall we do for such as are lost
First we must find them, and to ind
them we must go after them. That is
Christ's method. Doth he not go after
that which is lost?"
We must not only find them, but We
must get them started home. To do
this we must stay by them, even as the I
mother who followed her boy to the
foot OF the gallows and then asked TO
be buried with him. We must endure
to the end either to be saved or to save
others