The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-03-20
NUMBER %.

my calling" said Philip, purposely
talking about himself in order to make
his wife come to the defense II ought
to have been a locomotive fireman"
"The idea, Philip Strong! A man
who has the gift Of reaching people
with preaching the way you dor
| 1.-THE way l reach Mr.. Winter, for
exampler'
| "Yes," said his wife; 'the way you
reach him. Why, the very fact that
you made such man angry is pretty
good proof that you reached him.
Such men are not touched by any ordi-
nary preaching"
SD you really think have a little
gift at preaching" asked Philip slyly.
"a little gift! 1t is great deal more
than little, Philip"
aren't you a little prejudiced, Sa-
rah:"
mo, sir. / am the severest critic you
ever have in the congregation. If you
only knew how nervous you sometimes
make me! When you get started on
some exciting passage and make ges-
ture that would throw a stone image
into a fit and then begin to speak of
something in different way, like an
other person, and the first know am
caught up and hurled into the subject
and forget all about you"
''Thank you," said Philip
"What for?'' asked his wife, laugh
ing. "For forgetting you?
81 would rather be forgotten by you
than remembered by any one else," re-
/ inI
such a delightful little flatterer that I
feel courage for anything that may
happen"
"Its not fiattery; it's truth, Philip.
do believe in you and your work, and
am only anxious that you should sue
ceed here. 1 can't bear to think of
trouble in the church. 1t would almost
kill me to go through such times as we
sometimes read about"
"We must leave results to God.
am sure we are not responsible for
more than our utmost doing and living
Of necessary truth" Philip spoke cour-
ageously.
"Then you don't feel disheartened by
this mornings work."
''No, I don't know that do. I'm
| 1
Winters threat Of withdrawing his
support, but 1 don't feel disheartened
for the work. Why should I? Am
not doing my best?"
II believe you are. Only, dear Phil
> ip, be wise. Do not try to reform
everything in a week or expect people
to grow their wings before they have
started even pinfeathers. 1t isn't nat
!. ural"
"Well, 1 won't" replied Philip, with
: laugh. "Better trim your wings, Sa-
rah; they're dragging on the floor"
: He hunted up his hat, which was one
. of the things Philip could never find
twice in the same place, kissed his
, wife and went out to make the visit
, at the mill which he was getting ready
to make when Mr.. Winter called.
, To his surprise, when he went down
through the business part of the town,
he discovered that his sermon of Sun
day had reused almost every one. Peo-
| pie were talking about it on the street
. an almost unheard of thing in Mil
= ton. When the evening paper came
out, it described in sensational para
u graphs the Rev. Mr.. Strong's attack on
{ the wealthy sinners of his own church
and went on to say that the church
twas very much wrought up over the
sermon and would probably make 1t
: uncomfortable for the reverend gentle
t man. Philip wondered, as he read,
q at the unusual stir made because
preacher of Christ had denounced an
t undoubted evil.
"Is it, then" he asked himself, "such
d a remarkable piece Of news that a min
1 lister of the gospel has preached from
his own pulpit against what is without
question an un-C Christian use Of proper
ty? What is the meaning Of the church
in society unless it is just that? Is it
possible that the public Is so little ac-
customed to hear anything on this sub
o ject that when they do hear it it is in
the nature of sensational news"
e He pondered over these questions as
l. he quietly but rapidly went along with
y his work. He was conscious as the
days went on that trouble was brew
e ing for him. This hurt him in a way
hard to explain, but his sensitive spirit
= felt the cut like lash on sore place.
When Sunday came, he went into his
pulpit and faced the largest audience
he had yet seen in Calvary church. As
e is often the case, people who had heard
u of his previous sermon on Sunday
thought he would preach another like
N it again. Instead of that he preached
sermon on the love of God for the
"a world. In one way the large audience
ID was disappointed. 1t had come to
+. have its love of sensation fed, and
T. Philip had not given it anything of the
is kind. In another way it was profound
le ly moved by the power and sweetness
"a of Philips unfolding of the great sub
ce ject. Men who had not been inside of
a church for years went away thought.
Gods love and asked themselves what
is they had done to deserve 1.-THE very
. thing that Philip wanted them to ask.
The property owners in the church
who had felt offended by Philips ser.
IL mon of the Sunday before went away
from the service acknowledging that
)e the new pastor was an eloquent
le preacher and a man of large gifts. In
III the evening Philip preached again
OF from the same theme, using it in an en-
c. tirely different way. His audience
nearly filled the church and was evi
ly IDENTIFY deeply impressed.
lie In spite of all this Philip felt a GER
lg tain clement in the church had arrayed
d. itself against him. Mr.. Winter did moi
r appear at either service. There were
m carta in atbor nbSc7 caS on tbo rf NJ