Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-01-18

PED down on MS Knees uuu pieuucu
with God to save the brutal father.
And Christ answered the prayer. AS
the missionary prayed tears Of remorse
rained down the fathers cheeks. Yes.
Christ came to save to the uttermost.
He made provision for the salvation OF
all who would come 10 him and be
saved. Can you not find the symbol
In the miracle Of the loaves and fishes
feeding the multitude. and also In the
figure OF Jesus standing at the last
supper and saying, This is my body
broken for you?" Yea, for you.
A Temporal Feast Provided.
But the Christ Of my text is not only
the provlder OF spiritual feast, but OF
temporal one as well. He cares for
the body as well as for the soul. he
Is not fanatic who expects his disci-
pies to live altogether in the cloud
lands. He demands that his people
have their feet planted upon the solid
earth, though their heads may be lifted
above the stars. SO when Christ
knows that the multtudes have been
following him all day long, and that
there are weak women and little chill
dren there, and some tired men there.
faint from hunger, he turns to his dis
ciples and says: Make the multitudes
sit down. | must provide them some
thing to eat. We cannot send these
people away hungry" So the multi
tudes sit down. Then Christ begins to
break the bread and the fishes and
feeds them until they are satisfied,
and there are twelve basketfuls left
Cannot you see that this Is a loving
Christ. a tender Christ, a sympathetic
Christ. who would not let one OF his
own be in physical wantf
| believe Christ fed those multitudes
not only to provide food for the hun
CRY. but also to teach US that one or
the easiest ways to reach a sinners
heart is by providing food for his
stomach. / have read attacks upon
Christian workers who give so much
of their time to looking after the tenn
poral wants OF mankind. Preach the
wordv these critics cry. Preach the
word! Tell men to come TO Christ
and then all will be right. Loaves OF
bread and bowls Of soup Will not take
the place of the bread Of life" That Is
all true. But there is no way so easy
TO reach a mans heart and lay 1t bare
for the sowing Of the gospel seed as
to look first after his temporal wants.
Suppose today l am a poor laborer.
Suppose | have large family OF chill
dren and a sick wife and only small
wages to feed the hungry mouths.
Then suppose some good missionaries
come to my home and bring to my
wife certain delicacies and good warm
shoes for my babies. What Is the
effect on my mind? why" | say, III
those people do all that for me and
mine they must care for me-" Then
II those people ask me to let my chill
dren 90 to their Sunday school do you
not believe | will gladly let them go'
Do rou not believe / also would glad
Iy 20 with them to church? IL Christ
was ready to care for the temporal
wants of the multltudes to whom he
was preaching the gospel, can we ar
ford to ignore the temporal wants oil
our fellow men by our side?
Furthermore, the church that looks
after the temporal wants Of Its people
is the successful spiritual church. And
the converse is also true. The church
that is not willing to care for the tenn
moral wants of its household OF faith
is not a successful spiritual church
and there is no exception to the rule
AS an Illustration | point you to the
history of the Salvation Army. The
whole cause Of It's marvellous success
for Christ is because It's members &c
out into the highways and the hedges
with sympathy and help. A dear friend
of mine spent many weeks some years
ago in studying this work In the great
METROPOLIS of England, and he vividly
described their way Of doing Gods
service.
Work Of Salvation Army.
In the first place, they have large
halls In which on cold winter nights
they gather the derclcts and the home
less. the outcasts, the discouraged and
the poverty stricken. There they serve
them bowls of soup. While these poor
| fellows were eating in one the halls
nv friend saw great, stalw~- mar
ladllng out the soup, while he was say
ing: Here you are. boys. Eat all yor
want. Here you will always find
welcome. But, oh, men, why do yot
not give up sin? II you would only
| give up your sins and come to Chris
he would never allow you to be hun
| gry and friendless. Look ut me.
was once just as you fellows are. NJ
| man ever fell lower into sin than
did. But Christ took me and cleanset
me. and he has cared for me. He viii
do the same for you IL you are Will
ing" The two things seemed to g
together, the soup and the sermon
"and" my friend added, 81 never hear{
more impressive sermon in my life"
Then the Salvation Army leader
took my friend into their match fac
tory. They said: Here we proyid
work for men. Here we teach them t
10 something. Here they may earl
their bread and their clothes. The
when they are ct we send them to OIL
Australian and Canadian colonies
where they can start life anew" TIL
Is the way to preach Christ to the pool
It was Christ's way. and 1t Is still tn
effective way. 1t Is the way the Chris
ton world has done and Is doing tc
day to the hungry in famine strickel
foreign lands-in America, in India, Il
Russia and in Ireland. 1t is the wa
Christs followers are doing anon
our own helpless poor here at home
from the Bowery mission bread lin
In New York, with its thousands o
gaunt, famished men and boys, to tn