The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-11-08
MISSION
IS SUBJECT
REV. w. n. BAGBY breaches IN
TEREsTiNG SERMON AT THE
CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

preached ut the Christian church yes
terday morning by Rev W. I'll. Bashy.
In part he said.
According to an ancient theory. the
world was launched as vessel with
7 distant but definite destina zion in
view. bur was wrecked on the rock
of sin before il had cleared the home
harbor The original plan. having
thus failed In its very beginning. was
abandoned and force Organized to
rescue the passengers on the Inflated
vessel. before she should finally sink
To the bottom Of the sea sh. was
meant to sail, According to ii newer
! saner and NOR. scripturaI theory. the
world was launched as IA strong ship
with "A distant, definite destination In
view. but right in the beginning. en-
countered the opposing forces that
are as benefiC.nt as. under the law of
compensation, they ar. inevitable. As
Il result of this encounter the ship
suffered IL shock, but was neither
totally wrecked nor horelessis
crippled. Divine wisdom had planned
her voyage, and infinit. power was
back of it. The beneficent result Of
the encounter with til. opposing
forces. was the bringing into play of
the reserve power provided for this
very purpose. and made subject tn
the cali Of need. First forms never
exhibit the best OF which they are
capable. Strength and beauty are
born of struggle. If there were no
resistanc. there could be no struggle.
II is II beneficent thing that all cur
rents set strongly in the opposite di-
reetion To that in which the Creator
Il -
an opposing force IL "A blessing only
as il IL overcome. To that which IL
os.reomes it becomes IL curse Hence
the apostle admonish.s. BE not over
come of evil. but overcome evil with
good" At Long Beach, California, is
the skeleton of IA great whale which
.sas stranded Give on the beach Ey
overcoming the tides and waves The
great fish had gained thu strength
that could have sunk a ship; by being
overcome by them IL was reduced tn
h.lpIessness and death. So men. by
overcoming evil tendencies. gain
moral strength: but by yielding To
them. lose all and become moral
wrecks.
Religion is the force whose office
Is To enable men to triumph over evil
cics are not sin. Yielding tn evil
tendencies Is sin. Christ came to de-
stroy sin. not by destroying the
forces that set I'm that direction. but
by putting the courage and the
strength I'm men to stand before them
and to advance over them. A moral
victory il sometimes gained by being
able to hold ones own against the |
tide that sets In the opposite direc- |
tinn. Two boats were racing up the /
Atlantic coast. One of the captains, /
noticing the landmarks on the shore. /
discovered that both the vessels We're
drifting backward instead of moving
forward. the current being stronger
than the wind. secretly dropping an |
anchor, he Won the race by standing
still, In the past the church has
trinmphed over the forces that swept
down upon her. by simply holding her
own against them. Many an individ-
uat Christian has done the same
thing. Many ii time, when fishing I'm
these swift Montana streams. have |
realized that | was doing well when
able only TO stand. God does not
praise the man who stands when he
could advance: but He does praise
the man who stands when he can do
nothing more,
st. Paul says: Where sin abound
ed grace did much more abound. then
asks. Shall We sin that grace may
ahounda' His emphatic negative To
his own question is based nnon the
fact that deliberate sin arouses d.
vine Indignation and does not appeal
To divine compassion. The sin that
had caused grace To abound. was the
sin of ignorance, Ii was, the sight
of men struggling in darkness and
weakness against the forces of evil
that moved God To send the needed
help. even nj 50 great cost as the
sacrifice nj his only son. The en-
hghtened Christian must overcome
the temptation To sin that grace may
abound. Jesus himself counted on
the aiding grace III God only AS He
WIS found struggling against the
tides Of evil lie steadfastly refused
10 try Cod by yielding In the slight
est degree IL even the sorcst and
strongest temptation. As the resist
ing powers II the deep sea denIxens
ARE developed under the pressure nj
the lower depths. 81 the manly
virtues al the Son OF God came out
under the stress and strain of tn.
world. As was the strain Sa MAS His
strength. and His strength hecaus. nf
the strain not yielded to. but avrr-
come.
II the world shall ever reach the
g"ai at its diyineiy appointed DIES
tiny it viii he Ia. the help nj the
heart and the hope put into 1t by the
religion "f Christ the pre-rminenr,. Of
which among religions. as the pre-
"mtnencc nf its author amen. men.
IL universally conceded. As Luther
Burbank is working among his flow
ers and fruits. aiding them in their
strnggi" toward perfection. So the
spirit of God il in the world aiding il
i'm its struggle toward the high goal
of the divine Ideal. As a lump is
teaSencd by the leaxening one by one
ri It's molecules. So til. world in being
transformed II men. Let Ito man halt
in dismay III the presence ii his
powerful impulses tn sin. In the
strength of the natural man is the
promise and the possibility nj a Wig
orous spiritual manhood. Every Saul
of Tarsus is potentially a Paul the
Apostle. Their. was never strong.
spiritual character Who did not op.