The Religious Telescope - Vol. 55, No. 46 (November 13, 1889)

              CONTENTS
BDITQBIAIj.—Remain in Carnp or March-Which? 721. A Heroic PiiHflion for Soiil-Savinp, 721. ('onstitotioiial Chanfj- e.s, 728. The Case al Richmond, ~‘l&. Re-opening a Church,
728. The Electi* us, 728. JohnSiown Re!,ef. 728. Jottings, ____ 72U. Editorial Notes, 720.
COMMUNICATIONS.—The Day of Our Opportunity. //••//, 722. Church-linity, Milhr, 722. Life—Here ami There, ItVarrr, 722. Our MiH»iotinry Anniversary, h'-jih.ul, 723. •‘Bread Upon the Water*,” /•>rm, 723. The New Michigan Case, Rol’"l<‘in, 723. My Reasons, frirknn, 724. Southern Missouri Conference, /•'. .1. 7. , 725. A Fraternal Letter, J. U.K., 730. Theory ■ >. Fact in Religion, Cvn-m, 73<>. Afri­can News, 73n.
CORRESPONDENCE,—A i.o'den Wcdiling Anniversary, 726. Michigan Conference Item.-*, 7.5. Lower Wabash, 725. ParkerHhiirj; < onference, 725.
EDUCATIONAL.—tiibfion Collegiate Institute, 729. Notes,
729.
MISC'EI/I, A NY.—The Angel Loved Ones, 72-i. The Religion of Christ, 723. tiatheriiigs of Gold, 723.
FAMII,Y AND FIRESIDE. — The Family Bible. 726. /’raver in Fiue Weather, 726. Look Beyond, L'ntlnuiod, 726. (.'hooting a Servan*, 726. Mistress and Servant, TIC. How to Entertain Well, 726. Exercise, for tiirls, 726. SABBATIl'-SCIIOni,.—S-.lomon a Wise Choice, Editorial, 726.
OUB YOUNG FOLKS.—The Gri-at Proeesaion, 727. Had His Way, 727. A Warning to Parents and Bovs, 727. Lal*or, Not Luck. 727. Our Letter Box, 727.
CONFERENCE MINUTES.—Parkersburg. 731. TEMPERANCE. -Senator lui"i!ls on Prohibition in Kansas, 731. Absolute Prohibition, 731.
OTHER I>EI*ABTMENTS.—Personal, 724. Our Church, 724. Other Churches, 72>. Literary, 732. Special Notices, 733. Marriages, 731. Memorial, 734. Farm and Garden, 735. Household and lle'ps, 735. Secular News, 730.
EDITORIAL.
To go down when the right goes down and with it is only a temporary defeat.
Seek to do good and benefit the world, not so much by assailing false theories, but, as Goethe says, by calmly, constantly present­ing truth te the minds of the people.
He who wins by sacrificing his convictions of right, loses more than he wins. He who loses by adhereing to his convictions of duty wins more than he loses.
Faith makes heaven a reality to the be­liever’s soul. As the child knows on retiring ing in the evening that the morning is com­ing, and with it mother’s kind care and a breakfast, so the believer knows by faith that beyond the night of death there is heav­en.
Personal contact and co-operation, these are the two things essential to success in any effort to Christianize the masses. Christ put himself in contact with the masses in such a way as to secure their confi­dence and sympathy,—he went about doing good; and he sought and secured the co-ope­ration of all who entered into the spirit of the great Teacher’s work.
Christians everywhere should constantly emphasize the fact that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ -not only brings indescribable joy to the believer’s heart, but it transforms his life. Especially should the ministry do this. There is not so much need for combat­ing false theories nowadays as there is for preaching Christ and emphasizing the com­forting, saving power of the gospel.
.Preachers should remember that while philosophy, history, and science are all good and important in their places, nevertheless it is. the Word that is to be preached. The Word is the seed that brings the fruit of sal­vation. As the grain of wheat cast into the ground possesses a life-germ,—a power that fto man can create or manufacture,—so the Word possesses a divine, life-imparting pow­er beyond the ability of human genius to produce. A knowledge of philosophy, his­tory, and science is of value in preaching, because it aids in illustrating, adorning, and enforcing truth, but it must never be permit- ted-to take the place of the Word. Mark the difference in ttie effect of a Bermon that [sim­ply
displays the preacher’s knowledge of philosophy and science, and one in which this knowledge is used to adorn, illustrate, and enforce the truth of the Word.
Remain in Camp or March—Which?
To an experienced soldier an order to march means fight. The Army of the Poto­mac, under Grant, never was told in so many words that it was to give battle to the enemy; it was only ordered to march. Yet all old soldiers knew very well what that meant. An army in camp or in a fort at best but holds its position. To assail, be­labor, and rout the enemy, the army must leave its camp and its forts and march. It may guard and hold important positions by remaining in camp and forts; but the con quest of an enemy’s country is attained only by active campaigning, vigorous marching, heroic fighting.
True, campaigning, marching, and fighting involve loss of life, the depleting of the ranks of the army; nevertheless, it is often more demoralizing and destructive to an army to remain idle in camp and fort than to march and fight. Practically, there is such a thing as “the army spoiling for a fight.” McClellan’s stupendous campaigns of inactivity during 1861-2 were more really destructive to the army and the country than Grant’s vigorous campaigns of 1864-5. In October, 1862, the immortal Lincoln visit­ed McClellan in camp near Antietam. He had a magnificent army of 100,000 men pres­ent for duty. Lincoln, grieved because that vast body of men was kept in camp when it should have crossed the river and crushed the rebellion, looked out over the great camp and remarked, “That is not the Army of the Potomac; it is only McClellan’s body-guard.”
Why did the great president so charactize that vast army? Because, for want of a com­petent leader, it was lying in camp when it should have been thundering down the ene­my’s works in front of Richmond. The army that remains in camp and simply holds its position when it should be assailing and capturing the enemy’s stronghold is a fail­ure. States in insurrection can not be retak­en in that way. Not until the armies, led by Grant and Sherman and Sheridan, marched into the enemy’s country and kept on march­ing was there any prospect of subduing the rebellion.
The church is an army. Its mission is to retake the world for Christ. To do this, it must march. Its great captain has issued marching orders, and to march means to fight—“fight the good fight of faith.” Faith­ful work, religious activity, vigorous cam­paigning, old-fashioned revivals are what the church in all its branches needs. Especially is it what the United Brethren Church needs. The danger is that the Church will remain in camp or in fort, content merely to “hold the fort,” or display itself on dress-pa- rade, when it should march into and con­quer new territory. Already too many branches of the; church seem satisfied to hold what they have, and merely make a dress- parade display in their coBtly church-edifices. God save the United Brethren Church from an ecclesiastical camp-life. If she would live and grow, she must march; and here to march means, religiously, exactly what it meant physically in 1864 in front of Rich­mond and Atlanta. It means to fight, with this difference—then our weaponB were car­nal; now they are spiritual. But the church can no more grow and accomplish her mis­sion without vigorous, aggressive work than could th,e Union armies subdue the rebellion without inarching.
—can not simply hold her own. She must go forward or go backward. Just as an ene­my may “spoil for a fight,” so does inactivity weaken and destroy the church. The inact­ive, luxurious wintering of Hannibal’s army in Capua destroyed it. So the inactivity of a church saps its spiritual life. It may con­tinue to preserve its outward form and its aristocratic respectability; but if in the work of bringing souls to Christ it is inactive, it is spiritually a corpse.
Pastors, how is it with your churches? You are, under God, the commanders. He has said, March. “Go forward.” Have you like faithful subordinates repeated the order along the line. The revival season is at hand. Is it to be a vigorous campaign? Or will you, McClellan-like, keep your army in camp? His brilliant inactivity cost him only his earthly commission; but inactivity on your part at this opportune time may cost you your crown. The apostle’s admonition is, “Be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” To be a good soldier you must be active, push­ing the work, pressing the enemy, forcing the fight, having every man and woman in your command at his post of duty, and each one doing his best. Military critics say that Mc­Clellan failed “because he had no ardor, no leap, no enthusiasm.” If you would succeed in your spiritual campaigns, you must have all these. Cultivate them. Be enthusiastic for Christ and his cause. Devote your thoughts and your energies as diligently to your re­vivals as General Grant devoted his to his campaigns. Pray as if all depended on God; work as if all depended on you.
; gent in your heaven-ordained work? Are you ill at ease unless you are diligently “about your Father’s business?” These are among the most convincing and satisfactory evidences of a man’s being called of God to the ministry.
If, on the other hand, a minister is content to put in his time by filling his appointments on Sunday, and loitering, lounging, gossip­ing, and talking idly all the week, it is evidence that he has missed his calling and lacks the heroic passion for saving souls. The man who “was born tired,” and has a passion for lying on the lounge.in a cool room and sleeping in the day-time, was nev­er called of God to preach. “The kingdom of God is at hand,” brethren. Be active, be heroic, be enthusistic in your efforts to save souls. Carry the war into the devil’s strong­holds. In the name of the Lord Jesus as­sault his castle, and with diligence and faith in God upon your part you will win many souls to Christ. Oh, for a heroic passion for saving souls upon the part of the entire church, especially the ministry.
A Heroic Passion for Soul-Saving.
The above is the motto given recently to the members of a Primitive Methodist con­ference in England by President Toulson, and it seems tb us that it would be a good motto for United Brethren preach­ers. Salvation is the sum and substance of the gospel message. “What must I do to be saved?” has been the soul-cry of the race all through the centuries. To be saved is the great need of humanity. To successfully present and handle the gospel so as to save souls is the one work and business of the minister of Christ. “This one thing I do,” said the apostle'. What. one thing? Strive to secure the applause of men? Seek riches, ease, pleasure? Lord it over the church? No, no. Strive with all diligence to preach Christ and him crucified so as to save men.
This has been the “one thing” of the true minister of Jesus ever since, and is now. Having a heroic passion for Baving souls, he turns all his thought and directs all his ener­gies into this one channel. He is so diligent and so heroic that he has no time for idleness, and encounters no obstacles that can dissuade him from his purpose. Early and late ho is at it. No time for lounging; no time for loitering in the post-ofiic.e, in Btores, or on the street-corners; no time for gossip, fun­ny stories, and cheap talk. In his ser­mons, in his pastoral visits, in his social intercourse, his aim is to edify arid save, and he is ever on the alert to improve every op­portunity to the glory of God and the salva­tion of souls.
• He is a very busy. man. Why? Why were the California gold-diggers of ’49 and ’55 very busy men? * Because they had a heroic pas­sion for gold.. So the true minister of the Lord Jesus is a very busy man because ho has a heroic passion for saving souls; and as the gold-digger was industrious in his search for the precious metal, so is he eager and act­ive in hi.s effort to save souls.
Brethren in the ministry, have you this heroic passionT Does it worry you to be idler
Re-opening a Church.
Besides this, the Church can not stand still Are you best at ease When you are most dili
The writer spent the 3d instant in La Fayette, Ind., having been called there to assist in the re-opening of the United Breth­ren church at that place. The house had become too small for the growing congrega­tion; and the good people, under the leader­ship of their efficient and highly-esteemed pastor, concluded that it must be enlarged, refitted, and refurnished. The Work was commenced in good earnest, and carried for­ward to completion in a highly satisfactory manner. Those desiring to know something of the extent of the improvements should read Kappa’s article in another column. It is due the good sisters to say that they pro­vided the money with which to purchase the fine new carpet that covers the floor.
It was truly a pleasure to spend the Sab­bath with this cheerful, liberal Christian peo­ple. Their intelligent appreciation of the needs of tho church and the willingness with which they contributed in response to the plea in behalf of the enterprise were truly re?, freshing. “If there be first a willing mind,” how easy it is to carry forward the work of the church. This people haB that essential qualification.
In the afternoon we attended the Sabbath- school, and found it to be in a very promis­ing condition, under the efficient superin­tendence of Brother A. C. Sales. Dr. Lever­ing, the great Sunday-school man of the State of Indiana, and whose home is in La Fayette, was present and delivered a stirring address. Professor Kinsey, the distinguished musical composer and author, was present at all theBO services and, assisted by his corps of trained singers, furnished excellent music. He is a member of this congregation, a trus­tee of the church, and in providing music and in developing the musical talent of the young people is a host.
Rev. I. G. Knotts, the wide-awake, efficient pastor, and his good wife are held in high esteem by their parishioners, and are doing an excellent work for tho church. The praise service at 9:30 a. m. was soul-inspiring, aud evidenced the fact that these brethren and sisters are enjoying the sweets of re- - deeming love , in their hearts. It is a great privilege to be permitted to labor among a people who have such an intelligent appre­ciation of the blessings of the gospel, and give so cheerfully and liberally of their mean’s to its support. God will surely bless and prosper them. Brother Knotts is safe in counting ona good, revival not many weeks hence. -
VOL. 55-NO. 46.
DAYTON. OHIO, WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 13, 1889.
WHOLE NO. 2581.