News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-05-08
His Brothers
Keeper
BY REV. CHARLES M.
S H E | 0 N
THontinupd |

1Our QuesllOH is IuTSeT lldu any all
swer | can make without taking uI
hours of discussion" he said at last
speaking calmly, but with evident self
control over possible fury of feeling
1.-THE church today contains some of the
nOblest and some of the meanest men
and women. There is in the church the
highest, purest, most sanity devotion
to Christ and his teaching, and at the
same time there are alongside of it the
most awful selfishness and love of
ceremony, show and hypocrisy. The
scribes and Pharisees are just as much
in evidence now as when they cried
to PLATE: Cruelty him! Cruelty him!
Long ago came to the conclusion that
the same people would nail Jesus tC
the cross again if he appeared in this
generation and denounced their hypoc.
risy and selfshness as he did before
AT the same time he would have q
great army of disciples, who would
suffer martyrdom for his sake. re.
gard the church of today as occupying
peculiar position in the world Oh
struggle between different groups OF
men. There is a growing feeling on
the part Of many churches that great
revolution in the methods and purpose
is at hand and that nothing will bt
so radically changed in spirit and pur.
pose as the church of Christ The
amount Of relief for suffering that
flows out Of the organization we now
have is no doubt enormous. Propose
to any civilized community in this
country that it wipe out its churches
altogether, and the proposition would
meet with instant objection, even on
the part Of those who are most ready
to denounce the church for it's useless.
ness. am not attempting to answer
your question in full, Eric. OF course
if l did not believe in the church,
mean in its possibilities of sacrifice
l would not work from it as a center
l would get out and work from SOME
other basis. But this is my best rea.
son for believing in the church as a
power for the worlds redemptive up.
lift after all else has been said"
Andrew paused, and the rest listened
thOughtfully. "The church is the only
organization Jesus ever mentioned. He
especially loved it, 1t was not any
particular form or name that he loved,
hut the discipleship organized in love
to one another and a common Master,
going forward to conquer the world
for God. And after the trials and
false representations of Christ in the
church have had their day, after the
ariStOcratic churches have died and
the memory of their pomps and fash
Ion is no more. after the coldness and
tarelesSnesS and superficial worldliness
of the church have had their time
lived out. the true church will survive
the wreck of all this agoniZing death
in life and be universal representa-
ton of the crucified Lamb of God, Civ
ing its life for the needs of q SUFFERING
and dying race. i believe in the holy
catholic church meaning the church
UNIVERSAL in the sense that | be-
lieve it contains the heaven that is
necessary to heaven the whole lump.
Why, even the Salvation Army never
would have had an existence if it had
not been for the church"
do you mean that the church had
grown 50 naean and useless that the
army had . be organized to do what
the church ought to have done" asked
Eric, with Il smile.
ono of that thp
Christian men and women who organ
lied the army had their nurture and
training in the church. She was their
mother. They went out from her
home to do a work they never could
have done if they had not been trained
and taught at her feet"
''Is not the Salvation Army as much
the church as any other form of or.
ganization where Christian disciples
get together in Christ's nameW asked
Rhena.
Eyes, think So" replied Andrew.
81 mean to prove it by joining both,
said Stuart, looking at Rhena.
You can't join the army without
giving up your own wishes and obey
ing the orders of your superior officer,
said Rhena slyly.
ITS one of the rules Of the army
also, | understand" added Andrew
with a twinkle, that private cannot
even marry without asking the consent
of the commanding officer. Isn't tina
so, Miss Rhena"
"I've asked it and obtained it," sale
Stuart. "The commanding officer says
Get married as soon as you recover
from your present Illness"
"She doesn't, either" said Rhen;
hastily. Then, as Andrew and Fri
began to laugh, she blushed and said
to hide the confusion: eve are getting
away from our original question
Stuart wants to know how to spen,
his money. 1t seems too bad If w
can't any of us tell him how"
81 can tell him how to use severa
thousand" said Eric, who, after eS
pressing his own mind on the churc
question, was once more the cain
thoughtful, even attractive, man h
really was. Eric had great powers
but they were not developed.
"Well, go onp' cried Stuart.
'"The miners need new houses
Cornishtown. What could be bette
way to invest $4,000 or $4,000 tina
to put up hundred substantial house
49, I,n