The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-18
MISSIONARY SERVICE.
A Great Congregation Hears Sermon
of Dr.. III. w. Battle.

| AT night there Nelo tAliotilGl SlN<NI
congregation at the FIRST BaptlSt
Rev III. w. Battle, d. D., pastor of the
First Baptist Church of Greensboro
deliver the Missionary Sermon before
the University.
The students, attired as before, en-
| tirely in white, and with Dared heads,
passed in to the church, and on the
| improvised raised seats back of the
pulpit the choir of fifty or more was
seated.
The choir first sang Lift Thine
Eyes to the Mountain" from Men
delssohn's Elijah" The congregation
sang Come Thou Almighty King
and then DR.. Battle read the Scripture
lesson. the Epistle OF Paul to Phile-
mon, following which he led in pray
err, urging for more work and more
preparation for missions.
From Greenland's Icy Mountains
was next sung, and then as an offer
| tory the choir rendered 20 Zion haste
| Thy Mission" Then in a few appro-
pirate words DR.. r. r. Vann presented
DR.. Battle, who preached the SER
mon. 1t was an able and eloquent
| one, filled with the best thought and
| Astounding in original ideas.
4 The Missionary Sermon.
DR.. Battle selected for his text the
9th verse of Pauis Epistle to Phile-
mon:
"That the fellowship of thy faith
may become effectual in the knoWl-
edge of every good thing which is. in
us"-( american Revision)
The speaker began by calling atten-
ton to the fact that this epistle is
| unique, it being the only letter writ
ten by Paul to a private individual on
a private matter. It's object was to
secure a kindly welcome for Onesi-
mus. a runaway slave, from Philemon
his master, to whom Paul induces him
to return. The letter is not intended
to inculcate doctrine, it is beautiful
Illustration of Christianity at work.
1t also serves to cast light upon the
character Of Paul. DR.. Battle declared
that Paul was the only man in all the
tide of Time who could have written
the epistle to the Collossians and this
letter to Philemon. 1t is as if Mich.
ael Angelo had passed straight from
shifting out his Moses from massive
marble to cut with exquisite grace and
delicacy a tiny image of love or
friendship on cameo. An this was
the man who said 81 would count all
things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord"
best THAT the fellowship of thy
faith may become effectual in the
knowledge of every good thing which
in U.S." CDR. Battle here quoted May
er's paraphrase of the text with APP
proval) The way to obtain the good
things of'religion possessed by others
is to cultivate Fellowship. The word
has a property idea, and involves
community of rights.l Whatever of
70 in ljgrin o.
perience, imparting comfort or
strength, is also held in trust for 9TH
ers; and, we in turn, are TO grow in
grace by means of the fellowship of
faith" In one aspect it (the fellow
ship would seem to be narrow, based
on personal relations-it is this which
is emphasized in this exquisite per-
sonal letter. This is very beautiful and
most valuable. 1t is easy for us to
finities make it such. But there is
larger Fellowship, essential to the
fullest enjoyment of the religious life
and the finest type of Christian char
acter. 1t is world-N fde.> Founded on
Gods estimate of man as man. Jesus
Christ, who loved TO call himself The
Son of Man, placed a diadem on the
brow of Humanity beJeWelled with
od-drops whose awful beauty
archs wear to blush themselves away!
Christianity is not q mere eXpecta
ton, not a dream, however ecStatic;
it is a service of man for man. It's
highest ambition is not happiness but
service. Some people try desperately
hard to convert religion into spirit
ual luxury, and its rich viands are
coveted only for the taste. All wrong!
One may pamper the soul as we'll as
the body and be little better than
the gormand who is so intent upon
gratifying his own appetite that he
hears not the cry of the starving.
The natural order of service is that
which ministers first to those nearest
at hand. This DR.. Battle illustrated
in a very effective way by relating all
incident where an old negro woman
saved a train from wreck because,
she said, they would have persisted
right fore my door, He also drew
q graphic picture of Dives and PLATE
in the world of the lost lamenting that
they did not do the right when the
opportunity was at hand. The coll
umn of glorious achievement which
has been slowly building through the
ages bathed in tears, baptized in
blood and annealed in hre-Whose
capStone shall be brought forth amid
the shoutings of the redeemed and
the music OF the IloIl pCLo lIctl pms vi
their harps when Christ shall see of
the travail of his soul and be satisfied
rests for it's sure foundation upon the
work done at home! The foreign mis-
sionary has not been slow to acknoWl-
edge this. Yates declared it. The for
eign missionary Paul writes: 'The Jew
first and also the Gentle" There be
some who seem to forget the Scriptu-
raj order-they would expunge from
the inspired record the little word
first" there be others who would
eliminate the "also"-let us remember
both are there. and that the one is the
| complement of the other.
DR.. Battle spoke of woman's work
for missions in the most glowing and
| complimentary terms. He said he had
Just heard that several of the ;oung
| ladies before him would soon go to
| the foreign mission fields. His words
to them we're most tender and beauti-
full. He then pictured the dangers
and splendid opportunities of the
times in which we live, Describing
the Snirit of the Age he said:
1t tells of marvellous discoveries; 1t
tells of streaming light that shinctA
in the darkness and the children of
/ the night CRY out after the day; it