The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-10-07
THE CALLING OF LIFE"
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev. Cr
S. Parks Cadman.
oar Souls Pace Is Liable 10 Pe Set 10
PerishabIe Strains, Where Noble Means
Are Used for Little Ends.

BROOKLYN, N. Y.-Dr. Samuel Parkes
Cadman, pastor OF the Central Congrcga-
tonal Church, occupied his pulpit for the
first time Sunday morning since his vaca-
ton and his return from Europe. A large
congregation had assembled. The sermon
was upon The Calling of Life" and the
text from the First Epistle to the Corin.
tbians i:2, Called to be saints" DIR. Cad.
nan said in the course of strong sermon:
To-day we enter upon the fifteenth year
Of our church's existence and work. Be
bind us lies the honorable past, conferring
Obligation more than feeding pride, holy
prophecy in living deeds and a strong root
Of confidence that God, even the God OF
our fathers, who has reared this pillar to
His name and glory, will not break it in
| the midst So this year of jubilee is upon
U.s. and these considerations make it q
priceless possession which our stewardship
. must guard and increase.
These divisions of time are arbitrary, but
influential. January | is but moments \
space from December 81, and yet the birth
Of a new year has witnessed in number,ess
instances spiritual and moral revolutions.
A few hours separate Good Friday from
Easter Day, but If near in time, how dis
tant are they in meaning These distinc-
tons of the calendar arrest us. They
breal; the crust of our conyentionality,
they recall us to our original work and
alities of vision and of hope.
Let us beware of blaming our surround
ings for our weakness, our failure to in.
strumentally convert men and control the
present world in the intere-5 OF the kind.
dom. The scant supply of living waters is
too often caused by the cholied pine and
It's paucity prevents MANY from seeking it.
Pastors. teachers and workers of all
churches should remember that the mighty
tide of Gods life and blessing finds its
way to human hearts through their APP
pointed agencies. And the greatest church
among lis is only like port on the oceans.
shore, dependent on it for increase and for
strength
Dredge deep the bar and cleanse away
the silt of daily cares. Then. when the
text is thus understood and ooeyed, com
merce with the unseen world shall bring
Us wealthicr freights, and life, which now
seems far away, and inland shall he lifted
upon this resistless affiuence OF blessing
and brought back to God.
But sainthood is no passive movement,
dependent on our inaction, hesitatng when
we are alert and shy OF any effort we can
make to secure its franchise. IT absorbs
into one flame of devotion altar and sacri-
fee 1t insists upon the full employment
OF every capacity and new and better obe-
dences. IT bids you rise from the low
grounds of despair and cease to say:
L
world had but lived Thy highest" Gods
love and health are yours, willing to meet
your reaciustmcnt of energy and of aim.
Lord Salisbury's favorite advice to those
who pestered him about his world-com-
peliing diplomacy bade them Study larger
maps, And the sweep of Gods plan in
your life and mine is wide unto the inf
mite. tender and wise and capable beyond
our utmost imagination. When the apostle
wrote. these words he was conscious of
their high supremacy, and yet they are but
FAINT reflection of the weight of glory
God has chosen to give perfected char
acter after the pattern of the Master.
II we see the excellency of this calling it
should mean for us the objective point
where the finest energies of the soul are
constantly in service. The pity of it is that
we are busy overmuch in trivial and imma.
terial things and struggle in the meshes OF
the commonplace.
Our souls pace is liable to be set to
perlshable strains, where noble means are
used for little ends. Strenuous life is wise
when its aims are correspondingly high,
but it was said of noble Roman DOM.
tan Is always busy-catching flies"
10 be born a man and die--not a saint,
defeats the central thought of our loving
Creator. Manhood sacrificed to anything
less than the Makers purpose is manhood
lost. We may pursue the petty round un-
I'll high achievement and its possibility are
paralyzed
You naturally ask, What is sainthood?
1t is spiritual health and moral thoughtful.
ness. 1T Is, to quote a significant utter
ance OF DR.. Arnold, OF Rugby, "the inqur-
ing .ove of truth sustained by the devoted
love or goodness" 1t is wholesome, be-
cause it is holy, set about and adorned by
the abiding beauty of holiness. rightly un-
derstood. 1t is practice, not theory; con-
secration, not perfection: condition of
Character and not a theological definition.
1t Is the kinship in willing and feeling of
your spirit to the spirit OF Christ, who was
the very will and heart OF God in human
flesh
Because it flows cut of the fulness of
catholic blessing, and there has been no
more mischievous teaching than that which
mas limited it to a sect within the church.
Beng Gods gift, its only condition of ex-
lstence in YOU is your hearty trust and ac-
ceDtance of the same, followed by constant
emort to walk in. Christ's way. Alike for
all s;l who profess and call themselves Chris
tiians. for brilliant but b'ameworthy Corin-
ihlans., for generous but fick.e Galatians,
ior Ephesus in her dearth of first love, as
iior Sardis and Laodicea, with little more
,,han mere name to live; let none draw
pack from this divine election or declare
the boon is not for them.
Many shrink from this term saint" be-
cause it has been DETAINED by the charlatan
and soied by all ignoble use Pharisaical
sanctlmonlousness and bigoted exclusive.
ness and false standards OF the real mea'-
ufe and quality OF sainthood have hinderld
Its free range
, But, rightly known. it is the spirit of t.lc
heavens within the wheels OF earthly inter.
course
Cardinal Newman reflected upon the
church of his birth that ahe faile1 to pro.
S-ee sainthood. and the Roman commun.
.3In, he declared. was first and singular in
thls respect. How rudely he challenged
SShgican complacency some OF us know.
SSapable of much, it was wanting here.
bishops, theologians. exegists, ecclesiastical
statesmen it could and did afford, but
spaihts, no: Bishop Kew, John Keb,e and
iInehard William Church are sufficient evil
Htence to the contrary. And l only quote
.ne cardinal to show how segregated ideals
ana types OF sainthood may mislead fore
most spiritual genius.
The challenge Newman flung down we
are bound to take up for ourselves. No
more searching question than this can be
~ Thought to our fiftieth anniversary, How is
aiized by this flock of God?
rus we are whom We serve. He justly
vlaims us for His own, elect and precious.
ana beyond our cautious Puritan temper
ana our dislike for the mystic and the ESQ
..erie, all the heaven of His purpose awaits
the y sweep OF our faith. / plead for aban-
gon IN the froat of this gracious calling:
for that sanctifed recklessness which led
ot. Augustine to cry. Give what thou
wilt"
Two main lines of Christian culture are
open to us all. First, we can seek for a
en- c1snsswed, inyigorated personal relation to