The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-12-11
The mission of the church IS not

The mission of the church IS not
to be conformed to the customs and
conditions of this age, but to stand
in the midst of this age as an effective
agency for the regeneration or So
ciety. Not to be a lump of clay to
be nodded in the fingers Of every
passing trickster, but to be an artist
with a great ideal and a trained eye
and hand to execute his will on the
waiting marble.
The work of the church does not
grow more easy, but when she comes
into her rightful heritage-the con-
viction of her divinely ordained privi-
lege as the lover of men-then she
will begin to realize her mission. But
first, last and always, she will gain
her adherents in the ratio of her
enthusiasm for and devotion to hu-
mainly.
Finally, the church that brings
back the men will be the church that
takes Christ to the needy world. 1t
sometimes seems as though there are
so many other voices that the cry OF
the church and her Christ will be
drowned in the din of materialism.
But there are still some listening ears
that will not be stopped. Into the
midst of this wild storm Of buying
and selling, of loss and gain, of cry
ing and laughing, of sorrow n sin,
will come, once more, the humDle
N%azarene, and His voice will turn
the tempest to calm: BE still, and
know that l am Cod" Jesus left
an unanswerable argument to His
interest in humanity when He gave
Himself to men. Anything else that
He might have given would have
been criticised; but when He gave
Himself, that softened the hard heart
of the world because they saw that
only love could do that. The fellow
ship by which Jesus is to unite men
with Himself in His everlasting king
dom is the fellowship Of love.
The duty and opportunity of the
church is to put forward the Kingdom
of God, to make sure the enthrone-
ment of Jesus Christ in the affections
of men; to cultivate a fervid enthu-
siasm for their souls; to take to the
worlds sicknesses the matchless
Physician who never lost a case IN
trusted to His care. When men know
that the church is praying and long
ing and laboring, with a divine pas
sion. for their souls, they will come
to the Christ and to the church.
The hour of victory seems long
DELAYED, but every soldier must keep
his place and by and by the warfare
will be accomplished. We must re-
member that not only was the mans
hand under the angels wing, but the
angels wing was over the mans
hand. God and the church will WORK
side by side. The human n the
divine will supplement each other.
It is said that Napoleon once ap-
pealed to his guards in the interests
of a forlorn hope. He made request
for only a hundred men. But they
must all be brave. Every man would
be exposed to the enemy's fire, and
nothing but death could be expected:
LET a hundred men step forward sui
of the ranks! Forward, march," AT
the word of command, not a undreo
men, but a regiment sprang forth as
a single man and were ready for duty
and death. u
And shall Christ ask in vain for
volunteers? Has His cause come TO
be a forlorn hope? All, not to dle,
not to die, but to live for Him, is all
He asks. To the front, . churcn OF
the victorious Christ!