St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1905-10-25

rus at the door step. For there is true
Church where one hand meets another
helpfully, and this is the only holy or
mother church, which ever was or ever
will be-" Christ appealed to the
heroic in men and demanded heroism in
his followers. Il will follow thee with
ersoever thou goest." "The foxes have
holes, the birds of the air have nests; but
the Son of man hath not where to lay
his head" Will you go now! Stay or
go as you please, until your interest is
great enough to make you hero or
MARTYR for truths sake, you may as well
remain at home. The kingdom OF God is
not so hard pressed that it needs to coax
or tease or bride people to become nom.
ipal followers of the church. Bust
ness men, poor men, sinful men, manly
men, will not have high regard or deep in-
terest in any institution that seems to
exist primarily for sociability, entertain
ment and the getting OF something for
nothing.
We are trying to devise ways to hold
the BOYS for the church, but in continu-
Gus procession they march out OF the
Sunday school and Christian Endeavor
societies into the world. Were the ideals
before them too high, the demand too
great, or were the ideals too low and the
demand too small? Was there no appeal
to the heroic that they should leave their
religious home and cast off all affection
ano responsibility? Did the church fail
to interest them to the sticking point!
Did the boys discover some lack OF man.
illness in the church that they should thus
drop out? Is it too much to believe that
il the men of our churches were all in
their places, as church members, that the
Bows Brigade and young peoples
, o, CARNATIONS would tall into line Just
behind the older ones and in place OF the
fathers would be The sons!
We see Christ's power to interest men
truly, deeply, in Zaccheus the tax collect.
or. One of the burning questions OF the
day is how to raise revenue for the sup
port of the churches, and half the energy
and strength OF the church is operated
Tor revenue only, and when the revenue
. is secured the other half of the energy and
influence is lost. Christ so influenced and
interested men that they restored Jour
/ fold their i'll. cotton gains. besides giving
/ the half to the poor; now the church
thinks she does we'll if she interests mer
!, to give to charity as an atonement fol
stealing.
} Christ interested men by his preaching
2 and teaching. Never man spake lk'
. this man." Have we a note divine II
our preaching and teaching? II is pos
sible. 1t is demanded. 1t will helpto solv'
] the problem how to interest men as Chris
e did, Ye have heard it said by them o
, recent date that the pulpit is decadent
that manly character is sometimes lack
] ing, that intellectual power is feeble
!, yet under the preaching OF the great
e est scholars the women and children still
!, prtdominate, and the same preacher WHIT
e in one field may succeed in interesting
, the men, may in another parish preacl
9 TO empty pews so far as he men are con
b cerned. The failure of the church t.
2 interest men may in part lie with tn
, clergy, but said prominent layman o
i one OF our working churches, 9TH
a fault is with the Church, her loose bus
ness methods, her lack OF hospi atty
r lack of 1--we for rich and poor, Tor bette
t or worse in sickness and in health"
d But quite as remarkable was the ii fit
t ence that Christ had over men possesse
b of the devil, and quite as essential tina
e the church interest these men also. On
}, of old cried out to the Christ, Il know the
e who thou art, the holy One of God.
e Has spiritual wickedness in high place
l. has high. handed crime any fear OF tt
lr church? The church that represent
o Christ must and will interest the wicke
!. and make tyranny tremble. u
% Men coming in contact . with Chri:
v were interested in his personality. The
h hearts burned within, them when the
,r walked or talked with him. So mani
was he, so meek, so bold, so spotle'
r. that the highest authority and meant'
r: critic could find in him mo fault at all
t; 1t is along this line of social contac
IS touch, having pure and poweri
m personality that Christ excelled and Il
b. Church fails, personality and pow
ct that goes below the surtaceo things ar
I'd reaches mans heart. Christ had som
ne thing that Scribe and Pharisee did n,
ty have, something that the world did n,
il have, and something they could not re
n him of. And it was just this somethil
IN by which he fastened himself upon t
es world and human hearts until timid al
TX imperfect and hating disciples came
d, last to His something and they to Ii
'g down their lives for the Kingdom
IS, God.
a.; Has the Church this one thing, IL
y, something which the world does n
n have? Is there in all our devices a
IL, organizations divine something,
b, personality that lays hold on the DO,
ut the men. arousing the affections, impre
or ing itself on the life OF another, until
is, becomes living fire, a spiritual bon
Ike This is the living Christ still walking
IN the midst of the golden candlesticks, a
ed the Church that allows Him to be
ur Head over all the body will interest a
ne draw all men to itself, even as the Chri