Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-11-29
Too Little Religious Capital for
the amount of Religious Business
By Bishop Warren A. Gambler

life in their souls. They have sorrows
which only divine grace can soothe and
sins which only Christs power can re-
lieve. They want what Jere Macaulay
carried to Water Street and Sam Hadley
carried to the Bowery; but such blessed
ministries can not be fulfilled by any
who do not know for themselves the
agonies of unfoI given SIN and tn VOWS
of assured pardon. 1t is idle ror tnes
dainty, unredeemed, and unrepentaut
children of fashion and folly to go to
such classes with bundles Of old clothes
and baskets of sandwiches. Man does
not live by bread alone" nor by bread
chiefly. 3
In all herein said it is not Intended TO
discourage mission work, but to point
out the qualifications that are indis-
pensable for such work and the spirit
wound more than it heals Moreover, this
paper is designed to warn all christian
workers of every sort against danger
which easily besets them. viz, the dan
ger of magnifying their mission
above their own personal piety.
On one occasion the disciples of Jesus
were sent on a most important mission
ard for its fulfillmeut they rece.Yad
extraordinary powers. The~ were q1i'S
successful, and when they returned they
very devils were subject to U.s. Jesus
replied, Rejoice not that the devils are
subject to you, but that your names are
written in heaven" Thus he taught
them that being is more than doing, that
ones life is more than ones work, tnat
our salvation must outrank our mission
that our relation to God must go before
our efforts for others.
Canon Motley, in one of his great Uni
,,esS
versitv of Oxford. England, has put ms
important matter most clearly and forcl-
blv. He SAYS Those who feel that they
have a mission may convert II INTO
! snare for themselves. Douotiess, ac-
cording to St. Paul, he who deslretn the
office of a bishop desireth good work
so one who has a mission TO DO sohe
particular work has good once given
him. Still, where life is too prominently
regarded in this light, the view OF lie
as a mission tends to supersede tne we"
of il as a trial and probation. The mis-
sion becomes the final cause OF life. Tne
generality may be born to do their duty
in that station of life in which it has
pleased God to call them; but in the case
I-of a person with a mission. the mission
overtops and puts into the shade the gen.
eral' purpose of life as probation; the
generality are sent into the world for
with mission is apt to feel that he Is,
sent into the world for the benefit OF the
world itself The outward object with It's
display and machinery is apt TO reduce to
a kind of insignificance the inward indl--
vidual life. 1t appears small and COM
monplace. The success OF ones own IN
dividual probation is assumed in EMBARK
ing upon the larger work, as the less 10
included in the greater; 1t figures as
xxyht N
taken for granted; it appears an easy
thing to save ones own soul,-a thing, so
TO speak, for any body to do. In these
words the learned Regius Professor OF Dr.
yinity at Oxford put his finger on a weak
spot in much of present-day religion
We have a vast deal of busy-body chris
tianity, bent on all sorts of missions.
shallow and superficial in its own piety.
noisy and fussy about its work. sssE
God, and destitute of any real faith and
love.
II burns with an unholy flame, and
would call down fire from heaven upon
all who do not fall in with its schemes
and plans. Its test for the piety OF all
men is, do they adopt my program? And
il has no test for its own piety, for 1t
never suspects that its own religion needs
testing 1t has many conventions ana
movements, ana II TtBS Up d VAST oCos
of complicated machinery guaranteed to
turn out a millennium In an incredibly
short time provided all hands will lay
down every thing else and operate 1t ac-
cording to directions. =
1t is time to sound a different note.
This age needs to learn anew what Jesus
meant when He said. THE kingdom Of
God is within you" 1t Is undertaking in
many places TO do much religious busi-
ness on too small capital of religious
experience. That road leads to spiritual
bankruptcy, and a good many of our lat
! ter-day saints have already gone to
wreck by following it. Solemn are the
words of the Master Many will say to
me in that day, Lord, Lord. have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy narne
have cast out devils? and in thy name
done many wonderful works? And then
will profess unto them, 1 never knew
you"
What ever else a man may undertake.,
he must first of all keep himself right
with God. Ones life is more than ones
mission.