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Many good and strong things were said in be
half of
missions
During the Session of the
Southern Baptist Convention.
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ESTABLISHED 1821.
She Christian index
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Organ of the Baptist Denomination in
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tered letter, money order, postal note.
The “Catholic World,” for January,
says that “the convent school at Naza
areth, Ky., has trained the most brilliant
and famous women of the South,” and
adduces in proof the names of “Mary
Anderson, Mrs. Jefferson Davis, Sarah
Knox Taylor, and Mary Gwendoline
Caldwell.” Sic!
It is said that since the accession of
Queen Victoria to the throne, sixty-five
Statues have been raised to her honor in
different parts of the Empire. But the
fibllowness of such things is adequately
attested by the fact (which ever may
the fact be) that any of these statues
stand or do uot stand on the soil of Ire
land.
The absurdity of the childish Sunday
school hymns more or less the fashion
now-a-days, was illustrated, not long
since, by appeal to the case of a man in
the Bible class, weighing two hundred
pounds but ringing out lustily, “Bless
Thy little latnb to-night,” and that, too,
at three o’clock in the afternoon! Well,
well; there was clearly something wrong
in that ease, eitlier with the hymn or
with the man.
Exquisite flowers in a bouquet were
shown to a gentleman, the other day,
only to draw from him the remark, “I
do not like flowers, they are so much
used for funerals.” And we heard a
lady say that there are flowers from
whose odor she recoils, because it brings
up the thnughts of the coffin, the corpse,
The knell, the shroud the mattock and the
grave,
The deep damp vault, the darkness and the
worm.”
Wo do not share these feelings our
selves, but we can see that there is oc
casion for them. The use of flowers in
the burial of the dead lias grown to be
excessive. Moderation in that respect
would be wise.
As we have more than once said, op
■ ‘1)0.11,00 to immersion nrty grow from a
root ot’negligence as to the use of water
fn one’s personal habits and a consequent
aversion to that use in one’s personal
feelings. Traces of that negligence
thrust themselves on our notice in most
unexpected quarters. For instance: the
“Letters of a French Governess to her
Friends in Paris” contain the statement,
by a New York lady, that while “there
are bath-tubs in Western houses, these
bath-tubs are rarely used.” Why, then,
should not immersion as the one only
baptismal rite be regarded from the side
of the unused bath-tubs with something
of distaste? Both men and women do
sometimes by their ridicule of “dip
ping,” “plunging,” and the like, betray
the secrets of their private life, and pro
claim thamselves, if judged by any
xndard of thorough cleanliness, un
belted.
Dui Arkansas writer in one of the re
gions periodicals pronounces it “a com
... >i.- occurrence, in his observation, for
a parishioner who has done some work
for his pastor to evade a settlement
with him, to go to the treasurer and
have a credit entered on his subscrip
tion to double the amount he would
have charged any other man.” This
sounds barely credible; but if it is true,
it is a case of the faults of the ministry
as a class avenging themselves on the
individual minister as belonging to the
class. The class lowers the terms and
conditions of membership, and thus
makes it the easier for the rogue to get
into the church. The class is negligent
and lax in the administration of discip
line, and thus makes it harder to get
the rogue out of the church. Why,
then, partly for the exposure and partly
for the punishment of this double fault
iness, should not the rogue be suffered
to count every member of the class
whom ho finds in the church his own
special target for whatever arrows of
fraud he may have opportunity to let
fly? To say the least, this would boa
righteous permission on tho part of a
corrective providence.
In the volume ot letters recently pub
lished illustrating the family life of the
German poet Heine, there occurs tins
reference to the woman whom he char
acterized as “tho sweetest squanderer
who ever tortured ami made her hus
band happy:”—My wife is restored, and,
thank God, scolds away in tho full pos
session of health.” This would have
sounded more appropriate if said by
Heine himself; for Heine was a Jew,
and deKay alleges that “oven in the
most favorable circumstances, tho Jews
are the greatest 'grumblers on earth;
nothing pleases them, or If something
should, their keen wit secs some advan
tage iu pretending they arc dissatisfied.”
Ho argues then as tho chief and probably
tho only reason why certain American
hotels of fasliionablo resort have at
tempted to exclude Jews from tho num
ber of their patrons. These things may
or may not bo true, but ono thing Is
certain: if tho children of Israel ever
had a pre-emptive right to grumbling,
scolding moods and ways, Gentile inva
sions of their patent have been almost
as numerous as the Gentiles themselves.
Tho scolder and grumbler is a world
wide nuisance, mostly a sinner, and al
ways a fool. There! wo’ve said it right
out: grumble and scold if you will!
Tho Marquis of Queensbury has pre
pared a series of lectures, Jin which he
advocates a plurality of wives. In urg
ing this “reform,” he holds himself to
be only a hundred years or so in advance
of its adoption by the modern civilized
world, andnffccts a willingness to under
go the martyrdom of his convictions
*ow for tho sake of “the good time com
ing-” But tlio Marquis is the author of
fustian 3 niicr.
a “Code for Conduct of Prize-Fights;’
and, it may be, that ho is aiming to put
marital relations on a footing which
shall require some such Code for the
continuous adjustment of house-hold
affairs, —leaving for production at the
proper crisis for that purpose a duly
modified copy of the Code, which may
serve as a wreath of posthumous but im
mortal renown| for his brow! It would
seem that “tho force of folly could not
further go” than with the Marquis; but
who shall say that some unwomanly
champion of woman’s rights may not rise
up to tell us that tho long oppressed
and disfranchised sex will, within the
next hundred years, illustrate her legit
imatejsovereignty over the race by main
taining a plurality of husbands? For
our part wo account all such prognosti
cations masculine or feminine, the fruit
age of what is unethecal, irreligious
and atheistic in the age, and are very
sure that mankind can never be suffi
ciently dehumanized to invest them with
the slightest likelihood.
For the Index.
IN CHINA AGAIN.
Since your arrival in Hong Kong,
December 30th, many Chinese scones
have passed under review. Hong
Kong is itself a lovely island, now
belonging to Great Brittain. English
enterprise has made it quite a bright
spot on the coast of China.
Canton, where our South China
Mission has its headquarters, is eighty
miles from Hong Kong, and is scarce
ly inland reminding one somewhat
of New Orleans. What a mass of
people here—a million and a half!
What a river population—a hundred
and fifty thousand living in boats,
and probably not one night in the
year sleeping on land. Many a whole
family carries on the whole of family
life on a boat not fifteen feet long
and yet constantly use their home
for transferring passengers or goods
from place to place along or across
the river.
The trade in this city is enormous.
The whole city presents a busy scene.
One wonders how so much can be
done in such narrow streets and yet
everybody is hard at work. Many
beautiful things are produced here.
And as you walk their streets their
stores furnish almost as many temp
tations to loiter and to purchase as
do our own streets in America.
Several denominations are success
fully doing mission work here, and
hereabouts. Our Baptist mission,
while not quite fjrst, either in the
number of the missionaries or of the
converts, is on a solid basis, being
worked by men and women of fine
common sense, broad, sympathetic
spirits, and genuine, earnest piety.
They have gathered about them a
multitude of intelligent and devout
native Christian men and women.
There are several preachers whose
faces and lives proclaim them to be
men of God.
During these three weeks I have
been with the brethren here in their
regular Sunday services, in their
week-day preaching to the heathen
in the chapels, in their street preach
ing, in their school work, in
their class-work, in their country
itinerating, in their book-selling, in
their work by the way-side, and 1
am prepared to say there are no
busier people in Georgia than they
are. God has called them to this
work here, and we trust that through
them he will introduce the gospel to
these people.
I may mention specially, Dr.
Graves’ literary work. Undoubtedly
Dr. G. is well up in Chinese, and is
prepared for useful work in that line,
He has already accomplished a large
work in that direction, and now his
heart and hands are full of Bible
translation. He is one of a com
mittee for that work and he has now
finished his part of the New Testa
ment and is starting on the Old Tes
tament. When the work is done, the
Bible will bo given to China in a
much purer form than heretofore.
Ono never understands a city till,
ho knows its environment. Tho
pleasure of a trip eighty miles west
was greatly enhanced by the delight
ful companionship of Brethren E. Z.
Simmons and G. W. Greono. Tho
mountains and tho gorges and the
marble peaks were all interesting
objects of nature. Then tho rivers
on whose bosoms tho trip was made
woro sparkling with boauty. But tho
greatest; pleasure by far, was the
mooting of earnest native Christians
at Shin Hing. The pastor speaks
very good English, having spent
some years in America. Ho is a
strong man who has made his way
up from a very low position in life-
He has translated Gospel Hymns and
many of Moody’s sermons into Chi
nese. He is an enthusiastic follower
of the Saviour and it was a joy to
meet him.
There is sore need of a mission
ATLANTA, GA., THURSDAY. MARCH 2,1893.
station being established at Shin
Hing. The brethren here are pray
ing for it and are ready to under
take it as soon as they have a doctor.
That city is an important commercial
town, of a hundred and sixty thou
sand.
It was a great surprise to me to
have such cold weather here within
the tropics. While on our trip we
had snow and sleet and ice. And
having no fires and very open houses,
suitable for their long summers, we
suffered considerably from the cold.
But I was assured by the “oldest in
habitant,’’that it had been just sixty
years since it had snowed before.
Time and skill would fail me to tell
of all that presses upon one’s atten
tion here. I will close by saying that
wo are in good health and are de
lighted to be again in China. Be
loved Shantung calls and we must
go. We sail to-morrow.
Our address is Chefoo, China, via.
San Francisco. C. W. Pruitt.
Canton, China, Jan. 23, 1893.
HE THAT OVERGOMETH SHALL NOT
BE HURT OF THE SEOOND
DEATH.” REV 2 ; 11-
BY S. G. HILT.YKR.
We have, in the text above given
the promise which was sent, by our
Saviour to the church at Smyrna.
It may be well to notice that all
the promises sent to the several
churches of Asia, are of universal
application. Though given separ
ately to each church, the subject of
every promise is “he that overcom
eth ; ” which is a general term, and
includes every saint, wherever found,
who wins the victory. Hence we all
have an interest in these promises to
day, just as truly as to the churches
to which they were first sent.
In the promise now before us, we
find that he that overcomes shall not
be hurt of the second death. Tho
question naturally arises : what is
meant by the “second death ? ” It
certainly denotes, in the book of Re
velation, the final doom of the un
godly. See ch\: 14:10, &20 : 14.)
But vGat is that doom? There lire
onlylwo answers to this question
which I think it worth while to no
tice.
One is the view commonly held
by the orthodox churches, viz, that
the final doom of the sinner is a con
dition of endless punishment. An
other vie w,held by many,is,that the fi
nal doom of the wicked is total anni
hilation. I do not know that there is
any organized body of Christians
that have adopted this view as a
part of their creed. But among all
denominations are found people who
hold this opinion. Some of them
are people of intelligence and cul
ture. Let us therefore treat this no
tion with all fairness, without charg
ing those who hold it, with any im
proper motive whatever. It may be
urged, in its favor, that, for anything
we know to the contrary, the utter
extinction of the wicked, at tho last
day, would as effectually vindicate
the divine sovereignty against the
transgressor, and also present to
all intelligent creatures as strong a
motive to obedience and submission
to the divine will, as could be ac
complished by a condition of end
less punishment. The hypothesis is
plausible, but it is beset with many
very serious difficulties. Let us no
tice some of these.
If the final doom of the lost is an
nihilation, we find no room for any
discrimination between different de
grees of wickedness. It is an in
stinctive judgment of our moral na
ture, that penalties for the violation
of law, should vary with the num
ber and magnitudes of tho offenses.
And this judgment tho Bible decis
ively confirms. It teaches uh that
men shall be judged according to
their works. Hence we learn that
some will be beaten with few stripes
while others will be beaten with
many stripes. And Josus tolls us
that it will bo more tolerable for
some people at tho day of judgment
than for others.
But how can these differences be
made, if all tho lost are annihilated ?
This would reduce all the lasses of
offenders to one common level, and
a dreadful level too. Annihilation,
just think of it I Tho foolish virgins,
who failed to mako adequate prepar
ations to meet the Bride-groom, must
suffer, at last the penitentuary of
perpetual imprisonment, rather than
subject them to capital punishment
of annihilation. Tho analogies of
human governments clearly sustain
this thought.
But there is oue more difficulty
against this doctrine. It is not sup
ported by scripture And remem
ber, we are discussing a subject, con
cerning which, w-Jcnow absolutely
nothing except what wo learn from
the Bible. We have no ground
whatever for any opinion about a
future state or a coming judgment,
outside of the Bible. Let us then
listen to its teachings.
The final doom of the sinner is
expressed, in Scripture by various
terms. It is called a destruction, a
perishing, a ruin, a death, and, in tho
text before us, it is called a second
death. But those terms do not, nec
essarily, nor oven ordinarily, express
the idea of absolute annihilation.
They are used to denote a change of
more or less calamitous; if you please
dreadful and awful, but not suecessa
rily a state of annihilation. The word
“annihilate” is not found in tho whole
Bible. Nor do I remember a single
passage, which rightly interpreted,
was designed to express the idea by
other terms. But tlt:ro are other
words which are used to describe the
final doom of the sinner, that posi
tively exclude the idea'of annihila
tion. It is said: “It is appointed unto
men once to die, and after death the
judgment” There tho language is
very concise. Tho word “judgment’’
not only includes the trial, but also
the verdict, and its execution. Then
it is obvious that the word “death”
cannot mean annihilation, for then
there would bo no room for the sub
sequent judgment and its sequences.
Paul does not mention the “second
death” but he may have had it in
his mind, as the final sequence of
the judgment, so far as the wicked
are concerned. The death which he
does mention, we have just now seen,
cannot mean annihilation. It merely
denotes that change of condition
which one experiences in passing
from this life beyond the grave. This
is the first death; —the. pnly death
rightc&'fts IWer ex
periepctu. <
wi.>eT. &Ac
ond death.” What evidence have
wo that the second death is any more
a total extinction of being, than the
first ? The word does not necessari
ly express it, and the idea of total
extinction is excluded by the plain
teachings of many parallel passages-
Jesus often speaks of the worm that
never dies, as ono source of suffering
to the lost. Now the immortality of
the worm, implies the perpetuity of
the torture which it inflicts. Again,
Jesus speaks of a fire which shall
never be quenched as another mode
of anguish to tho lost. If tho fire be
unquenchable then its victims must
abide unconsumed amidst its endless
burning. I see no other way to ex
plain these figures. But Jesus says,
at last, dropping all metaphors, and
using plain literal terms, “Tho wick
ed shall go away into everlasting
punishment.”
In the light of the foregoing views
we are compelled to fall back upon
the orthodox view of the case; viz.
that the “second death,” —the final
doom of tho wicked, —is a condition
of endless punishment.
It only remains to notice briefly
the promise: “He that overcomes
shall not be hurt of the second
death.”
This promise, though expressed
in different terms, is in substance,
equivolcnt to the ono addressed to
the church at Ephesus. The central
thought, in both, is, that tho heritage
of tho saint is eternal life. But what
is eternal life?. It means more than
eternal existence. Devils and all of
mankind, who shall be lost, will have
that. But their doom, as already
shown, is a condition of endless suf
fering. From all this the saint is
effectually redeemed. He shall never
bo hurt by tho second death. For
him, there shall bo no more sin, no
more weeping, and no more death.
But ho shall be, not only delivered
from the possibility of evil, but his
condition shall boa state of endless
felicity. This is the inheritance, in
conceptiblo, undefiled, and that fad
cth not away, reserved in Heaven
for you, who are kept by tho power
of God, through faith, ready to be
revealed in the last time. (Seo Ist,-
Petor, 1:8,-5 versos.)
73 Wheat, St Atlanta, Ga.
Dr. M. D. Jeffries has resigned
tho charge of tho East Church. Louis
ville, Ky., and begins work at the
Second Church, Knoxville, Tenn
March Ist
For tho Index.
FASTING.
BY J. J. TAYLOR, D. D.
Among the heathen, abstinence
from food was a prevalent form
self-affliction. The Egyptians re
quired that all who sought initiation
into the mysteries of Isis and Osiris
should prepare themselves by fasting.
The Greeks made the third day of
the Eleusinian celebration a day of
fasting, and those who consulted cer
tain oracles were required to abstain
for twenty-four hours. The Siamese
proclaim a fast in connection with
some of their devotions, and dedi
cate especially the seasons of the
now and of the full moon to that
observance. Mohammedans fast till
the going down of the sun every day
of their ninth month. False religions
give a large place to fasting, and as
sign to it great merit.
The Bible recognizes fasting as
proper under certain conditions.
Moses and Elijah, as well as other
prominent characters of the olden
times, fastsd on occasion. Jesus al
lowed it as an institution of the
times. He deprecated the manner
in which Pharisees observed the
stated fasts, and thundered against
the hypocrisies which the custom en
gendered. He himself came eating
and drinking, but he did not con
demn John and the disciples of John
for “fasting oft.”
Once in his life Jesus entered into
a mighty conflict with Satan in the
wilderness, “and in those days he
did oat nothing.” He was sustained
by Divine power. He no where in
timates that he expects his followers
to imitate him in this.
The celebrated Dr. Tanner under
took to fast forty days, and “eat noth
ing,” and he was pretty generally
considered a crank. The simple mat
ter of eschewing beef and mutton
and pork and feasting on fish and
eggs and oysters and fruits and vege
tables from all lands and seas can be
called an imitation of our Lord’s
fast only by using language to mean
what it-does not mean.
Early Christian writers declared
fsat fasting wwf a Jewish* ou’tom
which was not acceptable to God.
For five hundred years after Christ
the matter was left, where the New
Testament leaves it, with tho individ.
ual conscience. Even so late as the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, it is said,
the royal edict for fasting, was in
tended to encourage tho fisheries
rather than to promote religion.
As spirituality declined, fasting
began to bo considered meritorious 1
In the sixth century a council de
creed that neglect of the appointed
fasts should be punished with tho
loss of the teeth. Later, excommu
nication was not considered too
severe for greedy saints who ate flesh
on the wrong day. Fasts multiplied.
The spring fast, (German, lenz, spring,
lent,) which began with forty hours,
grew to forty days. Then were add
ed, by degrees, quarterly fasts
monthly fasts, weekly fasts and many
special fasts, until the faithful could
get only a few square meals a month)
It is written: “Moat commendeth
us not to God: for neither if we eat
are we the better, neither if we eat
not are we the worse. The kingdom
of God is not meat and drink.” Re
ligion should not be taken with a wry
face, like a bitter medicine; it is joy
and peace in the Holy Ghost, ami is
suited to all seasons.
Shall we never fast? That will
regulate itself. When the bride
groom is taken away, you will fast.
When you wrestle with forces that
are too strong, and put the strength
of body and soul, day and night, into
the conflict to arrest threatened dis
aster, you will not relish your food.
When hearts that are all tho world
to you are bounding with fever or
dragging their fitful pulsations
through the chill of death, you will
turn your face to the wall; and when
tho fight is over and silence reigns,
you will cast, yourself by the dead
and weep and pray as the prophet
prayed in pain, but not like him can
you break the sleep or bring tho soul
to tho clay again. Thon shall ye
fast.
Mobile, Alabama.
The First Baptist church, Jersey
ville, 111., recently closed a mooting
with 78 additions, 63 by baptism.
Rov. J. J. Porter, is pastor Rov. J.
N. Hall of Kentucky, assisted in tho
meeting. Tho membership is overdoo.
Tho pastor’s salary has been increas
ed toi 2,000 and a pastor’s home,cost
ing $5,000 is furnished him.
THE FIRST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS-
The church and the Christian
have human lives to work upon from
five to seventy years of age. Where
shall the emphasis of work be plac
ed? Is all the life equally open to
religious imperssions, can the church
work with as mucheffectivenoss upon
the man of fifty as upon the young
er manhood of fifteen? The oppor
tunity of the church, the call for the
most hopeful labor, the reaping of
the golden harvest is the opening
years of the life time. If there were
a spiritual multiplication table, it
would be something like this, —one
year before twenty-five is equal to
five years after twenty-five for ef
fectiveness.
Is Christian life out of harmony
with large mindedness,with the matu
res! powers of the mind, is it adapt
ed only to the child mind that takes
things upon trust, not basing choice
upon the ripest powers of reasoning.
The Christian life is reason itself.
Christ is the truth itself. With the
advancing powers of the understand
ing there ought to be the placing of
the entire man under the control of
Christ. Two currents are at work
in the man’s mind. Intellectually
there is the growing sense of the ex
istence of God. There is , a clearer
apprehension of the foundations of
the Christian faith. There is no pe
ril to our age that any theoretical
atheism will get hold of it. In Cana
da in the census of 1880 only about
five thousand enrolled themselves a
mong the out and out deniers of the
existence of God. Gladstone says
that in his public service of fifty
years he has met only four men in
high public station who denied the
reality of the Christian faith. While
the intellectual light grows clearer,
there is a deadening of the spiritual
sensibilities 1 The cares of the world,
the deceitfulness of riches, the en
tangling alliances of life crowd in
upon the soul, and Jesus Christ and
his concerns are crowded out. Jes
us, in tho quietness and uneventful
ness of his age, saw how the currents
of t!.\ world will carry a man away
froiil the right decisions and the
righ i'life. icn fold more is this true
in the. whirl and excitement of this
age when life is more intense. Dr.
Williams, of Baltimore, in an ad
dress given at Saratoga in 1885 gave
tho following figures showing tho
periods of life at which one thous
and persons, admitted to his church
by baptism, came into the new life
in Christ:
Under 15 years of age 247; be
tween 15 and 25 415; between 25
and 36 223; between 35 and 45 102-
between 45 and 55 9; between 55
and 65 4.
These figures are iu themselves
eloquence and effectiveness. They
are arguments, carry demonstrata
tion with them. These are the re
sults, not of one year, but of forty
years working. They are the out
come not of a onesided ministry, but
of a ministry aiming to reach all
classes. 662 were baptized under
25. Only 13 were won to Christ
between 45 and 65. Is this table
the result of a happening,of a chance,
or are there back of this table and
underlying it- great and alterable
laws. This table comes with a tre
mendious force to all workers among
young people. Every Sunday-chool
teacher might fittingly have it before
his eyes, written on the table of hie
heart. The time for reaching the
mind, for moulding it, for giving it
the impress for Christ and the fu
ture life is in the opening years. It
is the supremo duty, it is the eplend
ed privilege of the church to prompt
the heart for Christ. There is grad
ually coming into the mind a harden
ing process. It is not fatalism, it is
the operation of groat and fixed laws.
There are laws for the winds that
blow in such seeming recklessness.
There are laws in the structure of
the intellectual process. They work
with the precision of cog wheels.
There are laws according to which
the Holy Spirit, Works. In Minnea
polis four years ago a census was ta
ken in a large assemblage to loam
the periods of life at which they
came into. Christ. This was tho re
sult.
Under 20 years of ago 600; be
tween 20 and 25 100; between 25
and 80 38; between 80 and 40 21;
between 40 and 50 1; between 50
and 60, 1.
Out of 701 persons seven hundred
booame Christians before they were
twenty-live. Is there in this tabla *iur
Brother Minister,
Working Layman,
Zealous Sister
We are striving to make
'iVlio Index
the best of its kind. Help us by securing •
new subscriber.
VOL. 70—NO. 9.
earnest appeal to the men who are
beyond twentyfive and are not yet
Christians? Is there in this table
any earnest appeal to pastors and
teachers? Does it show with a great
transparent po werthat the early years
are the plastic, forming years of all
the life time? Is this table the re
sult of a hapening, a chance, or is
there in it the revelation of a great
law in accordance with which we
must work if we would do the best
service in enabling men to get hold
of Christ and Christ to get hold of
men. In Newark, N. J., at an after
meeting two years ago this census
was taken of the time at which those
preset had become Christion.
Under the age of 20, 250; between
20 and 30, 103; between 30 and 40,
56; between 40 and 50, 19; between
50 and 60 1.
Men talk of a ministeral Dead
Line of fifty, after which there is
dulness of intellect and comparative
uselessness in the life. In the pres
ence of these three lists, we may in
all seriousness, ask whether there is
a moral Dead Line at fifty. How
does it happen that after fifty there
is st»ch a barren harvest. Is the min
istry ineffective for getting hold of
men, is the religion of Christ fitted
far women and young people, is
religion a thing of tho emotions and
unfitted for the stronger reasoning
powers of clear headed men? Re
ligion is manly and reasonable.
Christ waa not effminate but manly
No better book for earnest young
men can be found than Thomas
Hughes book, “Manliness of Christ”
There is a law of the hardening pro
cess going on in each man’s heart.
These tables are marvellously
alike. The Insurance Companies have
their tables of mortality. There is
an average duration of human life.
Out of one thousand men such a
number will attain to the age of fifty>
and another definite number to the
age of sixty. These tables, taking
the country over, taking year by
yeai r , they can lean upon insuring
men. It is not a haphazard business
that Insurance Companies are en
gaged in. There Is a law of aver
‘ ages of which they feel sure. It is
not unfitting for the churches to say,-
The time for doing our best work is
in the first twenty five years of the
life. The emphasis of concern and
prayer and labor must be for the
young. McLaren of England recent
ly uttered these words. They are
the outgrowth of forty years of the
most effective work that England
has seen. And so I lay it on your
hearts, dear young friends. I have
but little hope of the old people. I
do not despair of any, God forbid!
but the fact remains that the most of
the men that have done anything
for God and the world worth doinsr
have been under the influence of
Christian principle in their early
days. And from fifteen to one and
twenty is the period in which you
get the set which in all likelihood
you will retain through eternity.
These words are eloquent because
they are true. Eternity, as a rule,
lies close along side of the twenty
five year old line. Is it not a great
risk to receive the child Christian
into the Church membership? Spur
geon answers this question. I have
more confidence in the spiritual life
of the children that I have received
into this Church than I have in the
spiritual condition of the adults thus
received. I will go even farther
than that and say that I have usually
found a clearer knowledge of the
gospel and a warmer love to Christ
in the child convert than in the man
converts. I will oven astonish you
still more by saying that I have some
times met with a deeper spiritual ex
perience in children of ten or twelve
than I have in certain persons of
fifty or sixty. Capacity for believ
ing lies more in the child than iu the
man. We grow less, rather than
more capable of faith. Religion is
not childishness but childlikenoss-
In the child-years there should be
the appeal to receive the Christ-life.
Getting one child for Christ may
seem for to-day a small and insignifi
cant thing. But the child will soon
be the man, and that may mean a
tremendous force for Christ and his
cause. Pray for them early, got
hold of them early, keep hold of them
tenderly, cultivate them upward con
stantly. The opportunity of the
church is tho work among the young
and for tho young. Tho duty of tho
church lies close along side tho op
portunity. O. P. Eachss
Hightstown, N. J.