The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-08-23
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.oSeSSSSSl~eSN
A SERMON &NSA
pY ThH REV. NXoR
'IAMHtNDERSSNW
Subject: The Church at Home and the
Foreigner.

lutut, lue OuuTcn AT Home ana
the Foreigner" at the Irving Square
! Presbyterian Church. Hamburg ave-
nue. and VERIFIED street, the Rev.
Ira Wemmell Henderson. pastor. took
as his texts Ps. 1913, Declare His
| glory among the heather, His won
ders among all people," and Mark
1919, Preach the gospel to every
creature" He said:
The foreign duty of the Church Of
] Jesus Christ In America is most in
sistent. The call 10 the service OF
| those who are not native TO the land
is mandatory. Whether we look about
us or abroad we find the foreigner
our mightiest problem and the sat
isfaction OF the needs of the alien
our greatest care. From many climes
the multitudeS have herded 10 our
shores. Sheep they are that seek a
competent shepherding They look
TO the land of their adoption for the
best that the world holds dear. To
us they come expecting a larger Wis
ion and larger life. Their hero
ism Is magnificent. Their hope is
inspiring. Their courage should be
augmented by the power OF our as
sistance. Their faith should be JUS
tined by the character of our leader
ship. We have men 10 make; the
destinies of a nation to determine
For the fate OF the foreigner is the
future of America. The welfare Of
the alien is the concern OF the coun-
try.
The duty OF the church of America
to the foreigners is most insistent
because 1t is her largest duty At
home they are fast out-numbering
the native born in not a few local
tiles. Abroad they are unnumbered.
The foreign duty of American Chris
tianity is largest because. there
fore, It is most numerous
The Christians. influential and
considerable though they are, COM
prise a minority of the religious peo-
pie of the world. A massive horde
of Mohammedans and Buddhists,
Confucianists and followers Of a hun
dred sects, have yet to learn the
beauty of the unrestricted truth OF
God as IL Is revealed to men, and to
us. in Jesus Christ. The Jews. here
and abroad, are burden on our
souls. The followers Of philosophers
and priests and sages over all the
earth are our special field to whom
in the providence and under the di-
rection of the living Christ we must
declare the glory of tho one true God
and the saving value OF His gospel.
We shall sub-divide our duty to
the foreigners. as Christians and as
heathens, at home and abroad.
God has sent to our midst null
titude Of Christian foreigners, men
who know Christ, men who yearn TO
understand Him more. To these and
! 30 h.
lands the church OF America has q
duty to fulfill. And that duty is
both inspirational and educational.
The church in America - both
Catholic and Protestant-in spite OF
shortcomings and in spite OF her
apparent sins--is the fairest flower
of the universal church of Christ.
Nowhere else is there more open
mindedness and less Of self-com pla-
cency. To be sure, we may find
much of intellectual arrogance, of
spiritual narrowness, but taking IL
by and large the church in America,
in all its branches, Is the freest and
most vigorous production of Chris
tian experience. endeavor and of
Christian fervor that the world has
J seen. The duty of that church
! standing as IL does at the zenith of
religious progress, is to be an inspir-
alton 10 the Christian churches OF
the earth. Since the days of Christ
the world has not seen the time
when to be an inspiration to hui
manity was a more glorious occupa-
tion or when the role of prophetic
leader was more divine.
Seldom has there been an epoch
reader TO respond TO the call of in
spired leadership than Is ours. Rare
ly has inspiration been more neces-
sary or more certain TO enter into
its reward. And the church abroad
needs the uplift Of the example of the
church at home as much as any
foreign institution in the world. The
| Greek church is anything but a credit
to Christianity. The church Of Rome
in the United States is the salt that
savors Catholicism whenever the
mass is said or sung. Much of Euro
pean Professionalism needs a Luther.
! The duty Of the American Church Of
| Christ is TO inspire the multitudes
that are rushing westward to our
shores to enthuse the soul OF the
church abroad by such an example Of
! fidelity 90 Christ and OF obedience TO
His spirit as shall make them all TO
feel and 20 know that the enduring
truth of God is still invincible, that
the power OF the personality OF the
risen Jesus is still supreme.
The duty Of the church OF Amer
| lea is likewise educational. II is
not enough TO inspire. II Is not
enough 20 enthuse. II is not enough
10 kindle the fine fame OF religious
devotion. We must give Inspiration,
wisdom. We must direct enthu-
siasm. We must guard the flame Of
| devotion and control its fire. Inspir-
alton run riot spells fanaticism. En-
/ thusiasm without direction may in
vite excess. The unmatched flames
may cause a religious confagratlon.
And nowhere is undirected or mis-
| directed enthusiasm and feryor more
dangerous than in matters religious.
| The pages Of authentic history reek
with the record Of the crimes OF re-
! ligious arrogancy and OF ill-directed
| spiritual exaltation. Many a ghastly
deed has been done in the name OF
| the Prince OF Peace. Many an In