The age-herald., 1901-02-18
LIBERAL THINGS AND VIEWS NEEDED An Eloquent Sermon by Rev.
 A. B. Curry AT FIRST PRESBYTERIAN The Narrow Thing Dies, the Fountain That Ceases to Flow Stagnates, an IIIlberal Church Sounds
 It's Deatn knell.

pr. Curry spoke sof the liberal man and liberal things, taking his text from Isaiah xxxii., 8: But the liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand" He said:
 "The ancient Hebrew Seer" said pr. Curry, "is looking to that time in the Messianic period when dimpess shall be taken from the eyes, and deafness from the ears, and stammering from the tongue, and men and things shall stand In their true light. The vile person shall no more be called liberal nor the churl said to be bountiful.' There shall be one infallible test of true liberality and 1t Is this: The liberal deHseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand
 "Our text Is universally true It Is true of the State, of the city, of the busi- ness concern; of each of these t may be said: The liberal devseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall 1t be establish ed. It Is true of the church and of each individual man. We study this truth this morning. as applied to these two. The liberal man, the liberal church de- slreth liberal things, and by liberal things shall they be established.
 What Is a Liberal Man?
 w HGH We SptdR lOudy Ol d liDGldl hidii or church, from a religious viewpoint, we think first of one that Is lax In the ology; one that has been so liberal as to have freely given away many Of the i'm portant truths of religion. This sort Of lberality, so popular with the world. Is nowhere countenanced In the Scriptures, nor Is this the meaning of our text. The word in the original means free, will ing,' noble as opposed to the vile per tho ,,,irA h th,,r ,f a pA- ing verses. A liberal man or church. then, IS one of broad unselfish sympa- thies.
 There are two kinds of men In the world. First, tne man who lives for self alone; who, in all the affairs of life, re- gards only himself and his own. The Rich Farmer of the parable, Is a type of this class. He had been given many blessings from heaven, and much goods and he must dispose of them; but In disposing of them he utterly ig- nores God and man, and thinks only of self, saying: will pull down my barns and build greater, and then will bestow all my fruits and my goods; and l will say to my soul Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry. Thou fool, said God.
 "Second, the man who looks beyond self to others; thinks of them, feels for them, desires their happiness, and ce- lights to work for 1t The Good Samari- tan IS a type of this class who, seeing a brother man in distress, forgot himself for the others need.
 Ut is the same way with the church A liberal church Is one whose interest and sympathies go far beyond its own bounds; high church exclusiveness, wherever found. Is the essence of marrow illiberality. Not ecclesiastical nor geo. graphical lines, not race nor color, bound the horizon of the liheral church No self-centered man or church can be called liberal
 1t is One of Eager Ingenuity.
 "The illiberal man never strikes out new plans of usefulness He may help those already existing If the church. he may even do this unwillngly or grudg- ingly. But the liberal man deviseth lib- eral things He thinks out, invents, orig mates new and wider ways of usefulness to his fellow-men and services to God. Like an enterprtsipg business man or firm a liberal man or church Is ever de- vising enlargement of plans and increase of income; they are even seeking new and larger fields of usefulness; 1t Is a matter of earnest thought and solicitude with them. No church that is content selflshly to move on in it's old narrow groove can be called nD6faI. II 1HuSl De SFcE ueNis- ing hberal things.
 "It Is one that Is cheerful and active In execution. The liberal man Is not con- tent with devising liberal things and let ting them lie sketched in words or on paper; he Is not content to devise liberal things for other people to execute. Talk is cheap; 1t Is action that tells. He Is swift and cheerful to execute the plans he has devised The Good Samaritan was not satisfied with forming a good plan for the relief of his neighbor; he put 1t into swift and cheerful execution.
 Here Is where men and churches oft en fail. We devise, but we do not exe- cute. If all the good plans devised by the church had been executed, the mil leninum would have came long ago. And yet this execution, this accomplishment of liberal things, Is the essential mark of true liberality
 Church of Today Should be Liberal.
 'Because 1t Is the spirit of Christ. How wide his sympathiesl Though enthroned in glory he thought of loved and devis- ed the salvation of our lost race. How wisely and perfectly he planned for It! How cheerfuly and with what cost he put his plan into execution! And the man or church Is not Christian that has not -tt.- IA f. rI&