The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-06-29

The church ought to be on the firing line
where the need is greatest. Instead it ia
too often found in the rear, caring for the
wounded, no DE- bit, and occasionally urg-
ing back tie frightened or forward the
~stragglers. The crowded districts where
the streets are full OF DO. and girls are
the church's responsibility. To betake it.
| self to the suburbs and leave these children
in the streets, saloons and tcnements is to
offend Gods little mes. And the Master
said about such one that it i bette that
and he was drowned in the depth of the
sea.
The second hing I want 20 think about
this morning with you is the church's OPP
portunity to help the children o. our
streets.
This opportunity is orly limited by the
number of men and women who are will.
ing to take a real interest in the children,
and by the space you have to use. Give
these children a chance to get on. OF the
streets and away from the bad influences
warm-blooded people and good books and
and they will come to the church in q
stampede. Their hunger for ennobline
friendships is one of the most pathetic
things I have found in my ministry, and
also one Of the most inspiring. =.
Oh! the splendid opportunity for you all
to fulfill your responsibility for these boys
and girls of our streets is here. In the
boys clubs is the chance for you young
men to preach the gospel to our lads, not
by speaking sermons, but by manlfestlns
to them through your manly sympathy
and interest, your courage and your truth.
~fulness, your honor and your uprightness
H. T1,,e4 90, Lao a-l fA110p- Chy1ct
may be preached to these boys with the
boxing gloves, and the fencing foils, the
carpenters tools and the football teams
with more power than by sermon from a
pulpit. In the sewing school is the chance
for you young women to preach Christ. not
by words of religion, but by your beautiful
friendship for the little girls VINO come in
eager to receive that which their homes
are unable to give them. In the Sunday.
school is the chance for you young men
and young women, and older ones, too, to
gather once a week a little group about
you and lead them through the wonderful
story of Him who came to earth to be our
servant and yet was King Eternal, and
then through the alchemy Of the influence
of your life move them to love honesty,
purity, goodness, man, Christ and God.
Nor will I admit the older peoples chance
to preach the living Christ. There comes
before me the picture of a scene in a mems
club in a certain parish house where a
professor of political economy met in a
| perfectly natural way a brakeman on the
Pennsylvania road, and both men came to
see that great labor problem more clearly,
and had more OF the Christ tolerance than
ever before. And I know Of women who
ciety the chance to preach the living Christ
so effectively that girls have risen up and
called them "blessed among women"
The few hours given to such work in a
single year seem very powerless beside the
powers of darkness which walk our streets
both day and night, week in and week out,
in vacations as in working or school days.
But, thank God, a mans life is not an
equilibrium of forces, a resultant of houses
and environments. In every soul is the
thirst for Righteousness which can be
aroused by bringing it face to face with a
righteous life. There is a contagion in
goodness as there is in badness. Arouse
those dormant faculties in every soul, and
they, with Christ's help, will counterfeit
all the influences of house and street.
This is the opportunity of the church to-
day in our crowded cities. By meeting it
the church will find, what every individual
who has so met opportunity finds, that it
gets by giving and has a frmer hold than
ever on the realities Of truth and life.
Call such service what you will-though
7 personally hate the tTite phrase institu-
%tional, for l am pleading for a work alto
gether personal, the touch of life on life.
but you must believe that the church
which assumes this responsibility and
meets this opportunity is following the ez-
ample of the Master. When Christ came
to earth to lift men up to God He took the
form of a common man. He might, we
say, have gathered the Jewish nation into
some great plain and revealed His mission
in the sight of all with such glory that all
must bow the knee before Him. He might
have come with angels straight from beav-
en- and swept men irresistibly into His
train. What He did resembied neither of
these, but poir is the way for us to follow.
He was among men az a servant. By His
life of service, now with sermons, now
with deeds, but always with a life spread
ing a contagion of love, courage, hope,
manliness, sincerity, He, the servant, so
profoundly touched the hearts of men that
men have risen up and crowned Him King
of Kings and Lord of Lords.