The farmer and mechanic., 1915-05-04

only the word Baraca. In dolns 80,
please understand that do not ioISe.
the Philatheas, nor mean TO oiiiil
tbem but that in using the one name
I rafer to both. They are companion |
classes. and what / say Of one, is ap-
plicabe to both.
If this question means 70 ASK.
why did Baraca start mlSh'
answer it by asking other questions;
as. for instance, Why the Reforma-
ton? The world was sulierlns lor d
nearness to God. denied it by the prac-
tices of the day One man caught
vision in his heart and dared live 1t
into EXPRESSION. God Almighty bless
ed his effort and the Reformalon
came Why Methodism? The World
was suffering for more evangelism;
One man had a vision and dared
nreach il 10 others. God blessed his
effort and moved the world why the
foreign mission movement? Religion
had lost its heart and was local. one
man had vision and dared belleVe
il came from Cod although TO
a vision and began to use 1T. IT was
Gods good time. Heavens favor was
upon it, 1t swept the earth. why
the Sunday School movement of mod
ern times? The church had allowed
one of its most essential services
the tea ching service-to fall into dis
use One man had a vision. He be-
gan to use it. 1t had Heavens favor.
II has blessed the world. Why the
international Sunday School Associa-
ton? There was no suitable selection
of lesson texts and no general avail
able helps for teachers. One man had
a vision and began to use it. was
Gods good time His favor was upon
it. 1t has g1orified his name. Why
Baraca? The church and its scnool
suffered for men. Women and chill
dren were there, but the boys dropped
out as soon as they could, and they
seldom returned. A young men S
class was almost curiosity, and
when it did exist it was usually weak
in numbers and inefficient One man
had a vision. He hardly knew it, but
he made a start. 1t was Gods good
time. His favor was upon it. Ba-
raca was born. Today it blesses a
million men and makes them a bless
ing to millions more.
Now. do you ask me why it came
Has ever movement swept this earth
for God that did not come from
Him?
Baraca began, as it were, in a cor.
ner Can you account for it's mar.
velous growth except by the blessing
of God upon it?
Dare you believe that these thing.
could have come to pass but by God!
good pleasure?
Gods Favor for Baracas.
Every movement to extend God:
Kingdom that succeeds is said to hav'
His favor upon it, Dare you den!
this claim to Baraca? Where cal
you point to any movement in relg
ious work that has had such q ca
rcer? The first class was organized il
Syracuse. N. Y, in 1890. Ten year
later was the first in the South a
Raleigh. Ten years ihore and ther
are classes all over the earth, an
every Sabbath day a million men nc
only repeat, but enact their motto
"A million young men at work fo
young men; all standing by the Bibl,
the Bible School, and the Church.
Do you believe that any such success
could have come to movement. say
it had the favor of God upon it?
had no selfish aims. 1t had no hi
man influence behind it. 1t simpl
purposed to do good, and did it.
single object was, as its name declal
ed, to be a blessing. 1t preached n
creed 1t had no object but to a
tract young men to the Sunday Schoc
to hold them there, to teach them tt
scriptures to win them to Christ,
bring them into the church, to ira
them for service, and to keep the
busy in doing this work for othe
and saving the world. 1t had and
has no purpose to create q moveme
outside Of the churches. 1t ties evel
class lnaHenaDly TO ltS own local. pa
ticular church. 1t declares that
Baraca class is only a Sunday Scho
class, but it also tries to have eve
such class realize that it hes a SCI
ously responsible part in the duty
bringing the world to Christ 1t
only Sunday School class, but it
movement of Christian men dete
mined that the idea shall be put aw,
that a Sunday School class is only
meeting Of a handful on Sunda
whose only duty is to hear he teac
er talk a few minutes about the lessc
see him mark a roll, take a collectir
and then suspend until it is time
do the same thing next Sunday. T
world-yes. and God himself, "
tired of that sort of travesty in t
name of a Sunday School class. :.
Baraca was rebellion in Gods beh,
against such a foolish and childi
custom.
Glass Arganization Only.