The record-union., 1899-10-30
SERMONS BY REV. Mr.. RAIDER
PERMANENT MOTIVES OF THE
CHURCH,
And "The Conservation of jesus
Delivered at the Congrega-
tional Church.


Rev. William RAIDER of San Fran
cisco occupied the pulpit of the Con-
gregational Church at both the morn
ing and evening services. His morn
ing text (from Tim. l., 3-16) was The
Church of the Living God" and his
subject, 1.-The Permanent Motives or
the Church"
The church, said Mr.. RAIDER, has been
defined as "ecclessia,' that which is
called forth and selected from the mass.
Bishop Brooks says it is ''the embodl-
ment of redeemed humanity, which is
to say humanity at it's best. There
fore we baptize children. Therefore
our Lord makes the foundation Of the
church, not the words of Peter-the
best and greatest words he ever utter
ed, nor the person of Peter, but that
peculiar character Of th9 man, Peter
at his best
The church is not the kingdom of
God, but an organ of the kingdom.
What Mulford and Milton said Of the
state defining it as a. person, is true
of the church, which has conscience and
soul. moral responsibility and sensitive
spiritual nerves running through its
majestic organism.
There are at least four permanent
motives of the church. The first is
theological. It is an abiding and per-
manent obligation upon the church that
it shall think according to the Chris
tianityfof Christ. The duty, to tell the
truth, is at once an obligation and
motive. Theology has been simplif1ed.
The things which disturbed the church
fifty years ago are now eliminated for
the most part from popular discussion.
Thought has become more practical
Nom essentials are thrown out of court.
Men do not fight as they once did about
things lying beyond the horizon line.
We are beginning to agree with Josh
Billings that 'it is better not to know
so much than to know so many things
that amt So"
It is also free Time was when ortho-
dox pickets stood around every pulpit
and fired at any man who thought
for himself and crossed the line of Or
thodoxy. That day is past. There will
probably be no more heresy trials in
the Congregational churches Of our
country, unless 1t be for the rejection
Of the Son of God The bigot goes
down before freedom, and the fagot
fires are being put cut The evolution
ist and scientist, the higher critic, and
evangelist may all work together in the
Congregational church, provided they
are true to Christ. 1t affords more
real religious freedom than any de-
nomination on earth.
Theology has produced creeds. Creeds
are good things and everybody has one
Two men go into business together;
they make a contract, that is to say a
creed. The traveller on the overland
pulls out his railroad time table, and
traces the course Of the railroad, and
that is the travellers guide Politicians
make platforms which are their dec
larations Of faith. Theology is not re-
ligion, but it is the doctrinal plan or
platform or contract guiding the mind
along the right way.
The apostles and nicene creeds record
the consensus Of early opinion about
Jesus Christ. They remain as the au-
thoritative declarations of His divine
nature. They were the early ground of
agreement among Christians. 1t is the
theological motive which has produced
one long list'of colleges and seminaries,
written our books and sobered the
eloquence of our pulpit. The church
must teach the truth. It is a serious
teach what isn't true and for the
preacher to preach falsehoods. We
must learn to think and to think ac-
cording to the Christianity of Christ
The second is the social motive What
is the meaning Of the social motive?
1t is this, that while we are giving
Bibles and advice TO the needy, we in
clude a beefsteak, potatoes and some
"a -
social motive is the source of reform.
Christ was the first reformer and His
reformatory ethics remain TO this day
as the standard of reform
Emerson said: '"The Puritan pulpits
were the springs OF liberty" In all ages
the church has stood close to the great
reformatory movements Luther before
Charles v, Savonarola in Florence, the
Concord parson in the first revolution
fight and Beecher before the English
mobs when there was but one voice
favoring the policy of the North. are
examples OF the social conscience in the
church. An historian says that the pull
pits of Philadelphia fired the morning
gun Of the revolution. There has been
no reform worth the name that has not
been inspired by the conscience of the
church.
The social problem Of our times may
be expressed in two words: Democracy
and Peace. The question before the
English-speak world at this time is.
shall we have government and
shall we have peace? Self government
has been an American dream. When we
hrst announced that we, in this West
eTn world, would govern ourselves with
out King in the State and without a
Bishop in the church, We were laughed
at. The battle Of Marathon was fought
In the name Of freedom, but it was won
by slaves tied to the doorposts of their
masters. Self-government in America
is still an experiment in our great cities
in New York, Chicago, San Francisco
and Sacramento. The church must
exercise its social conscience.
Democracy is possessing the earth.
Every throne IN Europe feels its pow
er. 1t is the only excuse for the war
IN the Philippines It is the ground
for American defense of the Beers and
criticism of England who would pre-.
vent self-government, however crude.