The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-12-30

back at his alarming illness; as il God,
bending over His PROSTATE servant, lad
used His great heart as magnet to lift
the sufferer from the grave. Love magne.
| fore, imitators of God, Paul urges. and
walk in love even as Christ also loved you.
As His sent ones, we are to 60 about low.
ing people out of sin into forgiveness, out
of unrest into peace. Constrained, i'm.
PEELED, urged on, held irresistiby to one
| aim by the love Of Christ, we are sent to
those yet in enmity against God, to love
them into fellowship with Him.
Continuing, as we do. Christ's mission,
our parish is the world. As He was sent
into the world, even so has He also sent
US. His eommsnd; TO make disciples Of al
the nations has; never been repealed.
Within every Christian church wish
there hung chart, constructed on the ba-
sis of Acts i:8:,"Ye shall be witnesses unto
Me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea.
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
| part of the EARTH" -Four, coucentric CIR
eles. A picture Of the local church at the
centre. The inner eirce at the top, Tin
all Judea:" at the bottom, "State's Mis-.
Samaria:" at the bottom, "Home Mis-.
sions." The outer circle at the top. unto
the Uttermost Parts of the Earth" at, the
bottom. Foreign Missions" Across. them
all in the shape of a cross "Preach the
gospel to every creature" ''The Field is
the World" -.
A sinful world. where men and women
are dying without God and without hope.
A sorrowful world. where bleeding hearts
need bandaging,r where many man never
sees the stars shine through his cypress
| trees. A covetous world, where greed
supplants creed, where the book Of truth
and the bottles o., hell are struggling tor
the supremacy. where, with eyes blinded
by the god of this age, many are fastening
to become rich, falling into temptation and
a snare and into many foolish and nurtfu
lusts which drown men in destruction and
perdition. Into such world are we sent.
vet must we keep ourselves unspoited
from the world. His figure. OF the salt
Jesus Immediately followed with His figure
of the light. While mingling' with people,
as salt is mixed with that which needs
| preservation, We must be as lights, above
and shining down upon the world. Some
times in the holy mount with the trans
| figured Christ, then down among tae peo-
pie with the demouiac boy; keeping close
| to the Master while keeping touch OF the
| world; laying hold of sinful man with one
hand and the sinless Man with the other,
and bringing them face to face.
1t is profitable to note Christ's interpre-
tation of His own mission, and to read our
| mission in the light of that Interpretation.
Hear His words: "1 came down from IN
will of Him that sent Me-. As My Father
hath sent Me- even so send you. I came
not to call the righteous, but sinners. to
repentance. AS Ny Father hath sent Me,
even so send you. The Son of man came
| not to be ministered unto, but to minister,
and to give His life a ransom. for many;
As My Father hath sent Me, even 90 send
I you. The Son Of man came to seek and
to save that which was lost. As MY
Father hath sent Me, even so send you.
He came to minister, and He ministered
to all classes. He welcomed influential
Nicodemus, and explained to him the new
birth. He took equal pains with. the de
spised woman of Samaria, and drew for
j er the living water. The two accounts
are placed side by side During His life
He mingled with the poor; in His death
He made His grave with the rich in order
that He might save both. So is the vii! or
God in Christ Jesus concerning, US: we
helpful charity, with a word in season to
him that is weary, with heart at leisure
from itself. to soothe and sympathize. we
are sent to bring ourselves into contact
with humanity at the point of need.
Ourselves, mark you, not merely our SUBJ
stance. The human soul is cavernous in
its hunger, not 1or things, but for folks.
It is easier often to give money than self.
1t takes less prayer, and necessitates less
nervous expenditure. Jesus touched men,
and virtue went out of Him. He gave His
life. AS a ransom that gift was unique in
it's value and effect. AS an offering Tor
we, in some true sense, give ourselves, as
He gave Himself. We may present our
bodies a living sacrifice. We may pour out
our lives on the altar of the church's laith.
and count it Joy, as Paul did. We may
initiate the devotion which burned in the
bosom and blazed in the life of my revered
teacher, Martin. Brewer Anderson, who
used to say: ut has been the purpose or
my life to live as far as l might Tor oth-
ers; like my divine Master, to give myseI!!
for them, and so far to renew IN myself
that perfect life"
In view of our mighty mission. are we
in weakness, and in fear and in much
trembling? Let US be comforted by our
Lords microscopy prayer. He guarantees
complete equipment. When He speaks
of sending us into the world, His word
means more than a mere sending. !t I'M
plies an official, authoritative commission,
together with the necessary, equipment
AS the Father equipped Him tor his mn
istry, SO He thoroughly furnishes ns unto
every good work He was amounted with
receive power, said He, when the holy
Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be
NV witnesses. For witness bearing the
cift of the Spirit is ABSOLUTELY, essentlal. "a
We must tarry until we are endued. we
NAV be richly endowed without being en-
dued at all. Once, we are tod IL took
one sermon to convert c0o0 sous; no" ~
takes 5000 sermons to convert one soui
the statement be true, the reason Is clear.
filed. We must tarry for the promise OF
the Father before We can carry tn; gospei
of che Son.
Eop;nned with power, we are gwen a
message. Jesus went about teaching ana
preaching the gospel of the kingdom; AS
the Father sent Him even so SENDS he US.
When a man gets the tongue OF flre nis
theme is not politics or sociology, not int-
erature or science, not the popular TOPICS
of business or society, but the mlghty
works of God. Paul told Timothy that the
time would come when men would noi gu
dure sound doctrine, but, having lscnlng
after their own lusts If churches have
itching ears they can always hnd teacners
and preachers who are willing to scratch
their cars. But ear-scratchers are not am
bassadors. In our ministry of reconci.iai,
ton we have hut one message-thn, woru
of reconciliation. God has committed Il
to to us; or, as Paul says, God has deDosltefa Cd
it in US; as if it is sacred treasure wnieh .n
we are to preserve carefully and bear faith
fully to Others.
Parents and teachers and fellow workers
unto the kingdom of God, while continuing
the mission of Jesus who came to see5 ana
To save that which was lost may God give
Won and me the unspeakable joy not only
of turning men and women from darEpess
to light, but also of leading many OF the
i;ltia nnns To Him who carries the lambs