Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1919-08-06
S. S. TO CHURCH
Paper Read by Mrs. J. L. Minis
at Horns Creek Church
at Sunday School Con-
vention. :;

trained in the church, to help igno-
rant and poorly environed children to
a better life. No doubt it was in the
mind of God to make this the begin
ming of a great movement. Just a
suggestion to the church, which is
now being adopted by the church in
Tits proper relationship. For many
years, and even now, churches and
communities have failed to lay hold
on this inspired suggestion and have
themselves been the losers thereby,
Just as many other reforms or great
aitruistic movements have been sug-
Igested by the aggressive work of
some Christian individual or group
of persons, who have had to move
ahead Of the church, because their
own enthusiasm and conviction could
not wait for the awakening on the
part of the church.
In the great temperance movement,
the Y. M. C. A., the Red Cross and
Salvation Army and other movements
the church has often looked on, some
times in derision and criticism, some
times with disapproval, sometimes
with envy, as if some rival of the
church had come upon the scene. of
action when really it was the church
itself, through the individual with
vision, going ahead as torch bearer
for the Kingdom, doing the will of
the Lord and under His leading. 1t is
the church in action, because if it had
not been for all the instruction of the
past and preaching of the gospel,
these things could not have been; the
temperance movement, to rid the
world of strong drink and all its al
lies, which have been for centuries,
hone OF the most unneeassaryaaad4llne
natural and yet one of the most in
siduous foes to the spread of the gos-
pei in the earth; the Salvation Army,
once the object of ridicule, now the
admiration of 1l for its directness
of purpose and simplicity of working
plans, and yet understanding the nat
ural love Of the human mind for the
spectacular; the Red Cross, which
has SO eficienctly looked after the
bodies and relieved the sufferings of
our men here and over there; the Y.
M. C. IA which has helped to make
the life here and over there better
and has given refreshing hours to the
wearied men, hese, and many other
things, have been, not allies of the
church, but the church itself. Nothing
(which is good is a rival of the church
if we appropriate it. We should never
look askance at any good thing being
done. Nothing but evil is rival.
In some families there are genius
es and perhaps the father and mother
will say, "No. don't do that. 1t is i'm
practicable and visionary" If the son
or daughter goes ahead and becomes
great and good, he is no less men,
Der OF the family. He is part and
product of it, and has raised the FAM
lily to a loftier height and has made
lit great.
So all these pioneers have been
sent of the Lord to blaze the trail and
make way for the church militant as
it goes forth conquering and to con-
iiquer. 80. NJ
God does not wait for every men,
ber of the church to see the vision
before He starts the movement. He
takes the willing man or woman with
a vision and sends them forth. 1t is
a sad fact that the ordinary mind at
|tempts to clog the wheels of progress.
1t is human nature to fight new move
ments, to throw obstacles in the path
if innovations.
If you know rainy season is COM
ing, it is not wise thing to go
around complaining about the wealth
er, or standing out to throw stones
at the rain, as have seen children do
when they wanted to play in the sun
shine, but to get to work and elimi-
nate the grass and weeds from the
crops and gather, so that the rains
may benefit the crops and not the
weeds. Cultivate the good things!
When you know great reform or
even movement that you may think
is not reform, is on the way, do not
stand around and discuss its bad fea-
lures or the evils which will come