Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-06-15

P1CN0A dSdiuSL II. 1uUSc WHO walt
to see in this passage long. hierati-
cal line, ever connecting Itself with
bishopric, must, I suppose, be allowed
to hug their delusion as long as they
live. But sane criticism will always
reveal the fact that our Lord was as
serting that He would found His
church upon loving Luman hearts,
upon men who believed in Him, in
honor and dishonor. through good re-
port or evil report, in sickness and
health, as well as in proverty and
exile. Our Lord believed in men; He
trusted them. It has been we'll said
of Him that indignation, even anger,
were spoken Of men, but to condemn,
never. Man, as man, was worthy of
respect.
Now that has not been the attitude
of the great writer's and generals and
leaders Of mankind. Alexander, Cae-
sar, regarded men as so many pawns
to be moved about as they willed.
what are a million souls to me?"
boasted Napoleon when he was
taunted with the loss of an army; so
in philosophy we find the same dis
crediting of men. But, Christ taught
a different estimate of mankind to
His apostles, and st. Paul reverenced
men, even when he saw their sins and
rebuked them. The parable of the
prodigal son and the epistle to the Ro-
mans have been contrasted, and it
has been said of the one that it is ten
derly and pathetically human as he
rises above his rabbinical Inv to teach
the death OF the Lord and fhe riches
Of the goodness Of God. All through
that epistle to the Romans there runs
the burden of the glory of mans origin
and mans destiny: 1--WE are children
Of God, and if children of God, then
heirs, joint heirs with Christ, if so be
we suffer with Him." There is mans
glorious heritage in that he is made in
the image of God. So with all the
apostles and true followers Of Jesus
throughout the world, they have al
ways reverenced men. They have
seen the greatness of mems capacity.
even when they have seen the evil as
1t is shown so in our great cities.
which in some respects equal Sodom
and Gomorrah. Beneath all the ex.
ternal they can see the power Of the
human heart. ''Who is that common
place looking fellow?" said a man to
Abraham Lincoln. Friend" replied
the President. "the Lord prefers COM
monplace people, and that is the rea-
son why he has made so many OF
them" Now, our Lord estimated men
at their true worth. He knew their
power, and He founded His church on
men-on Peter and James and John
and Thomas and Paul. AS our be-
loved collect expresses it: '"Thou hast
founded upon the apostles and proph-
cts, Christ, Himself, being the head
cornerstone"
To that church you all belong. You
have taken the step which announces
that consciously you have come to
your full conception of what that
church is, and that you are members in
it. Now, what Christ wants of you is.
not your money or your influence, but
He wants your heart, your devotion,
but He wants you to stand really,
purely, honestly, truly, steadfastly for
Him. He wants you to be built up,
as st. Peter expresses it, "as lively
stones" in His church. It has been
said that to suppose that the Christian
Church could have been founded by
any save Jesus Christ would be as
absurd as to suppose that Strasburg
Cathedral had been formed through
the centuries by the conflux Of the
dust of the streets. Now, it is into
that church that you have come, and
you are to become stones in the build
ing. You are to grow strong by being
true and earnest, and pure and tenn
perate. Buttresses and arches and
roofs are not more really the fruit Of
human architects work than temper
ance and chastity and honesty are the
fruits of the Divine Architects love.
"On this rock will build My church"
The Church Of Jesus Christ will be
stronger tonight and stronger to-mor-
row, because you have been confirmed
to-day, if you honestly keep the prom
ises you have made tonight.