The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-06-03

there - no help Tor YOU; Won never can get
out. The only chance for you is to tall
into an eternal sleep and forget your mis-
cry" Next comes a Mohammtdan. who
saws. 81 am so sorry to see you there. but
Allah is lust, and YOU deserve it. He is
not merciful. and Won will never get out.'
Last comes a Christian. who saws. 81 my.
sell have been down there. tumbled down
there once; | 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
q rock. That is the difference between the
Christian and the PAGAN religions. The
Christian religion is the only religion III
the world that offers TO help men ont OF
the burden OF their sins and the. conse-
quences Of their misery. But, q. the pity
Of it, ren don't want it. Napoleon said.
"Scratch a Russian. and Won will find q
Tartar" Scratch a Christian and vou VIII
find n pagan. IL seems to me that Chris.
tian congregations are full OF paganism. !
receive letters every week from men and
women who never vet have learned chat ii
they have made a blunder or committed a
sin. and nerhaps involved Others in peril
because of their mistake God can take care
OF it ALL and they can trust Him TO help,
IL on'v they viii turn from their evil WAYS.
Heipfulncss is the secret of Christian the
ologv So il is the secret of our Christian
ritual. II is Mt the heart OF all worship.
We come to church, not driven by fear or
compelled hy custom. and not by convic-
tion. 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. | do not say that is true
Of all. but still il it were not for the sense
Of the love of God and the desire to be
thankful the church would close it's doors
and the chimes cease to ring. What is the
Roman Catholic service? First confession
aud then absolution. The same thing Of
the Episconal service, and OF the Congre.
g1tional We don't go into the confession
al; We don't stand up as a priest pro.
nounces an absolution. but d. i. Moody as
truly preached absolution as anv Catholic
priest or Episcopa,ian rector. ii you want
creeds or oatechism. Go to the HYMN
books. They express our faith and real ex'
perience; they are our creed. sung over
and over and over again. And what does
the hymn book saw?
Love divine, all love excellinc" THANKS
be to God who giveth us the victory
Imagine, this Sabbath morning. a citizen
of Mars coming down and entering differ.
ert churches. He would go into Catholic
church and see the altar and the candles
and the robed rriest and :he incense, and
he would say, "What are YOU doing here;'
The answer would be: owe are here to
worship the Lamb who hath redeemed u.s."
In the Episcopal church he would see no
candles and incense, and would again ask
the question. The answer would he: I'VE
have come to praise the Lord Christ, who
hath redeemed us" In the Congregation.
al. Baptist ofPresbyterian church he would
see no altar or candles or vested priests.
What are you doing here?" he asks, and
the reply is "We nave come here to sing
the praise of the Man of God who hath re.
deemed us" And in the Quaker meeting
house he would see no choir or preacher or
service and hear no singing. but they
would all be sitting still doing nothing-ab-
solutely nothing. And their reply to the
same question would be: eve are 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 go back and say: They
Gods love that had given His Son for their
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
around behind the altar and found there
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: 81 can do all things--'
and then saying "That deny. But let us
see, what is this: through Him that
strengthened me- All. that is another
thing; that can do" 1t was quaint way
OF putting it, but it made the text stick in
my mind, and | have never forgotten it.
This is the secret Of the power Of Christian
ity. Yon will find men say: Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy
strength is the summary OF Christianity.
That is a mistake. Christ gave that as
asked, what is the chief end OF the jew.
ish law" He said, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God . and thy neighhor as
thvself," hut when He was about to die He
left as a legacy to His disciples this: "A
new commandment give ! unto you; that
We love one another as have loved yom."
How did He love us? He laid down His
life for us That is Christianity. judaism
is iustice Christianity is sacrifice. What
makes a Christian nation? Not creed
written in constitution, not an estab-
llshcd church. an organ or music. Nhat
will make America a Christian nation; We
hayo about us dependent and inferior races.
Loving our neighbor and the Filipino and
the NEGRO and making them men-nothng
else viii make Us a Christian nation. And
what makes a Christian church? Not fine
windows and music. hut making the world
wiser and better. What would Christ do
f2r Uan. employees ard =e.vants; -Iielpfu.-
ness ana service Is Christianity; the Heart
and the centre and circumference OF it.
Al Christian theology is summed up in:
God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son" and all Christian ritual
in the Palm: Blessing and honor and
glory and power to Him that sitteth upon
the throne and that hath redeemed us"
All Christian power il summed I'M in: II
can do all things through Him that
strengthened me- and all Christian duty is
summed M in the one law: Love one an.
other as have loved you"