The Penn's Grove record., 1907-05-03
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Subject: The Gospel of Christ.

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irving Square Presbyterian Church.
on the theme "The Gospel Of Christ.
a Partlal Message to It's Messengers"
the Rev. Ira Wemmell Henderson.
pastor, took as his text Romans 1:16.
FOR am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ" He said:
Inc last and perhaps The greatest
privilege which our Savior has given
unto US is contained in that COM
mand which, it is reported, He gave
to His disciples nineteen centuries
age: 10 We into all the world and
preach the gospel to every creature"
Paul writing, as we have seen, to
the Church at Rome, but a few wears
aiter the death of the Master, has
gwen 10 us a record Of his personal
and profound conviction of the
Christ.
This, the opinion of the pre-emi-
nent evangelist of the Apostolic
Gnurch, still stands unchallenged.
through all the schisms of the cen
turtles the Gospel has come down to
us as pure and beautiful in it's mes
sage; as strong and as potent in it's
power for good, as 1t was when first
our Master preached, with His own
dear lips, the message of salvation
n Astounding love.
Today, as we stand just within
the threshold of another century.
with the memories of mighty eras
lingering in u hearts, let us glance
over n achievements of the church
of the living God. Let us, as we
stand at the parting of the ways.
When to go forward is to accept new
responsibilities and to receive re-
neWed opportunities for service. look
critically at the field before us. Let
us determine what course, as Chris
tlans, we must pursue. Let us con
s1der the message of the church to
the men of to-day. Let us decide.
as God may give us power, our duty
as the messengers of the risen Lamb
OF God OF whose gospel we are not
ashamed.
About the year of our Lord the
t~hlrty-second a certain Pharisee, Saul
by name, journeyed from Jerusalem
to Damascus, breathing out threat
enlngs and slaughter against the dis
c1ples of the Lord" His intent was
to bring bound to Jerusalem all
christians whom he might find at
Damascus. While on his way and
when but a few hours distant from
Damascus the spirit of God came
upon Saul and a marvellous CONVEX
sion, worthy of the mission and of
the magnitude of the man, took
place. Sauls question, Lord, what
wilt Thou have me to do?" was the
handspring of action in his life. In
the answer of our Lord came a pro-
phecy of that work of evangelization
which was destined to change the DO
litical aspect of the world, and to do
much to ameliorate the social condi-
lions and surroundings of human
kind.
Paul was the first world-evangelist.
His mission was to SOW the seed in
all the first century world. And so
in the outpouring of a grateful heart
"a heart thankful for success as a
spiritual seedsman-Paul declares, 81
am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ"
This same gospel it is which
claimed the allegiance of Paul and
which holds the fealty of men in
every cline to-day, which has taught
men the principles OF right living and
of eternal truth. To the influence
of the gospel is due that esteem for
woman which has raised her from a
chattel to her rightful position as a
forceful factor in society. To the
gospel is largely due that beneficent
scheme of education and that grand
er conception of the liberty of the in
dividual.
The words of Christ foretold the
doom of slavery. The eternal princi.
Piles of the new commandment could
not but be hostile to a system of hu.
man ch%attelhood.
The gentle teachings of the man OF
peace have entered into hearts in
every epoch and in every land,
strengthening and meilowing the in
dividual character and life. Wher-
ever the example of the Christ is fol.
lowed there is prosperity and peace
and purity of heart. Widely spread
throughout a people it has made OF
that nation a mighty and a moving
element in the political history of the
world. Applied to the lives of men
and women in whose hearts the love
of Gods law was uppermost it has
given to us u Luthers, Wesleys,
our Lincolns, our noblest and our
best.
But 1t is within the space of the
past century and a half that the true
mission of the gospel has been COM
pretended and advanced. Little
more than a century is it since our
first plans were considered to send
Protestant missionaries to the East.
To-day we have the missionary of
Christ in every land. The message
of salvation through the Son is reach
ing round the world.
But let us for the moment forget
the things which are behind and
look rather upon the present condi-
ton of humanity. Let us consider
our duty as those who are mot
ashamed of the gospel of Christ" to
carry that gospel into every acting,
longing soul. What application has
the gospel to the needs of to-day?
How can we make it a force In the
lives of men and of nations.
We find oul selves confronted by
diverse and distracting social condi-
tons. The tendency of the times is
toward congregation in large cities.
The olden country life becomes dis
tasteful, and men in the rush to gain
a livelihood flock to the cities. Let
us take as an example the City of
New York. Here are some of the
richest of the rich, the poorest of the
poor; palaces, novels; luxury and ex-
trayagance, penury and restitution;
costly cathedrals erected to the glory
of the living God, and beneath their
very steeples disreputable dives dedi-
Gated to all that is bestial in man.
Commercialism is the watchword.
The city, as the land, is money wild.
The spirit of combination is abroad,
and we see huge gatherings of untold
capital to control the industries of
the world. Capital fears labor and
combines against it. Labor distrusts
the concentration of wealth and at
tempts, with but moderate success,
to protect itself from its fancied en-
envy. The immensely rich live their
lives with but small care for or
thought of the wretched e~xistences
worked out by their fellows in the
slums. Vice shows it evil head at
every turn. There is in New York a
single square within the bounds of
which reside over 1000 human be-
ings, who live under the most dis
heartening conditions. To our shores