Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-02-07
TEACHES
MEN HOW TO LIVE.
IT'S MISSION is NOT TO TEACH MEN
HOW TO DIE, DECLARES EPiS-
C0PAl MISSION SPEAKER.

- 49, 49, tNRt' fhAR Fh1A 49, AA'
Episcopal parish house. was most inter
esting 10 hi, many hearers. The subject
for the sermon was taken from the fifth
chapter of EphesianS and the preacher
dwell with THE Church and What it
Stands For. lie quoted one verse of the
chaper which reads, This Is a great mys-
terry; but ! speak concerning Christ and
the church. and explained some inter
csting points from this passage.
The sermon was IN part a. follows:
'Thn ncffcctiVrnc~~ uf Christianity in
this lIutry, which j. evidenced IN the
fact. aS stated last night. that -ixty-fiye
per cent Of the American people are en-
tirely outside of any Christian organiza-
ton, j. due IN part to the prevailing mis-
conception of the purpose and mission of
the Christian church.
''lf the average man ON the street j.
asked the question. What. in your opin-
ion, does the church stand forl' h. j. apt
40 give some such answer a~ tins: The
aim MI the church I'M to save men from
future punishment, This conception ha-
grown out ot the cra> developed IN the
.SuIar,titiotl- atmosphere NJ the middle
ages and -tlll survives III many sensation
~ appeals from the pulpit picturing the
horror of hell and warning the people
TO give themselves to Christ IN order 20
avoid the consequences OF their sins.
The mission Of Christ was the saliva
non 81 the world. hut Christ did not come
INTO the world a. save men from hell but.
instead. hi~ purpose was to save men here
nn earth and NOT hereafter. lo save u-
from TIVE power ut Hin and not from the
rpraltN VT lin. The church which Tx e.
.hIi-hcd. therefore,. must never bc thought
y ~ uu ecclesiastical fIre-c-cape from
the flames OF this horrible thought, but
rather a~ ~ divine character facory for
the building mp and the perfecting of the
hest elements of human natu-y after the
divine pattern.
The church oi God III not here to teach
men how M dir, but tn teach them how to.
live. ana WV character can bc perfected
that does mot make ne MI the means that
God ah~ placed IN hi~ church for that pur
pose. The man who Joins the church ~
save his soul from punishment h inspired
by an unworthy and selfish motive and
~clii-hue>~ j. the antithc-i~ Of Christian
lily. Such a man can never become n
Christian in any true sense of the word.
The appeal at the church j. not per
-onal self interest in the saving NJ the
soul, but, rather 4 call for service and N.
devotion tu the high ideals that God has
placed before u~.
MANY people argue that they can hc
lust WY moral outside the church a- III III.
That may ~ true. but morality i- not the
highest end OF human existence. Morality
l. an attribute Of virtue oi the lower ere
alton, bat man Is made upon a higher
plane. We are all familiar with the fact
that n dog can he made 80 moral, through
punishment and fear. that H. can ~ made
to ~tarvc when 4 piece 40 meat ~ lying
rVcI I'M hi- Ct rtn.h. God has made
man capabl. uf something higher than
that. Man Wy intended to ~ not merely
q moral being. but 4 spiritual being, and
spiritual life and power can come only
through the church which God has c-tab-
ll~hcd for tins purpose and can only be
developed through a constant and faithful
use OF the sacramento of the grace which
the Christ came 10 give ~.
''Thc natural law holds good IN the
spiritual world. You cannot gct \ bale vi
cotton I'M Y -pontancou- generation hnt Al
only comes through Y long process III
obcdla,cr to the law ui nature.
'vnaractcr, which w the ~fruitagc NJ the
spiritual life. H. not obtainablc through
the stirring of the emotions, but through
the faithful use of the law of growth and
the spiritual kingdom. Therefore. the
church and the s%acramcnts are moi only
convenient but are absolutely essential to.
The attainment Of the spiritual results ~
man.
"It III the failure ~ understand this
truth which " largely responsible for the
attitude ~ the modern Christian who gives
himself over to amu9cmcnt~ and pleasure
and ~ the accumulation Of worldly wealth
and yet he expects to escape the awful
consequences of his sins.
The preacher referred to the splendid
revival Of the last century lnaugurated
by the WcSlcvS. and pointed ont that the
Christian world was again rclap~ing INTO
the horrible carclc-Snc-~ and indifference
which had made that revival necessary.
Tie stated lsni ihr time had come when
Christian conscience must be aroused ~
the necessity uf ! more earnest and faith
full obedience 10 God.
II was announced that the subject to-
night will he ..The Christians Abstract of
Title"
roo LATE TO CLASSIFY.