The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-15

Doctrine of Justification. This apparently brings us dangerously near the doctrine of justification by works. rather than justification by faith, but no nearer than we are brought by Paul and James when they undertake to state. the one the God side of redemp- ton. and the other the man side. Chris tianitv will never conquer the world in any other way than by manifesting the spirit of Christ and man will never sue ceed in doing this in any other way than by showing his love for God in what lie is willing to do for man. What man does is evidence of what a man is. When he does the works of God the presumn- ton is he is of the spirit Of
 course, it is possible for men things which look good for
 man who Is engaged in destro acter may also nav and then
 giving bread to the hungry, an gagged In making paupers may
 gage in clothing the naked. but done, in the name of good, by bad.
 What 1 am insisting on is this. that in these days God sends forth men to im-
  what they are willing to do, by pureness and by love. for bettering society The Kingdom of God is not going to iali aoWh | out of the skies ready made. IL IS 10 pe | builded according to plan, and very intelligent plan at that, that of goodness overcoming badness, after the fashloh that leayen overcomes meal. The number of bad men in the world is to decrease | throush the increase of good men, and | bad men can not possibly know or goou men save as they manifest the life mat 1 is in them by what they do for righteous ness.
 | The old Jew was a select man, and his nation a select nation, in order that he might give benefit to others of the way Tn which .od had manifested Himself to him.
 Christian a Co-Worker. | The Christian is selected to become a co-worker. There is something here in the world to be done, and religion does not consist in repeating platitudes or making oneself believe he is pious. christianity IS a force for conquering the world and Ill | the ages that men have believed 1t mighty things have been accomplished. The most skeptical is compelled to admit .Aat the greatest influence in the world today is the teaching of Jesus. Forms of pehef may change from time to time, but the spirit of Christ changes never. Men are | under the necessity of learning that they are here not to do their own will, but the will of God
 The ways the work of God has been done in the world have changed with the 1 changing times It has been necessary to teach the first principles. Jewish history marks long stretch in the making known God. Again men have been con cerned in formulating teachings as to the nature of Gods revelation. Then again there have come times of gross darkness, | and then those of great awakening and | Luther and Gavin and Knox and Wesley | and d thousand others have worked for | the propagating of the truth in way | best suited to their time. Certainly It is l not strange for us to believe that there | is something about the building of the Kingdom of God that distinctly belongs to our time. Perhaps there was never day, | in all the nearly two thousand years Of | Christian story that the church of Christ l was able to do through the influence of money for the unfortunates of the earth | as she can now. Ours is q nation not only | of great influence able to keep down | wars but Is likewise possessed Of more wealth than any other in the world.
 Not Proportional. | It Is becoming more and more neces- sity for the American people to ascertain | the purpose of God in giving such position and opportunity, if we are to heep tn' | spiritual in life. The increase in posses ! sion is marked by the fact that from l this congregation alone, some of you ! touched Africa, Europe, Alaska and many l of the great resorts of your own land, l during the past summer, and this is but 1 right. for to know the world is to better l know the majesty of the works of God The trouble about if all is that we do not keep things In proportion. II Is no 1 longer possible to do for the sufferer as was done. for instance. in the days of l Christ and Paul. Our time has brought q new line of work and if l may take but | a single illustration to illustrate the way | in which the Christian church may mani | fest the teachings of this scripture in the l giving of Jesus for the saving of souls, it | is in so fostering and caring for an in- stitution founded for the taking care of