Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-11-27
Vermont Ministers Would Have
League of Nations" Covenant
Adopted Without Amend
ments and Favor Williams Bill
CONFERENCE AT AN END
Rishop Hughes, nj Closing Session.
Urges Enlistment Of Thousands OF
Lnymcn in Service Of the Church
UNCONVENTIONAL Meetings Held

the League of Nations covenant were re-
tected by the United States were adopted
at the closing session of the conference
in the First Church Thursday. The reso-
luton called upon the Senate to ratify
the treaty and adopt the covenant of the
League of Nations without amendments
and only with such reservations "as will
add to the moral influence of the United
States"
Other resolutions adopted called for the
favorable action on the part of the Sen
ate on the Williams bill now before that
body. which provides for the policing of
Armenia by the forces of the United
States. Copies of the resolutions will be
sent to the senators from Vermont
ENLIST THE LAYMEN. SAYS BISHOP
HUGHES
The enlistment of thousands of laymeu
in the service of the church was urged
BY Bishop Edwin II. Hughes in his address.
He said that the strategy of the church
in it's great forward movement requires
the marshaling OF the forces of the
churches in such mnnner that all the
detectives may be realized. The spiritual
elements to success in the campaign for
souls were also emphasized In his plead
ings. His speech occasioned a great deal
of laughter In places but he was quick to
come right back at his audience before
they had completely recovered from their
merriment with earnest appeals that made
the tears come into evidence.
I'm every age the great forward move
ments of the church have been conducted
ny the laymen,' said the bishop. There
is none of the great movements of the
Old Testament times In which any or
dained priest has had anything to do
with it
The speaker then traced the history of
the big movements recorded in the Old
Testament and showed that the great
gospel of faith was put into practice by
Abraham. the father of the faithful. who
was not priest but a layman; that the
law was given to the people from Jehovah
by Moses, who was not an ordained man
but a ayman: that the ritual of the
church of the old times was introduced
by David, who was shepherd and a
king. not 4 priest but layman. He then
pointed out to the audience that the
prophets of old who delivered the great
messages Of God TO tie people were. with
only one or two exceptions. laymen.
And why is it that the laymen have
SO been used?" he asked Then he an
swered his own question by saying that
he believed it was because the ordained
men Of the ages after being in the habit
of using religious language became so
professionalism that God could no
longer Use them in His service,
! In this day. if we are going to
evangelize the world. we will have to mar
shall the forces Of the laymen and attack
the enemy as the brave American boys
in company with the allies attacked the
Germans and won, continued the bishop.
! lust think how ridiculous it would have
been for General Pershng and the other
officers of the American and the allied
armies to have marched over the top in
their attack on the Germans and to have
left all the laymen in the army at home.
They would not have got very far. Yet
that is what the church has been doing.
The officers of the churches have been
carrying all the loads and the laymen
| in the ranks have been watching the
battles
The time has again come for the
enlistment of all the laymen of the
church to come to battle fronts of
Oh istianity with their man power and
money power and help win the war for
| the glorious Leader Jesus Christ under
whom we serve.
There was a time in the history of
the early church when the laymen who
had been appointed to do some of the
big things of the church decided that
they could not spend the time to wait
upon tables" The early church then
appointed deacons to do the work and
the account that tells of the appoint
ment of the man Stephen as the first
deacon does not close until it tells OF
the great sermon that Stephen preach
! ed"
Coll id ;gl,@
~. with his index finger pointed at the
audience. 1T is the business of every
deacon In the Baptist and Congrega-
tional churches. every elder in the
Presbyterian church and every steward
in the Methodist church to go out and
do the preaching. 1t is their business
and the fact that they have not beer
ordained as priests and ministers does
not exempt them from the ministry
which Jesus Christ expects all men tc
do"
He applied the principle to the OBJ
jectives Of the interchurch world move.
ment and asked the delegates to de,
liver the message of the hour to Oh,
laymen in their respective churches.
There is absolutely no stopping plac,
for any one who believes the Gospe
of Jesus Christ" continued the bishop
ary---a soul winner by the grace o
God Each person should consecrat,
himself to the service of the living Coz
so that the power of the Holy Ghos
may be manifested through him"
STUDENTS FOR MISSIONARY WORK
In his address. DR.. Joseph c. Robbins
foreign missionary of the American Bap
fist Foreign Missionary society. urged
all members of the churches of Vernon
church world movement because in 81
doing they were backing up the board.
of their own churches which have beer
responsible for the organization of tn,
co-operative movement,
do not get the idea that the united
church movement lacks power" h,
shouted. 1.-THE rum sellers Of this coun
try have not had that idea. They hav,
learned to their sorrow that they hav,
discounted the power of the church ant
they have been given very definite i'm
preston that the church is not "A deca
dent institution
lie pleaded for the power of the churcl
, to be eXerted for the enlistment of tn,
students In high schools and colleges TO
! missionary and other evangelistic activi
, ties of the church. He related an Incl
! dent of his appealing to one man in
college TO devote his life to missionar!
, work in the Philippines. whereupon tn
I young man declared that he had mad
up his mind TO do boys work and IN
! was fitting himself for that work
why, what is necessary first IN III