Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-01-25

opening of the subject he said: "Broth.
or, | wish to tell you that If is my in
tcntion to speak Of this matter next
Sunday in the first of my talks Oh
Christ and Modern Society 1 be.
lieve it Is something he would talk
about in public, and | will speak of II |
as | think he would"
you must do your duty, of course,
Mr.. Strong" replied Mr. Bentley, some.
what coldly, and Philip went out, feel.
ing as if he had grappled with his first
dragon in Milton and found him to be
n very ugly one and hard to kill. What
hurt him as much as the lack of spir-
itual fineness of apprehension of evil
in his church member was the knowl.
edge that, as Mr.. Bentley SO coarsely !
put it, his salary was largely paid out
of the rentals of those vile abodes. He
grew sick at heart as he dwelt upon
the dis8greeable fact, and as he came
back to the parsonage and went up to
his cozy study he groaned to think
that it was possible through the price
that men paid for souls.
"And this because society is as it isl
his hands and leaned his elbows on his
desk, while his cheeks flushed and his
heart quivcred at the thought of the
filth and vilencss the money had seen
and heard which paid for the very
desk at which he wrote his sermons.
But Philip Strong was not one to
give way at the first feeling of seem
ing defeat. He did not too harshly
condemn his members. He wondered
at their lack of spiritual life; but. to
his credit be it said, he did not harshly
condemn. Only, as Sunday approach
ed, he grew more clear in his own mind
as to his duty in the matter. Expe.
diency whispered to him: Better wait.
You have only Just come here. The
people like you now. 1t will only
cause unpleasant feelings and do no
good for you to launch out into cru.
SADIE against this thing right now,
There arc so many Of your members
involved that it will certainly ALLEVIATE
their support and possibly lead to your
being compelled TO lose your place as
| pastor if it do not drive away the most
| influential members"
To all this plea of expedoncy Philip
| replied. Get thee behind me. satan"
| He said with himself. he might as
we'll let the people know what he was
| at the very first. II was not neces-
sary that he should be their pastor If
| they would none Of him. Ii was nee
essary that he preach the truth boldly.
! The one question he asked himself
was, "Would Jesus Christ. if he were
| pastor Of Calvary church in Milton to-
day, speak of the matter next Sunday
| and speak regardless of all ConSe-
quences?" Philip asked tho question
honestly. and after long prayer and
much communion with the Divine he
said. yes. | believe he would" II is
possible that he might have gained by
waiting or 10y working with his mem
| hcrs in private. Another man might
! have pursued that method and still
have been colxag cous. true minister
But this ia the story of Philip Strong
not of another man, and this is what
he did:
When Sunday morning came. he
went into his pulpit with the one
thought in mind that he would simply
and frankly. in his presentation of the
subject. use the language and the spir-
| It Of his Master. He had seen other
property owners during the week. and
his interviews were nearly all similar
20 the one with Mr.. Bentley. He had
not been abs to see Mr.. William Win
ter, the chairman of the trustees. as he
had not returned home until very late
Saturday night. Philip saw him come
into the church that morning. just as
the choir rose to sing the anthem. He
was a large, fine looking man. Philip
admired his physical appearance as he
marched down the aisle to his pew,
which was the third from the front di.
reCtly before the pulpit.
When the hymn had been sung. the
Offering taken, the prayer made, Philip
stepped out at one side of the pulpit
and reminded the congregation that,
according to his announcement of a
week before. he would give the first of
his series of monthly talks on "Christ
and Modern Society" His subject this
morning, he said, was The Right and
Wrong Uses OF Property"
lie started out with the statement,
which he claimed was verified every
where in the word of God, that all
property that men acquire is really
only in the nature OF trust funds.
which the property holder is in duty
bound to use as IA steward. The gold
is Gods. The silver is Gods. The cat
tie on thousand hills, all land and
water privileges and wealth Of the
, earth ard of the seas belong primarily
to the Lord of all the earth. When any
Of this property comes within the con
troll Of q man, he is not 1T liberty to
, use it as If il were his own and his
alone. but as God would have him use
, it TO better the condition of life and
; make men and communities happier
and more useful.
From this statement Philip went on
to speak of the common idea which
men had that wealth and houses and
, lands were their own to do with rs
they pleased and he showed what
misery and trouble had always flowed
out of the great falschood and how
nations and individuals We're today IN
the greatest distress because of the
wrong uses to which Gods property
was put by men who had control of il
1t was easy then to narrow the argu