The record-union., 1899-10-08

terest in the conversion of sinners?
Many interests now engage the atten-
ton of ministers and churches. We
are building and endowing educational
Institutions We have several great
publishing houses, from which we are
sending out millions of pages of re-
ligious literature every year to bless
the world We have many strong or
ganizationS for the collection and dis
bursement of millions annually for re-
ligious purposes. We have an immense
young peoples organization into which
many thousand young men and wo-
men are being gathered for discipline
and training for future usefulness. To
all these Christian institutions and en-
terprises we say, God speed! But it
is possible that these may divert the
attention of the church from the chief
object of it's mission. The early Chris
tians devoted their energies almost
exclusively to the one aim of winning
souls to Christ The early Methodist
Church sought one thing, the conver-
sion of sinners. Those heroic minis
ters and laymen did not think of pleas
ing men or building a colossal eccles-
iastical structure for their own glory.
travelled and toiled for the conversion
Of sinners. We cannot throw off the
new burdens and responsibilities of
these later days. but we must not lose
sight of the conversion of souls"
''In true prayer of every type the
focal point is the same" SAYS the New
York Outlook I'm Thanksgiving for
benefits, in confession of sins, IN adora-
tion of divine grace and glory, IL as
piration towards divine ideals, in petit
ton for whatever we desire for the
lettering of our life and it's opportuni-
ties, the innermost and universal inn
plication of the Christian spirit is Thy
VIII be done, the sum and substance
or the Lords Prayer. In our various
petitions for this or that we are imitat-
ing the example of that pattern prayer
in translating its comprehensive word,
Thy will, into it's particulars as we
conceive them. Our translation is
sometimes fallacious. So was ST. Paul's
when he prayed for relief from his
thorn in the flesh We may fail to
understand what the will Of the Lord
is and experience must reveal it. our
translation fails; our prayer does not,
for the will of the Lord is fulfilled 9TH
erwise. Even the agnostic, who recOg-
nizes in the evolution of the universe
certain purposiveness, an intelligent
advance towards ends, and who is bid
den even by Mr. Spencer not to rely
passively on this, but to do his best
to hasten the evolution, must see the
reasonableness of prayer in this point
of view, as the natural effort of the
finite will to cooperate with the in
finite"
"The strength of any religious move
ment may be measured by it's spirit
uality," says the Advance" (Cong.) OF
Chicago. What does Unitarianism
lack? Spirituality. 1t lacks some inn
portant truths, but If the spirit were
received in full degree we would take
of the things Of Christ and show them
in their doctrinal fullness. Why is the
Salvation Army so successful in spite
of certain outre methods? From the
first it has honored the Spirit. What
do we need in all of our churches.
more than anything else? Not more
scholarship, as a primary need for as
it is they know and do not; not more
wealth, for many Christians are
shamefully rich; not new Bible, for
we have not come up to the religious
standard of the old one; not more SOL
diers, for a considerable proportion of
the present enrolment does not report
for duty; but what we need to make
knowledge, wealth. truth, numbers
count for our own good and for the
good of others is. the soul Of religion,
spirituality"