Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-07-30


and that is the duty and privilege OF
highway gathering" By this is meant
the preaching of the gospel, not mere
ly by the ordained ministry, but by |
laymen as well, who know by expert |
ence the redemption which is in Christ |
Jesus our Lord.
These beautiful summer days and |
evenings afford unusual opportunity
for this in the utilizing of our parks,
and vacant lots, and church steps and
street corners for reaching multitudes
with the bread of life. The prophets
of the Old Testament were open-air
preachers. Jesus Christ and his apos-
ties were open-air preachers. Some
of the greatest evangelists in all
the days were open-air preachers.
How could Whitefield and the
WesIeys have reached the masses
when church doors were closed against
them, unless they had taken to the
open air? What an open-air preacher
was Gen William Boothi Today many
of the ablest Christian laymen of
Great Britain, as well as the clergy,
forms at the street corners telling out
the gospel of salvation, and urging
their fellow men to accept the offer OF
atonement through Jesus Christ.
l. This is enjoined upon you, Chris
tian brethren, as duty to God and to-
your neighbor. Remember the words,
| go ye into all the world and preach
the Gospel to every creature" ''Ye
shall be witnesses unto me- These
commands are not to ecclesiastics
merely but to all the disciples of
Christ. And then what shall we say
Of the command. Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself" Have we ever
felt, or shown, that love until we have
actively interested ourselves in the
salvation of our neighbor? To feed
him when he is hungry, or clothe him
when he is naked, or visit him in sick
ness, or comfort him in his affiiction is
not enough. except as we try to save
him for eternity.
2. 1t is enjoined upon you as a per-
sonal advantage in the sense of devel-
opment and iH sense of reward. If we
want to grow in the spiritual life we
want to exercise ourselves in its min
/ istry. If we would know more of the
love and the power of God towards
ourselves, we must experiment with
what we now have in dealing with
others. In this, as In that which is
more material. the principle holds
good, Give and it shall be given unto
you' And then what about our re,
ward in the future as well as in the
present? At the final reckoning of re
deemed souls the same rank and glory
will not be given to the indolent and
unfruitful as to the earnest and self
denying. The same Scripture which
says In one place, Look unto me and
be ye saved" says in another, Look
unto yourselves that We receive full
reward!''. They who turn many to
righteousness shall shine as the, stars
forever and ever
8. 1t is enjoined upon you as a po
litical necessity. This may be regard
ed as the weakest and most selfish o.
the arguments, and for that reason
should have come first rather thar
last, but there are special reasons fol
/ stating it at the last What politica
and social problems are pressing upoI
the attention of thoughtful citizens
and especially Christian citizens, a
this time! In all our great cities tht
needy classes are multiplying ever.
year, and with them those who repre-
sent the ignorance, immortality ant
crime of all great populations. TIL
conflict between capital and labor, an
employers and employees, is losini
none of its intensity, now rumblin
ominously like some far-off eartl
quake, and now breaking out into tn
volcanic eruption of the disastrou
Il strike At the other extremity loo
) at the luxury and extravaganza, tn
4 heartless worldliness and the graspin
X selfishness of many of the so-calle
II upper classes" Ad then the strai
g of these days in maintaining strie
b neutrality with reference to the awfl
e European war.
y These things threaten the life of ou
IS nation, the peace and prosperity {
II our homes, and are startling cha
lenge to the Christian church. w
must go forth on new crusade. W
e must go out into the highways an
q gather together all, as many as We fin
lie both bad and good. We must give ou
selves enthusiastically to the work
prayer, by money, by personal e.
deavor The Gospel is the only ren
edy that can meet these evils for a
II are symptoms of common diseas
al and that is sin. What can eradicate
Sc save the washing of regeneration an
& the renewing of the Holy Ghost
t Other agencies have only skinned an
Y, filmed the ulcerous sore" and left IL
n constitutional ailment to break out
II another place. Nothing can purify S
te ciety but that which purifies the inc
u vidual heart, and nothing can do th
but the cleansing blood of Jesus a
n piled by faith in his precious name.