The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-13

 hold humanity back from pomp, pa rade and show. from dead or living rit- ualistic form; from priest1y domina- tion to the simple Iordship of Christ. In doing this they have suffered the loss of all things many times, and or many things at all times.
 These very sufferings have made an- other incentive for them to eagerly seek the annual gatherings of their fellow sufferers. We do not feel this so much in this country now, but else where 1t is still a potent factor in. the life of the churches and associations.
 Not content with laws compelling onr Baptist brethren and other non conformists to pay taxes to support Episcopal rectors and churches. the Church of England. within the last decade, forced through Parliament a law putting the public schools or that country into the hands of the church authorities. The Baptist conscience re- belled against this act, of outrageous persecution. and refusing to pay the school tax. scores of the saintliest men on earth were cast into prison,. ana their property sold to support a sonool system where Baptist children were to be taught not only errors or ooctrine, but taught as we'll that their fathers and mothers were nereties anu sS matfcs. The voice of Baptists sounding through prison bars has had sim liar sound since Paul and Silas sang their midnight song at Philippi. ana once again 1t sent thrill through tns heart of the Baptist world, ana had much to do with waking them 10 worldwide unity. A few months ago while this cruel law was tust being fastened upon a suffering people, tne Archbishop of Canterbury came " America preaching sweet sermons on Christian unity, which to nm ,-.nS L.as union with his church. He seeme9 hlind to the fact that he had wideneo the already impossible gulf between ua and him. and that the old familiaE bond of common suffering ana common danger had been strengthened m every Baptist Association in the world. ~ had much to do with the success ot inc recent Great Congress in London when for the first time these scat. tered associations became conscious or their world wide power.
 Cost of . Baptist.
 daughter of our Brother cove .H Cuba, one of the most beautiiui wOn n',.. I ever saw. came to see tne 1aInLy of her husband, who was lucky enouSn 10 be a Tuskaloosa man. T feei so useless in Tuskaloosa," she said, tneEe is nothing here for me to do. Tn Cups 1t costs so much to be Baptist: Anu. beloved. 1t is that common cost that in part naBs BEOupeo o1 through the centuries
 am making no effort as you see to trace the origin of the first assocla- tion nor the growth of the sisterno oo0 of associations have been merely enumerating forces that explain now without any conscious planning, wlth- out any effort on the part of any man or set of men, these remarkable sFoups' these wonderful groupings or mae pendent bodies inevitably appeared TO me 1t is one of the wonders of the world.
 As they grew without the thought, plan or effort of any man, so VIII It be a fruitless task for any set of men to try holding them together when the ties I have enumerated once be- gin to weaken. And if they should ever weaken to any appreciable ex- tent it will be a sad day in our his- tory. The decadence of the Associa- tions will mark the decay of our de- nomination.
 No one can tell the vast educative value these associations have for the masses of our people. The questions and answers, and the circular letter of the olden time, have played a great part in the life of the churches The various reports, and discussions, ana especially the work of our leading brethren, secretaries. pastors, and lay men reach far into the ranks of the masses lifting them slowly but surely to higher planes of Christian effort and living, and often they set on fire the ambitions of young men and women who ever after in the various walks of life take their place among the leaders of the worlds thought and deeds.
 This sisterh ood of associations form the very citadel of our whole scheme of cooperative work. To the average member of the average church the general bodies and even the State con- vention are things afar and apart. But the association touches him at home in many ways. Through 1t he learns to work with others toward 8 common end which to him and his church alone would be among the fn- possibilities. ..-,.
 It so happens that the association stands midway between the churches and those general bodies which carry on the vast scheme of world wide evangelization. It Is the connecting link between the church and the ut most organization of all the churches in the world. It is the medium through which, 1t Is possible for the great conventions and their agents to reach the masses They are the means that enable, our secretaries and college presidents to appeal their case from few churcheS 70 the vast pooy OE tne saints.
 Wider Vision Given.
 And on the other hand, they are the special power that saves the individual member, and the individual church from isolation, from turning thought in upon self, and so becomes narrow, sell. fish and ultimately dead. They lift the churches out of their narrow limits and give them through the touch tn ey afford with the general bodies a wider
 eyed vision of the world. The effect on the world has been beyond all computation, but the reflex blessing upon the churches, themselves is vast ly greater. It means for them new en- ergy and effort. It means expansion of soul; 1t means bigness: 1t means life from death.
 Many of the associations are weak behind the times, primitive in method and thought, but all are important The least Is worth respecting, loving and caring for. We can't make them all do as we wish, but perhaps in the deepest wisdom 1t is better so.
 They are a unique institution. have found nothing like them in any other body of men on earth. They were not planned, I repeat. They just grew. They couldn't help it. They grew among us and us alone. If they could not help growing among our sort of folk. they could not, even by the most careful nursing. be made to arow amonp any other Tho soii iS