The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-09
JOINED FAITH AND WORKS


 God hath joined together freedom and necessity; philosophers and fools have alike tried to separate them. l have a beautiful bird; We are good friends, We sing duets together. He has unlimited freedom in his cage, but I put the cage where l want it. His freedom is limited for his own sake. Yesterday l opene the door and let him fly around in the room, but l didn't let him fly out of the window-that would have been my loss and his death. It is better that his freedom should be limited now. So God has given us all the freedom that is good for us. Some day he will open the cage door and we will have more yet our lives are ever in his hands.
 God has joined together faith and works. We know tree by its fruit. We judge faith by it's expression inS works, Dead faith produces no more fruit than dead tree. I have seen many fruits on Il dead tree but they did not belong there; they were on a Christmas tree and Had been tied on. The Christian works that are normal and natural are the outgrowth of a vital faith within. Don't try to give expression to a lifd you haven't got, and don't try ito cul- tivate a faith that Is separate and apart from Christian service. God hath joined them togethsr.
 God hath joined together evangelism and education; birthyand training. Some churches lay tremendous stress on evan- gelsm and neglect education. this is like rejoicing in the birth of a babe in the home and then neglectng to nourish teach and train it. Others lay so great stress upon education that they have no souls born into ther fellow ship. This is like . school with a great faculty. equipment and endowment but no pupils Let us stress each in our church. We want people converted and all converts trained in Christian living
 PATRIOTISM AND RELIGION
 God hath joined together missionary activity and spiritual prosperity. He said Go ye Into all the world--and lo am with you. We have no right to claim the promise of Christ unless we obey hls command. You never saw selfish man who was happy or useful. and you never saw church enjoying great spirit ual prosperity unless 1t was ministering to others.
 "God hath joined together patriotism and religion. We have failed to get the full meaning out of that pregnant say ing of Christ: Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods, We haye said this teaches the separation of schurch and state, and it does; but it teaches more, 1t teaches that every person must be true both to God and to Caesar. That is to say he must join his religion and together. We do well to sing My Country, This of Thee and then we add: Our Fathers God to Thee We Sing.
 God hath joined together the believer and his Savior Who shall separate us from the love of Christq-I am pursuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor municipalities, nor powers. nor things present, nor things to come nor height. l nor depth, nor any other creature shal. be able to separate us from the love Of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord, / ''The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for
 repose
 will not, I will not desert to it's foes; That soul. though all hell should en-
 deavor to shake,
 I'll never, no. never, TO, never fossake.