The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-05-09

AnF AMAANns
The church is like a river: the figure
Is Biblical The river rises in the
mountains and comes flowing down
over the rocks dancing and singing in
the glee OF its early youth It comes
10 the mill-pond. reservoirs there its
forces. and drives the busy wheel that
grinds out the grist which feeds
thousand families: Il flows TO the
lower levels, and forms pools where
The boys come when work is done and
plunge within the water and come out
refreshed and cleansed by the bath. it
lows on into the great meadows and
waters thousand blades Of grass and
he roots OF a thousand trees that do
not so much as know Of its presence;
and so it goes on TO the sea. Like that
Is the church Of God. now singing glad
songs in the sunlight of Gods love.
now driving the busy wheels of philan-
lhropic and humane industry. now
forming great bathing places where,
Sunday after Sunday. you and ! come
and get our bath and go away cleans
cd. refreshed. invigOrated. helped and.
beyond that. feeding with IFS 0enef-
eence a thousand men and women who
either do not know Of it's existence or
know Of It only TO scoh How many
hospitals or asylums or public philan-
thropies OF any kind would there be
II there were no churches? How much
honor and integrity, how much hon
esty and uprightness. how much trust
and confidence. IL there we're none Of
these reservoirs from which the
springs of life are furnished? The
church is the church OF God. IL re-
ceives It's life from him. II gives its
life ont through Individual work.
through institutional work. through
the preached word. through many
ministries. No church deserves to be
called church OF Christ that is not
In It's time and place and generation.
a life-giyer wonder what would be-
come OF New England if it should ever
lose It's churches. They tell me that
people are not going to church as
muci as they used TO In New England.
They tell me that IN the hillside towns
the churches are falling into decay be-
cause men and women frequent them
no longer They tell me that in the
great cities men and women are be-
ginning TO forego church privileges and
forget church duties ! do not know
whether this be true OF not. ] have
learned 60 distrust somewhat the
vague and general statements that are
not founded on accurate observation.
But this I know. it IS not more certain
that forest fires wiii sweep the hiil-
side. and meadow fires the meadows.
when the wells and springs dry up.
than that death and devastation would
come upon this fair. beloved New Eng
land Of ours n ever the springs Of is
life. the Christian churches. should
lose their vitslizing power. should BE-
forgotten and allowed to drop into
ruin. ] know the faults Of the church.
know iis foflies. its divisions IT'S
GOODNESS. its peserutng spirit. its
apaihy. But spite Of an. tell me where
tn human history there Is such an or
Eauizauon 81 men and women. or ever
has been. bound together by 81 spien-
did a loyalty. hoidinE so heartily the
great fundamental faith in God. in The
invisible world. and the living Christ
fhe revelation of them both and work
ING with an uf4zsesii.ai==As fsaFEaza ln the
worlds redemption. as is to BE- iound
In Chr.sts church % is 2 iiie-giFer
Lyman Abbott. a. p