The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-04-13

z, APRIL 13, 1900.
1rew near the end. The very abrupt
ness of his proposition smOte the peo-
pie into breathless attention.
''The parsonage in which l am liv-
ng is a large, even a luxurious, dwell
ng. 1t has nine large rooms. You are
familiar with it's furnishings. The sal
ary this church pays me is $1,000 a |
year, sum which more than provides |
FOR my necessary wants. What have |
decided to do is this: wish this church |
to reduce this salary one-half and take |
the other thousand dollars to the fitting |
up the parsonage for a refuge for |
homeless children or for some such |
purpose which will commend itself to
your best judgment. There is money
enough in this church alone to main
tain such an institution handsomely
and not a single member of Calvary
suffer any hardship whatever. l will
move into a house nearer the lower
part Of the town, where | can more
easily reach after the people and live
more among them. That is what i
propose for myself. 1t is not because
1 believe the rich and the educated do
not need the gospel or the church. The
rich and the poor both need the life
more abundantly. But 1 am firmly
convinced that as matters now are
the church membership through pulpit
and pew must give itself more than
in the later ages of the world it has
done for the sake Of winning men. The
form of self denial must take a def
mite, physical, genuinely sacrificing
shape. The church must get back to
the apostolic times in some particu-
lars and an adaptation of community of
goods and a sharing of certain aspects
of civilization must mark the church
membership of the coming twentieth
century. An object lesson in self de-
NAL large enough for men to see,
self denial that actually gives up lux
uries, money and even pleasures-this
Is the only kind that will make much
impression on the people. l believe if
Christ was on earth he would again
call for this expression of loyalty to
him. He would again say, so like
wise whosoever he. be Of you that for
saketh not all that he hath, he cannot
be my disciple
'All this is what l call on the mem
bers of this church to do. Do 1 say
that you ought to abandon your own
houses and live somewhere else? No.
1 can decide only for myself in mat
ter of that kind. But this much l do
say: Give ourselves in some genuine
way to save this town from its evil
wretchedness. 1t is not so much your
money as your own soul that the sick
ness of the world needs. This plan has
occurred to me: Why could not every
family in this church become a savior
to some other family, interest itself in
the other, know the extent of its wants
as far as possible, go to it in person, let
the Christian home come into actual
touch with the un-ChriStian-in short,
become a natural savior to one family ?
There are dozens of families in this
church that could do that 1t would
take money. 1t would take time. 1t
would mean real self denial. 1t would
call for all your Christian grace and
courage, but what does all this
church membership and church life
mean if not just such sacrifice? We
cannot give anything to this age of
more value than our own selves.
The world of sin and want and de-
spair and disbelief is not hungering
for money or mission schools or char
ity balls or state institutions for the
relief of distress, but for live, pulsing,
loving Christian men and women who
reach out live, warm hands, who are
willing to go and give themselves, who
will abandon If necessary, if Christ
calls for it, the luxuries they have
these many years enjoyed in order
| that the bewildered, disheartened, dis
contented, unhappy, sinful creatures of
earth may actually learn Of the love of
God through the love Of man. And
that is the only way the world ever
has learned of the love of God. HUI
manity brought that love to the heart
| of the race, and it will continue so to
| do until this earth's tragedy is all play
| ed and the last light put out. Mem
bers of Calvary church, call on you
| in Christ's name this day to do some
thing for your Master that will really
show the world that you are what you
say you are when you claim to be a
disciple Of that one who, although he
was rich, yet for our sakes became
poor, giving up all heavens glory in
exchange for all earth's misery, the
end of which was a cruel and bloody
crucifixion. Are we Christ's disciples
unless we are willing to follow him in
this particular? We are not our own
We are bought with price"
When that Sunday service closed
Calvary church was stirred to its
depths. There were more excited peo
pie talking together all over the church
than Philip had ever seen before. Ht
greeted several strangers as usual ant
was talking with one of them, wher
one of the trustees came up and sait
the board would like to meet him, il
convenient for him, as soon as he was
at liberty.
| Philip accordingly waited in one OF
the Sunday school classrooms with the
trustees, who had met Immediately aft
er the sermon and decided to have al
instant conference with the pastor.
ToBE CONTINUEDD
1