The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-09-25

Men may soon at the church, they
may laugh behind her back, but a
militant and moving church, filled
with the fervor and fire Of the apos-
ties, panoplied with the power Of Je-
hovah, Is a sight to strike terror to
the heart of every evil man and
band. Yea, and it does strike ter
ror. The church may move slowly,
as too often she does. But the
church in motion Is irresistible.
The church has the men. Never
was her ministry more able, more
intelligent, better educated, more Gull
tured. Her spiritual possibilities
through them are unsurpassed. When
they gain the spirit of se~lf-sacrifce of
the Redeemer they will be invincible.
In all the world there is no body Of
men better fitted to do the labor of
blazing the trail for the world as we
ascend toward God than the minis
tiers of the church Of Jesus Christ.
There is no more competent leader
ship. There Is no body anywhere
that can so safely guide. The
church has the men in the pew as
well. The day has passed when the
pew was piously uneducated and re-
ligiously untutored. To-day the bull
wark of the church is to be found in
her enlightened laity. The minister
no longer is the only superbly edu-
Gated man in the community. The
layman is as cultured as the priest.
And it is we'll. The efficiency of the
ministry ought to be enhanced there
by. And it is. No minister may
reckon the ~stupendous reform that
has been wrought in the world, for
the good of the ministry as for the
whole church Of Jesus Christ,
through the education of the pew.
Such a pulpit and such a pew consti-
tute a living factor that is constantly
IAN effective asset to the work of the
church of God.
And the church has the message.
And it Is not a new one. We may
restate it. We may redefne its es-
sentials. ;We'may clothe it in the
vernacular of our land and age. We
may readjust 1t to the changing life
to which it speaks. But it is the
same old message. The message of
salvation from the dominion and the
grip of sin through the grace Of God
as it is revealed to a world in thrall
through Jesus Christ our Lord. The
world needs it. The world wants it.
The church has it. 1t is her mighty
asset. The church not only has the
message. She is the message. She
not only has the truth; in a sense
she is the truth. If she is not she
Ought to be. There is no need for
new truth. There is no call
for a new gospel. The necessity is
that we shall apply the old, old
story Of Gods redeeming love and
of mans responsibility to God to the
world to-day. We must lead man to
see and to know that God is as truly
the captain of our souls as He has.
been of our fathers in the ages past,
and that peace, quietude, content
ment, that are perdurable, can be Sc
cured only through complete obedi-
ence to His holy will.
These opportunities and these abil-
tiles are dependent upon the spirit Of
fidelity to the Spirit of God that pos
sesses us. Dominated and controlled
by the spirit Of the living God-the
church, translating desire into en-
ergy, may lead humanity to the
promised land of the new dispense
ton and follow u Saviour into the
confines of the spiritual kingdom Of
God. Without the spirit opportunity
and ability are helpless.
The church must accept these OPP
portunities since she has received
these capacities. The world is her
field. And the world is needy. The
hearts Of humanity are warming to-
ward God. 1t is her prerogative, her
duty to reveal Him, to direct human
ity to Him. She cannot be neglect
full. She will not be. Trusting in
the power Of omniscience and rely
ing upon the energy of divine love
the empowered church will accept
her God-given opportunities and
measure up to them. For the church
must be faithful to God Or die. The
church was not born to die. The
church Is immortal.