The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1905-09-29
Delivered at the Methodist
Church Last Night.
Congress of Clergy and Lay
men is Progressing.
instructive Discussions by Dis
cipIes of the Lord.

| lnc uISI ScSSlOu Oh tHc
list conference for the southern district
| of Minnesota opened last evening at
1880 o'clock in Centenary Methodist
Episcopal church Red and white bunt-
ing, palms and cut flowers add greatly
to the appearance of the church. The
edifice was comfortably filled with the
visiting clergy and their wives.
The services were opened with singing
and prayer by DIR. Civic, pastor of the
First church, st. Paul His was an earn
est and eloquent supplication for Gods
blessing upon this conference.
Rev. S. A. Cook of Window, chair
man of the conference mission commit
tee, presided over the evening services
and introduced the speakers.
Professor Hoerger gave baritone So
10, which was highly appreciated.
DIR. Van Camp of Pipestone gave the
sermon of the evening. His theme was
"The Missionary Obligation" DR. Van
Camp has a splendid voice and held the
interest of the audience until the close.
Rev. Van Camp took for his text, 81
am debtor both to Greeks and to bar
barians, both to wise and foolish So
as much as in me is, l am ready to
preach the gospel to you also that are
are not in Rome.-Romans, l: l4-l5"s
Rev. Van Camp spoke of the age in
which the above words were spoken and
the present age, saying: Think now
of the age in which these words were
first spoken An age in which love ex-
tended only tsztae family, the race, the
nation, all others were foreigners and
enemies, not to be loved but to be hat.
ed An age in which the strong men
believed they had right to the serv-
ice of the weak, and the great men to
the service of the inferior men.
''Why even today when the Sun of
Righteousness has almost reached the
meridian heighth, even today we have
men and women in our churches, pro-
Tossing Christians who do not feel the
missionary obligations. Not only are
they Indifferent but many are hostile
to the great missionary movement.
They will tell you they do not belivs
in missions or at least in foreign mis-
sions. And when we think that our
great church with her vast wealth and
resources gives only little over a
million and half for missions, home
and foreign, then we realize how lightly
the missionary obligation rests upon
u.s."
"The conclusive claim of our fellow
men upon is their need and our capac-
ity. Those who have special gifts of
power or of grace are to use them for
the good of others. We are not here
to please ourselves but to find our hap
piness of others. 1t is the opposite to
the doctrine of Paul's time. Every man
for HIMSELF Now Jesus by precept and
by practice gave this law to His fol-
lowers, It was to be the badge of their
discipleship-this love that seeketh not
her own and that goes all the way,
even across the seas to minister to hui
man needs. Now Paul passed under
this law, it controlled his conscience, it
placed him in debt"
The speaker referred to the privilege
"of living in Christian America where
there is a church for every six hun
dred people instead of heather India or
starless Africa; of being surrounded by
Christian influence, many of us being
reared in Christian homes. We too have
the knowledge of God as revealed
through Jesus Christ. We too have had
visions as it hath pleased God to re-
veal His Son in u.s. We too have the
gospel of reconciliation. Is not the gos-
pei worth as much to as to PAUL.
What would you give in exchange for
hops? Is Christ worth any less to
you? Is He not larger Christ today
than ever before? Is not the Sun of
Righteousness higher in the heavens to-
day than ever before? Do we not be-
lieve that "there is none other Nance
and that He is the Way, the Truth, the
Life?' Yea, we are the heirs of all the
past and we are lifted nearer the eterr
nal heavens on the shoulders of the
past" !.
Rev. Van Camp deplored the fact that
fully thirds of the race today are
without this knowledge. They are with