The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1903-09-18

were willing to take less? Oh, tho
greatest need of the world is not more
charity. greater philanthropy. higher
civilization, broader education, but it
is Life! Jesus supreme mission was
to give life to dead souls, to save sim
ners!
A ND If Jesus had but one supreme
mission, that Of saving sinners.
and ii the supreme message of the
ages is: Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved" how
had 1t ought to affect the Christian?
The Christian has right to have but
one passion, and that is passion for
souls. His message must be the one
which Jesus has sent him 20 deliver.
we do not hear Paul, the greatest
soul-winner OF all times, preaching
anything but Christ Jesus and Him
crucified. He might have preached
otner and helpful things, but he de-
clares Il determined not to know
anything among you save Jesus Christ
and Him crucified." He might have
gloried in other things, but his prayer
was: God forbid that l should glory,
save In the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ" And the Christian has no
right or excuse for preaching or teach
ing anything else than that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sin
ners." This fact must be the central
and supreme motive of the life. Let
all else be subordinate to this one
great truth of Heaven and hope of
earth.
o DO SO simplifies all the complex
| tiles of the secular and religious
life 1t is so easy for the mariner to
miss his course il he takes his eyes
off the stars and the compass. 1t is
SO easy for the Christian to miss his
high calling in Christ Jesus by taking
his eyes from the Christ Who has
come into the world to save sinners
Commendable Christian activities are
allowed to obscure the main issue,
and soul saving is relegated to the re-
vival period or the more convenient
season. But if the supreme mission of
Jesus is kept ever in mind, and the
| supreme calling Of the Christian is
realized, all Christian activities natu-
rally and beautifully fall into their
rightful place, and the saving power of
Jesus is gloriously manifest. To
hn IS
Jesus encourages. The only one who
has right to be hopeful is the Chris
tan. The social, industrial, political
reformer is met on every hand with
difficulties and discouragements When
success is won in one direction fresh
difficulties arise in another. The dis
tressing conditions which prevail in
the large cities and in sections of the
country and the world are alleviated,
but not eliminated or cured The more
that is done, the more there appears to
be done. The one who serves human
ity with human means and in human
strength has burdens to carry which
sometimes crush
T WAS only a few years ago that a
l worker in the slums of New York
went insane because of the needs of
the unfortunates and her own feeble
ness to correct the existing evils. But
1t is not so with the Christian who
keeps in mind the supreme mission of
Jesus into the world. He knows he
has not the crushing burdens of hui
man ills to carry. He sees the need
and distress. 1t makes his heart bleed,
but it does not discourage, for he
the soul in darkness. His supreme
duty is not to make this life more
bearable, but to bring the dead soul to
saving knowledge in Jesus Christ.
He must be charitable, he must be
philanthropic, he must be minister
ing angel at all times, but all must be
handmaidens to serve the supreme end
that of saving the soul. And with all
Heaven rejoicing over one sinner who
has repented, and with the song Of
joy of the new-found hope swelling
in the heart of the saved soul, how can
there be encouragement? The soul
saving Christians are the happiest and
most hopeful. No pessimists are within
their ranks. All are bright with the
optimism Of Heaven. They lift up the
Christ and He draws all men unto
Him, from every grade and walk of
life.
T HIS is faithful saying, then,
l land worthy of all acceptation,
thet Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners" Mr.. Sturgeon, in
commenting on this verse, said: This
coming of Christ to save sinners, as
sinners, Paul regards as truth so well
known in the Christian church that
it had come to be saying, familiar
in their mouths as household words
1t had become sort of proverb with
Christians that Christ Jesus came to
save sinners, and Paul says that it
might justly be received as a proverb
among all nations, for it was worthy
of universal acceptance from the
weight of it's meaning, the Importance
of it's subject and the Divine author
ity with which it was sealed More
over, that Jesus Christ came into the
world to save sinners is so true that
it is not merely saying, but faith
full saying. worthy of all confidence,
being as sure as the truth of God Him
self. Pass it around, we Christians; re-
peat it among yourselves without the
slightest hesitancy or question; let it