The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-10-06
Bible Full Of Symbolic Refer
ences to Potter as Illustra-
tions Of Way in Which God
Deals With Humanity, Bish
op Smith Says-Much Bust
ness Transacted

The molding Of human beings ac
cording to the will Of God was com.
pared to the potter, molding clay
into things of beauty and useful
ness, by Bishop II. Lester Smith
Helena, Mont, in a talk before the
Methodist conference here thi:
morning.
The Bible is full symbolic refer.
ences to the potter as an illustration
Of the way in which CID deals with
humanity, Bishop Smith said, point
ing to the parable Of the potter in
the 18th chapter of jeremiah as ar
example.
"My prayer he said, "is that
may be able to make you understand
what Isaiah taught: Now, O Lord
Thou art our Father. We are the
clay, Thou art our Potter. We are
all the wor. of Thy hand. !"
The first application of the par.
able is to be found in the prepare
ton Of the clay for the potter's
hand, Bishop Smith aiu, telling how
different varieties and grades Of
clay, all valuable, are used. 1t is
thoroughly ground and beaten and
mixed, for above all things, it is
necessary tina the clay be nodded
into homogeneous mass, he point
ed out and called this "true pic.
ture of the way in which God pre-
pares humanity TO-. the molding
touch of His hand"
Must Be Cleansed
S6YA 80 fn.. ~ na~ua -
the divine Potter to choose our
sphere of service for us, for he
Knows" the Bishop said, but added
that it is also supremely important
that this human clay be cleansed.
"Being cleansed," he said, tive must
yield ourselves completely to God"
Describing the mo.ding of the
clay into vases and other work, the
speaker compared this WITH the work
of "the Divine Potter, as he fash
ions the uniformed clay Of our hui
manity."
How the vase goes through the
flames of the furnace was, described
and a parallel drawn in the furnaces
of testing, trying and purifying fire
through which, he declared. all men
and women who hold to God and
truth and conscience have found
they must go.
The value the Potter adds to the
clay was told:
It has gained in value because it
has been lifted out, Of the uniformed
mass and has received the impress
sion of the will of the Master.
It has gained in value because
beauty has been added to it.
It has gained in value because it
has been prepared for service.
"This, after ALL" Bishop Smith
said, lis the, purpose If Gods work
with humanity. The ain. Of his
work for men is not so much to fash
ion us in grace and beauty as it is
to fashion US for service and use."
The need for home missions and
the work of the Methodist Home
Missionary Board was described by
DR.. w. L. Mcdowell, Philadelphia.
Telling how there were II large
and active churches on the east side
of New York when he was q young
man, DR.. Mcdowell said that 10
years ago, they had all disappeared.
At the same time, he said, the popu-
lation Of the East side has increased
by more than 100000. Cultivation
of the field of home missions is an
urgency for the welfare Of America,
he averred.
Mission Problems Told
Miss Lulu Krepps, Chicago, field
secretary Of the Women's Home
Missionary society, told some Of the
problems which are encountered in
home mission work.
They are, she said:
The problem of subnormal housing
in large cities, it being not unusual
to find two, three or four families
living in one room.
The problem Of the millions of