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sentiment, therefore, that we honor, respect
and, love the representatives of the Mother
Church when they make a Christian advance
after this fashion.
Personal Evangelism.
The Rev. Principal J. Lockhart opened the
afternoon session with an address on the
"Method of Personal Evangelism." He spoke
of the home as their first line of advance, be
cause their advantage was greatest there, and
their duty most imperative, but laid emphasis
also on the need of evangelism in the neigh
borhod of the church and in occupations. In
the Free Churches they had not the parish
feeling that the Anglican Church possessed,
and many of them today drew their congrega
tions from different parts of the city or town.
Great good can be done by members approach
ing people in the immediate neighborhood, en
tering into friendly relations with them and
so preparing the way for the entrance of the
Word. At the same time he warned his hear
ers against the "ill-directed zeal of the un
discerning enthusiast," which has resulted in
many senstive men refusing to mention religion
in their business.
A plea for a revival of the romance of
evangelism was made by Miss Norah TI. Thomp
son in a paper, in which she claimed that the
individual had to be won by the individual,
and that in the past too much had been left
to preachers and special missions and mass
meetings.
On the theological aspect of the subject, the
Rev. Principal J. T. Brewis submitted that,
whilst the theological had as much right to be
in the field as any other worker, two impor
tant points should be remembered. No at
tempt should be made at the outset to bring
any one over to a complete and elaborate sys
tem of theological thought. Attention should
be concentrated upon rudimentary and funda
mental convictions, which underlies and in
spire Christian life, and those fundamentals
should be expressed as simply as possible.
Dealing with the practical side of the sub
ject, the Rev. F. C. Spurr, who was nominated
as President of the Council for next year, said
nearly fifty years ago this country was gen
uinely moved from end to end during the re
ligious awakening under Mr. Moody and Mr.
Nankey. The spiritual temperature was
raised to warm and generous atmosphere, in
which it was natural and easy for Christians
to undertake personal work. There was no
such general atmosphere today. On the con
trary, coldness, suspicion abounded. The
Church itself was hardly ready for great
things, while from the outside criticism of the
Church was common. Their first business,
therefore, must be to banish the coldness that
existed, and to recover the glow and warmth
of Christian friendliness. The Church must
call the people into a real fellowship, show a
complete sympathy with the whole of human
life use natural speech and take the way of
perfect social justice. Could they find room in
the same pew, and at the same garden party
for Matthew the publican and Simon ZelotesT
And if Lazarus were to take it into his head
to leave his door-step and come to Church for
ft change, where exactly would they find him
i seat? lf-the work of personal evangelism is
to prosper, it must be backed up by the whole
Church practicing real brotherhood.
A resolution was then adopted expressing
latitude for the way in which the personal
evangelism compaign has been taken up, and
for its success, and insisting upon the urgent
need for continuing it with spccial attention
to young people.
Buxton, England.
THEREFORE, PRAY YE.
By Mrs. John R. Sampson.
"I will for thee be asked, to do it for them,
saith the Lord God. I will increase them with
men like a flock." (Ezek. 36:37.)
The trumpet call comes, it comes again,
again and yet again it comes; an urgent call,
a piteous call for doctors in all our missions.
Medical work, which would draw many to hear
the Gospel, is left undone. Great hospitals,
given by consecrated wealth, are idle, closed,
and the health of your missionaries is un
guarded, in jeopardy. Yet medical schools arc
turning out hundreds of M. D.'s every year,
many of these professed Christians. What is
the matter?
There is one great leak Satan has made. He
guards it with careful attention. Against it,
cohorts of God, gather yourselves and attack
by prayer. Every year young men leave our
church colleges with full purpose to prepare
and go out as medical missionaries; and in
the medical college they are lost, so far as
this high purpose avails. The torch that
burned so bright in the favoring atmosphere,
dims and is extinguished, Those who would
have answered the call, who did answer with a
promise, where are they ? "What hindered that
they did not keep their vow?
One said that the change from the old church
college to the medical school was like a plunge
into an icy current: alien thought, atheistic
teachers, skeptical anti-Christ iau comrades,
ridiculing, gainsaying. These are typical in
stances.
Eugene was the only child of a widow, who
trained him for God's service. He came to a
great medical school in which some of the pro
fessors were Christians. He brought his church
letter, and was constant and interested. But
the demonstrator of anatomy, a tine teacher,
gained his admiration and great power over
him, loaned him books of science so-called, and
by his incessant, brilliant talk against Chris
tianity overthrew his faith He was never
happy, and died, still young, a broken life.
Arthur had the traditions of godly genera
tions. He came up to the study of medicine
with highest college honors, soon forged ahead
in his classes, and was invited to join an ex
slusive fraternity, with its own home and its
circle of clever ambitious students. Flattered,
he seized such congenial opportunity for keen
study and discussion. The very first Sunday
night he found a quiz appointed, and though he
had kept the first place in college without an
hour of Sunday work, he was persauded that
this was "necessary." To those who watched
the fading of his bright promise, it was tragic.
Henry, with every gift of mind and body, a
very prince among his fellows, equipped for
influence and power, held to his missionary pur
pose till near graduation. Then a brilliant op
portunity opened, and he decided that he
"could serve God as well where great cities'
need is as claimant as China's or Africa's."
Walter also held to his plan for foreign ser
vice till his M. D. was in sight. He was not
overwhelmed by his "liberal" teachers, nor
moved by the ignorant indifference or ridicule
of his fellows. He kept in touch with the
Church and its work. Then he fell in love
with a charming woman, who had no vision of
the heavenly things or the world's need. She
"could not have him bury his talents." So
he, too, "can serve God here as well as there."
In four months or less another glorious crop
of our best will be gathered from our colleges.
In a month or less another glorious crop
in our medical schools. Only the power of
God can save the high missionary purpose from
the deadening influences that stifle and slay it.
God can, God will save and send in answer to
prayer. Therefore, all who can believingly
pray, arouse to thid device of the adversary,
and pray God to shield these splendid men
from the devil's manifold temptations; to keep
alive in their hearts the flame of love to Him ;
to fill the ranks with the best of our doctors;
to prevent professors from teaching error, and
make them to love and teach the truth. Yes,
ask Him even to eall back those who once
promised Him to follow and who failed Him!
Only prayer can overcome. Therefore, pray !
Him !
Richmond, Va.
SELECTED
ALMOST IN AND YET LOST.
The "Royal Charter" had been around the
world and was at last homeward bound. She
had reached Queenstown, and then sailed for
Liverpool; the message was telegraphed to
Liverpool that she was almost home. Dr. Wil
liam M. Taylor, a great New York preacher,
was then in Liverpool as pastor, and the wife
of the first mate of the "Royal Charter" was
a member of his church. You may remember
that the "Royal Charter" never came into
Liverpool. An officer of my church told me
that he waited on the dock all night, straining
his eyes to catch a first glimpse of the vessel.
The Lord Mayor of Liverpool was there. Hands
of musicians and thousands of people waited
to give her a welcome home. But the "Royal
Charter" never came in. She went down in
the night with almost all on board. They came
to Dr. Taylor, and said, "Will you go and tell
the wife of the first mate?" So he started off
to tell her. As he laid his hand upon the
door bell the door flew open, and a little girl
sprang out, crying, "Oh, Dr. Taylor, I thought
it was my papa. He is coming home today."
The preacher said he felt like an executioner
as he walked into the house. lie found the
table laid for breakfast, and the wife of the
first mate stepped forward, her face shining,
as she said, "Dr. Taylor, this is indeed a privi
lege, and if you will wait a little while, perhaps
you will sit at our table with us, for my hus
band was on the 'Royal Charter,' and he is
coming home."
Dr. Taylor says he looked at her a moment,
while he steadied himself and held on to a
near-by chair and then said, "Poor woman,
your husband will never come home. The
'Royal Charter' went down last night, and your
husband is lost." He says that she threw her
hands to her head, staggered for a moment,
and then fell, and as she fell she cried, "Oh
my God, so near home and lost." Yes, and
some of you are as near as that.. Near by a
mother's pleading; near by the minister's
preaching; near by the missioner's singing.
You are almost in. God will keep you from
rejecting him. How far one may go towards
home and still fall away ! ? J. W. Chapman.