The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-06-23

great cities should be girt with MASSEY
walls, able to resist the engineery
or assault then in use.
AS the gates would be special
points, of attack, they were fortified so
ab to be. specially impregnable. And
as through the gates the whole city
went in and out, there were always
the concourse and the crowd. There
mon resorted for news, for market
Ing and for proclamations. The
gates became structures with cham
bers, in which courts were held, leg
islatlon was performed, and negotia-
tons with foreign nations transact
ed Hence the word gate became a
symbol Of power and Of empire. The
gates of death, the gates Of hell,
were the powers Of death or hell.
Hell, here is in the original Hades
(adou. The word properly signi-
Hes the invisible state or place of de-
parted spirits, both Of the righteous
and the wicked In this sense it is
opposed or antithetical to the state
OF the living. But in a strictcr or
more usual sense it stands opposed
t0 paradise, and signifies the abode
of the departed wicked, for which
we have no other English word than
hell. The gates Of hell are there
fore the Internal powers, who from
their. invisible stronghold manifest
their. visible hostility. The rock
built church and the gates of hades
are thence two Opposing potcnciCs. "
But Christ declares that these pow
ers shall not prevail. "The battle
may wavcr long and fearfully, but
The rock-built fortress shall finally
prove victorious"
a. This power IS seen in the innu-
ence the Church cxcrts over the
home AS one mas said, Prom the
beginning it had been point in
what may be called Christian STRAIT
egy to gain vantage in the home
When Saint Paul teaches Ct Cor. Z:
14) that the unbclicving husband
is sanctitied in the wife, and the I'M
believing wife IS sanctitied in the
brother" he is not thinking of per
Sonal holiness at ALL No unbeliev-
er can be holy by proxy. But
plan a little organism, and to get
into 1T even one point Of Christian
faith lifts the entire home into a
new category for the Church. The
church can treat that home as its own
spiritual property, SO to speak, and
plan for it and even pray for it with
a sense of Christian ownership" 1t
is the business of the Church
through it's ministers and members
to change conditions from bad ones
to better ones. 1t is its business to
teach tho people how to live; how
to provide proper food and shelter
We sometimes laugh at the Saliva
ton Army, but they are having the
proper concention Of the work of the
church when they seek to improve
the condition Of those whom they
save or try to save.
b. The church is to have power in
dealing with moral questions The
church has a right to fight the sa-
loon, the brother, the gambling den
and whatever is detrimental to man.
The church has a right to insist upon
proper sanitary laws being enacted.
c. The church is also to have pow
CT in the nation. Truly has one said
that the family and the nation and
the church belong to one divine plan,
which through the centuries moves
steadily toward the distant goal. This
distant goal is that perfect brother
hood which is TO be the everlasting
kingdom Of Christ, the inner circle
most circle Of the whole kingdom
of God"
The Chruch is the ieavcn in this
old world. And this lcaven will lcav
en- the whole lump. WcII may the
Church sing and call to all of its
Awake, Jerusalem, awake!
No longer in thy sins lie down;
The garment Of salvation take,
Thy beauty and thy strengths put
Shake off the dust that blinds thy
sight,
And hides the promise from thine
- eyes;
Arise, and struggle into light,
The great Delivercr calls, Arise.
Shake off the bands Of sad despair;
Zion, assert thy liberty:
Look w, thy broken heart prepare,
And God shall set the captive free
Vessels Of mercy, sons Of grace,
BE purgCd from every sinful stain,
BE like your Lord, His word embrace,
Nor bear his ha1lOwed namGf fn|
vain. w3M