The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-20

gospel army that I wish to emphasize. 1t is all advancing army, conquering army, army upon the offensive. But it it also an army that is more and more becoming possessed of purer and holicr ideals. The nearer the time approaches when the church, as bride, is to place her hand in that of the Divine Bride groom the more carefully she arrays her. self in the pure white robes that are to be her wedding garments. How different is mans idea of purity from the divine standardi
 Dr. F. B. Meyer, the great English preacher, taught this truth in a simple way. He was making a pastoral call upon one of his church members who was a washerWoman. She was one of the most devoted Christians and one of the saintliest characters in his church. Like all good Christian washerwomen, she did her work as conseientiously at the tub as at the prayer meeting Her clean linen was hanging upon the lines and lying around drying when the preacher called. What beautiful clean linen you have" said her pastor. Yes" answered the woman, 'if God wants me to be wash erwoman I must make the clothes white for His glory just as pray well for His glory" But during pr. Meyers visit the snowflakes began to fall When he came to the door to say "Good-bye,' the white mantle of winter was everywhere. But the snow was white now that it made the linen clothes grimy in comparison. Then Dr. Meyer said, "Oh, madam your clothes do not look as clean now as they did" "Of course not" replied the woman. Remember, Gods white Is always purer than mans white" So the nearer the church comes to union with Christ the nearer the time for the wedding nuptials, the more the church Is being cleansed and the higher and purer become it's ideals then the more it's wedding garments take upon themselves the purity and spotless- ness of Gods whiteness and Gods love.
 Pessimistie Talk.
 To hear some pessimists talk one would suppose that not only numerically, but also in purity and ideals, tine church is rapidly deteriorating. I contend that not only is the church growing better, but it is influencing the whole world and ele-s vating it's ideals. Social conditions which would not now be tolerated for q day were formerly ordinary commonplaces. We talk about the curse of tainted money'' in these days. We say that the American people are lost to all sense of honor and decency when corporation funds are accepted by political parties. We say that the juggIery of stocks in Wall street is an outrage. We say that the state legislatures are only puppets of the monopolies and that the municipal councils are owned, body and mind and soul, by the railroad corporations. But stopi Did you ever consider the fact that the reason we hear so much about the financial dishonesties of life is because the public conscience is being aroused and higher standard of morals has been established? Furthermore, did you ever stop to consider that criminal financial dealings which two centuries ago were looked upon as the ordinary and usual ways of doing things would not be tol- erated now for one moment? Did you ever hear that one of the first buildings which were erected upon the campus of Princeton college, the headquarters of Presbyterians. was erected by the money raised in a public lottery? Don't talk to me about the world growing worse! Why, if some of our great-grandfathers and grandmothers should rise up from their graves and start to live as they used to do they would be ostraeized from re- spectable society, and we would have nothing to do with them.
 But there is another fact which I want to emphasize about this conquering army of the gospel church-that is, it may win it's final conquest any hour. The time may be at hand this century, this decade, this year. this month, when Christ is so- ing to come and establish His universal kingdom upon the earth. for long years and generations the prophets of old fore told His birth In Bethlehem of Judea. But the people had waited for Jesus SD long that they became indifferent, and when He did come they were completely taken by surprise. In the New Testa- ment we have again and again the prom ise that Christ is going to come second time and establish His Kingdom through the church. We, too, have waited so long for the second advent of Christ that many of us are apt to think He