Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-01-16

spoke the missionary said: THAT Is So
Only Christ can save And he drop
ped down on his knees and pleaded
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 to him and he
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 your Yea, for you.
A Temporal Feast Provided.
But the Christ OF my text is not only
the provider of spiritual feast, but OF
q temporal one as well. He cares for
the body as well as for the soul He
is not fanatic who expects his dscl |
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 multitudes 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.
cples and says Make the multltudes
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 loving
Christ. a tender Christ. a sympathetic
Christ. who would not let one of his
own be in physical want?
believe Christ fed those multitudcs
not only to provide food for the hum
cry, but also to teach us that one OF
the easiest ways to reach 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
word" these critics cry. preach the
word. Tell men to come to Christ,
and then all will be right. Loaves Z
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 mans heart and lay it bare
for the sowing of the gospel seed as
to look first after his temporal wants.
Suppose today l am a poor laborer.
Suppose l have large family of chill
dren and sick wife and only small
wages TO feed the hungry mouths.
Then suppose some good missionaries
come to my home and oring to my
wife certain delicaces and good warm
shoes for my babies. What is the
effect on my mind? Why" | say, "if
those people do all that for me and
mine they must care for me- Then
If those people ask me to let my chill
dren 90 to their Sunday school do you
not believe l will gladly let them go:
DO you not believe | also would glad
~ 20 with them to church? If Christ
was ready to Care for the temporal
wants of the multitudes to whom he
ford to ignore the temporal wants Of
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
pOral wants of its household Of faith
is not successful spiritual church,
and there is no exception to the rule.
In % ian mt n m
history of the Salvation Army. The
whole cause OF It's marvellous success
for Christ is because its members go
out into the highways and the hedges
with sympathy and help. A dear frien.
of mine spent many weeks some years
ago in studying this work In the great
metropolis Of England. and he wildly
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 derelicts and the home
less, the outcasts. the discourage and
the poverty stricken. There they serve
, them bowls Of soup. While these poor
IelIOWS were eating III Oilt VI ne udllS
? my friend saw great, stalwart man
, ladling out the soup, while he was say
, ing: Here you are, boys. Eat all you
/ want. Here you will always find a
welcome. But, oh. men, why do you
, not give up sin? If you would only
/. give up your sins and come to Christ
: he would never allow you to he hun
' CRY and friendless. Look at me.
+ was once just as you fellows are. No
r man ever fell lower into sin than I
2 did. But Christ took me and ceansed
. me, and he has cared for me. He will
1 do the same for you If you are will
g ing" The two things seemed to GO
t together, the soup and the sermon
s "and," my friend added, II never heard
s n more impressive sermon in my life"
a Then the salvation Army leaders
2 took my friend into their match fac
t tory. They said: "IIere we provide
Il work for men. Here we teach them tt
( no something. Here they may carr
/ their bread and their clothes Their
when they are fit we send them to oul
= Australian and Canadian colonies
: where they can start life anew" This
e IS the way to preach Christ to the poor
o 1t was Christs way, and 1t Is still tho
I effective way. 1t Is the way the Chris
s ton world has done and Is doing to