Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-08-27

sometimes our feeling IL the fruit Of
an unconscious philosophy. And sim.
plicity 10 without controversy the key.
note OF the gospel, fact which, bless
God. we are coming at last to recog-
nize as the reason for all our growing
INSTRUMENTATION fellowship and
our tentative efforts towards real
church union.
Some years ago It CHANGED that I
was to spend Holy Week. the eight
days embracing Palm Sunday and Eas-
ter, in the city of Boston. That city
has been considered the source and
spring of more spiritual vagaries than
any other on the globe. Yet when.
during that week, attended eleven
religious services and listened to
eleven sermons preached by eleven
ministers Of seven different denomi-'
nations, only heard one sermon which
revealed (even In casual expression)
its sectarian isolation. These churches
were without exception the leading
churches, representative churches. In
their several bodies; yet had the min
listers OF six out Of the seven ex-
changed pulpits with one another that
week not one Of the congregations
would have felt they were listening to
another gospel Each Of these emf
nent leaders had the same simple mes
sage to deliver and delivered it with
equal simplicity and power, the mes
sage Of divine love which has come
into this world to seek to save the
lost. No other name than that OF our
common Lord was presented by which
me must be saved. No other ground OF
h,,& 1a< ttr1p
vine forgiveness, reminding one of the
line written by Godfrey Chaucer 200
years before Luther, how either God
forgives us every whit or not dele
No minister in that holy time took his
text from Plato or his sermon from
Emerson. The Presbyterian forget for
the moment the flve points Of Calvin
ism. the Episcopalian the apostolic
succession: the Congregationalis.
pushed into the background the inde-
pendence OF the local church, and the
Baptist brother made no reference t.
the meaning Of "baptizo." 1t was
precious experience to which my mind
oft reverts. reminding me OF an incl
dent of my student life when student
in the Union Theological Seminary OF
New York. I concluded my summer
labors by a visit to the White noun.
tains. rode on horseback to the sum-
NIT Of Mount Washington. And it was
there and then. with the clouds all be-
low and the blue, cioudless heavens
above, found that the young man
with whom | had struck up an ac-
quaintance in the saddle was fellow
student in the same institution. But
until we go. above the clouds we had
never become acquainted. learned
then that the nearer we got to heaven
the nearer we get to each other.
Christianity is not dead, It is not
even "calloused," as some censorious
writer's would insist. But 1t has lost
something of its pristine vigor because
2" 'ost something Of Its original
simplicity. It needs more spiritual
and fewer homiletical and
exegetical cocks. Sometimes I think
the church is suffering from PSYCHE
cal dyspepsia which can only be re-
lieved. not by new nostrums-spirtuai
patent medicines-but by a return to
the chldlike simplicity of apostolic
days. Even our wisest are beginning
to learn (what the babes in Christ
have always known) that men can not
live upon problems" Unless the
IuOSoeAeS
is at once simple, suitable and sure.
e. must perish. When the converts
=, pnt,-'s day sought to compass all
knwoledge. he reminded them that
o ~ py the sincere milk Of the world"
do souls thrive. The bible is the best
health food" ever offered to the soul
not finely ground and Highly spec
and twice baked; but the bible In its
sweet simplicity as the story OF divine
power. divine love and divine redemp-
ton. He who has any other remedy
to present only adds TO the worid ;
troubles He who restores the tible
to daily use as the bread which came
down from heaven has found for men
that spiritual sustenance deprived OF
which they perish. supplied with which
they grow into the perfect stature OF
men in Christ Jesus.