Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-05
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvOR HOUR
Conducted by
GRACE LIVINGSTON HILL.
For September 6.

Topic: The Allied Forces of RfghteousneSs -
john, xvii:20-2S; Corinthians, i:101S.
John xvii: 20. Neither pray I for these
| alone. but for them also which shall be-
| lieve on me through their word.
81 That they all may be one; as Thou,
Father, are in me, and in Thee. that they
also may be one in us; that the world may
believe that Thou hast sent me.
%. And the glory which Thou gavest me
l have given them; that they may be one
even as we are one.
%. l in them and Thou in me, that they
may be made perfect in one; and that the
world may know that Thou hast sent ire,
and hast loved them, as thou hast loved
me.
Corinthians. i:10 Now I beseech you.
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye all speak the same thing.
ana that there be no divisions among you;
but that We be perfectly Joined together In
the same mind and in the same Judgment.
II. For it hath been declared unto me Of
you. my brethren, by them which are of the
house of Chloe, that there are contentious
among you.
II. Now this I say. that every one of you
saith l am of Paul; and of Apollos; and
l of Cephas; and l of Christ.
13. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified
for you? were We baptized in the name
of Paul?
The Lesson.
In this age of evangelization, when all the
signs of the times are looking toward the
widening of Christs kingdom, preparatory
to His coming. it is precious to read this
tender prayer of Jesus for us. Sent down
through the ages, it rings clearly to our
hearts as If we had stood with Him beside
the sea Of Galilee walked with Him in
the garden ourselves. Neither pray l for
these alone but for all them also when
we not listen eagerly now to this prayer
which was His longing for you and me?
THAT they all may be one" We draw
back at this and look sorrowful. There is
that woman in the same church with us
with whom we will not speak. There is
that man of our own family with whom We
have bitter contention. oh, yes, he is
Christian, too but mighty poor one, we
think-whats that? This prayer for him
also? and that disagreeable girl who got
your Sunday school class away from you
and only wanted to fiirt with the boys and
show her pretty hats, and can't teach any
way? Yes, and that fellow member of your
own committee who insists on doing every
thing in the wrong way so that you have
given up going to the committee meetings
and thinking of handing in your res;g
nation! One. Jesus wanted you to be enc
with every one Of those, because He loved
them too
We are not doing our best to answer that
prayer are we? And how intensely one He
wanted to be with all His own. LAS
Thou. Father. art in me. and l in Thee.
The oneness that was one even to suffering
and dying. The oneness that was so perfect
that even the world could find no difference,
the curious, prying, sneering world.
All. yes, the world does sneer. When
church has a dOctrinal quarrel who rises
up to point it out quicker than the world.
and when the man who bears the name of
Christian goes wrong the world claps its
hands in joy and says: THE church has
IA he f,aantiful church and her shame
is her boast and pride. And no bit of reli
gious gossip is more eagerly snatched up
and blazoned around than the details of a
church fight.
How pitifully does this show forth that
we. Christ's children. have lost sight of the
object of our being Christians In this
world. THAT the world may believe that
Thou hast sent me-" And we care more
about proving that individual opinion
or way is right, or asserting our own petty
authority somewhere and living by the
more strict and formal rules OF etiquette,
than for showing the world that Christ was
God-sent.
II in them and Thou in me- Does it not
seem as if we might be perfect with a
God Titled Christ in US? Actually In US.
living our lives for u.s. for that is what
Jesus will do if we let Him. Do you fancy
for minute that Jesus, were He now in
your place, would carry that grudge or look
askance at that girl who has sighted you,
or hold bitterness toward any man? And
yet you excuse yourself for doing 1t and
see not that so long as you allow such feel
ings to rule your life Christ is not one with
you.
Thank God that the UNCONVENTIONAL
contentious are not so bitter they used
to be a few years ago Bishop Vincent, in
a memorable sermon at Chautauqua years
ago. described the different denominations
as vast arches of one perfect temple de-
signed by God, and more and more do they
seem to be forgetting their individual stones
and curves, which are so necessary to their
individual completion and to be thinking
OF their unity with all the other arches.
and how they are meant to form an abid-
ing place for the living God
We need some Paul around today to bring
us to our senses with the keen sarcasm,
us Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for
your" After all why do you and 1 care so
nightly for the opinions hold and the
have planned. Have any of them ever
been much to us as Christ would be If
we would let Him?
The thinkers of today are most of them
agreed that the signs of the coming of the
Lord have been or are being fulfilled now.
The kingdom might come at any time.
What is hindering it? Can it be that one
thing is the contentious spirit in the
churches-the heedleSsness of Christs own,
who have forgotten this His prayer for
them that they might be One with Him and
His Father?
1t Is a wonderful thought that in our
work you and 1 may have the strong arms
of God and Christ to rely upon when
are hard pressed. With God for us all
things are possible.
Applied Truth.
A certain eminent queens counsel who