Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-06-27

twentieth century civilization, the cry
goes up that Christianity has failed.
All no, not the Christianity of Jesus
Christ, but the christianity" of iii
vided Christendom! At variance with
herself Christendom could not pre-
serve peace; at variance with herself
she cannot lead the world to peace;
the trials OF this world crisis found her
wanting, showed her instability, ex-
posed her sins; she has no spiritual
control over the earth; there is no oil
in her lamps; her wicks are dry; she
is a failure; the blood of men whom
Jesus died to save is on her head! The
world pays the price of sectarianism In
war and precious souls, For every
stole was stole, but in Christendom
where is the Christian?
Nevertheless, there are signs of
health; they are late, but not yet too
late. Throughout the whole of Christ
endom there is quickening conscious
ness of sectarian guilt; in true peni-
tence and burning faith, among men
their spiritual acumen heightened by
the way to Christian unity. There are
interdenominational meetings and mis-
sions; there are INSTRUMENTATION
reyivals and conferences; some of the
denominations are taking serious meas
ures toward unification-all these and
other signs indicate that under the hid
ious surface of war and schism men
are longing passionately for peace and
visible union in "the tie that binds"
Small in themselves amt seemingly
abortive. these signs, like floating
straws, show the way the tide is flow
ing. 1t is far cry sometimes from
signs to events, from dreams to az
tions, from prayers to answers, but the
mills of God are not ground by Time.
"a day in His sight are as a thousand
years.
The supreme moment for Christian
unity has arrived. Our lesson is clear,
our duty apparent. We must lose no
time in quibbling over Christ. We must
be amenable to the spirit of God; we
must be purified with charity, bathed
with inexhaustibIe love for the world
sorely needs the ministrations of
Christianity; it is homesick for Christ
endom, as it was in its days of unity
and purity and faith. Woe to Christ
ians if they do not meet this emergen-
cyl Woe to the stiff-necked who pre-
vent the cure of sectarian atrophyi
Faint with tribulation. frightened at
the failure of sectarianism, frantic for
help, torn and beaten and tossed about
by every passion and wind of doctrine,
the world groaneth and knoweth not
its ailment.
II would like" said President Will
son, speaking at an anniversary of the
Mecklenburg Declaration of Independ-
ence, ito think the spirit of this oc-
casion could be expressed if We imag-
mod ourselves lifting some sacred en-
blem of counsel and peace of accom-
mediation and righteous Judgment be-
fore the nations of the world and re-
Winding them of that passage in the
Scripture After the end after the
earthquake, after the fire. the still
small voice of humanity" What is
that sacred emblem of counsel and
peace of accommodation ami righteous
judgment? Can we imagine?
And can we imagine Christendom
the scales of sectarianism on her eyes,
polemic war in her breast, raising this
sacred emblem in absolution over the
harried worh and reminding the strug
Cling nations of the still small voice?'