The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1909-04-08
ONE OF SUNDAYS
CHURCH SERMONS
BY REV. c, c. RARlcK.

power to impart these from Jesus
Christ
| The text suggests four things, %
The Christian Church and each in
Idividual member in il are the appoint.
led means to prevent and cure the cor
ruption IN the world, l2)The quail.
Ihcations for that work may be lost.
go The question Is raised as TO
whether such loss can ever be re.
paired (4l The certain end Of the
Saltless salt
AZ the time Of Christ'S advent the
world was corrupt almost TO perish
ing. Communities to-day where
Christianity Is unknown or does not
have sway, testify TO the contaminat-
ing and cerrupting power Of sin.
The mode by which the world is TO
be purified and preserved is contact
and personal influence. The salt must
penetrate, mix, season, conserve, IN
Iorder that it may exert it's hidden but
lbenefeent power, Says Jesus, prae,i-
Ically You partially apprehend the
meaning of my mission, and have
caught something Of the spirit of my
life; you are TO be rubbed into that
rotting mass to sweeten IT, 10 arrest
decomposition. and to save it from
falling 10 pieces al lis own wicket.
mess"
/ Christ showed great confidence ~
his disciples, He set a high value
upon them. But he was not paying
compliments, His thought was not
that they should congratulate them
selves that they were better than
other men. He simply tells them
that they have in themselves the
power to make other men better. IN
other words, he taught them that
Christian example has restraining
influence, and that il will tempt forth
Iall that Is best and purest and high
lest in the people with whom il comes
in contact Every man who does
right helps to make public opinion ia
favor OF doing right, and every man
who lowers the standard OF morality
lin his own life helps to lower il in the
community Of which he is a part.
Those who have Christ in their hearts
and something Of christ's conduct aud
character repeated in their lives are
the preserving and purifying influence
in the midst Of this corrup, world.
) Indirectly he asks them; as !.
your purpose TO exercise a purifying,
seasoning, saving influence in the
world; are you going to make your
presence felt on earth and felt for
good? II not you will be failures,
worthless, dishonored, cast off by
God and men. Saltlcss salt is good
for nothing but 10 be cast out, and to
be trodden under loot of men"
II is not necessary for us TO ask
whether such loss is physical fact or
not. This does not concern us. The
point is that it is possible for us, who
call ourselves-and are Christians.
to lose our penetrating pungenc7,
which stays corruption; to lose all
that distinguishes US from the men
that we are TO better.
1t is said that the reason why there
is so little difference between the
church and the world to-day is be-
cause the world has grown so much
better, 1t is true that Christian ethics
have permeated the consciousness
Of the land and that multitudes of ,
men who make no profession Of being
Christians at all are influenced BY
Christianity. That is matter for
thanksgiving. But that does not ex-
plain it all. There are two ways by !
which you equalizc the temperature |
Of a hotter and a colder body. The |
one is by the hot one getting cold AMI |
the other is by the cold one getting |
hotter. II you are not heating the |
world the world is freezing YOU.
Every person influences all men about |
him and receives influences from them
Therefore, if his influences are not |
greater than he receives he is but a
creature Of circumstances. We have
got to be either hammer or anvil
must either give blows or receive
them. Many Of us who call ourselves
Christians get great deal more harm
from the world than we ever dream Of
doing good to it. Remember this,
"you are the salt Of the earth" and if
you do not salt the world the world
will rot you.
II is not enough for us TO take 4