The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-09-30
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE or THE
REV. w. S. RAlNSFoRp. Q. D.
Subject The Love Of God-The Christian
Church 10 Placed In Trust by God
with the Gospel-Lst Us Try to Give
IL TO the World.

EainsforC. ID. ID. rector OF -. George 4.
T.. Church, Manhattan, preached al 81.
Peters Church, State and Bond streets,
IN this borough, at the evening service sun:
day. His subject Was The Love OF God,
and he said:
People are saving today that the church
does not occupy Is important place IN
the thoughts OF men-that II has not az IN
Auential place IN oar nation or in society
as u used 10 have. j speak, of course, Of
the whole Christian church, and one thing
is sure and that IL that the church cannot
hold her own by simply asserting, however
loudly or perslstently, the greatness OF her
deeds IN the past. Whatever success or
shortcomings there NAV have been IN an
cient times, one thing Is certain, and that
is that we live IN an age when men almost
violently are seeking the truth: when the
keenest sort of hight IL turned in all dlree-
tions IN search Of the truth. When those
who have got anything TO do can do IT;
when those who have got anything 20 say
worth saving can say 1t, and when those
who have got anything 10 be can be II, but
there is no mercy FOR the sham. When, IN
the future, they come TO criticise our time
IL will evidently be criticised as an age OF
truth. and its spirit will be spoken Of as
the spirit OF truth; 1t Will be criticised
from all other ages as time when men
made great sacrifices for the truth and
when great glory was gained in discover
ing and obeying the truth. There ls no
argument among thinkers whatsoever about
this.
From this it follows that if we Chris
tians have not got something real 70 give
10 the world, 10 society, TO the United
States, at this time We are really going TO
lose our hold and position; and the gues'
tion that we want 20 ask ourselves, lndl'
vidually and collectively, is this. What
have i got TO give 20 the world! What Is
lt the church has got 70 give TO the world!
i am .lncllned TO think, If l were allowed
10 see you, on by one, and ask you 10 put
down what 1t is on paper: What you as an
individual and as a Christian have got TO
give 10 the world, and the church as
community there might be great deal OF
uncertainty. That this question is one that
deserves a very clear answer there Is no
doubt. and everybody ought TO know what
that answer should be. There is no man
per OF doubt what the church has got 10
give to the world; what the individual
Christian has got TO give TO the world. i
want to talk about that tonight.
We, the Christian Church, are placed IN
trust by God with the gospel. That 10
what We have got to give 10 the world. III
We are Christians we beheve the world
cannot get on without that gospel. We
use the word gospel IN very shpshod way.
ii we are Christians we believe that not
only can not the world do without the gos.
pei, but that business and politics and the
United States democracy in tins Western
Hemisphere cannot do without the gospel.
A great many people believe that, but
when we ask them 10 put II into practice,
not only 10y going TO church, not by putting
trlhe in the plate, not by repeating
creed or two, but 10 90 back to their work
and see If they cannot take the gospel
with them there They say, Business rs
one thing, and religion is another" Men
that talk that way have got to step aslde;
tl..r IalY. ..ars hgfs ha nn raI ls
world. They are misleading; they are the
people that tend 10 make the whole tnlng
a sham, because .he world won't tolerate,
and rightly 20. religion that can coniine
itself to certain times and seasons and that
can satisfy itself by obedience to certain
conscienees on Sunday, and perhaps once
n week thrown IN. We have got definite
charge for the world, and that is the gos.
pei OF Jesus Christ.
That being so. let me lead you to another
question. and az ! put IL i shall seek TO
answer IT: What is the gospel of Jesus
Christ? Again think you Will agree with
me, aud perhaps more than before. If |
were TO be allowed TO ask the question IN
dividually. What IS the Gospe,! and ask
for a definite reply what a great variety
of answers would be given; and many
would hesitate. As Christians we certain.
ly ought 20 be able TO say what the thing
Is we stand for, or We stand Tor nothing;
world won't believe at all In church, al
we have one great thing in common which
we all hold, not because We are various
sects but because we are Christians, we
have got 10 find out what that Christian
thing -
One of the great difficulties-one chief
dficulty-is this: That men, from the
Lords own day 10 the present, in the ma
ture OF things add their program TO the
ppgngl-fagl- IN No Fa
all so made that we must have program
i mean our own thlnkincs about the gos-
pei. 1t IL night that every believing man
should have ms own thoughts and theory
as 10 the why, and the how, and the when
OF the gospel But my idea of why the gos
pei was given, my idea as TO how the Cos
pei Is gwen and my idea as TO when the
gospel will be fulfilled is all right. / should
have that right 10 think my own thoughts
about these three things, but If am trying
to find light they will be Improbable, and
1t would be impossible TO stand IN the day
light and not answer the questions how,
why and when. But my how, why and
when, even If | were the most learned and
holy of men IN the city OF New York.
would not necessarily be the gospel Of
Jesus. The point for US to agree upon j.
not the how and why and when, but What
is the gospel! What is it we have distinct.
~ IN charge for men and have got to give
we should say. how, why and when. As /
say. tie tendency rs rather to tack on our
pragcam, and that is where the difficulties
come IN. FOR in the age IN which We live
people are rather gwen to finding out what
ls gospel and what ls program. Episcopa-
llans do not believe IN the gospel without a
bishop; the Presbyterians do not believe
IN the gospel without the Presbytery: the
Baptists do not believe IN the gospel with
out baptism, even IA the middle OF winter
IN frozen streets: the Metholists do not
believe without Methodism, and so on
There IS so much program that you can
scarcely see the gospel. Men say: Il do
not know which IS gospel and which -
program 1t il absolutely essential that
we are to give something TO the world or
we won't amount TO anything and the
world viii push us aside. We must be
men and women proclaimIng and trying TO
live by the gospel.
What is the gospel? am going to repeat
a verse that seems DO embody. tho spirit OF
Jesus. God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whose
ever beheveth in Him should not perlsh
but have everlasting life" The man who
wrote the gospel Of ST. John 1--WE do not
know who he wasl knew the very essence
OF the gospel. and think everybody agrees
with him-the Presbyterian, the Baptist,
the Methodist. the Episopa
believes that u = the very heart OF the
gospel Of Jesus That is the very essence
OF the dear Lords love and life and teach.
ing. IL is what He began TO preach. went
on 20 preach, died TO preach and rose
again 20 preach.
That verse says three things. First.
God loved the world" You say: Il know
II. No. YOU don't know u. Ii - tre-