Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-09-20
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WHAT Is THE GOsPELP

WHAT IS THE GosPELp
BY Rev. Henry F. Cope.
go We into all the world and preach
1G 10.
What is this good news to be de-
clared to all men? What message has
Christianity that men might be expect
ed to receive with rejoicing? Certain
~ the world seems to be taking the
far from receiving it with the eager
ness Such a message might be expected
to arouse it seems to be necessary to
urge them to hear it with patience.
There must be a good reason for this.
You cannot blame the willfulness of hui
mainly. If the gospel really is good
news they will receive it with Joy. Per
haps the reason is that the declaration
has omitted some part of the message
which is essential to its attractiveness,
1t is worth while to ask why to-day
the multitude does not manifest the
hunger for the Christian message
which they showed when it was de-
clared by its first Great Teacher.
In some instances the reason is seen
in the fact that the gospel of Joy has
been declared in NJ accent of mourn
ing. You cannot persuade people that
you have glad tidings when you pro-
claim them with grooming. In other
cases the poole have been deceived by
those who have promised them the
pure, u~nadulterated and only eliicacious
gospel and have delivered to them
either childish superstitions or barren
PHILOSOPHERS.
When a man is perishins for bread
special joy the gift of a cool book.
The pulpit has been attempting to feed
a hungry world with speculations about
the Bread of Life. Processes and theo-
ries Of salvation have been preached
instead of declaring the simple fact
itself.
When a man is lost he will not thank
you for hating his search for the right
road while you explain to him how,
on condition of the exercise of his Gre
dulity, he may be legally, though not
yet actually, found again. He cares
little for his legal standing just then !;
he wants the road back, the sight of
home, the touch Of the hand or kin;
nothing short of this will satisfy him.
When a man is broken-hearted, hope
less, ashamed and filed with fear and
remorse, he needs something more tbsn
an invitation to be good. 1t does not
help him much to tell him what he
might have been. The gospel On the
lips of Jesus Of Nazareth YVES more
than an invitation; it was . declara-
ton, a revelation Of man to Himself and
Of God to man.
1T was the good news that man is the
loved child Of the Most High, not that
he might be on certain conditions, but
that he is, and that no amount of wan
dering or willfulness, no severance of
time or distance ever could make him
any other than a child of his Heaven
Ily Father. Foolish, faithless, despising
his birthright, and losing the joys OF
home, he may be; but still he is a son,
and the love Of the Father broods over
him.
The glad tidings told of the heart OF
equal and infinite love and wisdom at
the center Of all being. It overthrow.
the philosophy which based religion on
fear, on the apprehension Of the domi.
nance Of evil and malicious spirits, and
put love and light, tenderness, justice
and mercy in their place.
1t was a call to man to realize all
his life as part of the life of a divine
Family, to extend to all conditions and
relations the good, the peace and bless
ing that he knew in the home, to show
to men the love shown by his Father.
1t not only was the good news Of God
coming in love to man but of men COM
inE in love together.
The gospel calls men to see things as
they are; to thrust aside the fogs and
fables by which the foolish sought to
brighten the child-man into goodness
and to come to the realization of him
self as free and ~heaven-born, in a world
governed not by chance or foes. but bv
forces friendly to him, to enter the
heaven that awaits him now and re-
joice in the peace and joy and goodness
that are the portion of all.