Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-11-30

makes such demands on the directors
that they have little time for consider
ing human individual needs, little time
to consider church demands.
THE MISTAKE OF THE CHURCH.
The church, in her effort to fit men
for the future life, has forgotten the
claims of this life. The church stands
for life in the future, but the kingdom.
Christ came to establish stands for the
present life. for all life, today, tomor-
row. and forever. The church stands
for the redemption of the soul; the
kingdom of Christ for the redemption
of all souls, for the redemption of So
ciety. The vital mistake of the early
church was the expectancy of an imme-
date material kingdom. The mistake
OF the modern church is that while fit
ting men for the future kingdom she
has forgotten the kingdom of God in
her midst.
Whilst We have been building our
churches, and dreaming that the mil
lennium was coming, the gulf has
been daily widening which separates
the lower classes in the community
from our churches, and from decency
and civilization. These conditions Of
the home missionary field force us to
face the facts and to make an honest
effort, to solve this, the most import
ant problem which has ever engaged
the thought of our leaders. The first
demand is that the church shall make
The church has heard the unfriendly
and friendly criticisms, and her leaders
are anxiously asking what reimbursement
of method can be made to bring her
fnronc tn fa
the going away of Christ from the earth
his dicipies have head to the conception Of
an ideal Kingdom to be realized in some
other world than this; this conception
must give way to a material and spiritual
Kingdom to be realized here and now.
This is the inspiring thought of the hour.
The signs of the time Indicate that We
have entered upon new period OF pro-
gress. The trend of the hour is not only
back to Christ, but also back to the man
in the street, the market, the Office and
the factory. The evangelization Of the
centres is the demand of the hour. The
task before us is to bring the shrewd
see his need of God and Gods need Of
him. To show to the tOilers the. great
fact that the church is their friend, that
he cannot win In the Industrial dal contest est
church of today, and this Is her
NEW OPPORTUNITY.
Hers is the opportunity to preach the
Gospel as Christ preached it. to the rich.
the stockholders, the captains or INDUS
try: preach it until they will consecrate
their powers. their talents and their
wealth to the welfare of humanity.
Preach it until humanity shall be social
lied and ChristianiZed.
Here is the opportunity to bring the
kingdom of God to the needy; IL the homo
and the school are denied the girl and
hoy, then the church must become both
nome and school; if domestic economy
cannot be learned at home, then the
church must furnish the cooking school
and the sewing school, If the academy
is beyond the boy, then the church must
furnish the library and the lecture course.
But some one suggests the soul Will be
neglected; why man, these people do not
know they have a soul, these things Will
discover to them their souls and their
need of God.
All this is but saying character, not
profit is the goal of all art. literature.
science and commerce. All this Is but
putting into practice the old story OF
the good Samaritan. 1t is but the decla-
ration of Paul: II seek not yours. but
you" Shakespeare expressed 1t when ne
wrote
Thyself and thy belongings
Are not thine so proper as to waste
Thyself upon thy virtues; they on thee.
If our virtues
Did not go forth from us. t'were all alike
AS if thou had them not.
The measure of a mans life is his abil-
ity to recognize and use his opportunities.
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