The Penn's Grove record., 1915-11-05
AS GOD MEASURES
Most Influential People Are Not
Always Those Who Stand
in the High Places.
According to the measure of a man,

We measure form; the angel meas-
ures spirit. We measure actions; the
angel measures motives. We meas-
ure externalities; the angel measures
~spiritualities, and so it often happens
that the judgment of the outside
measurement is strangely altered, if
not absolutely reversed, when things
are judged according to the measure
of the angel" 1t might, then, be help
full to us to look round about our COM
mon life, and see in what spheres the
measure of the angel might seriously
alter the conclusions reached by the
measure Of partially earthly men.
Let US ask, then, in the first place
what size is the church of the liv-
ing God? How shall we measure it?
You know what kind of measure is
commonly used. We measure the
length of the membership rolls in any
particular town or city. and then we
add the totals together, and We say
the result represents the magnitude
Of the church of God in that particu-
lar place.
IL III dlSCl WSlO ~ ACdS0lC lAO
strength and size of the church Of
God would the result be larger than
our combined membership rolls, or
less? l have faith enough, and OPP
timism enough, to think that it would
be larger. l don't think that the fault
of our measurement lies in it's thought
less and excessive inclusion, so
much as in its narrow and faithless
exclusion. Ex~clusiveness is the rad
ical weakness of our spirits, and is
therefore the defect in all our judg-
ments. l think the angel would sur
prise US not by the paucity, but by
the wealth of his conclusions. We
should be made to wonder more at
what we had thoughtlessly ignored
Lhan at what we had thoughtlessly
approved.
Lessen for Disciples.
Let US look at Jesus and his dis
ciples. The master was always seek
ing to break down their exclusiveness
and to give them a larger
They came to him one day very sat
isfied with a little work they had been
doing for him. They were eager to
give him evidence of their burning
zeal. Master we saw one casting out
devils in thy name, and we forbade
him, because he followed not with
u.s." Do you see their measure.
Does he walk with US, do as we do,
keep in our ways? If so, he is right!
If not, down with him!"
Now let US look at the subject from
another angle. We are seeking to dis
cover the contrast or the difference
between the measure of the angel and
the measure of the world, and so far
we have applied ourselves to the con-
sideration of the size of the church of
God. Now let US turn our inquiry in
quite another direction. Who are the
influential people according to the
measure of the world and how do
these influential people stand when
measured by the angel?
Let us help our thinking. Let us
step into the imperial city of Rome
in the year IS. Who is the most in
iuential parsonage in the city? Oh,
Of that there can can be nc shadow of
doubt! The emperor Nero, of course!
His word is law; his smile is life; his
frown is death. But l should like to
ask the angel to show me the most
influential man in Rome, and 1 think
that the angel would lead me away
from the emperor's palace to the en-
peror's prison, and there he would
point out to M an old man, wearing
chains about his ankles and wrists;
poor, forgotten prisoner the angel
would salute as the most influential
person in Rome! Who is he? Paul
the aged; more potent than empress
or emperor, destined to live and sway
the lives of others when Nero and his
empire have passed into dust.
Greater Than Napoleon.
Step forward across the centuries to
the veal 1910. Who is the most infu
entail man of the times? Surely it is
a most needless question. Napoleon
has gone from victory unto victory
until now he is the master Of west
ern Europe. His personality towers
linz d AOlOoOQ0 OClOAC INC 6oLO vi
the world, and to his countrymen he
seems like a god. There is no ques
ton as to where the influence lies
But perhaps if we were to ask thS
angel to point out to us the most in
1uential parsonage in the world in TIE
year 1910, he might take us away te
a far-of corner in China, where sits
a lonely student, Robert Morrison, la
boriously compiling a dictionary o:
the Chinese tongue, and tr~anslatine
into that language the wondrous story
of the Christ. He was a man filled
with the spirit of God, and gave his
life to the work, and SO became a
living way" into hat dark and un-
known land.
Now, who is the most influential
parsonage among us? Where would