The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-09-03

turtles the goodly company OF the
apostles has been growing. Whoever
IS DONG apostolic work of ministry
IS IN the apostolic succession. All
servants OF Christ are links in the
endless hahn which He established
when on earth.
mere are many points Of differ
ence W. this organization and
other societies One is that real au-
thorlty was given unto the friends
or Christ. The final word in all
things OF character and conduct is
WITH the right. Good is the master
OF evil; saintliness has the right to
rebuke sin; good prevails over bad
ness. There is more grass than weeds
In the earth, and more light than
darkness. Roughly counting up some
OF the achievements Of the apostles
n their successors, We find that
permanent victory is with the Christ
crowd
The Power OF h Average Man.
All over Christendom we see
statues and pictures of the apostles.
Commonly they are shown with halos
around their heads. Sometimes
children think that the apostles were
these when they were alive. The ten
dency is to cOnventionaliZe the reality
out Of these everyday peasants in the
common clothes Of their neighbo--
hood, and with tousled hair and hands
calloused M soiled with honest labor.
That is the sort Of greatest work Of
the world. He did not go to the
Sanhedrin or to the palace for His
cabinet, out He went out where he
ordinary everyday folk were to be
met.
If this lesson accomplishes any
thing it should disabuse some minds
Of the idea that the coming Of the
LSnO0Nr ~ I0oyop 6onordo 1tnOn
the rare and exceptional men. Let
it be said over and over again, with
all possible emphasis, that the best
friend Of God is the common man.
Lincoln's homely saying contained a
profound truth, that the Lord AL
mighty must love the common peo-
pie, because He made SO many Of
them" The churches are comprised
in overwhelming preponderance of
plain folk. The "one-man" church
is always a failure. Straight from
the apostles ome this message OF
the indispensibility of ordinary peo-
pie. The success Of evangelism, mis-
sions, reform, and all other Christ
causes, is to come by the union OF
the many in the service of the viii
Of Christ.
The Marching Orders.
"Travel light" is good counsel fol
i tllOSC "AO 1aIS AOiSH
Jesus sent His apostles out to theil
8 ministry with instructions to &c
$ about in the simplest fashion,, m
: with the most meagre equipment
. Goods always cucumber. When re
, ligion grows highly organized it's ten
for efficiency. Thus the great oftc'
buildings which denominations ar
erecting, and the huge endowment
for city churches, are by no mean
s.! an unmixed blessing. The first con
sideration is that all servants of Chris
should be free and untrammeled
:, Their business is primarily with tn
message. In high dignity, and ye
in utmost simplicity, they are to carr.
a story to the world.
What if the world will not receiv
the simply told story? Shall we no
impress them by the wealth and mag
nifcence and power Of the church
All, that is a fallacy into which re
ligion has often fallen, to the dire hur
Of religion and OF the world.
The twelve were to testify to tn
truth, but if the truth were not re
ceived, then judgment would II
against those who spurned it. 1t
q terrible thing to know Splrltua
truth, for with the knowledge come
responsibility. Yet We are answer
able for all the truth we can by an
means learn, as we'll as Tor mat trut
which we cannot escape.
One last word the lesson contain
for the disciple. He that receivet
YOU receiveth Me, and he thai re
ceiveth Me receiveth him tina ser
e Me-" Christ Identifies His represer
# tatives with Himself. He goes int
is all the world through them. I'm
.e worlds treatment Of them IN the!
d sacred mission is as treatment {
a Himself. That is a high calling
d indeed. No earthly "ambassadorshi
l. can equal in dignity and in powe
e this mission of working in the Nam
e. and at the command Of Christ.
n "
SEVEN SENTENCE Nj