The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-06-16

our Christian religion have TO say on
any subject. Now is the time, while
their ears and eyes are wide open, to
tell them Of the rescuing and salvaDle
and inspirfting power Of the gospel OF
Jesus Christ, the Saviour OF the world.
Inc printing press Wnlcn secular
education plants there may be used
and will be used to print religious
newspapers and tracts and sermons
and mighty discussions Of questions
temporal and eternal.
INFLUENCE OF HOMES.
The comfortable homes Of those pop
ulations, when Christianized, standing
side by side with the degraded huts OF
those who remain pagans Will be revo-
~lutionary for good. The Porto Rican
and the Filipino will come out from
this uncleansed and Low rooted and I'M
inviting kennel and say TO his neighbor
of beautiful household. Why cannot 1
have things as you have them?" And
when he finds that it is the Bible. with
it's teachings on family life and per-
sonal teachings on family life and per-
sonal purity and exalted principle and
the church Of God that proposes the
rectiication Of all evil and the implant-
tation Of all good, he will cry III
Give me h Bible, and the church,
and the earthly 2ileviations, and the
eternal hope which have wrought for
you such transiguration."
Now, hurch of God, now all Chris
tian philanthropists, is your opportun-
fly! Nothing like it has occurred since
Christ came. Perhaps there may be
nothing like 1T till his second coming.
Here is a definiteness of aim that is
most helpful and inspiring. The mil
lions OF dollars given for the redemp-
ton of the world and the thousands of
glorious missionaries who have as VOL
unteers gone forth among the barbaric
nations were given and enlisted under a
great and immeasurable idea. But
when they come to add to the great and
unreasonable idea the idea of definite
ness we will infinitely augment the
work. More than three hundred million
of heather in India, more than three
hundred million Of people in China, and
more millios of heather than can be
guessed outside of those countries
sometimes stagger and confound and
defeat our faith. But here in these is
lands Of present controversy we can
farm out the work among the churches
and in five years, under the blessing OF
God, not only fit the people for the
right of suffrage, but them for
! usefulness and heaven. The difference
between the general idea Of the worlds
! evangelization and some partculariZed
field of eVangeliZatiOn is the difference
between the Improvement of agricul-
ture among all nations and the i'm
prOvement of IS acres put under ones
especial care and industry. BY all
means, let the general work go on. But
here is the specific field for religious
concentration and development. This
is not chimerical or impractical. 1 read
this morning that the American Mis-
sionary Association of the Congrega-
tonal church has already begun the
work at San Juan, UItuado and A1bo-
nito, and all denominations Of Chris
tians in six months will be in those is
landy fields, and we all need with our
aye n contributions to cheer them
on to take for God and Righteousness
those regions which our American navy
has captured from Spanish perfidy.
1t has been estimated that this
Acknowledgements war cost us $500, 00O,
600. 1t would not cost half of that to
proclaim and carry on and consummate
a holy war hat will rescue those archi-
pelagOes from satanic domination. Who
will volunteer? l beat the drum of a
recruiting station. Who will enlist IN
der the one starred, blood striped ban-
ner of Emmanuel? Cuba and Porto Rice
and the Philippines are stepping stones
for our American Christianity to cross
over and take the round world for God.
We need a new evangelical alliance or
ganiZed for this n p In all de-
, nominations there are those with large
enough hearts and who have been thor
Oughly enough converted to join in
such an advanced movement-men who
putting aside all minor differences OF
opinion, believe in God, the Father
Almighty Maker of heaven and earth
and in Jesus Christ, his only begotter
Son." and who would march shoulder
to shoulder in such a gospel campaign
r TNha v,oc,,lt mould ha +la+ +l~o-o 1orl
after such a scene of gospeliZation
would assert themselves into denomina.
lions to suit themselves, and SOM
would be sprinkled in holy baptism and
others would be immersed in those
warm rivers and some would worship
in religious assemblage silent as the
Quaker meeting house, and others
would have as many jubilant ~ejacula.
tions as a backwoods camp meeting
n some of those who preached would
be goWned and surpliced for the work
and others would stand in citizens ap.
parel or in their shirtsleeves preaching
that gospel which is to save the world
RELIGIOUS TEACHING NEEDED.
Mark you we'll that craftsmanship
however grand it is, and wise men o
the world. however noble cannot d.
this work. Mere secular education doe:
not moraliZe. Some of the most thor
oughly educated men in all the worlC
have been the worst men. Quicken {
mans intellect, while alt the same tim,
you do not make his morals good, ant
you only augment his power for evil
Geography and mathematics and meta
physics and philosophy will never quail
ify a people to govern themselves. 4
corrupt printing press is worse than n,
printing press at all, but let loose al
open Bible upon those islands and lie
the a~pocalyptic angel once fly owe
them, and o will prepare them t,
become either colonies of the Unitet
States government, or, as / hope vii
be the case, Independent republics.
God did not exhaust himself when h
built this nation. Those islands will We
have their Thomas Jeffersons, q~ualifie,
to write for them declarations of ind
pendence and George Washingtons
capable of achieving their liberties; an,
Abraham Lincoln, strong enough t
emancipate their serfdoms, and Long
fellows and Bryants, capable of putting
their hills and their rivers and thei
landscapes into poems; and their Ban
crOfts and Prescotts to make their his
tories; and their Irvings, to write thei
Sketch Books; and their Charles O'Con
\ org on6 PIIft1c ThnoAnc no n1aoI !