Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1907-08-29

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 q 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 to Christ and of obedience to
His spirit as shall make them all to
feel and to 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. 1t ie
not enough to inspire. 1t is not
enough to enthuse. It is not enough
to 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 it's fire. Inspir-
alton run riot spells fapaticisn. En-
thusiasm without direction may in
vite excess. The unmatched flames
may cause religious confagration.
And nowhere is undirected or mis-
directed enthusiasm and fervOr 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 CHASTITY
deed has been done in the name o1
the Prince of Peace. Many an in.
tellectual and spiritual Stiffness has
been prOpounded and propagated By
unbridled zeal. The church in Amer.
lea, fragrant with the sanity and Wis
ion of the Saviour, ought to give
direction and education to the aims
and efforts of the church abroad.
AS with the church abroad, so
with the Christian foreigners who are
our neighbors. To eradicate false
notions and to supply new ideals; to
purge the foreign mind of all that Is
less than noblest and to suffuse it
with vitalizipg and superb wisdom;
to take the raw material of other
nations and to fashion it into sub
lime temples for the abode of the
Spirit of God, is the opportunity and
duty Of the church at home
Not otherwise is the duty of the
| church at home to the heather who
are here and in the corners of the
earth. The civilization that is most
| modern is co-terminous with the pro-
gress and the influence of Christian
| ity.
Modern civilization as we under
| stand that term is the product of
Christian lands and of the genius
of Christian peoples To the heather
both at home and abroad modern
civilization and Christianity are syn
onymous. To him the followers of
Christ are the exemplification of
modern advance And they are. But
| they ought to be more. Unfortunate
| ly the church is associated in the
| heather mind with the vices as well
| as with the virtues of latter-day civil
| ization. We as Va church at home,
blessed beyond computation by the
grace of God, owe it to the heather
over all the world to be such an edu-
| cational and inspirational force that
they shall see God in US and the
salvation Of the nations in the beauty
of our religious self-expression. II
we have an obligation laid upon us
to inspire, to enthuse, to lead up and
on and out the Christian hosts of
God, we have at least an equal COM
mission to do as much for those De-
nighted souls who worship COD un-
der other than the ensign OF the
Cross. ,
spire, to educate, in short, to save!
/ How may we effect the transforma-
| ton of the world? How may we
make actual the majestic vision OF
~the salvation of the world in this gen.
Grafton? We can accomplish 1t only
by being inspired, educated, saved
ourselves. Till we are these, the work
/ will remain unfinished. Till we are
| consecrated after this fashion the Ia
bor cannot be completed. For hoy
ran an uninspired church enthuse7
Can the blind lead the blind? How
can an ignorant church educate any
one in the knowledge of the deeper
| truths of the Kingdom of Almighty
| Cod? How can a people who have
not experienced the joys OF sure
! salvation declare the glory or Goo
to the heather and declare the, gos.
mel to every creature?" It can not
| he done by any save a church that Is
itself inspired, that is. itself verseo
| in the eternal mysteries OF the trltn
of God, that has had the spirit 90
/ life breathed of God into its SOUL
/ Nv such a church it can be done.
For the world is ready to receive
the truth of the simple gospei o.
| Christ. n spite of many very IN
] auspicious signs, the times were nes
er reader. We are told tnaI -