The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-09-17
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His word Is truth or IL is nonsense.
His gospel is either the supreme phi
losophy of life or the Quintessence
S Stiffness. He is either to be fol-
lowed or not to be followed. IL He
Is 10 lead we must do His will. He
Is a captain whose commands are
commendable and practicable or an
untrustworthy leader TO obey whom
s the sheerest senselessness. There
is no middle ground. Christ Is a wise
mantle eternal wisdom of Cod
Or fool; n visioned statesman or
visionary; a religious leader beyond
compare, or the most Illogical and
fantastic enthusiast who ever lived.
The church Of the living Christ
through near 1000 years has pro-
claimed Him the incarnate mind of
God. the glorious embodiment of the
eternal wisdom, the suuernal leader,
The only true guide, the mentor of
The mind as the Saviour of the soul
IF man. Saints have sung OF His
beauty. philosophers have yielded
homage to the purity and profundity
of His thought, sages have reveled in
His wisdom, martyrs have died for
Him. We have declared Him Alpha
and On the beginning and the
end, the ultimate both as to inception
and fnalitv.
And yet we fail to practice His
truth, to apply His principles, to
obey His mandates to trust His
word. TO I've the life that lie counsels
as the only life that eternally is
worth the while. We elevate Him
upcn a pedestal of dominating pron1-
inelce, and then we laugh at Him.
We .oin HIS church. and then we
misrepresent Him. We swear fealty
dnder His control. and then we de-
sert Hin in every hour of the test
And then we wonder why men of
the world have no use for eccleciasti-
cism, though they cheer the Christ.
We are amazed a. the paltriness of
the church's grip as an organized In
stitution uDon humanity compared
with wat il ought to be: while the
sweep of the influence of Jesus is be-
coming universal We are astounded
that in an age when the Lord of Life
receives greater homage than ever in
the reach Of years, the church of the
Lord-the organized body that bears
His name-is being weighed in the
balance of intelligent criticism and
declared wanting.
But Il IS not strange. Too long
have you cried. Lord. Lord" The
world demands performance as we'll
as protes,ations. IL tires of the pla-
titudinous. l. eyrects men who pro-
fess TO love the good TO be something
more than U.ous. For the piousness
of the day Is almost synonymous
with the most dangerous impious-
ness.
Bad men have a suspicion that bad
men will be bad. They expect good
men to be good. They detest plous
talk and a pious mien that gets no
further than words and loo IS And
they are right.
Laod!csan Christianity is as trait
orous as il is inefficient. 1t denies
that In which 1t processes to believe.
II hetrays its Lord with a kiss. The
world has no use for it and we ought
to have none. A world that could
contemplate it with equanimity
wouldn't be worth saving. What
shall we say of a church which too
largely practices it?
TOO much have we cried, Lord.
Lord" Jesus says, "Ye are My
friends II ye do whatsoever I COM
mand you" Have we done His will?
jesus says: Love your enemies;
bless them that curse you; him that
taEeth away thy cloak forbid not to
take thy coat also" And Jesus prac-
ticed His proclamations. He was the
friend of God He did the will of the
Father. They crucihed Him. He be-
sought forgiveness for His persecu-
tors.
And yet in a land blessed as is
ours with the heritage of twenty cen
turtles CT Christian teaching, cultured
and controlled under the gospel of
Jesus, the best theory of peace that
we can practice is that watch bids us
to be prepared for war The very
church which sings the praises of the
prince Of peace is strangely silent be-
fore the militarism of our age. Pre-
paredness for war has yet to be pro-
ven a guarantee of peace. Indeed II
has been quite otherwise. It is
neither effective nor necessary. II is
purely expedient and never final in
theory or in practice Jesus way Is
better way, II all the armaments
OF the world were wrecked there
would be a surer guarantee of peace
than there Is to-day and greater pros
perity.
Jesus theories have never had an
honest opportunity to prove their
worth. Those that have been tried,
however little, have revealed the wis
dom OF the Lord Where nations
have ceased TO war and have brought
their difficulties TO the bar of divine
ly guided counsel there have they
found the best results. The individ-
ual who follows IN the footsteps of
his Saviour and forgets injury, for
gives injustice, requites good for evil,
may seem impractical. but he Is the
happiest as the most honored among
the sons Of men. The man who sub
mits to persecution while his trust
remains In God may lose his head
he viii not lose his soul. External
forces cannot steal away that life
eternal which is the gift OF God
The church must either follow
Christ or II must cease to be. The
reason for its existence is resident in
It's recognition of His authority. The
secret of its ancient power lay In its
willingness TO do His viii. And as
the guiding spirit in a larger era
gives her visions Of wider ministry
and impulse TO a service the like of
which she has never known she must
move on with fidelity and feryor or
be discredited and disowned.
The church Is not the kingdom
save as the church labors for the
contamination Of the kingdom. II is
not an end in itself Il is a means to
the attainment OF divine conclusions.
The trouble has oeen and is that we
have mistaken theology for Chris
tianity, the organization for the life,
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