Milford chronicle., 1904-03-04


+ no husband. For thou hast had five
husbands and he whom thou now hast
IS not thy husband" She was wOm-
an at that time living in open adultery.
, Yet it was to such a social outcast as
this that Christ offered the water of
p life" 1t was to such Il human being
as this that Jesus revealed himself and
/ permitted her to become a gospel mes
/ senger to summon her people to hear
his discourse.
Do ms Christ Did.
o ye 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 It? Why do we
not do as Christ did-go into the en-
emy's country and talk with the out
casts by the Samaritan well. who are
wiiling-oh. so willing-tG receive the
gospel if we only 90 to them in Christ's
name? Like the Samaritan woman.
have not the greatest sinners believed
in Christ and sometimes become the
greatest of his disciples and martyrs?
Have not the Peters who denied him
thrice and the Pauls who were once
the greatest prosecutors of his follow
ers been willing to seal their testi-
mony for Christ with their lifeblood?
Who was Richard Baxter. who wrote
Saints RestF Once Il notorious sin.
ner Who was John Bunyan, the
dreamer Of immortal dreams? Once a
notorious sinner. Who was Father Tay-
lor. the great sailor preacher of Bos- !
tom Once q notorious sinner Who |
/ were Harry Munroe and Jerry Nc |
Auley and Peter Cartwright and John |
| Somerville and John B. Cough All |
once notorious sinners All. it is worth /
while for us to take a long journey il
we can only send forth a woman Of
| Samaria" as a messenger of Jesus
| Christ. II is worth while TO go long
distances-aye, a very long distance
if, 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 as thou cam
est, hath sent me that thou mightest
receive thy sight and he filled with the
holy Ghost" 1t is far easier for Jesus
Christ to save a seventy deviled sinner
who knows that he is all wrong than to
save so called respectable" sinner
who thinks that he is all right.
Christ was the Saviour of the social
outcast at the Samaritan well. Yet
the strange fact remains that most
Christian evangelists seem to act upon
the supposition that it is easier to save
the so called little" sinner than the i
big. We seem to be unwilling to reach /
out after the Outcasts. Mr. Beecher in s
one OF his sermons tells how a reform. I
ed criminal, an eX-convict. who had q
been a counterfeiter. once came to him S
in complete Giscouragement. "AIr. G
Beecher" said he, the good people 9
will not have anything to do with me. a
seem to receive sympathy from none o
but the worst of folks" Oh. We work o
srs for Jesus, carry the bread Of o
ife' to those who know they are hun g
sered and water of life" to those f,
Who know they are athirst! Seek the b
seventy deviled social outcasts down by v
he Samaritan well. d
Ecclesiastical Prejudice. el
Another reason why Christ "must "
reeds 90 through Samaria' was that W
e wanted TO reprove ecclesiastical and to
eligious prejudice. The disciples of st
ohm the Baptist and of Jesus were an re
lg0nistc and jealous of each other. c.
lst as the Episcopalians and the Puri- es
ans were bitter during the third year th
+ the Plymouth settlement. They tt
-nrp biffnr in fba eo ,,..-- nc
established Church and the Methodists CT
ere bitter against each other during sil
ohm Wesley's life. They were bitter els
the Baptists and the Presbyterians TO
ere bitter against each other in this tu
'untry 100 years ago The disciples
John the Baptist angrily declared
at John had baptized more followers ret
ian Jesus Christ, while the followers me
Jesus angrily replied that Christ had ga
lptized more disciples than John. 1t tn,
as in order to stop this bitterness that brC
Sis left Judea and started north to- l
ard Lake Galilee and went by the hill
ny of Samaria. Christ was ready to tw
almost anything to stop the internal ba,
among those who would ul. WI
nately accept him as their Saviour we
d their Christ Cannot we all realize We
at no church can rightly accomplish tics
glorious work for the Mas tw,
unless that church has complete We
spell harmony within its own ranks? edp
Absolutely necessary is it for Chris raj!
n people to love one another before and
y can as church welcome the man mex
the world into their midst with the can
peace of the gospel" And VIII,
, my brother there are scores and mai
ndreds of churches in this land joy
ich are practically a source Of dis by
sion to the world instead of a Chris we
harmony. They are rent and torn ply
factions by internal strife. The Oct
ing Peoples society is pulling safe
inst the session; the session is find. too,
fault with the board of trustees: San
Ladies' Aid society is sulking be- won
Sc its members do not like the min The