The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1908-02-06

Christ" The text was Phil. 1927:
Stand fast in one spirit, with one
mind striving together for the faith
of the Gospel; and in nothing terri
fed by your adversaries. He said:
Let JUS unfold the text and trans
late itNwith care for the richness and
exactness of meaning that it en-
Acloses, that the authorized version
Aach, we have read hardly sets forth.
Id fast persistently in one spirit,
one mind striving together for
faith Of the Gospel; and in moth
scared by your adversaries." The
< site admonishes the people of
CD to stand fast steadily not spo-
radically, to be of singleness of mind
and heart and soul in their devotion
to the work of the living Christ, to
strive together with the best of team
play for the truth, to be unafraid of
their opponents. The figure is that
of frightened horse. Be not scared
like a runaway.
This is the word of Paul to the
saints in Christ Jesus which were at
Philippi. 1t is the call of Him who
sitteth between the cherubim to His
church to-day. This is the summons
Of God to those who are His people
IL.
gates the plan for Christian action.
He elevates an ideal for service. He
sserts the positive and negative du-
es that relate themselves to Chris
nifty. He stipulates what is to be
aim and what is the measure of
efficiency of the church Of the
g Lord. The text affords as
program for the guidance Of
g who are banded in the in
its of the proclamation and ad-
ement of the Kingdom Of God as
we'll be devised.
i'd we may safely assert that it
cause the church has too largely
- quished her grasp upon this pro-
lost, too largely, her con-
sc sness OF the mandatory respon-
sin ties that God has laid upon her
heW vision of her divinely endowed
ideals, her unanimous fidelity to the
plans and the purposes and inspired
activities of Emanuel, that she has
to a lamentable degree ceased to
command either the influence, the
respect or the love that within the
memory of many a man alive was
hers. And I believe that the moral
and spiritual unhealthiness that is
manifest in America is a direct re-
suit Of the desultory and faced allie
glance that the church has granted
to her God
We have been too much afraid of
Aour enemies and too uncertain of
ourselves. We have over-empha-
&ized the power of the forces OF en-
Eenched evil, and by implication dis
Dunted the capacity Of the Deity
successfully to energize His people
md to realize His will in them. We
ave been silent when we should
ave spoken fearlessly, and voluble
then silence better would have
Served the time and the Kings bust
hess. We have, especially in the
Protestant Church. let Christian lib
rty degenerate till in many quarters
has become synonymous with
religious license We have ex-
changed prophecy for time-serving
Ind truthfulness for popularity, to
Fan extent that is as disastrous as it
vas disreputable. We have lost the
note of authority. And in our
scramble to find the bait that will
e}ure the world toward God and that
, will draw men so far under the in
fluence of the church that we shall
be able to demonstrate the good
heartedness of the Gospel and of the
Christian life we have become such
good fellows that we have lost our
aim, missed the heart of Christian
Service and Of Christian faith.
The call of God to His church
means little to muititudes of people
who are on the rolls of the church
visible because they haven't listened
long or intently enough to Him to
know what He thinks or says or
wants. 1t is not strange that they
10 not 'stand fast in one spirit, with
me mind striving together for the
4h of the Gospel" How could 1t
otherwise? Faith is simply a
word with them; the meat of
AOspel is a mystery that they
aiken little effort to master; a
light is the last thing that they
salvation means about as much
I'm as changing their clothes.
Newman Smyth is not far
g when he asserts that a new
of things will, in Gods provi-
e, supersede our present Chris
religious systems. If we are to
e them by the fidelity of the
#Ority of their members to the
ct Gospel Of God in Christ, the
06ner the churches of Christ, as at
present constituted, are superseded
a nobler order the better for the
world.
Primarily the church must de-
Aclare and elucidate the deepest spiri-
Stual truths of the Kingdom of God
without which there can be no found
led or balanced ethics. She must
stand as the evangel of God speak
ing with authority that truth in
Christ, under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit, which is supremely suffi-
cient for the salvation of the souls
of men. She must deal first with the
souls of men in their relationship
with the Father. Spirituality is her
keynote. The revelation and expli-
ton of eternal spiritual mysteries
Ter chief business.
he call of God to the Church of
1t to-day is no different in es-
than it was to the men and
n of the church at Philippi to
Paul wrote. If it was essen
u them to cut close to the pat
Implied to- them of God it is
SIS necessary that we do the
4hov xroro ballad x,v,,v, ~