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BY EMMETT t. MOFFITT. IN ESSENTIALS, UNITY; IN NON-ESSENTIALS, LIBERTY; IN ALL THINGS, CHARITY. ELOff COLLEGE, ff. 0., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1898. $a.oo PER YEAR. ESTABLISHED 1844. VOLUME LI: NUMBER 34. O^i^tiart $Ur\ PUBLISHED WEEKLY. The Organ of the General Convention the Ohriitlan Church (South). CARDINAL PRINCIPLES. 1. The Lord Jeans Is the only Head of the ohnroh, 9. The name Christian, to the exclusion of all party and sectarian names. 8. The Holy Bible, or the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, sufficient rule -of faith and practice. 4. Christian character, or vital piety, the only test of fellowship or membership. 6. The right of private judgment, and the liberty of conscience, the privilege and duty of all. Reflections. The Southern Railway is build ing a new $75,000 depot at Greensboro; During our war with Spain the cable dispatches alone cost us $2,500 a day. Admiral Schley and Captain Bob Evans are reported as being ill with fever—a result of the service under a Cuban sun. A movement is now on foot to raise-$5,000,000 from the school children ot the United -States to build a fine war-ship to take the' place of the Maine—the new vessel to be called the “Ameri can Boy”, in honor of the boys who contribute to its building. In accordance with an order from the Secretary of the Treas ury, hereafter all Spanish vessels will be allowed to enter and clear from any American port. Thus business relations again be come normal; and we trust that its influence maybe felt through out the country. Since the Americans have oc cupied Manila, everything has been quiet in the Philippines. The Spanish police have been displaced by American soldiers, and peace reigns everywhere, Aguinaldo has accepted Gen. Merritt’s conditions, and it is thought that no more trouble will arise. Miss Clara Barton, that big hearted, philanthropic woman, and the Red Cross Society are still at work among the distress ed in Cuba. The richest rewards, the brightest crowns, of the war will be those won by Miss Bar ton and others who have given their lives to the relief of the suf ferings of others. In the great Naval Parade which took place in New York several days agb, three of the greatest heroes of the war were either totally ignored or caused to play “second fiddle”. Those, however, who hold the high places cannot overshadow Schley and Watson and Sigsbee in the hearts of the American people. It is now stated that even the most ardent Spaniards in *Cuba are strongly and openly advocat ing the annexation of Cuba to the United States. This com plete change of baseis, of course, for commercial reasons. They feel sure that business would be better and safer under the Amer ican government. The Cuban leaders, however, will doubtless strongly oppose annexation. The Morganton Herald says : “The well-wishers of the Wal densian colony will be glad to learn that, with few exceptions, the people are feeling more and more encouraged as time goes by, and have certainly ample reason to rejoice this year^jver their splendid wheat crop. Sev eral have over one hundred bush els, others eighty, and where less than five years ago there was nothing but wild forest may to day be seen flourishing fields of corn, sweet potatoes and cow peas, as well as vineyards and fruit trees, which bear noble tes timony to the industry and per severance of the Vaudois.” The United States soldiers are fast returning home, and soon only a few will be left in Cuba and Porto Rico—just enough to help administer the new govern*' ments. There will be more military men in office in the United States this year than, perhaps, ever be fore. Officers and private sol diers who took part in the Span ish war will be back at home, and their friends and admirers will be eager to emphasize their appreciation of them by giving them political as well as social preferment. Those who stayed at home will have to take a back seatfer awhile. European nations do not seem to be able to understand how it is that the United States does not now proceed to rob Spain.of all she has, since we have her com pletely at our mercy. They ex pected us to do as they would have done under similar circum stances. Americans, however, do not do things that way. This was a war for humanity, and we must shew our sincerity by our actions even toward our con quered enemy. In speaking of this the American say's : “A for eign journal asserts that America has made but small gain in final settlement of the war with Spain. From a European standpoint thart might be true. That the end an# aim of the war—the ejection of Spain from the Western Hemi sphere—has been accomplished ; that the moral influence of our great republic on the world has been immeasurably increased, and that at home the two great sections of the country have been inseparably united at last; that a higher standard of patriotism has been awakened among the people at large, and that a won derful capacity for individual heroism has been developed in our army and navy—these are gains, aside from territorial ac quisitions, that the diplomats on the other side of the ocean would naturally not consider worth noticing. But they are steps to wards the destiny which is to put our own among the leading nations of the world. In the coming century it will be the moral influences which will lead, and the material, military, social and political influences which will be their tools.” 5- ' - - “The United States Bureau of Labor finds that the American people, who consumed per capita two and a-half gallons of whis key and other fiery spirits and only 1.36 gallons of beer in 1880, now consume per capita only one gallon of high spirits and 15.16 gallons of beer. There can be no doubt that this means an enormous decrease in drunken ness. It means that the habits of the people in the matter of taking stimulants have been rev olutionized. What is the cause of this change? Those who have studied the results of moral sua sion and moral legislation in other directions will hardly ad mit that changes so sweeping could have been produced in so short a time by causes so gentle, so slow of action and so often misdirected into producing just the reverse of the intended ef fects. There is, however, a cause lying right upon the surface that completely accounts lor the change. The struggle for exist ence under modern conditions makes short work of the man who keeps his brains befuddled with liquor. In many of the greatest lines of employment the man who drinks to excess is barred. In many others he is hopelessly handicapped. The drunkard or the tipsy man no longer excites amusement or sympathy, but suspicion and dis gust. The heavy drinking is done by the two leisure classes— the one at the top and the other 4t the bottom—and neither of these classes is of much account in this busy world. Twenty years ago this drink problem was discussed as one of the great perils. It is solving itselt. And that is the fate of all problems, however portentous, when they are faced by an intelligent and progressive and industrious peo ple.—N. Y. World. Contributions THE LIFE MORE ABUNDAHT— MARKS. ITS BY V. D. DAVID (TAMIL EVANGEL IST), OF INDIA. What are the marks of this life more abundant? I. It is a powerful life. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts I : 8. II. It is a strong life. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Phil. III. It is a fruitful life. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain : that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he" may give it you.” John 15 : 16. IV. It is a satisfied life. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoev er state I am, therewith to be content.” Phil. 4: 11. V. It is a victorious life. “But thanks be unto God, which al ways leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savour of his knowledge in every place.” 2 Cor. 2 : 14, R. V. VI. It is a rejoicing and glori fying life. “Whom having not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believ ing, ye rejoice with joy unspeak able and full of glory,” 1 Peter 1:8. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, whice ye have of God, and ye are not your own ? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God, in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Cor. 6: 19, 20. VII. 1| is a trusting or easy life. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn ot me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt. 11 : 29, 30. I am now going to speak to you upon some of the marks of this life. I. What is This Powerful Life? i. It is a witnessing life: “But ye shall receive power, af ter that the Holy Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall he wit nesses unto ma both in Jerusa lem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts i : 8. There you see, when they were filled with the Holy Ghost, they began witnessing for the Lord. Before they were filled, they went about fishing. Peter said, “I go a fishing”, John 21 : 3 ;— but as soon as they were filled, I believe Peter said, “Let us go to the open air.” He was no longer afraid of the people. Cowardly Peter was made a spiritual giant. He “lifted up his voice”, Acts 2 : 14, as the Holy Ghost records. I don’t know how loud he spoke. Many preachers do not open their mouths so that the people may hear, because they have not got this fullness. When they have got the fullness of God, their hearts and their mouths will surely be opened, and people can hear them distinctly. “Our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.” 2 Cor. 6: 11. Dearfriend.it you possess the life more abundant, people will see it, understand you, and also they will like to have this life. Witnessing means telling what you know. “I know whom I have believed.” a Tim. 1:12. If a laborer goes to court, and stands before the judge, and says, “Judge, I have come because I was summoned as a witness in this case.” “Well, what have you got to say about it?” “I have come here to give my opinion on the subject." What would the judge say? He would say, “Out you go! We do not want your opinion ; what do you know about the case?" r. “O, judge, I beg your pardon, I don’t know anything; I have just come here to give my opin ion on the subject.” -In the same way many people want to give tbeir opinion about the truth, but they themselves know nothing about it in prac tice. My dear brother, this is not witnessing. This is not the out come of the abundant life. When you receive the life more abun dant you will tell out what you know, and have received from God. O, may God help you ! I will give you la verse for it, “Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious ; but I obtained mercy.” 1 Tim. 1: 13. That is it,—“I obtained mercy,” Paul was testifying to the saving power of JestM. “Before I was a blasphemer, but I have obtain cy.” See, he didn’t preach a long sermon here, but testified with clearness. You are preaching sanctifica tion, but have you got it your self? That is what the people want to know. First tell what God says about it, and then seal the truth with your testimony. Many testify in a goody, goody way, “I was a sinner, and now I am saved.” Tell what you were before, unless you are quite sure certain sins you committed should not be told out for the glory of God. Unless they clear ly see, certain testimony of yours may cause the hearers’ minds to stumble or be confused. Were you a blasphemer? If you were, tell it out. Were you a drunk ard? Tell it out. Were you a gambler? Tell it out. If you want to recommend a doctor to any one, you tell what sickness you had before you went to him, and how the doctor Cured you ;—“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee,” (Mark 5: 19),—then on ly do you recommend him. Glo ry be to God ! My dear brother and sister, witness tor him ! Wit ness for him ! Many haven’t got anything in them to witness about. Thous ands of preachers have nothing to witness about, and they sim ply beat about the bush. Th(jre is nothing in it. If you have re ceived any gift from him, tell it out. Witness! Witnes^! Wit ness !—that is what is wanted ! Take another case, the wom an ot Samaria, John 4: 5-42. She came to draw water, but she got the well inside, the abundant life, the rivers. She never ex pected that at all. See how she got this. She was a notorious woman, known by all the people in the town. The Lord God took pity on her, and saved her soul. He walked about twelve miles at noon in the hot sun that day, and sat at Jacob’s well. He did not care about the heat, or for food, but cared for her soul. “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” John 4 : 32. Glory be to God ! If you want to win souls, you do not care about heat or cold. Christ was not anxious about his breakfast. He didn’t say, “Nine o’clock. I must go and eat my breakfast.” “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me.” John 4 : 34. Wonderful Saviour. She came to the well. Christ did not ask her at first if she was saved. He knew how to win her, he knew how to bait the hook. Some preachers show the hook, and the fish runs away. Mark how he showed himself, first as a stranger, then as a Jew, then as a prophet, then as the Christ who was to come, and at last as a Saviour. He did not frighten her. If she had known that he was the Christ, whom the Jews were expecting, perhaps she would not have come. She came only for a pot of water, but the well got into her soul, and at once she forgot all about her water-pot. You care about your water-pots because you have not got the well, the abundant life, inside. When you get the abundant life, you will do away with all your water pots. What are the water-pots of the world? Enjoyment, danc ing. balls, theatres, worldly pleas ures, evil of every kind,—they shall be no more in your heart, but outside. Many people who do not possess the abundant life are caring about these water-pots now. “Can I go to the theatre? Can I go to the ball ? Can I go to the dance?” When you get the lite more abundant you get all these in Christ. In him all fulness dwells. Col. i: 19. “In thy right hand there are pleas ures for evermore.” Ps. 16: n, R. V. You will dance before the Lord, as David did, (“David danced before the Lord with all his might.” 2 Sam. 6: 14.) and clap your hands. “Clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.” Ps. 47: 1. Jesus does not want you to lose your enjoyment, but to come and receive enjoyment in him. If you want pleasures, there are pleasures in Christ. He shall make you to drink the river of his pleasures. “Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.” Ps. 36: 3 This woman as soon as she got the well inside, off she went. She did not wait, nor did she ask any questions, nor doubt about anything. No, she went back to the city and said, “Come, and see a man, which told me all things that ever I did.” John 4 : 29. Come and see whether he is Christ. Wonderful testimony ! Wonderful witnessing! Seethe power of God I My dear brother, have you got the power of the Holy Ghost? Have you got this life more abundant? Does your life bear testimony? Are you testifying always, anywhere and every where ? Another point: Not only wit nessing, hut witnessing at all times,anywhere and everywhere. Many would speak for Jesus only at 11 o’clock : I mean only at the appointed time, at the fixed place. A sinner may die in his sins, but they do not care : —that is what people call God’s work now-a-days. In season or out of season, you are to speak for the Lord whenever he tells you. When you get this witness ing power in you, you will not be limited by time. The foun tain will be bubbling over; you can’t contain it. The rivers of living water will go through you, “Out of his belly shall flow riv ers of living water, (John 7 : 38), and you cannot but speak to all | around you. But a few drops of water will not satisfy you. Now, when you begin to speak, you have to pump it out. That is working with the energy of the flesh. Soon you will be exhaust ed ; you are done up in one or two meetings. There are many wa ter-Christians, some well-Chris 1 tians, but comparatively very few river-Christianfc. Listen to what the Lord said, “Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” I tell you if the river Ganges, the river Mississippi, the river Indus and the river Amazon were all joined together in one great rushing tide, every thing would be swept before it; nothing could stop it. Such a river is this abundant life. O. brother, can you not testi fy for the Lord? Are you afraid of men o^r^&pnen ? That shows you havlP*not got the Blesser, the abundant life. Look at Peter. He was afraid of a servant woman before he got this abundant life ; but when he got it, he spoke in the open air, anywhere and everywhere, with all boldness, not only in a fixed spot, but also from house to house, and witnessed in the pow er of the Holy Ghost. Witness ing spirit! If you have not got this power, you cannot witness for the Lord. May the Holy Ghost make this very plain to you. 2. This powerful life has Power in Prayer. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they had as sembled together”, Acts 4 : 31. Holy Ghost prayer always brings results. Now-a-days, prayers are about twenty-five miles long. Some people that are weak can’t stay on their knees a long time, and they get restless and I believe they say within themselves : “We wish this man would say, Amen.” Such prayers begin at North ^14^ then go to San Francisco, and from there to some other places. This is not Holy Ghost j prayer, but your own prayer. “Use not vaiD repetitions as the ' heathen do.” Matt. 6: 7. Gen erally Holy Ghost prayers are short, definite, and to the point, though sometimes they may be long. Very few long prayers are mentioned in the Bible, but you may pray long when the Holy Ghost prays through you. It is a speaking prayer. Prayer is speaking to God. JVhen you get the power of the Holy Ghost, you will know how to pray ; and not only that, when you get through you will be able to know what you have prayed for. That is the Holy Ghost prayer. When you go to a shop and buy some thing, you know what you have bought. If yoa miss anything, you will send your servant after it, because you know what you have bought. It is just the same way when you pray to God in the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost prayer is a pow erful prayer, it will shake all your house, that is, your family, and shake your own heart as well. Five minutes’ prayer with a Holy Ghost man will make you see the power of God. One can be converted through your pray er as well as through your preaching. When the saints prayed, the power of God shook the whole building, and they knew what they were praying for. I will give you five points of the Holy Ghost prayer in five verses. First, be sure that you have the life more abundant; second, pray according to these points: A. i Kings 3: 5, “God said, Ask what I shall give thee.” Pray with desire. That is the first mark. You must sit dowD before you kneel down, and find out what you want. Understand what you want before you kneel down. B. I John 5 : 14, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything ac cording to his will, he heareth us.” You must pray according to the will of God. How do 1 know his will? The Spirit of God knows what to pray for, be cause he knows “the will ol God;’’ Rom. 8: 27. If you pos sess the Spirit, he will pray ac cording to his will. Once I found it was very difficult to know God’s will, but he clearly showed me through Romans 8 : 26, 27. (“Likewise the Spirit al so helpeth our infirmities : for we know not what we .should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”; that the Spirit of God knows the will of God, so there will be no difficulty in the matter of praying. If you possess the life more abundant, the baptism of the Holy Ghost,, he shall pray according to his will. Praise God! C. Mark 11 : 24, “Therefore I say unto you, What thiugs soev er ye desire, when ye pray, be lieve that ye receive them, and ye” may “receive them”? Is it “may”? No: “Ye shall have them.” Glory be to Gcd ! There is no mistake about it. If you pray according to his will, be lieving, ye shall receive. Many people pray, but they don’t be lieve. As long as the devil sees that you don’t believe, he is not a bit troubled about your prayer. You may pray away for 25,000 years, it will avail nothing. Not in the quantity, but in the quality of prayer is the power. When the devil sees people praying who don’t believe, he says, “All right, let them pray.” But when a man or a woman prays and ends it with words of thanksgiv ing, “I thank thee”,that is the believing prayer. The believing prayers always end with thanks giving before seeing the result. Some say, “How can I thank God before I see the answer?” If you do not thank God before you see the result, you do not believe. That is not faith at all. “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead l was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” John ti : 41. Notice that. Lazarus hadn’t come out as yet. He was yet in the tomb ; but ]e us thanked God. The people might have said, “What does this man mean? Lazarus has not come out. He is thanking his Father.” First he thanked the Father; then he said, “Lazarus, come out;”-and he came out. Glory be to God ! You have to thank him before you see there-, suit. 1 D. i Cor. 14 : 15, “I will praj|j with the spirit, and I will prayl with the understanding also.’ijl Pray with the spirit, And prai|| with the understanding. Yo £> must know what you have bee 5 praying for. Not only pray, bgBj you must pray with the Spi|||| and with understanding. E. John 14: 14, “It ye sbxjf ask anything in my name, I 'IrMiP do it.” Your prayer cannot be answered unless vou pray in the name of Jesus. This is the Holy Ghost prayer. Have you got this power in prayer? First, pray with desire. Sec ond, pray according to the will of God. Third, pray believing. Fourth, pray with understand ing. Fifth, pray in the name of Jesus. One more condition ; be right with God and man before you pray. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Ps. 66: 18. There must be no iniquity of any kind, no grudgd or unforgiving spirit. If these conditions are present in your life then you will surely have this powerful prayer, and you can say, “Praise the Lord”, before you see the result. I have wasted my time in thousands and thousands of useless prayers, that could not go higher than the ceiling. You can understand (he power of God working in you, and through you, in all things, when you possess this abundant lite. [Concluded in Next Issue.] GO AM) 1)0 LIKEWISE. BY E. A. DEVORE, D.D. In the winter of 1893-4, when many men connected with a lit le church in Illinois had no work to do, because ot hard times, the ladies’ aid society pro 1 pOsed to stand good for the ma terials if the idle men would do the work in constructing a par sonage. The proposition was gladly accepted, and a $1,200 parsonage was the result at a cost hardly to exceed $500. This ex imple of sacrifice and willing co-operation ought to cause 100 other parsonages to be built by our churches in the West within the next ten years. The parsonage, if properly lo cated and equipped, is almost a guarantee of the continued life ot the church. In all our travels we have seen only one dead church with a parsonage stand ing by its side. Usually the en emy has come in and slain the Hock because ot the absence of the shepherd. The parsonage means a pastor instead of a trav eling preacher to most of our Western churches. a,.^i Do not be offended if any one speaks or behaves insincerely to you, for do you yourself always speak and behave sincerely with others? Are you not often hyp ocritical? Do you always con verse sincerely, not hypocritical-* ly, with God in prayer? Do not your lips olten pronounce words of truth while your heart lies? Do you walk before Godjinfsin cerity, in simplicity? If you yourself are not right before God and men, if you are often false, hypocritical, then do not be an gry if others behave insincerely, hypocritically toward you. “Wherewithal a man sinneth, by the same also shall he be pun ished.” Be induldent to others in that in which you yourselt sin. —Christian Advocate. That man is perfect in faith who can come to God in the ut ter dearth of his feelings and his desires, without a glow or an as piration, with the weight of low thoughts, failures, neglects, and wandering forgetfulness, and say to him : “Thou art my refuge, because thou art my home.”— George Macdonald. In 1876 the brewers of the U. S. brewed nine million barrels oi beer and in 1896 thirty-five mil lion barrels.—Exchange.
The Christian Sun (Elon College, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 1, 1898, edition 1
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