St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-01-17


count of the desperate conflict to get it 7
Would Jesus care nothing for them
Would he go his way in comparative
ease and comfort2 Would he say it was
none of his business2 Would he excuse
himself from all responsibility to remove
the causes Of such condition.
"What would Jesus do in the center
of civilization that hurries so fast
after money that the very girls en-
ployed in great business houses are not
paiG enough to keep soul and body to-
gether without fearful temptations, SO
great that scores of them fall and are
swept over the great, boiling abyss
where the demands of trade sacrifice
hundreds OF lads in business that ig-
nores all Christian duties toward them
in the way of education and moral
training and personal affection2 Would
Jesus if he were here today, as a part
of our age and commercial industry,
feel nothing, do nothing, say nothing,
in the face of these facts, which every
business man knows2
"What would Jesus do2 Is not that
what the disciple ought to do2 Is he
not commanded to follow in his steps ?
How much is the Christianity of the
age suffering for him2 Is it denying it.
self at the cost of ease, comfort, luxury,
elegance of living? What does the age
need more than personal sacrifice? Does
the church do its duty in following
Jesus when it gives a little money to
establish missions or relieve extreme
cases of want? Is it any sacrifice for
man who is worth SO, 900, 600 simply
to give $4,000 for some benevolent
work? Is he not giving something that
costs him practically nothing, so far as
any personal pain or suffering goes2 Is
it true that the Christian disciples to-
day in most of our churches are living
soft easy, selfish lives, very far from
any sacrifice that can be called sacrifce2
What would Jesus do2
''It is the personal element that
Christian discipleship needs to empha-
size. The gift without the giver is
bare. The Christianity that attempts
to suffer by proxy is not the Christian
lty OF Christ. Each individual Chris
tian, business man, citizen, needs to
follow in his steps along the path of
personal sacrifice for him. There is not
a different path today from that of
Jesus own times. 1t is the same path
The call of this dying century and of
fha tn 6a g Id e..
new discipleship, a new fellowship of
Jesus, more like the early, simple, apos-
tolic Christianity when the disciples
left all and literally followed the Mas
ter. Nothing but discipleship of this
kind can face the destructive selfshness
of the age with any hope of overcoming
it. There is great quantity of nom
inal Christianity today. There is need
of more of the real kind. We need
revival of the Christianity of Christ.
We have, unconsciously, lazily, selfish
ly, formally, grown into discipleship
that Jesus himself would net acknowl-
edge. He would say to many of us
when we cry, Lord, Lord, 4 never
knew you Are we ready to take up
the CROSSE Is it possible for this church
to sing with exact truth:
Jesus l my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow thee?
tIf we can sing that truly, then we
may claim discipleship, but if our def
milton of being Christian is simply to
enjoy the privileges of worship, be gen.
erous at no expense to ourselves have
good, easy time, surrounded by pleas
ant friends and by comfortable things,
live respectfully and at the same time
avoid the worlds great stress of sin and
trouble because it is too much pain to
bear tiff this is our definition of
Christianity, surely we are a long way
from following the steps of him who
trod the way with groans and tears and
sobs of anguish for lost humanity;
who sweat, as it were, great drops of
blood; who cried out on the upreared
cross, My God. my God. why hast thou
forsaken me2'
care we ready to make and live
new discipleship2 Are we ready to re-
consider our definition of a Christian
What is it to be Christian2 1t is to
initiate Jesus 1t is to do as he would
do. 1t is to walk in his steps
When Henry Maxwell finished his
sermon, he paused and looked at the
people with look they never forgot
and at the moment did not understand.
Crowded into that fashionable church
that day were hundreds of men and
women who had for years lived the
easy, satisfied life of a nominal Chris
tianity. A great silence fell over the
congregation. Through the silence there
came to the consciousness of all the
souls there present a knowledge, stran-
ger to them now TO years, of Divine
power. Every one expected the preacher
to call for volunteers who would do as
Jesus would do, but Henry Maxwell
had been led by the Spirit to deliver
his message this time and wait for re-
suits to come.
He closed the service with a tender
prayer that kept the Divine presence
lingering very near every hearer, and
the people slowly rose to go out.
Then followed a scene that would |
have been impossible if any mere man
had been alone in his striving for re-
Suits
Men and women in great numbers
yIoI ~.