The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-06-26

universal. The church has a chance
to do the work for Christ at home.i
II has a chance also to do valiant
service for the Master abroad as we'll.
The influx of aliens into America pre-
sent a foreign mission problem and
opportunity to the church in the
homeland. To our shores there are
rushing millions of men and women
| and children from the four corners
| of the earth. The list of the nation
| alities that have come to make their
| abode with us is startling. They are
| of all classes and adherents to a null
| titude of creeds. The languages that
are spoken round about us remind US
of the confusion Of tongues at the
| tower of Babel. The nationalities OF
the peoples remind US Of the famous
CONGREGATION that heard Peter at
Pentecost. And all these peoples
locking to our shores provide the
greatest opportunity that any church
can conceive or that any church has
had forced upon it. If we can so
mould these diverse peoples into the
unity of the Christian fellowship and
suffuse their minds and hearts and
souls with the Gospel of the lord;
Jesus Christ so that they. shall, seek
Righteousness before all else in life,
then shall we have accomplished the
mightiest work that any church ever
undertook. The opportunity. OF the
church at home is sublime. 1t is no
less s%tupendous abroad. The very
evils that in an economic way are
| affecting the peoples on the other
| side of the world are the opportunity
| of the church of Jesus Christ. The
awful famine in China and the like
catastrophes in Russia and in other
parts of the world are the opportun-
ity Of the church. Heretofore alto
gether too largely in the heather ESQ.,
called) mind Christianity has been
inseparably associated and linked
with opium and whisky and beer and
inhdelity and aggression and aggran-
dizement. The nations Of the East
have felt the curse Of the Christian
civilizations of the Occident. And
mistaking the wickedness Of civiliza-
tons representatives for the simple
truth of Jesus Christ they have had
| very little sympathy with Christianity.
And we cannot be too harsh in our
Judgment of them. But happily this
feeling of antagonism is passing slow
ly away. And If in this hour of their
need America and the Christian ma
tions of the West shall show the Chi
nese the spirit of ~helpfulness and OF
| disinterested service in the name and
under the ministry of Jesus Christ
we may open the way to the conquer
ing Of China for Jesus. And what
is true of China is true of other lands.
The conditions may be different, but
the opportunity is the same. The
whole world is awaking. We are on
the threshold of a universal awaken
ing the like of which the world has
never seen before. 1t is the oppor-
tunity Of the church and it is uni
verSal.
In the face Of this opportunity the
| church has universal responsibilities.
It is impossible for us to fold our
hands in selfish ease and be true to
the command Of our Master. The re-
| s%ponsibility Of the church at home is
so to transform America that it shall
be a safe haven for the oppressed,
the ambitious Of every land. We
must make America At to do the
work that God has destined her to
perform. The church is under a d.
vinely imposed obligation to trans
form the world. And first of all we
must transform the individuals in
the world. We need also a social
Transformation. But no social trans
formation is at all possible until we
| shall have gotten the individuals
| right with God. No man will have a
realizing sense of his social obliga-
| tons until he has had his soul thrilled
with the salvation of God in Jesus
Christ. Contrariwise, while we are
| saving individuals we ought not to
relax our efforts to reform society so
that we shall have no evil economic
or political conditions. This trans
formation must be not only moral;
it must be also religious. No mere
| system of ethics will v e keep the
world straight. Men must have a
firm grip on the religious verities be-
fore than can be sure of themselves
or the world be sure OF them. the
universal responsibility Of the Ihurch
is under the guidance and the Gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ to effect
these transformations.
The church must accept these
| responsibilities. She cannot do other
wise. Possessed of her vision of the
Lord and blessed with an expert
mental realization of the effectiveness
of His Gospel it is her duty as it
ought to be her JOY to accept the OPP
| portunities for eternal service that
the Lord has prepared for her and
measure up to them.
"a Double Injury to God"
Christ raised three dead nprSnnS to