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Show i Congregationalism Subject of Address by New York Man Hubert C. Herring, D. D., of Now York City general secretary of tho Homo Missionary s6cioty of the Congregational Con-gregational church of tho United States, delivered an interesting and instructive address on "Congregationalism," to a largo audience at tho Phillips Cpn-gregational Cpn-gregational church Sunday evening. In part Dr. Herring, who is a guest of tho pastor, tho Rev. P. A. Siinpkin, said: Tho tomorrow of Congregationalism will be fundamentally like the yesterday of Congregationalism. Individuals rarely rare-ly change radically over night. Institutions Institu-tions never do. If to anyone that fact Is discouraging, he must be discouraged. I cannot help him. To me It is Immensely encouraging. It prevents bewilderment for ono thing. If I should rise some morning morn-ing to find that Tammany Hall had become be-come a. Civil Service Reform league, I should go about my duties with the vague expectation that tho sun might set In the east. Conversely of tho Red CroBs society. so-ciety. We neod stability in order to sanity. But better still the essential identity of yesterday and tomorrow enables en-ables ono to conlldently ally himself with tho institution which commands hia trust. Ho knows It will not prove false tomorrow by review of yesterday. Let me, then, preface what I am to say about Congregationalism' with a brief analysis of Its achievements of yesterday. The Congregationalism of the Immediate yesterday yes-terday has had conspicuous leadership in three forms of supremely important service. Within tho memory of man, the world has passed Into a new mental attitude. Thu earth and ac-a, tho starry sky and the soul of man have yielded new secrets. Tho universe has expanded. Such a process pro-cess was certain to be acc6mpanled by great mental disturbance, by excesses and vagaries. Most of all, when It touched tho delicate, sensitive rpalm of religion It was fraught with peril to faith and moral balance. Some In violent reaction would be tempted to reject the most patent pat-ent results of scientific inquiry. Some, In heudlong surrender to mistaken claims, would throw their Christian faith in the scrap heap. Some, In timorous bewilderment, bewilder-ment, would drift here and there with conflicting currents. All would feel the stress of the time. When this process began, the denomination denomi-nation to which you and I belong was equipped by virtue of all Its past history and its mental outlook to take high place of leadership In tho work of adjustment, ad-justment, of allaying panic. In tho building, build-ing, out of the materials hewn by modern science, a temple wherein the unchanging unchang-ing gospel of the Son of God might dwell and work as of old Its works of power. Across the continent stretched our illustrious illus-trious chain of schools, abodes of generous gener-ous faith and of generous learning. Upon, the library shelves of ministers and laymen lay-men of all denominations stood the books penned by the ripe masters- of thought produced within our fold. In our church gatherings, dwelt In a degree- not found elsewhere, the spirit of liberty which was content to say: "To his own master let him stand or fall." Out of It ail camo a spirit of calm faith In God, coupled with an open minded willingness to accept whatever light might break from His word or His works. Because of this, thero has come to us a mighty place of Intellectual leadership. Wo have been used of God powerfully to influence other evangelical .churches In the direction of toleration and of confidence in the titles of those set to rule, provided always that violence be not done to tho broad and sacred democracy founded by Jesus Christ: the denomination which has always al-ways stood ready to co-operate with any ben1' of Christians, and has so co-opcr-ntl. often to Its temporal loss; the denomination de-nomination which for 100 years, as represented rep-resented by its missionary societies at home and abroud, has not been trying to exalt Itself, but whoso first concern hns been for the honor of the one great Name; the denomination which has the best right, even as It hns the least Inclination, In-clination, to call Itself the Catholic church. The generation just behind us has been marked by a great awakening to the social significance of the gospel. We have not ceased to be concerned for our personal salvation Jf ypu have. I have not but wc have become much more concerned than we were for the salvation of society. But I remind you that the Congregationalism of recent years hos proven Its vitality by Its wide and deep response to the call of God. hoard In the awakening social consciousness of the age. It will be more aggressive denominationally. de-nominationally. If the Congregationalism Congregational-ism of tomorrow Is to accomplish its God-appointed task, it must be marked by aggressive evangelism. There Is In our possession ono fact which stands in a. class alone by Itself. No othor shares Its splendid Isolation. It Is the fact that the infinite God has revealed Himself In redeeming love through His Son. Jesus Christ. In the reality of that fact He unfathomable depths of meaning, un-mensurable un-mensurable reaches of hope. With Its denial, all turns black. How cogent Is tho logic which do-mnnds do-mnnds that tho church of Christ mako this central article of her faith, heart of her heart, life of her life, the foremost thing In all her thoughts and plans. This means that the church Is bound, everywhere every-where nnd always, to be an evangelistic church. She must bo unceasingly pointing tho way of salvation through a'cccptancc of Infinite lovo revealed in an infinite sacrifice. Even It overy man, woman and child born on the earth wcro a believer in iho gospel, It would still be necessary that the church bo ovangellstlc. For men die and men arc born. Each generation must be evangelized as it comes upon the stage. But the evangelism we need Is a broad and progressive thing, touching and coloring all the parts of our life. It Is the main spring of missions. mis-sions. It Is the heart of fruitful Sunday school work. It Is the atmosphere of genuine social service. It underlies every message of t"e pulpit, it is the foundation founda-tion or every Christian home. It cannot can-not be said too often, or too temphati-cally, temphati-cally, that no service of humanity can have large or long-run results, which is not concerned to bring men Into personal relations with God. We llvo In an age of philanthropy, when men's hearts are touched with pity. We llvo In an age of reform. Men are Indignant over public evils as they once were ntt. Many a stout heart and strong arm Is enlisted on behalf of tho oppressed. The long hours of toll, the unsanitary conditions, tho rank Injustices, Injus-tices, tho unwholesome homes how we aro learning to hate it all. The 2,000,000 child wage earners, deprived of childhood's child-hood's sacred right to sunshine and home care and study and play who is there with red blood In his veins who would not be glad If he might enter the lists as knight of old, against the damnable greed which blots out the light from their lives? We live In an age of education. Over all the land institutions in-stitutions for the training of the head and hand spring up. Thu money of tho rich Is poured out .like water to found and maintain them. The dearest desire In all our homes is that our children may not fail of ah education. And how beautiful It all Is. But thero Is more to be snjd. Philanthropy Phil-anthropy and reform and education a trinity of high activities of tho human soul. But though there should be accomplished accom-plished In each of tttem all that our rosiest dreaniB could picture, human society so-ciety would still be an abject failure, If with it all men were brought Into no living relation with God. The heart of humanity would still bo hungry. Men would live and die, carnal, comfortless, despairing. It docs not He In the power of philanthropy or reform or education to attain Its ideal, save as tho message of God In Christ vitalizes its endeavors. Philanthropies will crumble, reforms will miscarry, education will freeze without tho gospel. The sustaining power Is that faith in the love of God, by which in Paul's phrase "the world Is crucltied unto mo and 1 unto tho world." To possess and to Impart that faith is the Indispensable basis for all high accomplishment. accom-plishment. I am frank to say that there appears to me great need of emphasizing this truth in our fellowship. More than some other Christian communions we arc In danger of forgetting it. Our emphasis upon the value of all knowledge, our expansive ex-pansive sympathies, our varied Interests, our concern for social wrongs, our admiration admi-ration for the beautiful and true, by whatovcr name called, or wherever found all tend to obscuro -the great rugged central necessity of emphasizing personal salvation through a divinely ordained Savjor Wo aro In dnnger of assuming its Importance. The need is that It be proclaimed. There is call Tor a great campaign of witnessing among us of witnessing to the eternal verities of the gospel. Tho Congregationalism of tomorrow shall, please God, be found proclaiming In accents ac-cents of unfaltering trust, and with aggressive ag-gressive concern, the salvation of men through Jesus Christ. |