The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-01-17

/ Number Gl tnfl..tlttl~ rom III -tal
cnurc!. ard lately froll1 Other churches
IN R;.y,451:,! 4 la,..ge l.rcl,o,tioli ef
these volunteers 4siiso pie(jse illel2se,,N-,e'
10 do as jesus vsoglia comes from. the
Endeavor societies The young people
say that al1ey have already embodied in
their society pledge the same principle
! in the words. ! promise him that | will
strive 10 6o whatever he would have
me 60. This is not eSacti:- what IS IN
cluded in G!axvell's 5 proposition. which
is that the disciples shall t,.yto dowhat
Jesus would probably do in the disci-
pies place. but the result Of an honest
obedience to either pledge. he claims.
Will be practically the same. and he IS
not SURPRISED; tii:at tie lars4este Numbers
have Joined the new. disciplesi:ip from
! the Endeavoc society
II an, sure Tie first question You VIII
ask is. What has been the result OF
this attempt. what has 1t accomplished.
/ or how has it changed IN any way the
regular course Of the church OF the COM
munity?:
You already know something from
reports Of Raymond that have gone over
the country what the results have been.
but one needs to come here and learn
something of the changes in individual
lives and especially the change in the
church life, to realize all that is meant
bv this following Of Jesus steps SO lit
erally. To tell all that would be to
write long story or series of stories.
l am not in a position to do that, but l
can give you some idea perhaps of what
has happened here from what has been
told me by my friends and Henry Max
well himself
1.-The result of the pledge upon the
First church has been twofold-it has
brought about spirit Of Christian fel-
lowship which Maxwell tells me never
before existed and which now impresses
him as being very nearly what the
Christian fellowship of the apostolic
churches must have been. and it has
divided the church into two distinct
groups of members. Those who have
not taken the pledge regard the others
as foolishly literal in their attempts to
initiate the example of Jesus.
Some Of them have drawn out OF
the church and no longer attend. or
they have removed their membership
entirely to other churches Some are
| an internal element of strife. and |
heard rumors of an attempt on their
part to force Maxwells resignation l
do not know that this element Is very
strong in the church. 1t has been held
in check by wonderful continuance OF
spiritual power. which dates from the
first Sunday the pledge was taken a
year ago. and also by the fact that SO
many of the most prominent members
have been identified with the move
meIt.
THE effect on Henry Maxwell is
very marked. I heard him preach at
our state association four years ago. He
impressed me at the time as having
considerable power in dramatic deliv-
cry, of which he himself was somewhat
conscious. His sermon was well writ
ten and abounded in what the seminary
students used to call fine passages.
The effect Of it was what the average
congregation would call pleasing. This
florning heard Maxwell preach again
for the first time since then. | shall
speak Of that further on. He is not the
same man. He gives me the impression
of one who has passed through crisis
of revolution He tells ME this revolu-
ton is simply new definition of Chris
tan discipleship. He certainly has
changed many of his old views His at
titude on the saloon question is radical
" opposite to the one he entertained a
wear ago. and in his entire thought Of
his ministry. his pulpit and parish
work I find he has made a complete
change. So far as I can understand.
the idea that IS moving him on now is
the idea that the Christianity Of our
times mast rerresent a more literal I'M
itation Of Jesus. and especially in the
element OF ss.fhs.ering. He quoted to Ice
in the cou-se OF our conversation sew
eral times tie verse from Peter. For
hereJ:n1o We're ye called. because Christ
also suffered for you. leaving You an
example. that yc should follow his
steps. ard ne seems filed with the con-
vict;on that what or churches need
today more than anything else Is this
factor of suffering for Jesus in some
form
Il do 20. ,2-now that agree with
him altogether: b.stt, my Gear CaStoA,
it is certainly ;s1onishins 10 note the
results OF this idea as they have inn
pressed themselves upon this CITY and
upon this chr1eh.
s.You as. how about the results on
the individuals who have made the
pledge and honestly tried to be true to
it. Those rcS-lies are. as | have said. .
part of individual history and cannot
be told in detail. Some OF them can
give you. so that you may see that this
form of diScipleship is not merely SEN
timent or fine posing for effect.
.tEnr ;,,c..Dca +o I-o tho coca of lev