The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-09-12

were when the suffering and needy re-
ceived the temporal blessings of heal
ing and food from His hands without
any awakening in the soul of desire
for the supplying of the greater need
which He came to fill. He came to give
Life! Could He be satisfied when they
were willing to take less? oh, the
greatest need Of the world is not more
charity, greater philanthropy. higher
civilization, broader education, but 1t
Is Life! Jesus supreme mission was
to give life to dead souls, to save sim
ners!
A ND IL Jesus had but one supreme
"A 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
cruciied. He might have preached
other and helpful things, but he de-
clares: II 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 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.
TO DO so simplifies all the complex
l tiles Of the secular and religious
life. 1t is so easy for the mariner to
miss his course IL he takes his eyes
OF the stars and the compass. 1t is
so easy for the Christian to miss his
high calling in Christ Jesus by taking
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 IL 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
recognize the supreme mission of
Jesus encourages. The only one who
has right to be hopeful is the Chris
tian. The social, Industrial. political
reformer is met on every hand with
difficulties and Heterogeneous. When
success is won in one direction fresh
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.
1T WAS only a few years ago that a
! 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
knows the saddest condition of all Is
the soul In darkness. His supreme
duty is not to make this life more
bearable, but to bring the dead soul to
a 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 oy
life.
It HIS Is a faithful saying, then,
land worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the WORLD
to save sinners" Mr.. Spurgeon. In
commenting on this verse. said: This
coming of Christ to save sinners, az
sinners, Paul regards as truth so web
known in the Christian church thai
It had come to be a 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 1t
might justly be received as proverb