The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-20

church had formed themselves into social club, to meet each week and play cards Each member was to contribute weekly so much money. and this money was taken by the hostess of the week and prize was to be bought to be pre- scented to the winner of the night. One week the hostess forgot to buy the prize. Instead she took the money and piled 1t up on the center of the table. and the winner of the evening took the cash in- stead of the prize which ought to have been purchased. The winner that night was the president of the Christian En- deavor society of his church and the wife of one of the elders. "The history of that nights play has gone all over town, said the informant. Now. doc tor what is the difference between those women playing for cash and playing for a picture or a vase? They are gamblers any way you look at it'
 My friend went into his pulpit next Sunday and told that story. In his sermon he said: Friends, are not church members to be any different from the men and women of the world? Will you stand In the way of the spiritual success of this church by the worldliness of your own lives? A mighty reaction set in. Those church members at once ceased their worldiness, their card playing. theatre going. dancing and other de- stroying acts of sin. They gave them selves to Gods work The resut-a wave of spiritual influence swept over the city and the whole state. Men and women shall we have this spiritual upheaval In our own churches? As conouering army terrible with banners shall this church membership move out upon thls city? We can move thus if we will consecrate our own lives. The sinful world today is not douhting Christ; it Is doubting our professions. We say T At ffr.fr f., live for God.
 Reasons for Failure.
 The scenes of a great church triumph which shall yet be witnessed in our land if church members are true to their discipleship will be marvelously witness ed in the trumphs of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in foreign lands. The reason our foreign missionaries are not accomplishing what they should Is not due to their lack of faithfulness and con- secration. It is not due to any defect in in the doctrine they are preaching. It Is due almost entirely to the sinful white man who enters heather lands lands alongside of the Christian missionary. With every ship that sets sail from our shores carrying the white mans Bible there go also the white mans cask of whisky and the white mans sins. If the white man were true to God, it would not be fifty years, nor twenty years hence, before the whole world would be captured for Christ.
 If the white men were united for Christ this capture of the heather lands would be like the wonderful march of Napoleon Bonaparte when he landed on the French coast from the island of Elba in February. 1915. He had not with him even corporars guard. but the French people believed in him. No sooner did the dethroned emperer start for his old ca rital than King Louis Phiiipnes sold iers opened for him their fortresses. The people welcomed him in their streets. As king coming back to his own he entered again his palace of the Tuileries As soon as the church captures our own land for Christ foreirn lands