Evening journal., 1918-06-05
PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANS
, Peter 4: iii.

EtltI j. Ill.
BY Rev. Alexander Alison, Jr., Firsl
Presbyterian Church, Bridgeport, Conn.
formerly pastor West Presbyterian
Church. Wilmington. Del.
It is good to be remembered by old
friends and to reflect that an absence
OF half a dozen years has not disturbed
the loving ties binding together the en-
deayorers Of Wilmington and one OF
fhe city's former pastors. Permit me
TO thank you for the privilege OF say
ing a word through the press to a
group Of progressive young people
many Of whom were girls and boys
when / was in Wilmington, and whose
first names even / stu recall.
II you viii read carefully the pass
aze in second Peter from which our
subject progressive Christians has
been taken, you will observe the prom
inent settings OF certain words The
word knowledge" occurs four times
Diligence" occurs twice. In verse
five you will find the word add
at the head OF a catalog Of graces
which we are asked 10 cultivate; and
finally Won will see the word Pa
tience." These four words are keys to
the secret Of progress in any business,
particularly the business Of being a
Christian.
4. Intelligence: Know what you
want. then go to 10. plan your work
and work your plan
2. Diligence: Keep on keeping on"
8 Advance: Think out new schemes,
readjust. eliminate, add. open up new
ways OF approach 10 the constituency
you wish to serve.
Patience: Never give up. never
give out. Any successful business man
will tell you these factors entered more
or less into his progress. These fac
tors also must flgure in the business
Of being a Progressive Christian.
1. Intelligence. A crystal clear con-
ception Of what the Christian life Is
all about A gOod many young people
have never thought the matter through.
They have a vague idea that being a
Christian means belonging to a church,
or doing the best one can, or bellev-
ing In God. All the these things are
involved in being a Christian, but they
do not make one a Christian. Chris
tian is a "Chrst-man," Just as an
American Is an "America-man,' or a
politician a "Politics-man." a Chris
tlD IS one who has taken Christ to be
his teacher, saviour, and ruler, or as
the theologlans used to put 1t, his
prophet Priest. and King Having
taken Christ to he his example, y the
help Of the Holy Spirit he Is growing
daily in the likeness Of Christ.
2. Diligence. The business Of being
9 Christian will require painstaking ef-
fort. It calls for the conservation, con-
centration. and consolidation OF our
whole beings. Jesus said that to follow
Him one must deny himself and take
up his cross daily" II you spell the
word diligence" with an "a" IL will
be "dailigence." b" conveying a bit Of an
idea OF what the Master meant by
daily" effort
/"The heights by great men won and
kept,
Were not achieved by sudden flight:
But they while their companions sleIi
Were toiling upward in the night
g. Advance. Business men are taking
stock at the New Year TO determine
what advance, II any, has been made
during the year Here and there
throughout the year are days OF
loss and reverse, but these are not sin
gled out; rather the sum OF the days
Is totaled A stop at some places might
show failure but take the days all in
all and they show progress. Mr.. Moody
used TO say that every day should be
better than yesterday TO one who is
following Christ 0f course we can
not always be conscious Of this little
improvement as we live through the
humdrum Of commonplace days, any
more than the business man can de-
termine the year by the scrutiny OF
day. but we have the Divine assurance
that our labor is not In vain II 10 is
"in the Lord, so that our advance is
guaranteed
I. Patience Walk along Market
street and ask the merchants how bus
iness is going One says, There is
plenty Of business, the trouble we have
is to get help" Another remarks de-
jectedly, well, we have help enough. |
bu. I'd like to see the business" Some |
oynic has defined an optimist as one
who does not know what is coming TO |
him. But any practical man. optimist |
or pessimist, knows that trouble is |
coming 90 him in some form or other, /
whatever his vocation. And II he is /
honest he will confess that probably |
he has learned more that is valuable |
from his failures than his successes. !
God lets His children endure hardness |
that they may learn to be good sol /
diers Of Jesus Christ II has been said |
that The English bulldog has a turned |
back nose so that he can get his breath /
without letting go 4 kind and wise |