The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-11-28

area. Our direct interest as Christian
churches lies in the ethical and relig-
ious. rather than In economic and social
problems. and the emphasis falls chiefly
on our duty along those lines. If vote
Of this congregation here assembled
were taken on the primary duty Of the
church in our nation, we should be alb
sOlutely unanimous: but raise the ques-
ton, How Christ's authority is to be
asserted in relation to the state, and to
the economic and social organization OF
the state, and our vote would be far
from unanimous. Now this contrast be-
tween the certainty felt in one depart
ment, and the uncertainty in the other
is suggestive. Is not the path which
God has cleared of all ambiguity the
path the church and her ministry ought
to tread with concentrated energy?
When we face a certainty, do we not
confront something sacred?
To reconcile men to God, then, is
our direct mission; our indirect mission
is to the social reform which flows
from such reconciliation. AS citizens,
Christians should bear their part in all
social principles learned in the
school Of Christ, are to be applied In
the world. But conversion is the
straight road to national Improvement.
| The soul Of all improvement is the i'm
provement of the soul. AS some one
has said, You cannot make water pure
by painting the pump, or get golden
conduct out of leaden Instincts Ours
the task, then, to form character, and
to proclaim those great truths of the
gospel of Christ which form it. For out
Of the heart are the issues Of life. And
to my mind, it will be radiant day
for our nation, when the church Of
Christ and her ministry are occupied
with the first things first, and make
their paramount business that which is
paramount
I'm taking this course-puItting the
Divine life, and the gospel which pro-
duces it, first-the church follows in
the footsteps OF Him who said: First,
make the tree good, then its fruit will
be good The man who sought to de-
! fleet the Master from His course, and
entangle Him in disputes about proper
| ty, met with a sharp rebuke, Man, VINO
made me judge or a divider over you;
keep yourselves from all covetousness;
mans life CONSISTENT not In the abun-
dance Of the things he possesseth.' Gov
erned by the same principle, the apos-
ties naturally worked In the same meth
cd as their Master. They were to
cleanse the Foul body of the infected
Roman world, and they did 1t by pro-
claiming the divine life for the individ-
ual soul. Great public changes were
/ wrought then, but they were wrought
by the power of the gospel displayed in
! the conversion of individuals.
1.-THE church of Christ to-day has no
such difficulties to face as the first mes
sengers of the Cross had to encounter
and overcome. Is the thought of to-
! day more antagonistic to the gospel
! than the front wisdom-seeking Greece
presented to them? Are the habits
! Of to-day more antagonistic To
the gospel than was the corruption
that honey -combed the luxurious sen.
sualism of Asia? Is the secularizing
influence of trade and imperialism more
hostile than was the self-centered pride
of Rome, with its cult of the emperor?
Is the ignorance of our slums more
! dense than the darkness that wrapped
the regions beyond?' And yet the Mes
sage conquered! Why not now? The
| Message is the same: the divine pow
err that clothed the messengers Is the
same! o! 1t will conquer now, as then!
The divine lie is In Gods church, not
| to be conquered by the world, but to
| conquer, and there is nothing In the
conditions under which it exists to i'm
pair its essential sovereignty and
crown Be of good courage, then! And
| fight the demon of pessimism that
seems to have taken possession of our
churches-that little pitted speck, which
| rotting inward slowly moulders all!
And yet, our task of being in the
midst Of the nations life as dew from
| JehOvah-as showers upon the grass-is
beset with some special difficulties.
The many peoples in which we are
placed have nearly all of them been
| inoculated with the gospel-passed
through our Bible schools-lived with
! in the range of religious influences. The
message we bring has no surprises in it
the charm Of freshness has vanished
people imagine they know all about it
and pass on. Then in the church ITSELF
|
sess is in active use. What we want in
| the church-what we must have is
what our noble president, In his homnly
| and direct way, says we need in this
nation of ours-'Men able and willing to
| pull their own weight what we have
is few willing to work and the others
willing to let them.
but W eneed not despair! God says
He will be a dew to Israel! And to full
fiji the function of the church in the life
of the nation-to be as due from Jeho-
yah, as showers upon the grass, in the
midst Of many peoples-the church must
turn to the God Of the dew! Apart
from Him we can do nothing!' Life is
the root of all work. Christianity must
be applied-yes! But we must nave the
Christianity to apply! There cannot be
too much work-too much application
but there may be too little communion
with the source Of all power! We, as
the Church of Christ, must keep in
mind that our life is communicated
life, and the power of our dynamo
must be increasedtas the number Of the
lamps we seek to light is multiplied Or,
to change the figure, the river that is
to bring fertility to a whole people must
rise high on the mountain of God, and
be fed from upper springs. The Church
of Christ must receive before she can
give, and she needs in the midst of this