The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-01-05

&. turs sustains
them. Everything
hinges on what James means by ire.
ligion." The word he uses is really
equivalent to worship. Az Colerdge
says: 'The outward service of an
cient religion, the rites, ceremonies,
and ceremonial vestments of the law,
had morality for their substance. They
We're the letter Of which morality was
the spirit the enigma of which NOR
atty was the meaning. But morality
itself Is the service and ceremonial Of
the Christian religion James is not
to be understood as putting the out.
ward aspect of the divine life against
its inward aspect, To make him say
that benevolence and personal purity
are religion, in the present.day sense
of the word, would be like saying that
a mothers love Is washing and feed
ing her child! These deeds are only
the fruit of her love, just as the ire
ligion" of the text is the fruit of re-
ligion in the soul. And while James
states that true worship consists in
benevolence and purity, he would not
discourage the worship Of the sane
tuary; only, he would insist that what
we do outside the sanctuary is the
actual test of us.
The men who especially appeal to
this age are such as Chinese Cor
don, the Soldier saint" who put down
the TAPPING rebellion, saving thou
sands of lives; who opposed slavery
in the Sudan, gave to the fatherless
and widows all he had, and died a
martyr of Khartum; yet he was a
member Of no church, but communed
as opportunity served in Greek and
Roman Catholic churches; moreover,
did not accept the orthodox view az
to future punishment.
Relation to Others.
These men really "visited" the IA
therless and the widows. in their af-
Fiction, caring for them personally.
Gordon taught the ragged schools and
was not content till he had placed
the boys where they might hope for
in life; many were sent to
sea and he had a chart on his wall
stuck with pins, showing where the
vessels containing his "kings" were.
He would sit down at the bedside Of
old women in the almshouse and read to
them. The earl Of Sh~aftesbury would
take a lantern of nights and seek out
lowly on London bridge to help
them.
Relation to Self. :
Our text also requires that one be
from the world" Dean Al
ford defines the world as "the whole
creation, separated from God
md lying in sin, which, whether as
consisting in the men who serve 1t, or
he enticements which it holds out to
vii lusts, is to Christians a source Of
continual dofilement." 1t Is human
in its ungodly bias. To refer
o Gordon alone, he refused honors
rom the Chinese government because
t had broken faith with rebels in the
rebellion, numbering some
Who had been promised immunity.
Relation to God.
Moreover, all this service must be
|one as "before our God and Father"
t must please him, and it is not strict
y true to say the service Of humanity
the service Of God, for 1t Is not al
rays 50. "This is the work of God,
hat ye believe on him whom he hath
The first requirement for serv-
,e Is life; I'VE must be born again."
We are not disturbed by Gordon's
Jews on church fellowship and fu-
IRE punishment, for he was not infal-
lble. We are more interested to
earn that, as a result Of his early
the divine life cam into his
oul while he was in China. The earl
S~haftesbury was a deeply devoted
vangelical Christian. Doctor Bar.
ardO was a fruit Of the revival
Ireland in 1S53-1S61, and cared for
lie souls Of tile waits Of London as :
ell as for their bodies. Doctor Gren- :
traces all the good In his life to
/. L. Moody and especially to q serv.
e ne attended where he found a faith
I'd reality which he coveted ard Mt
st obtained. He says, II am a brick
the su%perstructure which has grown
, through Mr. Moody On the fcunda-
Oh Of Jesus Christ, and I am out In
working" While giving
even to Humanitarian work con-
lcted without reference to the Cos
!. he says, II can only say still, r
I'VE found faith In Jesus Christ as
III of God makes men do that which
thing else did, and bear and suffer
|th eqpanimity that which nothing
sc would"