Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1904-12-01
A GRAND RALLY
Continued

gregational church. who spoke from
the text found In Isa 81: !, which
treats of Gods appeal TO his people
to awake TO realization OF their
disgraced condition as slaves in
foreign land (Babylon) ETC., the pos
sibilities that lay before them to
throw off their bondage and return to
their own land.
So the call comes to the church to
awake to a sense of It's own condi ion.
AS compared with the possibilities
lthat lie before her she is to awake TO
put on something, viz: strength and
beauty
| /. Her weakness lies in her belief
of weakness and in her loss OF the
sight of God. BY taking hold of the
strength at her command-the power
of God-she may rise to go forward
to make glorious conquests for Him.
2. God does not want His people to
go in rags and be disgraced in the
world; but to put on beautiful gar
ments: the beauty of holy character,
the spirit and character of Jesus
Christ. Only thus can the church
hold her true position in the world.
Rev. j. w Sheehan, who occupied
the Congregational church, found his
text for the occasion in the 22nd
verse of the Sd chapter of lst Corin-
thians: whether Paul or Apollos,
or Cephas, or the world, or life, or
death, or things present, or things to
come; all are yours" The speaker
said that in the battle of life not
mere length of days are ours, but all
that makes for righteousness-joy,
peace. moral victory and glad inner
consciousness. The best moral, in
tellectual and social life is the por-
ton which falls to the lot of him
who lives we'll the christian life.
Christ makes life ours by changing
moral quality by means of CONVEX
sion; by enlarging its vision so great
ly that unseen things appear, and by
enrich hing our life with the best of
friendships that ia II to the lot of or
binary man. Life is ours, on earth or
in heaven, to live to Gods glory If
we wish it so, .and the inducements
for good living are so many that we
cannot afford to choose the worser
way. His sermon was well received.
Rev. f. T. Porter took for his
theme at the Baptist church 1.-THE
sunday school as Religious Factor"
The bible, being the only text hook in
the Sunday school, the school b.
comes an evangelizing factor be-
cause the book is the foundation OF
all evangelism. 1t sends out living
Christs in house to house visitation
and carries the bib BILE, or the bible in
huence, into homes which know not
the value of the precious work, and
| into homes where its members do not
| attend any religious services. The
| scholars of the school carry into sin
| filled homes a touch of the divine ma
ture that is acquired by them In
| their contact with Gods people. The
| Sunday school is also missionary
| factor because it rears the young tC
| lives of christian activity when were
| it not for the school they would rise
| to sinful lives. Heredity is strong
| feature in the welfare OF the Chile
but its environment is even stronger
| The potent results of Sunday schoo
| work are many but the grandest re
suits are the bringing of Christ into
| the home and the homes into the
| church to the honor and glory Of
| Gods name.
| AT the evening meeting DIR. l. 5
Morris presided in his inimitable
| way and won a warm spot in the
| hearts of all present by the witty re
marks ever and anon escaping his
| lips The doctor presented report
| OF the house to house visitation which
| had been made at the request of the
| Pastors and Superintendent Unior
II III WHICH ne SIdLeu tudI luCiC "CIS
| 1920 persons visited by the various
committees who reported over 2,OO'
persons who we're not regular attend
ants at any of the churches; and 35C
who had no church preference what
ever. Out of the large number visit
ed there we're only seven persons who
refused to give any information as to
their views along the line of divine
worship. A few we're found wh'
we're unable to attend church ant
Sunday school on account of theli
: poverty, and the doctor said thai
these would be provided for with sufii
cient raiment to permit their attend
ance to some of the Sunday services
All of the visitors we're well received
and the canvas shows clearly the
state of mind religiously of the resi-
dents of the Silk City. In closing
the doctor said that the object of the