The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-06-17

there is no help for you; you never can geG
out. The only chance for you ls to IAN
into an eternal sleep and forget your mis-
ery." Next comes a Mohammedan, VINO
says. II am so sorry to see you there; o9t
Allah is Just, and you deserve it. He IS
not merciful, and YOU will never get out"
Last comes a Christian. who says, u my
self have been down there. tumbled down
there once. I know just how you can get
out" And he gets a rope and pulls the
man out of the hole and puts his feet upon
n rock That is the difference between the
Christian and the pagan religions. The
Christian religion is the only religion IN
the world that offers to help, men out OF
the burden of their sins and the conse.
of it. men don't want, it. Napoleon. SAID,
Scratch Russian. and you wi find q
Tartar" Scratch Christian and you will
find pagan. It seems to me that Chris
tian congregations are full Of paganism. !
receive letters every week from men and
women who never vet have learned that II
they have made blunder or committed a
sin. and perhaps involved others IN peril
because of their mistake. God can take care
of it all. and they can trust Him to help,
if only they will turn from their evil ways.
Helpfuness is the secret Of Christian the
ology. So it is the secret OF ourr, Christian
rlCudl. IL lS dG lie HediG vi a., e"'P'
We come to church, not driven by fear or
compelled by custom, and not by convic.
ton. Why? Not to be entertained by an
amusing lecture. Then. why? At the heart
Of it all is this: Some sense of the truth OF
that message that God is love and that,
somehow or other, we are dependent on
His love and have had something from
His love, and we want to give Him some
thing in return. I do not say. that is true
Of all, but still If it were not for the sense
of the love of God and the desire to be
thankful the church wou' d close it's doors
and the chimes cease to ring. What IS the
Roman Catholic service? First confession
and then absolntion. The same thing OF
gational. We don't go into the confession.
al; we don't stand I'D. as priest pro-
norlnces an absolntion. but D. J.. Moody as
truly preached absoution as any Catholic
priest or Episcopalian rector. if you want
to know what men believe, don't 90 to the
creeds or catechism. 60 to the hymn
books. They express our faith anu real ex'
perience; they are our creed: sung over
and over and over again. And what does
the hymn book say? ,,
Glove divine, all love exceling." "Ihanks
be to God who giveth us the victory"
Imagine, this Sabbath morning, citizen
ent churches. He would 60 into Catholic
church and see the altar and the candles
and the robed priest and the incense, and nd
he would say, "What are YOU doing, here"
The answer would be: owe are here to
worship the Lamb who hath. redeemed us."
In the Episcopal church he would see no
candles and incense, and would again ask
the question. The answer would he: 1--WE
have come to praise the Lord Christ, who
hath redeemed us" In the Congregation.
al, Baptist or Presbyterian church he would
see no altar or candles or vested priests;
''What are You doing here" he asks, and
the reply is: eve have come here to sing
the praise of the Man of God who hath re-
deemed u.s." And in the Quaker meeting
house he would see no choir or preacher OF
service and hear no singing but they
would all be sitting still doing nothing CAB
solutely nothing. And their reply to the
same Question would be-: "Weare giving our
praise to Christ, who hath redeemed us by
His blood. We cannot find any utterance
which will express our gratitude, and we
are simply speaking in the silence Of our
hearts" He would 60 hack and say: "Ihey
were all drawn together by sense OF
Gods love that had given His Son tor then
redemption" 1t is the love of God That
makes US one, and only that. WAS once
in a Catholic church in Paris and after
watching the service for a time ! walked
service of deaf and dumb people. The ser
vice was the same at heart; the love of God
inspiring the thanks of men:
remember an old English divine begin, !,
ming his sermon: "I can do all things
and then saying. "That I denv. But let ua
see, what is this: through Him that
strenpthened me- All, that is another
thing: that 7 can do" 1t was quaint way
of putting it, but it made the text stick ID
nv mind. and I have never forgotten. 1t
This is the secret of the power Of Christian.
ity. Yon will find men say: ",Chou, shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy
strength" is the. summary of Christianity
That is mistake: Christ, gave that ae
asked, "What is the chief end OF the Jew
ish Jaw?" He said, Chou shalt love the
Lord thy God - and thy neighhor as
thvself," but when He was a bout to die He
left as a legacy to His disciples this "A
new commandment give 7 unto you; that
We love one another as ! have loved you"
How did He love us? He laid down His
life for us. That is Christianity. Judaism
is Justice; Christianity is sacrifice. What
makes a Christian nation? Not a creed
written in a constitution. not an estao.
lished church, an organ or music. VIA
will make America Christian nation! we
have about us dependent and inferior races
Loving our neighbor and the Filipino and
the negro and making them men nothing
else will make us Christian nation. And
what makes a Christian church, Not fine
windows and music. but making the world
wiser and better. What would Christ do
for your employees and servants? Helpful.
ness and service is Christianity; the heart
and the centre and circumference OF It,
"God so loved the word that He gave. His
only begotten Son" and all Christian ritual
in the Psalm: blessing and honor and
glory and power to Him that sitteth, upon
the throne and that hath redeemed u.s.
All Christian power is summed uD in: u
can do all things through Him that
strengthened me-" and all Christian duty is
summed up in the one law: Love one an
1nvaI "