The Robesonian., 1918-08-29
CHURCH NEWS NOTES

Christ's Challenge to the World.
@'H the war should last five years
longer, or ten years longer. as Some
people predict it may, every pleasure
automobile will disappear from our
roads"
Rev. DR.. R. C. Beaman, pastor of
Chestnut Street Methodist church, was
preaching Sunday morning from the
text "Follow Me-" Christ's challenge
to every one. He was speaking of
forgetfulness Of self and broad SYM
pathy. Pleasure automobiles long
since have disappeared from France,
he said; yet last year was record
year with us in the sale of pleasure
automobiles.
Follow me is Christ's challenge to
the world. When the world needs that
challenge all social chasms will be
bridged, every dripping sword will be
sheathed, every cannon will be spiked
every gun will be silenced, the tramp
Of armies marching to battle will be
heard no more. Some say that this
terrible war is proof that Christianity
has failed. It is proof, rather, said
DIR. Beaman, that everything has fail
ed but Christianity. It is because the
world does not follow Christ that there
is misery and bloodshed and slaughter
and beastiality and barbarism. Let
the world but heed his challenge and
He will lead it to unselfishness, to
nobility, to true greatness, to the
heights of perfect peace. To follow
Christ is the whole of religion. Even
as babe toddles after it's mother he
cause it's heart is centered in her, be-
cause she is its world, so they follow
Christ whose hearts are centered in
Him, who recognize in Him their only
hope, their world.
Time and Character Building.
"And as thy servant was busy here
and there, he was gone-I Kings
20:4O.
From this text Rev. DR.. R. C. Bea-
man preached a wonderful sermon a
week ago Sunday, showing how God
entrusts US with time in which to
build noble character, and we spend
it chasing butterflies.
These were the words of the pro-
phet to Ahab, king of Israel, who had
spared the life of Benhadad, king of
Syria. The preacher said in part:
"God had devoted Benhadad to ut
ter destruction. He does that some
times. He is no namby-pamby God.
God is your King. the only King, the
Supreme Ruler, merciful and patient,
but always just, and as such man owes
Him service. Man may deny Gods
sovereignty, but God reigns and man
finds himself hemmed in by God on
every hand, in the grasp of a moral
system of which God is the center.
"God commits to us portion of His
time; for time belongs to God. Every
day, every hour, every minute is His
Every tick of the clock marks off a
period of the time which He gives for
your use. Time is Gods, not yours
and portion of it is committed to
us for high and holy purposes. We
say with flippancy of speech, MY time
is my own, but you don't control time
You can wind up the clock and set it
for a certain hour, but you do not
control time. This world is Gods and
time is measured according to the
swing of the pendulum Of His own
clock. He entrusts us with time TO,
the formation of high and noble char
acter; for, after all, character is but
the product of time; character is moth
ing but time personified, humanized
God is the architect, we are the build
ers; He furnishes us with the imple-
ments and materials and gives us SC
much time, and no more, in which tc
complete the job. And by and by Cod
will come and inspect the building
He will find that many of us have
simply thrown away the materials anc
are building the meanest huts. We
have been busy with thousand trifles
-nursueing butterflies.
"This is the tragedy of life, that
so many of us misuse Gods time il
doing little. immoral, hurtful things
while the great task Of temple-puild
ing is untouched
Build thee more stately mansions
Oh my soul,
AS the swift seasons roll.
"Many of US pay no heed until thu
shadows of misspent life com.
across our path, and the pace was nev
er so fast as today.
AS thy servant was busy here ant
there, he was gone. AS l was alb
sorbed in this and that and the othe
l became suddenly aware that al tn,
sands had run out of the glass, th
HE GAINED 2S LBS.