Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-05-21
Subject Preached Upon by Rev.
VI. m. Paden Yesterday
Morning.
CHURCHES FOR THE POOR.
Dare Not Discriminate In Favor OF
ANY Special Grade OF Slnncr---1he
Neglected Wcll.to-Do.

yesterday morning in the First presby-
tcrian church on the value OF service
to religion, speaking from the text,
Repentance and remission OF sins
should be preached in his name unto
all nations, beginning from Jerusa-
lem" Luke xiv: a..
Dr. Paden said In part
Are we faithful az we should be TO
the favored classes OF men and women
who live at our doors? We ,alk Of
the neglected poor; are there no neg
lected well-to-do, no neglected rlch2
We throw open our churches 10 the
shftless and illiterate, and We can
not throw them too wide open; are We
doing as much to make them homes
for men OF thought and culture we
may as well be frank In this matter
the church must reach all sorts and
conditions Of men. and Christ now
needs good men aud true quite as
much az He ala when He made dsci-
pies Of st. Paul and st, stephen. What
would the early church have done
without such mighty men as the mis-
sionary apostle2 Woe be to tho
church when II ceases to enlist such
characters, While the church must
ever be a home FOR prodigals, even
prodlgalS Of the sorriest sort, that does
not obscure the fact that there are
scores of good men and women AT our
very doors. but outside Of them. who
would be worth more to Christs cause
II we could only win them for Il, than
double the number OF converted prodi-
gals. And these good people need
Christ as much AS do the hoodlum or
Hindoo. All have sinned. Your
friends may be superior sinners, but
are being saved from or lost In their
sins? That depends upon their rela-
ton TO God and on the way they are
doing, not on their grade of moral
character OF the standing they have
al the start AS matter of fact. we
dare not discriminate In favor OF any
special grade OF sinner. We must seek
Marys Of Bethany az well as Marys
OF Madgala the good Samaritans as
well as the bad ones
But near the best you nearly al
ways lind the worst. London ana New
York contain the nights and depths
of Christendom So there We're 10
Jerusalem sinners to one Jerusalem
saint Beginning at Jerusalem. there
fore, meant not only beginning with
the best, but beginning with the worst.
! imagine the apostles fiinched as they
confronted such a beginning. Let US
not begin here they would say,
These Jerusalem sinners have not
needed thy pleadings and thy tears.
What can our persuasions profit? Why
waste life here? Let us get away
from the shadow of the cross. Rather
would we call down fire from heaven
than preach pardon among these
sneering enemies. Let US make a
fresh start anywhere but here. But
the gentle voice of Jesus firmly says:
Begin from Jerusalem. | came not
TO call the righteous but sinners TO
repentance came not to do what
any man can do. but TO do what men
call the impossible | came to make
disciples of Pharisees aud Saducees,
publicans and sinners; came to make
Christians of all sorts Of hopeless
cases, | came to lay hold Of the lost.
The unchristian portion Of the So
called Christian world is like to be
wrecked on one Of two rocks, one class
goes to pieces on the rock of presump-
ton, the other on the rock of despair.
We must wake up the one and cheer
up the other My heart goes out to-
wards the children OF despair. There
is no use in trying TO be good. they
say. Religion is not for the likes OF
u.s." Not for the like of you? II Is
for YOU or for nobody Him that COM
eth I will in no wise cast out" who
soever will may come O, ye men
and women OF Christ, to work with
your religion The man who has fallen
among thieves still lies by the way
side, helpless and bleeding. You per-
haps have seen him The minister
n yah N n hA1 IN oil
er mans parish, or his reverence must
needs go and chat with some good
church member The Christian work.
err goes around. him, as a lazy man goes
around a piece OF hard work. But the
good Samaritan saves this man. BE ye
each good samaritans.
The light that shines farthest shines
brightest at home. Begin at home
There is no harder Kind of Christian
work. You will often find Il easier to
give a dime or a dollar towards the
conversion of men In the far west or
far east than to say one word towards
the conversion of man YOU meet
every day. You will find it much
easier TO pay n mission teacher TO put
up with the deficient morality Of Chris
tians in Africa or India, than it Is to
put up with the deficient morality OF
Christians at home. at Is hard for me
TO get up the enthusiasm for the saw
ing of men In the center OF China,
you say. Aye, and isn't it hard for
you to get up much enthusiasm for
the saving Of some of your neighbors?
Are there not good people whom you
meet every week TO whom you have
scarcely grace enough tn speak kindly.
As for bringing them to Christ, or near
err 10 Christ you could hardly do such
a thing without getting new heart
For you. therefore, beginning nj Je-
rusalem assuredly means beginning a
homo