Newspaper Page Text
2
HEART TO HEART TALKS WITH MY PEOPLE
INTRODUCTORY NOTES
The other day, as Dr. Broughton was purchasing a ticket at the Booking Office of the Un
derground Railway which faces Christ Church, the clerk, immediately recognizing him, said:
“Since you have come here, sir, things have looked up so much on the line that the company
has had to put an extra man in the booking office of this station.”
It is very interesting to learn that the whole neighborhood about the Church is being rebuilt
here and there, new and improved establishments replacing the poorer places of business. In
the main road directly facing Christ Church, and connecting that part of London with the Houses
of Parliament and Westminster Abbey by Westminster bridge, the newest and most high class
stores are taking the place of those that have hitherto catered to poor people.
This week we are able to welcome the arrival of Mrs. Broughton, Leonard Broughton, Jr.,
and Miss Long. The time of their arrival was announced at the Sunday services, and Dr. Brough
ton made arrangements during the week to join them at Plymouth and cross with them to Cher
bourg, returning to London via Southampton. There were a goodly number of Christ Church folks
to meet and greet them, among them being several of the elders and their wives. The weather
was rather dull that afternoon, but it was evidently anxious to assure them, as new-comers, of
the old proverbial fact that “it is never fine for long in London.” The travelers all looked very
well, having had a delightfully smooth and comfortable voyage, and after much embracing and
shaking of hands, their host and hostess, Dr. and Mrs. Drummond Robinson, hurried them off
into their car.
Dr. Broughton, who accompanied them, looked solemn with excessive pleasure. Pleasure
always seems to have that effect upon him, and he wore an “it’s-almost-to-good-to-be-true” ex
pression. Dr. Broughton looks pleased only when things are adverse, and call for some sort
of opposition.
On Sunday last the Rev. Albert Swift commenced his ministry as Co-Pastor. Dr. Brough
ton entered the pulpit at the morning service accompanied by Mr. Swift, who occupied the op
posite pulpit. He took part in the service, leading in the first prayer, after which Dr. Broughton,
in a few. sincere words, welcomed him personally and in behalf of the Church.
Later on in the month there is to be a Recognition Service for Mr. Swift, an account of
which will be furnished in the introductory notes to come. Already, Mr. Swift seems to have
gotten a grip of the detail work at Christ Church, and is making many friends among the
young people, to whom he will particularly direct his interest, and who will find him keenly alive
to everything that pertains to their spiritual and material welfare. Mr. Swift was present at a
gathering of the officers of the Church on Monday last, to consider plans for the renovation and
re-formation of the Church and School premises, which, if possible, are to be carried into effect
during Dr. Broughton’s absence on his summer vacation. On Friday, of this week, there is to be
a reception to Mrs. Broughton at 7:30, and there will be an account of this in next week’s notes.
Church Membership.
want to take the opportunity here,
since this is a heart-to-heart talk,
to say just this heart-to-heart word
to you. Next Saturday a very
important event will occur. The
other half of me, which is by far
the better half, will start from
America to greet me on this side —
in other words, will start home.
M || HI
I
It seems very strange to say that, but, never
theless, it is a fact, and they will arrive here,—
all the family,—consisting of my wife and boy
and a young woman who has lived with us for
a number of years, who is really a member of
our household, a part of our family. They
will arrive Saturday morning on the “Olym
pic.”
In this homelike fashion Dr. Broughton an
nounced the English home-coming of his fam
ily from their native home in America, and
the glad announcement was greeted with hand
clapping and other evidences of enthusiasm.
I am going to ask your attention to a passage
of Scripture which is thoroughly familiar to
all of you; it is the aftermath of Pentecost. And
I do not wish to do more than read those very
fine verses right at the close of the description
of that wonderful occasion when the Spirit of
God was brought out with such mighty power
and three thousand souls were converted and
added to the Church. I want simply to call
your attention to this part of this account. I
will begin with the first verse of the first page
of the Acts of the Apostles and then skip over
and read specially the account that is on my
mind. “The former treatises have I made, Oh,
Theophilus of all that Jesus began to do and
teach until the day in which lie was taken up,
after that He, through the Holy Ghost, had giv
en commandments unto the Apostles whom He
had chosen; to whom also He shewed Himself
alive after His passion by many infallible
proofs, being seen of them forty days and
speaking of the things pertaining to the King
dom of God.” * * * * “Now, when they heard
this, they were pricked in their hearts, and
said unto Peter.and to the rest of the apostles,
‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ Then
A Series For the Church Prayer Meeting of Christ Church by Dr. Len G. Broughton.
Reported for The Golden Age by M. I. H.—Copyright Applied for.
The Golden Age for June 27, 1912,
said Peter unto them, ‘Repent and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins and,’ ” and here is a
marvellous statement, “Ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is un
to you and to your children and to all that are
afar off even as many as as the Lord our God
shall call. And with many other words did
he testify and exhort, saying ‘Save yourselves
from this untoward generation.’ Then they
that gladly received his word were baptized;
and the same day they were added unto them
about three thousand souls. And they con
tinued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and
fellowship and in breaking of bread and in
prayers.”
I want to call your attention to this fact in
connection with this statement: The fact
that this was not a general endorsement of
communism among those early disciples, it was
a communism of need and not a wholesale dis
tribution of things among all classes. So long
as a man was in need, they, as far as possible,
supplied that need. Not that they got togeth
er, and every man threw into one common pile
and drew out every man the same. It is the
communism of need. So long as a man had
need they supplied that need to the extent of
the last penny they had. And they sold their
posessions and parted them to all men as every
man had need.” “And they continued daily
with one accord in the Temple and breaking
bread from house to house, did eat their meat
with gladness and singleness of heart, praising
God and having favor with all people. And
the Lord added to the Church daily such as
were being saved.”
Now, if I was going to preach a sermon, I
should take that last verse for my text. “And
the Lord added to the Church day by day such
as were being saved.”
There is no doubt but that was the apostolic
order of things.
If you want to go back to the days of the
apostles and have a real sure enough apostolic
church, it is about the easiest thing to do, I
mean to say, so far as having the church is con
cerned. You would have to wade through
thousands of prejudices and old customs, cus
toms that doubtless were necessary and doubt-
less were good enough, but customs and experi
ences and manners that the apostles themselves
knew nothing about. You would have to wade
through all these things in order to get back
there and have a good deal of difficulty in
carrying anybody else with you. But it would
be a very easy thing to practice the apostolic
church when you got there, you would not need
much help in it, it would be so simple.
You take the Acts of the Apostles and then
the Epistles, and read the History of the Apos
tolic Church.
Now I want to give you the Bible conception
of the Apostolic Church, whether you like it
or not, I am going to give you just exactly
what the Bible picture is:
It is a very remarkable process. The Apos
tolic Church was the simplest institution in
this world to get into, and it was the simplest
institution in the world to get out of if for any
reason its members did not live right.
Listen to Paul: “We command you brethren,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye
withdraw yourselves from every brother that
walketh disorderly, and not after the tradi
tion which he received of us.” I say again, it
was the easiest institution in the world to get
in. Do you know that there was only one
question that they asked of a man when he
wanted to join the Church, and that was, “If
thou believest thou mayest.” That is all.
They did not carry you through the whole cate
chism. lam not saying it is not right to. I
am talking about what they did. “If thou be
lievest, thou mayest,” that is the end of it!
There is no question but that that is Apostolic.
Make the door into the Church very simple,
keep it very wide, make it very sure, and do
not let anybody in so far as you can help it,
unless they accept the Lord Jesus Christ.
When this is done comes the process of teach
ing until they find out the requirements of the
Church. We are not by any means to do our
teaching before they come in, not any more
than we would expect to teach a child there at
the hour when it is first born, how to make its
clothes, when it does not know even how to
use its hands or feet. Not that we are to take
these young converts, and bring them into the
Church either, and then let them drift without
somebody to look after them. When they
come into the Church there ought to be some
one assigned to every one to look after them,
and some one to whom they can go and talk
about their difficulties and troubles of any sort.
I believe that we ought to hold out to every
person in the whole sinful world this kind of
invitation to the Church as it represents Jesus
Christ. “When you get in the Church, we pro
pose to look after you, we propose to put some
body in charge of you until you are able to
take care of yourself.” There ought to be
somebody to take care of all those that come
into the Church, instead of turning them loose
in the world, just to find their way, and butt
up against people and find out where they are.
There ought to be somebody to show them.
That is what the world is crying for; some
body to love it, somebody to care for it, some
body to make it feel welcome and at home.
Why, when a person first comes into this
Church they ought to have somebody to tell
them how to find the way! People are coming
here by the hundreds, and here are w.e taking
it for granted that they know as much as we
know; and hence on Monday nights we find
them wandering around trying to get here into
this room. I have no doubt you have some of
you been wandering round and around before
you got in here tonight. I went in everything
around the place except the right place when
I first came here. I merely mention that as an
extravagant way of impressing what I want to
Continued on Page 14.)