The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-09-25
| ..arI,n

for discussion at the First Congrega'
tional church by Rev. l., ID, Malone. A
plain talk TO church members. Appeals
10 all 10 make complete surrender and
the church will not lack for strength. lie
raid In part, after discussing the sig'
niiicnncc Of the surrender ~ Yorktown,
Appomattox and Port Arthur that these
were great occasions, but the greatest
surrender for man was the citadel ot a
mans life. When this takes place there
Is no blare OF trimpct,, the press Of the
world does not take notice, but there j.
rejoicing 10 heaven among the angels.
Some Christians have not surrendered
their minds 10 Christ, They seem TO be
afraid that some one will find flaw In
the Bible or the Christian religion OF dis.
cover something that Is better. The his.
tory Of the world has proven most con
clusively that there Is but one religion,
All that We have TO do to prove this
claim Is TO turn TO the pages Of his.
tory.
And 10 the real problem Of the Chris.
tian church today IL the condition VI
thought and faith among the Chris
iians. one Of the indispensable condi.
tions Of conquest Is complete surrender
We lack this because our love of the
Christ IL more OF u sentiment than that
ol passion. When Garabaldi drew up
tis soldiers under the walls at Rome In
lst0 he said Soldiers | have nothing
10 offer you but hunger and thirst. hard.
ship and death, but | call on all who
love their country 10 follow me- and
they followed him by the thousands. lie
appealed 10 their loye--at no other tri.
bunal could he have reached them. So
the appeal that Christ makes TO the
church today, IL still, Lowest thou me-"
This Is the problem with the modern
church today, that the church has much
sentiment for the Christ but little pas.
sioni Il adorcs but doe. not submit, II
even gives, but the greatest gift Of all
gift-, the self, IL withhold.. Said John
Knox, Give me Scotland or | die" and
history tells the result. let the Chris.
iian churches Of Astoria say, Give us
Astoria, or We perish" and the victory
will be ours. We are not half in earn.
est about this matter.
Our Christianity is either the greatest
thing that We have TO do with or IL Is
nothing. There is too much thought Civ.
en- TO how we can bc figure. heads In
the church and not enough as to what
.. means 10 be q member Of the church
Of Christ.
First, They gave them-elves, to the
Lord there Is the ancient ideal. And
here according to Gibbon, il the practic.
al expression Of that ideai 1T became
the most sacred duty Of new conyer,
10 difTuse among his friends and rela.
iions the inestimable blessings that. he
had received But we demand that the
convert behave himself and are salts.
fled II he does that. Some Christians
fail to surrender their consciences 10
Christ. Others taeir hearts and some
their pockethooks. All Of these sur.
renders means struggle, but one thing
sure we are the servants of the God that
made us or We are the servants Of the
devil. We belong to one or the other.
There Is no half way place. One of the
most despicabe Of characters Il he who !
trys to carry water on both shoulders.
II requires whole man, whole wo.
man, TO be Christian. A heroic per.
son.
AT the Baptist church the pastor, Rev.
Lyman J. Trumbull preached on the
subject Of "The Irrepressible Conflict"
taking his text from Mark 5:l.2O. He
began by quoting Horace Greely in his
THE country cannot exist half slave |
and half free and explaining that as
It was with country so II was with |
man, he must either serve Christ or |
satan for 1t was impossible to serve
both, and showing that each soul must |
battle for good or evIl-self and right.
eousness-Christ and the devil, and as
innocence has three foes; self--world,
aud the devil, so has sin three foes in
Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and the
battle must be fought out until the soul
Il either dead In sin, or dead TO sin, and
zach soul reaps it's reward of eternal
gictory--or death.
In connection with this word pic.
ture was painted representing the man
who was afflicted with devils, and whose
name eFas a legion, showing him to be
m Outcast, living among the tOmbs With