Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-03-03

Who was Richard Baxter, who wrote
"Saints Rcst9" Once n notorious sin
ncr. who was John Bunyan. the
dreamer of immortal dreams? Once a
notorious sinner. Who was Father Tay
lor. the great sailor preacher Of Bos
ton? Once notorious sinner. Who
were Harry Munroe and Jerry Nc
Auley and Peter Cartwright and John
Somervillc and John u. Cough? All
once notorious sinners. All. IL Is worth
while for us to take n long journey If
We Gun only send forth woman of
Samaria" as messenger or Jesus
Christ. II IS worth while To so long
distancee--ayc. n very long distance
If. like the good Ananias, we can only
SAY to the chief OF sinners. brother
Saul. the Lord. oven Jesus that aprcar-
ed unto thee in the way rs thou cam
est. hath sent me that thou highest
receive Thy sight AMI bc filed with the
Holy Ghost" IT is far cnsier for Jesus
Christ to save II seventy dcviied sinner
who knows that be is all wrong than TO
save SO called respectable" sinner
who thinks that lie Is all right.
Christ was the Saviour Of tho social
outcast at the Samaritan well. Yet
tie strange fact remains that most
Christian cvangcliSts seem 10 act upon
the superstition that it is easier to save
the so called "littlc' sinner than the
big. We seem to he unwilling 70 rea CD
out after the outcasts. Mr.. Bceclcr Tn
ono Of his sermons tells how Il reform
cd criminal. an oX-convict. who had
been cOuntcrfcitcr, once came to hm
in co,rnletc encouragement MIR.
Beech said Nc. "th2 good people
will not have anything 20 do with me-.
seem to receive sympathy from none
but the worst Of folks on. ve work
crs for Jesus, curry the "hrcnd of
lie" to those who know they are hun
gercd and water of lie" 10 those
who know they are athirst. Seek tie
seventy dcy'lcd social outcasts down by
the Samaritan WELL
EccIe.issticai Pr jud;cc.
Another reason why Christ "must
needs 20 through Samalin" was that
he wanted to rcprove ecclesiastical and
John the Baptist and OF Jesus were an
tagonistic and jealous of each other
just as the Episcopalinns and the Puri
I tans were bitter during the third year
of the Plymo,lth settlement. They
were bitter In the same way that the
Established Church and the Methodists
were bitter against each other during
John WcsleyS life. They were bitter
as the Raptists and the Presbyterian
were bitter against each other in this
country 100 years ago. The disciples
Of John the Baptist angrily declared
! that John had baptized more followers
than .Icsua Christ, while the followers
| Of Jesus angrily replied that Christ had
baptized more disciples than John. |;
was in order to stop this bitterness that
Jesus left Jud;ra and started north to
wari Lake Gaiilee and went by the
way of Samn''a. Christ was ready &c
| 10 almost anything TO stop the ntcrna
| Discussions among those who would III
timately accept him as their Snviou:
and their Christ. Cannot We all realizc
that no church can rightly accomplish
sanctificd glorious work for the Mas
| ter unless that church has complete
gospel harmony within its own ranks?
Absolutely necessary Is il for Chris
| tan people TO love one another before
they can as n church welcome the man
of the world into their mds: with the
"cvcrlasting peace of the gospel" And
vet. my brother there are scores and
! hundreds Of churches in this land
which are practically n source Of dis
scnsion to the world instead Of a Chris
tian harmony. They are rent and tori
into factions by internal strife III,
Young People s society is pulling
against the session, the session is find
Ing fault with the board of trustees
the Ladies' Aid society is sulking he
rause its members do not like the min
istcr'S wife: the choir loft is in oper
mutiny because the minister will no,
let the quartet sing rs much as they
want. Instead of the Christian people
pf the church cettn- together and
t"aying for each Other ana trying tC
hclD each other for Tie GOOD Of The
,huroh hey are nov mngnifyins eacl
others faults and minifyng each
Jihcr'S virtues.
Danger of small Evils.
Want Of GOSPEL harmon! in church
! although it be composed cf only Il Ions
series Of little frictions ana disturb
lnCcs. viii after awhile suck out III,
fc's blood and Kill the usefulness o
Il church. Indeed. the little churrl
Disturbances, Tx" the little sins If lifc
are liore 10 be dreaNcl than the crea
,hurch toruadOos. which may arise ana
,ubside in q day. Major Waddell, il
us book of travels, once illustrated III,
Infinite damage which muItitudinou,
collection &C small evils may accom-
Dlish. In the Tc"sler valley ~ th
HilaalaYas lie found " small leech Il
thicker than knitting needle. Bu
though very small this littlc ieech wa
4 pest. AS an enemy OF man an
beast II was reaching forth for It's an
nal victims from every twig and lea
ana blade Of grass. No sooner woul
it touch your fiesh than it drove in II
little lance aud began sucking out til
likelihood. That little leech. thong
small, had literally depopulated tina
valley Of every beast and bird and rel
tile. The huge elephantiue monster
and the. striped and furrcd tigers, Il
we'll as the small rabbits and the grac,
: SO in C',irch work. the little friction