The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-06-27

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consistency and loyalty on the part
of the Church; it's most stringent
critics are those who give it the
least patronage; and their respect for
it would be turned into contempt.
The church cannot afford to tempt
the world s respect for it. Gods ways
are not our ways; the responsibility
fer results does not belong to us; but
the obligation to maintain the tradi-
lions. uphold the standards and per-
form the duties of the church belong
to us.
/ have said all this with great
deal of tradition and with consider
able misgiving for fear that you will
say ''if the church is exerting such
an influence all the time, I do not see
that l need to be strenuous in giving
it my support and patronage. |
trust that none of you will take so
petty position; the result should be
quite the opposite of this and I have
dared to endure the trepidation and
misgiving with no little courage in
order to say just what 1 nave said
SO precisely.
Yon cherish the church and every
one of you would fight to the last
ditch in order to protect it just be-
cause it is what have outlined it to
be and does what l have claimed for
it; you would sacrifice the aboli-
tion and destruction of any other in
stitution, even our own republican
government, in preference to the
church and what the church stands
for. You could live under another
form of government; you would not
live in a churchless community.
And because you love and cherish
and respect it you ought to give it
your utmost support and patronage ;
it's welfare ought to be the object of
your supreme regard; its prosperity
ought to be the goal of your ambi-
tions. 1t is the Church of the Living
God: whatever is living indicates
growth and advance and progressive
ness and the Church of the Living
God must be growing and advanc-
ing church. The responsibility for
its progress along the very lines |
have indicated rests upon your in
creasing support, defence and pat
ronage. For after all the church is
but an aggregation of individuals
and it feels the loss Of the support of
each one and it feels the gain of the
support of each one
But more than all this you need to
be allied with it for your own good ;
you need to be identified with it's in
terests and concerned with its well
fare; you need church utilization
1t stands for things you want to stand
for and ought to stand for; it does a
work you want fdone and ought to
help do; it conserves traditions and
belives you want upheld and ought to
help uphold. And by upholding these
things and representing them and help
ing to do them you enter into larger
and better manhood and womanhood
that increases your own prestige and
the dignity of your character.
5. And now perhaps some one will
say 'tell US precisely and concisely
Just what the church does stand for. "
If that request suggests itself to any
of you let me try to comply with it.
1t seems to me that there are two
things about which all others may
be grouped or under which they may
be classified.
First of all the church stands for
Ull6 OIOSS VI OCSuS OA11SV' ~ 10 NV
only because love to see the church
fittingly adorned; it is not because l
love the sacred forms of ritualism
that say would like to see hand
some cross ornamenting these walls
or decorating some part of the church
furniture. The Gospel of Jesus is
not religion; it is the Gospel Of a
Saviour from sin and the cross on
which he offered himself as the
worlds sacrifice has always been the
symbol of Christianity. 1t is the
church's diploma; the certificate of
its right to be church. 1t should
stand as constant reminder of Him
who said "And I, if be lifted up,
will draw all men unto me. F" Christ
ianity does not tell us what we ought
to do; Moses told us that; our con-
sciences tell it to us and it is part of
the consciousness of the race.
Christianity is gospel OF the for
giveness of sins and the cross is q
guide post that points with uner-
ring finger the way by which those
who have sinned may find eternal life.
The church stands for the Gross OF
Christ and it means something for
the church to stand for that because il
stands for it in opposition to the wish
and wisdom of the world. The
cross was to Jews stumbling block
to the Greeks, foolishness - had the
way of salvation been left to the wish
and wisdom OF the world, the tway
of the cross would have been its last
| invention and choice.
The church stands for the cross OF
Christ and it is very needful today
for it to maintain its stand unwaver'
ingly and consistently. Do not for
get that the church has work to dc
among people of all races, of all SEN
timents, opinions and beliefs, Anc
in the face of the non Christian world
the cross of Christ must be upheld.
1t is said that there is a European
people whose bitterness toward
Jesus is such that they bury theil
dead according to this custom. They
are buried sitting up, with stone in
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ,J&l