The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1900-06-28
CHAPTER XIV.

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The following week Calvary church
| held meeting. 1t was one of the
stormiest meetings ever held by the
members. In that meeting Mr. Win
ter again, to the surprise Of nearly
all, advised caution and defended the
minister's action up to a certain point.
! The result was a condition of waiting
and expectancy rather than downright
condemnation of the proposed action
on Philips part. 1t woald be presenting
the church in false light to picture
it as entirely opposed up to this date
to Philips preaching and ideas of
Christian living. He had built up
strong buttress Of admirlng and be-
| lieving members In the church. This
stood, with Mr.. Winters influence, as
a breakwater against the tidal wave of
opposition now beginning to pour in
upon him. There was an element in
| Calvary church conservative to a de-
| gree and yet strong in its growing be-
| lief that Christian action and church
work in the world had reached GER
| tain crisis which would result either
In the death or life Of the church in
| America. Philips preaching had
| strengthened this feeling. His last
move had startled this element, and
| it wished to wait for developments.
| The proposal of some that the minis
ter be requested to resign was finally
| overruled. and ii was decided not to
oppose his descrtion of the parsonage,
while the matter of reduction of sal
ary was voted upon in the negative.
But fc, ing was reused to high
pitch Many of the members declared
| their intention Of refusing to attend
| services. Some said they would not
pay their pledges any longer. A pre-
vailing minority, however, ruled in fa-
vor Of Philip, and the action Of the
meeting was formally sent him by the
clerk. -
Meanwhile Philip moved out Of the
parsonage into his new quarters. The
daily paper, which had given a sensa-
tional account of his sermon, laying
most stress upon his voluntary PROPOSE
ton referring to his salary, now came
out with column and half devoted
to his carrying out of his determination
| to abandon the parsonage and get near
er the people in the tenements. The
article was widely copied and various
ly commented upon. In Milton his ac-
ton was condemned by many, defend
ed by some. Very few seemed to un-
dcrstand his exact motive. The ma
| jority took it as an eccentric move and
| expressed regret in one form and an
other that man Of such marked in
| tellectual power as Mr.. Strong SEEM
| ed to possess lacked balance and good
| Judgment. Some called him a crank.
| The people in the tenement district
were too much absorbed in their suf-
| ferings and selhshncss to show any
demonstration. 1t remained to be seen
whether they would be any better
touched by him in his new home.
So matters stood when the first Sun
| day Of new month came and Mr..
Strong again stood before his church
with his Christ message. 1t had been
n wearing month to him. Gradually
| there had been growing upon him a
| sense of almost isolation in his pulpit
| work. He wondered If he had inter-
pretcd Christ Alright. He prObed deep
er and deeper into the springs Of action
| that moved the historical Jesus and
| again and again put that rcsplendently
| calm, majestic, suffering personality
into his own pulpit in Milton and then
stood off, as 1t We're, to watch what he
would in all human probability say.
those first Sundays and tried to tax
| himself with utmost severity for any
| denial of his Master or any false
presentation Of his spirit, and as he
went over the ground he was almost
| overwhelmed to think how little had
been really accomplished. This time
he came before the church with the
experience of nearly three weeks hand
to hand work among the people for
whose sake he had moved out Of the
parsonage. AS usual an immense con-
gregaton thronged the church.
| lie QueStlOu HIS COiuc W hc idteiy
in different FORMS" began Philip, "as
TO what is church work. I am aware
that my attitude on the question Is not
shared by many Of the members OF
this church and other churches. New.
ertheless stand here today, as have
stood on these Sundays, to declare to
you what In deepest humility would
seem to me to be the attitude Of Christ
in the matter before us.
"What is a church? 1t is body OF
disciples processing to acknowledge
Christ as Master. What does he want
such a body to do? Whatever will
most effectively make Gods kingdom
come on earth and his will be done al
in heaven. What Is the most neces'
] sary work of this church in Miltoni
A. 4 y