The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-04
CHRISTIAN HAS AN EXALTED MISSION There Is to Be No Compromise
 With Evil LIFE ALWAYS AGGRESSIVE When Man Becomes a Christian He Assumes the Responsibility of
 Doing Good To All
 Men.
LIFE ALWAYS AGGRESSIVE

Men.
 The Rev. Dr. Allan R. Moore preached at the First Christian church yesterday morning on the subject Doing Good to All Men," his text being from the tenth verse of the sixth chapter of Galatians: 50. then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which Is good toward all men"
 A resume of the sermon follows The text is the language of the Apostle Paul. text is the language of the Apostle Paul, addressed to converts in Galatia They have entered upon higher life and Paul is giving them Instructions as to how to live that life
 The Christian has an exalted mission in the world. No matter what may have been his life before becoming a Chris tan, no matter how aimlessly he may have drifted or how low and selfish his motives, he now has mission in the world. He has been lifted to a higher plane and must henceforth live with d purpose. His mission is to do good.
 He may be fond of pleasure but now he must curb his inclination in that direc tion so to live not for pleasure, but to do good. The gospel is able to reach and redeem the criminal, but one such who has been redeemed is to no longer live in crime. or by crime, but in such a way as to do good to his fellow men, A man may have a genius for business. or money making, but when such a man becomes a Christian, he assumes a higher obligation than that of getting on in the world. He assumes the responsibility Of doing good to all men. That is the Christians mission and it must never be lost sight of.
 Inertia Is Death.
 Christianity is an aggressive power Life is force. Inertia is death Life is all ways aggressive. Christianity is an ag- gressive force because it is life He that believeth on the Son fo God hath life in himself. The life begins here and now, by virtue of the faith that is in him. Therefore he begins to stir and move things because of the life that is in him. But also he has the resurrection life. He believes in a risen and triumphant Lord By faith in Him he sees the future He realizes the life to come a life of im- mortality and glory. Therefore, he must move things toward that eternal goal
 But more than that, he has another life in himself. The Christian enjoys the in- dwelling of the Holy Spirit. His life is spirit-filed life. That Spirit which brooded upon the primitive chaos and brought life and order into being now moves in him, and forth from him must bring life and order for the good of man kind. Because he possesses this abundant life he is impelled to do good to all men.
 Christianity Reform Power.
 I do not make the claim that Christian ity originated every good idea that ex- ists in the world Noble truths were taught before Christ was born But these truths were crushed to earth. Christian ity is reform power that exalts the truth and protects the weak.
 Christianity has secured to man what was long claimed and long denied-the freedom of ones own conscience. Only in Christian lands is this right youeh- safed to man. Christianity has also se- cured for man a true democracy. Before Christ came, democracy was tried and failed. It succeeds today because Chris tianity makes it possible. There is 10 government on earth today "of the peo- pie, by the people and for the people where Christ is not believed on and hon- ored.
 Christianity also stands for business re- form. In times past men have grown rich upon the weakness, the misfortmes and the vices of the people Christianity denies the right of man to prey upon his fellow man. The progress has sometimes seemed slow. but step by step Christianity has put an end to piracy, stopped the slave trade and overthrown the lottery. Step by step it is overcoming the business of making money by gambling, by lust and by liquor. It is a principle sound in ethics and sound in economies that a man has right to make money as he pleases, only when he pleases to make it in a right way. That doctrine is well estab- lished in both law and religion.
 It is Christianity that has brought about the wave of temperance reform that is sweeping the country. and this movement can not be successfully resisted because it means equality of opportunity to all men. The man who drinks is fighting an unequal battle with his fellow men. The boy who learns to drink before he reaches years of maturity starts in life handi- capped. We owe 1t to every boy to give him a chance to start into life sober and sane And that he cannot do when he lives under the constant temptation of the open saloon. And then, what right has a man to engage in business that makes the wife whom he swore to love and protect feel that she is ostracised? | have never heard anything more pathetic than the pleading of woman for her children. high born and noble. but handi- capped by business for which she was not responsible. My sons may overcome it, she said, but my daughter-what fu- ture is there for her? The method by which reform is accomplished may some times seem harsh. But, men of Birming- ham, the command to do good to all men lays upon us the obligation to see that our boys and girls start in life without handi- cap. IL also makes it our duty to help men out of a bad business into a good one Let us forget the heat of d cam paign passed and address ourselves to this task with an honest purpose
 Is Benevolent Power.
 Do good to all not evil. We are forbi1-