12.07.2015 Views

0 w C ^ ^.-^• t^J - Rparchives.org

0 w C ^ ^.-^• t^J - Rparchives.org

0 w C ^ ^.-^• t^J - Rparchives.org

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

233 Our Views of Mission Work.rigid and despotic, that whatever a man's service Now I am very much afraid of the spirit of casteto the Church or State may be, he can never rise in our churches. Oue of the most elaborateabove tbe conditions in which he was born. In churches in Montreal ihey call the "PuUmanEngland caste is not so rigid, for a man may rise Palace Car Church" because the common peoplefrom a common apprentice to be a master workman,are not supposed to go to heaven that way.then a merchant prince and from the mercbant'The Earl of Shaftsbury, a man who refused briiprince become a meniber of Parliament. liant posts of public service in the highest positionsAmerican institutions are stiU more flexible. in the kingdom, said, " it is not plain to me thatThe possible upward career, here, of any man has G od wants me to be an officer of state ; bnt Ibeen compared by Garfield, to the facility with know that God wants me to help and befriend thewhioh a drop of water rises from the trough of the poor." On one occasion this man had a convictsea to glisten on the crest of the waves. But come to him just out of prison. A man had senttbere is nevertheless a spirit of caste whicb invadeshim to the Earl as his surest friend and so theeven our churches, aud seriously affects convict came direct to him Five years after­their vitality and theii- usefulness. We are gettingwards, when that man was a respectable merchantto have the most contemptible of all aris­in a small way, in a business supporting himselftocracy—that of mere money. 'The rich ami and his fainily, he said to a friend, " The Earl ofpoov do not meet together, though the Lord is Shaftsijury Ls responsible for all this." His friendthe maker of them all. Tbe simple iact is tbat, said, " What did the Eari say to you ?" "Ah !"if we would add to our congregations, we must said lie, " it was not what be said, but his touch,welcome even the poorest and outcast classes. I as he put his hand on my shoulder, and said,have seen in the little tent which these young " Jack, we'll make a man of you yet; it was hismen of Bethany put up, a poor woman come in, touch that did it." 3iy friends I wish I couldragged and tired, with four little children clinging impress upon you all that a kid glove is a nonconductor.to her. I wondered if oue of tliese rich chur(;hesThere are people ready to gowonld receive her. She found the Saviour iu that and labor among the poor if tbey could go in thetent and theu went home to gather her childreu extreme of fashion or without any personal contactaround her, though her brutal husband was; but they caunot stand the •" poor smeU."drunk, and lead them iu family prayer. The We ought to get rid of this fastidiousness. Thepoor man does not want to go to a chnrch, maguiflcentlymore we lovg Christ, the more our souls must gobuilt and magnificently decorated, with a out to His poor. Now the way to go among theten thousand dollar minister in the pulpit, and a poor is to go in a spirit of love. You cannotfive thousand dollar choir in the <strong>org</strong>an loft, be­work for these men unless you love them. Mrs.cause he cannot furnish his proportion for the sustainingof that great financialenterprise. A mandoes not enjoy the beautiful when it is theproperty of another man, even though tbat manmay show bimself a friend, so long as he knowsthat he himself cannot bear his proportion of theexpense. Such pride is not wholly an ignoblepride. Is it very strange that there is somethingin the mind of the poor man ihat revolts at intrudingupon the pew that is owned by another 1Rhea weut in Persia into the huts of the poorestwomen, where the children were almost naked,and slie said she wished tbey were absolutelynaked, for then there would be less room for thevermin to hide. Returning to her own room shesaid, " 0 my Jesas, I canuot work for thesewomen unless 1 lov.:' them." That is the onegrand requisite for labor, and the caste spiritmakes this impossible. Love tbem for the sake oftbe salvation of tbeir souls. God will not use a

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!