The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-09-23
9bort gern,ons
Fer
SUNDAY balf.Bour
Theme:
WAITING FOR
SONS OF GOD
BY Rev. Charles r. Aked, D. q.


By Rev. Charles F. Aked, D. D.
r + +
Text: "For all creation, saxlno eae.
sriy a. ~ with outstretehed neck. 10
waiting and longing TO see the mani
festation Of the sons OF God."-Ron-
ans. Will, 10 t"New Testament In Mod.
srn Spsseh").
+ + r.
More good men and @omen-for
this the creation. gazing eagerly as II
with outstretched NECK. waits and
longs. This Is the energy Of all moral
sffort-a steady supply OF good men
and good women. This Is the steam
which makes the engine move.
In proportion to the extraordinary
increase Of our resources are we do
Ing the good in tho world that We
ought to DO? I doubt It. Stephen.
John Ruskin once remarked. did not
get Bishops pay for his long sermon
to the Pnarisees: he got only stones.
Paul had n cathedral called by his
pea to the Roman world When Au-
gustine and his monks landed at Ebbs-
feet and met the English King be-
tween there and Canterbury there
were no missionary society and mis-
sicnary press benInd him. II seems
to me that We ought To do vastly more
with our numbers and wealth than
man Ala whn mara fau and pnar
We leave the work TO the machin.
cry when we ought to do IL ourselves.
All your machinery needs intelligent
people to work It, Yet We still 20 on
discussing methods" OF church work.
or Sunday school work. or something
else: and the unc eriying assumption
Is that there is one particular specific.
all but infallible. method" which. II
we could only discover II. would do
the work itself.
This is preposterous. There are
Just as many methods as there are
men and women. There are as many
good methods as there are good men
and women. and as many bad methods
as there are idle and worthless pee
pie. The great society meets. elects
an influential committee: the infiuen-
tial committee meets. elects an able
executive; the able executive meets.
carries pious resolutions, plans great
schemes. goes home comfortably TO
dinner. lives happily ever afterward
and leaves two or three people to do
the work. This woriu would be n bet.
ter place to live in II the people who
pass resolutions would go forth to car
~ them out. and when they have
planned the work do II and say moth
ing about 1t.
The machinery cannot be worked
without good men and women: 80 We
have seen. But this also Is true: The
entire object of the machinery In to
produce more good men and women.
All preaching. all praying. all worship
comes to this. Churches, organiza-
tons. theologies are everlastingly
valuable IL they help us to keep our
hands clean and our hearts pure. II
they assist US to do Justly and love
mercy and walk humbiy before all
that we can know or think OF God. But
they are not valuable-they are dan.
gerous. harmful. destructive-if they
change the emphasis from the inner
to the outward life and divert atten-
ton from moral manhood TO machin-
cry.
Improved methods are good, but i'm
proved men and women are better.
and the soul OF improvement IL the
improvement OF the soul Are you q
better man to-day. kinder to those
about you. fairer to opponents In con-
troversy. more anxious to render
obedience to nil TIE claims of good
citizenship. more willing 70 go out of
your way. take trouble. make sacri.
fees TO help yonT church, TO help good
movements and to help your feilows7
II not, something IL lacking. some d..
vine electric spark which might kirdle
I'm your heart the glory of the Lord.
The creation Itself. gazing eagerly as
IL with outstretched neck. Is waiting
and longing to sec the manifestation
o. the sons OF God.