Mexico weekly ledger., 1901-06-06

/ Ds-l1lLllLE4e LscceAllk.
| Culture Is ESSENTIAL to the n0blest
type q Christianity, fOr NJ culture IS
complete without Christ
To attain this, certain inspirations
are Necessary. Not categorical but
the inevitable imperative Of George
EIiott, the bone and sinews Of ehzrac-
ter are the ~Imustk-
CHRISTIAN CTLTUEE MUST BIZ sELF
CULTURE
Not By self but Of self. Just as field
, lculture means the improvement Of the
son in which things are planted and
not the cultivation Of the things
! planted, 50 self culture Is the improve
ment q the master self back Of
thought, feeling and win. and not the
cultivation of the virtues and graces.
This implies individuality in reli-
gion No one has any true religion
save that be has between himself and
God alone.
Therefore, Jesus said, ye must be
b0rn again The inner individual
life made vital for God.
How apply the text to the young
women Appeal for the culture Of
their womanhood through the mighty
powers OF Christianity.
Womanhood as represented, not 10
music, ar, t,science, literature converse
tion, not even IN cooking, etc, but in
the things that glorify motherhood,
wife, daughter, sister
Womanhood is the reality. A true,
noble woman adoms all her accomplish
ments but accomplishment VIII never
be more than sounding brass where
womanhood is lacking.
ILLUSTRATING VOICE As AGAINST
oKSAMExTATIoS.
Christian culture must be spiritual
culture That is culture through the
Holy Spirit. Christianity is deeply
spiritual Its greatest truths are
: spiritual truths The Holy Spirit
has been given as the guide and tutor
Of Gods children
Perhaps nothing IS 80 much needed
to-day as a spiritual, Christian woman
) hood. The means Of culture through
: the Spirit are the Bible, prayer, and a
Sanctifed humanism.
: ILLUSTRATING FROM RAPHAEL's ART.
Christian culture must be fruitful
: for good not to form an aristocracy
. Of culture not to bring you to
Heaven, but to make US Christ-hke.
= That Christ may dwell in us. That
we may be capable Of understanding
and loving Him.
That Christ may manifest Himself
] through US. That you may do good as
He did. We that are cultured must
bear the infrmities Of the uncultured,
even as Christ did.
D The symbl Of Christian culture is
D the cross Of Jesus That is the only
share that has ever broken up the
fallow ground Of pride, selfshness,
: vanity, sensuality, etc. On the cross
He died TO save US from sin. We can
5 use the cross TO bless the world. Take
it up to-day. The worlds work Is
done By the worlds crcss-bearers.
May the sweet power Of cultured
: womanhood here to-day be sanctihed
by the cross.
5 DIR. PORTER REVIEWS THE SERMON.
DR.. J. J. Porter, pastor Of the Mex
leo Baptist Church, reviews the ser
, mon as follows:
The text was taken from Hebrews
: i, 3, ami 8. The subject was the
Varieties Of Christian Culture" A
distinction was made between the
idea Of culture and cultivation. The
5 garden was used as an illustration OF
the nature Of the culture set forth in
D the text. The soil must first be titled,
: or cultured. The herbs produced are
+ the results Of cultivation. There must
be life before you can have culture.
Christian culture involves a new life.
e This life comes from the regenerating
power Of the Holy Spirit. The Chris
tlan is a babe born Of God. He is to
BE- cultured. His powers are to be
developed 80 that the cultured life
viii produce the very best service for
God and his fellow man. The agency
by which this culture Is accomplished
is the Holy Spirit. The means used
are the word Of God and prayer. No
one can be cultured in the true sense
who is ignorant Of the truth in the
Bible. PRAYER is communing with
God and there is no culture apart
from God. The person who Is ignorant
a God and the Bible is a heather and
lacking IN all the true graces Of cul-
ture and the elements Of useful life.
Greek and Latin and music and art
cannot produce cultured character.
These are good thingE IN their place,
but they cannot In themselves pro-
! duoe character which Is life christal-
lied. An of the fine diamonds In
Mexico, II they were ground into
powder, would not even sprout dog
fennel Nor would all the gold Of the
land, II crushed into dust produce a
harvest Of anything
Culture can only exist as IL comes
from within. II is the self THAI must
be cultured. Each individual must be
employed IN his own culture. Every
life is a distinct entity. There can be
no such thing as a cultured cOmmn-
nifty, any more than there can be a
Christian nation. IndlTidualism Isl
the living issue Of the dag. The need
Of the day is the cultured individual
This Is what this institution stands
for. Culture, or character, is what
the individual Is What means more
70 this world than the truly cultured
Christian woman? The sweetest and