Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-04

not fade, neither shall the fruit thereon
be consuGaad: 1t shall bring forth new IIui.
according to his months, because their wa
tiers they issued out of the sanctuary; ana
the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the
leaf thereof shall be for medicine.
Psalms 36s. They shall be abundantiy
satisfied with the fairness of thy house, ana
thou shalt make them drink OF the river Oh
thy pleasures
The Lesson.
If this loved Christian Endeavor Society
of ours were society" in the common
acceptance of the word, an order like the
Masonic orders, club for mutual benent,
or any such thing, or IL 1t were merely
thing of this world. the concoctlon OF one
mans brain it were Sacrilege, perhaps, TO
Iiken this wonderful vision of Ezekiel's to
our vision of its life and growth. but
Christian Endeavor Is not an organization
of itself. 1t is not a thing set up IN oppo-
sition to the church Christ established, nor
is it set up to help the church along. 1t IS
the church, because it is in the church, and
it is of the church. It's success comes, ike
Ezekiel's river, because their waters they
issued out of the sanctuary"
1t would be well, on this Christian En-
deavor day to let this fact be known to
outsiders, that Christian Endeavor IS
plan of work in each individual church ana
not organization outside of the church'
In sounding the praises of the organiza-
ton let this thought be kept to the fore
front, that it has its sources lin the sane
tuary."
During the first few years of Christian
Fndeayor it swept a mighty tide through
our land The young people of the chufch
and the young people OF the WORM AIN.
were caught within its swift current aii1
borne along. Enthusiasm ran hSh, anu
meetings were crowded and mouths We're
upsaalad and there were many good deeds
and sacrifices done through the force Oh
this new influence. There were those VINO
stood upon the brink and criticised OF
course and some said that the waters
were shallow and would soon run out and
dry up That was the measurement Oh
the first thousand cubits in the vision.
All! but those critics forgot that me
waters proceeded from under the south
side of the altar" You and. | know now
much we owe to those first few years OF
Christian Endeavor. We turn back now
sometimes with longing hearts to those
days of large enthusiasms and mighty con-
ventions and great upliftings. we know
that in those days we saw vision. we
stood more than once upon the mount Will
Christ We tasted often of the joys OF
bringing some other soul to Jesus. we
learned to conquer the obstruction that
rose in our threats whenswe attempted 10
pray in public, or to speak a Word LOT
Jesus. We learned to work shoulder 10
shoulder with any and every Christian that
was put upon the same committee WIN
u.s. Those were great days, but not greater
than now Measure out another thousand
cubits,
You remember when the two-cent- a-week
plan was started, and the Tenth Legion
Enthusiasm mounted still higher. We took
our packages of envelopes and we laid
aside our tenths and we began to study
and understand how ali we had did not ne
long to us, but was the Lord who gave Il,
Then we began to listen to the Masters
command, Go ye into all the world and
preach the Gospel" and we studied about
missions. both foreign and home. We had
taken little interest in missions before that
time except a few of us who had sood
missionary-society mothers to stir us up
q little. But we began to work to send the
Gospel to the heather. he water of this
river of influence has grown deeper ana
deeper, and widened and spread. and to-
day, despite of the fact that many say that
Christian Endeavor is declining, and des-
pite CT the fact that many churches who
used to have such organizations have
turned them into something new, or do
not attend their meetings as we'll as they
used to do, the fact remains that Chris
tian Endeavor is greater than ever before,
and that it is making green the desert,
and healing the waters that were bitter not
only in our own land but in all missionary
lands.
/ have before me a brief statement of
what Christian Endeavor, has done In for
eign lands under the societies of the Pres
byterian denomination alone. If one church
can report such great things what must be
the whole story of the other denomination
Here is a report of number of Christian
Endeavor societies in Africa, one of which
has taken pledge against Sabbath break
ing rum traffic and other like evils. Here
is the story of a society among the lepers
in a leper village and conducted by one of
them. The writer says: 1T is touching to
hear these lepers speak of themselves as
'outcasts from home and friends, but be-
loved of Christ" Here Is mention of
Christian Endeavor convention of 200 young
Christians in China, and reports of So
cieties, one in Persia of 100 members, one
in the Philippines of forty members. one
in Brazil of eighty members, one IN Chile
of fifty, and SO on, more than there is room
to mention And reading of these brothers
and sisters of other races and cllmes, and
how they meet around one common mercy
seat with Christians in this land, feel that
Christian Endeavor has put me in touch
with Christ's other sheep. The waters of
this river are deeper and wider than those
who merely stand upon its banks and gaze
and turn away can dream. And in our own
land there are yet scores upon scores of
societies alive and praying. Christian En-
deavor has been one of the streams that
God has sent out to water the whole earth
and make it bring forth abundantly.
How to Help the Leader.
Tell in your own words just what Chris
tian Endeavor has done for you.
Parallel Passages-I Chronicles 29:11, -;
Psalms 22:27; Psalms 46:4,5; Psalms 1911;
Ecclesiastes 11:6; Isaiah 25:1; Isaiah 2:3;
Isaiah 90; Isaiah 1921 %.
Hints to the Decentralization Endeavor
hymns 122, 49,, 1877, 16o, 1S3 49,. 1S7, go.
Make this an experience meeting, asking
each one to speak, in order, and say just
what Christian Endeavor has meant to
him. Sing the old songs and recount a
little of the past of your society, the strug-
giles and failures and victories. Look for
ward and see what can be done for the
future, remembering the way that the lord
has brought you.
Before our Fathers throne
We pour our ardent prayers:
Our fears. our hopes, aims one,
Our comforts and cares"