Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-02-15

nary, yet today | feel just as much at
home in the Methodist church as | do
in the Presbyterian. | could just as
logically be member of a Methodist
conference as | am now a member of
Calvinistic presbytery.
Difficult Task.
The harmonizing of the two doctrines
Gods omnipotence and mans free
agency-is task that many have at
tempted in vain. But it is glorious
mystery that should make of believers
of the different Protestant churches
brothers and sisters at the foot of the
cross. Therefore, my Christian broth
er, if you are living in a small country
town do not make the mistake of try
ing to run in that village five or six
different chU% hes when there are only
enough inhabitants to support one. Do
not try to run Congregational church
and a Methodist church and a Luz
theran church and a Baptist church
and an Episcopalian church and a Unit
ed Presbyterian church. Do not keep
on continually talking about my
church." All Christian churches ought
to belong to you and you to them. The
difference of Protestant creeds is mere
ly that of extra emphasis upon some
one of Gods great attributes. Remem-
Der hereafter that you ought to be able
to worship God just as devoutly and
earnestly before Il Methodist altar as
at an Episcopalian chancel or as in
Presbyterian pew. God has many Cos
pei sheepfolds. These sheep are all fed
by the same Divine Shepherd. although
at times they are separated from each
other by the sectarian fences built by
mans creed and by infinite ignorance.
''Other sheep have | which are not OF
this fold' applies as much to the
Protestant church across the street as
to your own Chapel.
The mystery of why God ever let sin
come into the world: 1t is an mex
plicable mystery. 1t is a mystery the
more ineXplicable because, from hui
man standpoint, if there had been no
sin then there would have been no
need of q place of future punishment
But, after we have once accepted the
belief that loving God has allowed
sin to come into this world for Il pur-
pose which we cannot fathOm or ana
lyze. then we find that some of the
most beautiful sacrifices of Christian
heroes and heroines have been inspired
from this source to overcome the aw-
full and eternal effects of evil. If there
had been no sin there would have been
no MOfatts and Whipples and judi
sons, no Careys and Taylors, no VIII
sons and BrainerdS, no Patons and Ell
liotts in the missionary fields trying
to save the ignorant, brutal and canni-
balistic savages from the awful degra-
dation of their lives. If there had been
no sin there would have been no Cath
crime Booths as angels of light la
boring among the London slums, no
liamses to reach out rescuing hands
from the Young Mems Christian asso-
Citations. If there We're no sin there
would be no such saving work for US
to do for Christ as we can one and all
now perform in his name.
Furthermore, if there were no sin
there would be no saviour as we pic
ture him. What does the word 'SaS
Jour" mean? 1t means a rescuer. IN
a physical sense it means the strong
swimmer who breasts the waves and
goes out beyond the life lines to bring
in the drowning brother. 1t means the
fireman who climbs the ladder and
amid the GREATNESS silence of the on
lockers plunges into the flames and
brings out the unconscious man and
woman and carries them to safety just
before the crooked walls tOtter and fall.
1t means, in a physical sense, Henry
NJ. Stanley plunging into the African
forests to save an Emin Pasha or
Captain Schley heading his ships north
ward to save a Greedy and Melville.
If there is no danger, then there can
be no Saviour or rescuer. And because
the eternal results of sin are so great,
therefore, the divine love of Christ's
sacrifice is brought forth in the brighter
contrast. We are not maryeling today
why the human craft was allowed to be
stranded upon the rocks of sin, but we
are proclainiing the fact that on ac-
count of our impending eternal ship
wreck the gospel life line is flung out
and the gospel lifeboat is being pushed
through the raging, surging. stormy
seas
We cannot explain why sin was ever
allowed to come into the world But
after we accept its advent as fact,
then the cross, on account of our eter-
nal danger. can become our all in ALL
With the sainted Gotthold we may say
before the flaming fires of eternal
death: For my own part my soul is
like a hungry and thirsty child, and l
need Christs love and consolation for
my refreshment. l am a wandering
and lost sheep, and l need him as Il
good and faithful shepherd. My soul
is Ikea frightened dove pursued by a
hawk. and | need his wounds for
refuge. l am a feeble vine, and | need
! his cross to lay hold of and wind my