Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-03-05

unto her: Thou hast we'll said. l have
no husband. For thou hast had five
husbands. and he whom thou now hast
is not thy husband She was wom-
an nj that time living in open adultery.
Yet il WAS 30 such social outcast as
this that Christ offered the water Of
life" II WIS 10 such human being
as this that Jesus revealed himself and
permitted her Ia become n gospel mes
sengcr 10 summon her people to hear
his discourse.
DO as Christ Did.
o We evangeliSts and gospel preach
ers. why do we spend most of our time
trying To offer the bread of life" only
TO the respectable sinners of society,
who will not receive il? Why do we
not do as Christ did 20 into the en-
emy's country and talk with the out
casts by the Samaritan we'll who are
willing oh. 81 willing 10 receive the
gospel if we only 20 To them in Christ's
name: Like the Samaritan woman,
have not the greatest sinners believed
in Christ and sometimes become the
greatest of Lis disciples and martyrs?
Have not the I'eters who denied him
thrice and the Pauls who were once
the greatest prosecutors of his follow
ers been willing 10 seal their testi-
mony for Christ with their lifeblood?
Who was Richard Baxter who wrote
Saints Rest" Once notorious sin
ncr. Who was John Runyan. the
dreamer of immortal dreams: Once a
notorious sinner Who was Father Tay-
lor. the great sailor preacher of Bos-
ton: Once II notorious sinner. Who
were Harry Munroc and Jerry Nc
Auley and Peter Cartwright and John
SOmcrville and John II. Cough? All
once notorious sinners. All. il is worth
while for us TO take Il long journey If
we can only send forth woman of
Samaria' as n messenger of Jesus
Christ. II is worth while to go long
distances aye. very long distance
II. like the good Ananias. we can only
say to the chief of sinners. Brother
Saul. the Lord. even Jesus that appear
ed unto thee in the way rs thou cam
est. hath sent me that thou highest
receive thy sight and he filled with the
Holy Ghost" II is far easier for Jesus
Christ to save Il seventy deviled sinner
who knows that he is all wrong than to
save so called respectable" sinner
who thinks that lie is all right
Christ WAS the Saviour of the social
cutcaSt at the Samaritan well Yet
the strange fact remains that most
Christian evan.clists seem To act upon
the superstition that IL is easier TO save
the so called little sinner than the
big We seem TO he unwilling TO reach
ont after the outcasts. Mr. Beecher in
one of his sermons tells how a reform
ed criminal. an ex-convict. who had
been a counterfeiter once came TO him
in complete di>coura cement. mfr
Beechcr'' said he the good people
will not have anything tn do with me.
l seem TO receive sympathy from none
hut the worst of folks" oh. We work
crs for Jesus. carry the bread of
life Ia those who know they are hun
gcred and water of life" To those
who know they are athirst. Seek the
seventy devilcd social Outcasts down by
the Samaritan well.
EcclesiasticaI Prejudice.
Another reason why Christ must
needs go through Samaria" was that
he wanted Ia reprove ecclesiastical and
religious prejudice. The disciples Of
John the Baptist and of Jesus were an
tagoniSiic and Jealous of each other.
Just rs the E.piStopalans and the Puri-
tans We're bitter during the third year
OF the plymouth settlement They
We're bitter in the same way that the
Established Church and the MethodistS
were bitter against each other during
John WrSley's life They We're bitter
as the BaptiSts and the PreSbyterians
We're bitter against each other in this
country Im years ago. The disciples
Of John the Baptist angrily declared
that John had baptized more followers
than Jesus Christ. while the followers
of Jesus an.rily replied that Christ had
baptized more disciples than John. II
was in order In stop this bitterness that
Jesus left .Ili,l:ua and started north to-
ward Lake Galilee and went by the
way of SanIaria. Christ was ready TO
dIIlib>t any tHlt- sup tHt
disScnsioliS among those who would III
tinatcly accept him as their Saviour
and their Christ Cannot we all realize
that no church can rightly accomplish
n sanctilied glorious work for the Mas
ter unless that church has complete
gospel harmony within its own ranks:
Absolutely necessary il II for Chris
tian people Ia love one another before
they can as II church welcome the man
of the world into their midst with the
''everlasting peace of the gospel" And
yet. my brother there are scores and
hundreds of churches i'm this land
which are practically u source Of dis
sension To the world instead of II Chris
tian harmony. They are rent and torn
into factions by internal strife The
Young Peoples society is pulling
against the session: the session is find
ing fault with the board Of trustees:
the Ladies' Aid society is sulking be-
cause its members do not like the min
listers wife: the choir loft is in open
mutiny because the minister will not
let the quartet sing as much as they