The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1900-02-07

however we ditfer On tlzt point he has
convinced his church Hat the time has
come for fellowship With other Chris
tians. Surely, if the First church could
work such changes in society and its
surroundings. the church in general, il
combining such fellowship. not of creed,
but of conduct. ought to stir the entire
nation TO higher life and new con-
ception OF Christian following.
''This is grand idea, Caxton, but
right here is where find myself hest
Eating. l do not deny that the Christian
disciple ought to follow Christ's steps
as closely as these here in Raymond
have tried to do, but / cannot avoid
asking what the result will be if i ask
my church in Chicago to do it, / am
writing this after feeling the solemn.
profound touch of the Spirits presence,
and l confess to you, old friend, that /
cannot call up in my church dozen
prominent business or professional men
who would make this trial at the risk
of all that they hold dear Can you do
any better in your church? What are
we to say-that the church would not
respond to the call, Come and suffer-
The actual results of the pledge as
obeyed here in Raymond are enough to
make any pastor tremble and at the
same time long with yearning that they
might occur in his own parish. Certain
ly, never have / seen church so signal
ly blessed by the Spirit as this one
But am / myself ready to take this
pledge? / ask the question honestly, and
l dread to face an honest answer. l
know well enough that | would have to
change very much in my life if / under
took to follow his steps so closely. /
have called myself Christian for many
years. For the past ten years / have
enjoyed life that has had compare
lively little suffering in it, l am-hon-
estly / say it-living at long distance
from municipal problems and the life
of the poor, the degraded and the aban-
doned What would the obedience to
this pledge demand of mel hesitate to
answer. My church is wealthy, full of
well to do, satisfied people The stand
ard of their discipleship is, l am aware,
not of nature to respond to the call
to suffering or personal loss. l say, Il
am aware. may be mistaken. / may
have erred in not stirring their deeper
life Caxton, my friend, / have spoken
my inmost thought to you. Shall / go
back to my people next Sunday and
stand up before them in my large city
church and say, Let us follow Jesus
closer; let us walk in his steps, where
it will cost us something more than it
Is costing us now; let us pledge not to
do anything without first asking,
What would Jesus dor If l should go
before them with that message, it would
be strange and startling one to them.
But why? Are we not really to follow
him all the way? What is it to be a
follower of Jesus? What does it mean
to initiate him9 What does it mean to
walk in his steps?'
The Rev. Calvin Bruce, d. D., Of the
Nazareth Avenue church, Chicago, let
his pen fall on the paper. He had come
to the parting of the ways, and his
question, he felt sure, was the question
OF many and many man in the min
istry and in the church. He went to his
window and opened it. He was OPP
pressed with the weight of his convic-
tions, and he felt almost suffocated with
the air Of the room. He wanted to see
the stars and feel the breath of the
world
The night was very still. The clock
in the First church was striking mid
NIGHT Al ~ Gnishn1 CLAM OF
voice down in the direction of the Rec
tangle came floating up to him as if
borne on radiant pinions:
''Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world go free?
mol There's cross for every one,
And there's cross for me-"
1t was the voice of one of Gray's old
converts, night Waterman at the
packing houses, who sometimes solaced
his lonesome hours by verse or two
from some familiar hymn.
The Rev. Calvin Bruce turned away
from the window, and after little
hesitation he kneeled down. what
would Jesus dor What would Jesus
dor" Never had he yielded himself 80
completely to the Spirits searching re-
vealing of Jesus. He was on his knees a
long time. He retired and slept fitfully,
with many awakenings. He rose before
it was clear dawn and threw open his
window again. AS the light in the east
grew stronger he repeated to himself:
"What would Jesus do? What would
he dor Shall l follow his stepsF'
The sun rose and flooded the city
with its power When shall the dawn
of new discipleship usher in the con-
quering triumph of closer walk with
JesusY When shall Christendom tread
more closely the path he made?
II is the way the Master trod.
Shall not the servant tread it stillY
With this question throbbing through
his whole being the Rev. Calvin Bruce
went back TO Chicago, and the great
crisis of his Christian life in the min
istry suddenly broke irresistibly upon
him.
fro BE CONTINUED