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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.)