The Newtown bee., 1900-01-05

rather than preference, his whole attl.
 tude on great questions is determined not
 by their bearing upon his own miserable
 quarrels, spites and petty prejudices, but
 by his earnest desire for the advancement
 of Gods Kingdom among men.
 have no doubt that tho members of
 this congregation devote great deal o1
 their spare time to get people to come to
 church. Especially do feel assured
 that you work earnestly among the poor,
 the sinful, the morally and materially
 disabled. to bring them here. inasmuch
 as our Saviour has commanded us to go
 into the highways and bywsys and com
 pei them to come, desiring that the
 POOR SHALL HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACH. ED UNTO THEM.
 But when these efforts of yours that you undoubtedly make-otherwise you
 would not be subjects-are not crowned
 with success, the reason must be found in the methods you employ, and the mo- tives you urge upon men for church at- tendance. At the very outset you are apt to stumble over the question of church membership, that Pens Asinor um of American Professionalism. You meet , a man who says that he is 'snot mem- Der of any church," By that he means that his name is not inscribed upon the society books of any Of the two or three hundred seetarian clubs that have form ed themselves into so many circlea with in the circle of tho Kingdom of God for the Anglo Saxon race. But you make no effort at correcting this delusion of his. You probably look upon your own membership In the Episcopal church from this same point view of voluntary clubdom. You probably also imagine your membership to depend upon the Communicants list, so that If the cat should accidentally upset the ink over the page you would cease to be subject of Gods Kingdom, the church. Hence you have no answer to give this man who probably admits that he has been baptised and perhapa even confirmed or probably has some time, in some way, publicly affirmed his Faith. Yet he Is 'snot member of any church.
 Deluded by sectarianlsm theories he Ia unable to understand that once born into the visible Kingdom of God by Baptiem, he Is 8 member of that Kingdom and can never cease so to be, and to be iudg- ed as & member of 1t. Whether for good CT for evil he is subject and citizen. Whatever Is defective in ilis membership it Is his solemn duty to remedy at once. If he has neglected to be confirmed, he should seek confirmation Cor at least its equivalent, if such there be, 1because the laying on of hanaas is first principle of the Kingdom, if he has neg lected his Christian instruction he should get 1t, if he has remained away from the altar he should seek at once the grace of God in the Sacramenss. If he has some sinful habit or spiritual disorder that saps his life and strength be shoaId at once re. pair b someone whose business and duty it sto give advice and prescribe for spir- itual ailments. All this he should d0. not In order to become citizen, but be- cause he is & citizen of Gods Kingdom now.
 THE GREAT TROUBLE IS
 that the church. l. e., the estate spiritual, Is confounded with the secular organiza- tion which is devised merely for the pur- pose of holding property under the civil law. If the church were fully united as t ought to be this secular organization would ba continuous with the Christian church in the land, but aa 1t Is, 1t de- wolves upon that eiviI corporation, ,know VII as the Protestant Episcopal church, to hold and administer the Episcopate and the ministry in charge for those children of the church who have fenced fn Tor themae Ives narrower pasturen in the scsaurch's territory and who have shuf ont from themseIvea their brother citizens in the Kingdom of Hsayen upon earth.
 To these the church proper ia forever saying. and saying every. day witt, 2 louder voice < Y0u may close us ont bnt we have not bOlsed the door on our side. You are not only members of your own particular aects i,ut you are members Of the universal church aswell. Our Sac. ranaents are vour sacraments, our minia- try is your ministry, our God is your God. Realize then npon earth the union of aod'a Kingdom that sooner or later ala taas Faithful of every natne must one day ssalISa In Hesgan.