The Evening Telegraph

THEIR
RISE
AND PROGRESS

A Sermon Preached by Rev. Rufus W. Clark, D.D., at the First Baptist Church, Broad and Arch Streets. Last Evening.

(SPECIAL PHONOGRAPHIC REPORT FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.)

At the request of the Philadelphia Young Men's Christian Association, I appear before you to-night, to speak of the origin and progress of the associations throughout our land. You will find my text recorded in the sixth verse of the 126th Psalm:—“He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

In no institution of modern times has this declaration been more fully verified than in that of the Young Men's Christian Associations. Although the public have but partially informed themselves in regard to the operations and successes of this great moral instrumentality, and although much of the work has been privately and quietly performed, and many of the trains of influences set in motion cannot be traced in all their various windings and salutary effects, yet, as we survey the prominent fields in which these young laborers have wrought, we behold harvests waving that fill our hearts with joy and with gratitude to God. In tracing these fruits to their germ, we find, according to one of the annual reports of the London Association, that twenty-two years ago, when the vast maelstrom of the commercial life of London was drawing thousands within its dark and rapid current, a Christian young man in one of the city establishments called together there a few friends to pray in his room for strength to preserve themselves, and enable them by some means to bring the light of life to their careless companions. It was but a little gathering; yet this group, in prayer that God would raise up some influence to draw away young men from the gloom in which they were slumbering, and snatch them from the darkness into which they were rushing, became, under His blessing, the embryo of the Young Men's Christian Association. It led several who saw it, simultaneously to ask if something could not be done to introduce prayer-meetings in other houses.

On the 6th of June, 1844, a meeting was held of the Christian friends and brethren to whom this thought had been communicated. A Committee was formed, and rules embodying the principles on which they were determined to proceed, adopted. Circulars stating the objects contemplated were sent to all the Christian young men in the London houses of business, where names could be obtained; and in a few weeks the Young Men's Christian Association had an organization which could enter upon effective operations. From this small beginning similar associations have sprung up throughout the Christian world. In the United States and the Canadas there are about two hundred that have been represented by delegates at our international conventions. There are others, and particularly at the South, with whom there has recently been no official communication. Those in our large Northern and Western cities are in a vigorous and prosperous condition, and embrace, as accurately as I could ascertain, about thirty thousand young men of superior intelligence, of high Christian principle, of ardent religious zeal, and great executive power.

This array is gathered from the front ranks of the Christian army of Christ throughout our land. It embraces the superintendents, officers, and teachers of our Sabbath Schools. It embraces the young men that sustain the prayer-meetings. It embraces those thousands from among our Christian churches upon whom, in a great measure, the hopes of the American republic and the American Church in the future depend.

In reviewing the achievements of the associations in the past, in order to gather stimulus for enlarged plans and more vigorous efforts for the future, I would speak, in the first place, of the young men whose Christian activities have been developed in the service of these organizations.

At the last Convention, held in June of this year, in the city of Albany, sixty-three Associations sent in reports of their condition and of what, during the previous year, had been, by the blessing of God, accomplished. Fifty-four of these reported their membership, and I find that there were connected with these 15,658 young men. Many of these have developed their Christian activities, which without the fields for action opened by these Associations would probably have remained dormant. Their piety has been called into vigorous exercise. Their talents, energy, and spirit of perseverance have been tested, and they have experienced the truth of the Saviour's declaration, that it is more blessed to give than to receive. They have been able to accomplish more fully the great mission of life than they could and would have done without these organizations.

Let me ask this intelligent Christian audience. What is the object of becoming a Christian? Is it not to serve the Saviour, advance in holiness, and exert an influence for the good of others? Does it not enter into the very first duty of devotion to Christ to labor for our Master? What is the grand end? Why, that we may love the Christian duty and avocations, and consecrate ourselves to His service. Not simply to organize churches and listen to the Divine truth.

We are admitted into God's family to be equipped with virtues and strong principles, that we may do our duty on the great avenues of philanthropy and benevolence; and where will you find an institution better fitted to enlist the powers, the sympathies, and the ardor of young Christians, than the work in which these associations are engaged?

We have been sorry to find that there have been from some quarters objections made to these associations, as though they were interfering with the great work of the Church. We believe as fully as any person in the great fact that the Christian Churches of our land are the heaven-appointed organizations for carrying the Gospel to the destitute and to the heathen; but would to God the churches felt more fully their duty in this particular! I regard every Christian church in Philadelphia as planted by God as the divinely appointed society for carrying the Gospel to those who are perishing and destitute; and upon these evangelical churches rests, in a great measure, the responsibility of this work.

We have in this city our Missionary Societies, our Tract Societies, and our Bible Societies; but I put the Church above them, as the great agency which God has appointed for this work. These young men go between the churches and the vicious, the neglected, the poor, and the wretched of our cities. They come to ask your aid, your prayers, and your efforts to help them in the work of carrying the Gospel to the ignorant and the vicious; and whenever the churches have cordially co-operated with these associations, they have felt the reflex influences of their power.

Strong efforts are being made at the present time to unite the various denominations of Protestant Christians in fraternity of spirit and concert of action. You are familiar with the movements in New York and other cities in regard to this matter. The feeling extensively prevails that there has been already too much written in favor of mere denominational zeal, and especially in an unholy rivalry between
acts, that has brought anything but honor upon the Christian name.

Having, as the Evangelical denominations do, a common faith, and clinging to the same great doctrines that are the only true and effective weapons with which to make war against the strongholds of sin in the earth, the idea has fastened itself upon many minds that there is every reason for a higher and more complete unity in the various ranks of Christ's army.

But while good men have been forming and applying their theories for the accomplishment of this most desirable end, the work has been silently yet steadily advancing in the hundreds of associations, containing thousands of young men, scattered over the Protestant Christian world. Here Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Reformed Dutch, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, and Lutherans have met, prayed together, labored together, and know each other only as the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Their attention has been absorbed by earnest desires to save young men from the errors and vices to which they are exposed, and to extend in every possible way the Redeemer's kingdom.

Imperceptibly their hearts have been drawn together; sectarian names have fallen from their minds. While true to the reasonable claims of their respective denominations, they have been led by the natural cultivation of Christian fellowship and affection. The shackles of narrow prejudices and jealousies in Christian action with Christians of every name, to take that sure that comes from concerted and earnest nations, they have been led by the natural cul- and of the work of His spiritual Church on the broad and liberal views of the designs of Christ earth. They have been in positions to see that those bearing another denominational name could love the Lord Jesus Christ as sin- cerely as they-could labor with as pure desires and as earnest a zeal as they to save immortal souls, and could strive with as much ardor as was ever kindled in their hearts, to be prepared for death and secure the rewards of heaven. Indeed, many of them have been better fitted by their associated work and ex- perience to labor successfully in their own indi- vidual churches. Having been trained to re- gard the spirit more than outward form of re- ligion, having been dealing with the vital truths and great duties that grow out of Christianity, they are prepared to ren- der the most efficient service in carrying out the best plans for the extension of their own branch of the Church. And from these asso- ciations we have reason to look for a more ex- tended and consolidated unity for the future. God may use them as a prominent instrumen- tality for marshalling His hosts for the great and final battle with the powers of evil, that shall precede the dawn of millennial glory and the universal triumphs of the Christian faith.

Speaking of the work of the young men, he said the fruits of a Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation in this department are so varied and abun- dant, that it is impossible to present more than a partial view of them within the limits of this discourse.

Through their efforts to save young men from the power of vice and lead them to Jesus; through the systematic visitation of many at their houses; and through the agencies that they brought to bear, young men arriving in the cities were placed at once under Christian influences. They have achieved a blessed work, the magnitude of which cannot be described.

Could the history of the Association at New York, or the one at Boston, or at Philadel- phia, or Chicago, be fully written, the commu- nity would be surprised at the results of the labors of these Christian young men.

For example, the New York Association has been in existence for fifteen years, and besides the result of previous years, during the last two a great work has been accomplished for the moral, social, and spiritual welfare of the young men and of others in that great city.
According to their report, they sustain a Bible class for young men, ten religious weekly services, besides five weekly meetings among the Germans. They issued five thousand circulars to the clergy of their own and adjoining States, urging them to furnish young men coming to the city with letters of introduction to them. They also inserted advertisements in the various religious papers, calling the attention of persons residing out of town to the objects of the association, and asking them to send the names of any young men they desired to have visited and brought under religious influence. These measures have resulted in immense good. Young men have been visited, with the most cheering results. Multitudes have brought letters from the country, and been assigned to good boarding places, and placed in good business situations. The Chairman of the Employment Committee (W. F. Lee, Esq.) devotes a part of every day to this good work, and it has become a most important agency for the merchant as well as the clerk. Christian merchants make application to Mr. Lee for moral and Christian young men, and he furnishes them. Thus the interest of the merchant is awakened in the association, and the young men are at once brought under the best social and religious influences. During the past year hundreds of young men have thus been placed in good situations. These men have come from every part of the United States and from foreign lands, even from Turkey and Armenia. Altogether this Association expended this last year $10,000, yet it is proposed to erect a large and elegant edifice at a cost of $250,000, for the moral and religious benefit of the young men of the city. The idea is to present attractions that will counteract the evil influences of the demoralizing amusements and temptations of the city. A grander plan than this cannot be executed. Already $200,000 have been sub- scribed to the enterprise by the princely merchants of New York. The membership is 1300.

The last report of this Association says:- “In no year of our history have we accomplished as much legitimate work as in the year just closed.”

The Boston Association has a membership of 1500. From their report we learn that hundreds of young men have found the Saviour at the prayer meetings held by the association, and each month adds to the number. Prayer- meetings are also held on board the receiving ship Ohio, stationed in Boston harbor, every evening, resulting in frequent conversions among the sailors. A band of nine young men go forth every Sunday morning to labor among the seamen on other vessels in harbor. A class for literary improvement meets on alternate weeks, for declamation, reading, essays, and debate. The social element is largely introduced into the association, with most excellent effect. The rooms are spacious and elegant, and are visited daily by about eight hundred persons, who come to read the papers and periodicals, and to take books from the library. The library numbers 3556 well-selected volumes, such as are calculated to exert the most beneficial influ- ence upon the mind and heart of the reader.

Twenty associations reported last year libraries containing an aggregate of 32,105 volumes. What an instrumentality we have for good in this mass of sound Christian literature! And what a contrast does it present to libraries made up of fictitious works, silly novels, and the demoralizing narratives of fashionable pro- fligates!

The Philadelphia Association, four weeks ago, had upon its roll of membership fifteen hundred of your Christian young men. Since that time five hundred have taken their rank with the fifteen hundred, making a force of two thousand strong. The library numbers over three thousand volumes. Many young men have been aided in obtaining suitable employment and comfortable homes. The sick have been visited, the needy relieved, and many of those who were walking in the ways of death have been led into the paths of life and happiness. Literary and social meetings are held, and the monthly meetings and quarterly reunions are occasions of great interest. Classes have been established in the various languages--Latin, Greek, and German, and instruction is imparted by competent professors.

The Chicago Association is doing a great work in all departments. According to their report a year ago, they had obtained situations the previous year for sixty-one young men and seventy boys, and permanent and temporary employment for eight hundred and sixty-seven females. Their Boarding-house Committee had obtained suitable places for all the strangers who had applied to them. They speak of the previous year (1864) as one of rare, abundant labors and greater prosperity than any year since the organization of the Association. Yet the last year (1865) surpassed that. They then afforded relief to five thousand families, and procured situa- tions for three thousand persons.

What a splendid spectacle that city presents! This Association, as it were, is erecting an arch over the gate of the city; and over thousands, as they come within the influence of its power. In the department of city evangelization this association is doing an immense work. In this department they are most effective and successful. For eight years they have sustained a daily social prayer-meeting. They report the whole number of mission schools containing 9543 teachers and scholars. Tract distribution is carried on more successfully than ever before. In response to their appeal to the churches, liberal contributions have been made to carry forward this work, while many active and devoted Christians have added their services to the work of personal visitation and distribution.

Permit me to read an abstract of a letter in regard to one of the meetings and good works of this association. The correspondent says:— “I am happy to refer to a delightful meeting held here last evening under the auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association, held in one of the dining-rooms of the Sherman House, where a number of the traveling agents of the association were guests. The object of the meeting was to draw the tide of general Christian feeling into one channel, and it was fully realized. That there was a secondary purpose, to stir anew the sympathies of the churches to the Association, is doubtless true. The Association is accomplishing a noble work in Chicago. Ever seeking to act as an auxiliary, not a rival, to the Church, it has done what the Church could not do, and much also which the Church might have done, but has not. For many years, it has conducted a daily prayer meeting at its rooms, and no similar prayer-meeting, except that of New York, has been more signally blessed. It has annually disbursed thousands of dollars for the relief of the poor; it is, in fact, the great agency through which this work is carried on in this city. It has furnished hundreds of men and women with employment. It has dis- tributed tracts and religious newspapers without number. Its members have been instrumental in the promotion of revivals throughout the North- west. It labors as earnestly for the promotion of the spiritual as of the temporal well-being of all whom it can reach. It carries the loaf in one hand and the Gospel in the other. During the prevalence of the cholera, a few weeks since, its members were among the most fearless and active of the good samaritans; and during the war its frequent and self-sacrificing ministrations were enjoyed by hundreds of our soldiers.”

The report adds, “As the medium through which to reach the nearly 100,000 of our population who neither attend church nor the Sabbath School, we feel that no other instrumentality could take its place. In affording relief to the destitute and sick, the Association expended $22,000, an increase of about $5000 over the previous year. Last year they visited more than half the families in the whole city. Such facts as these are certainly most eloquent advocates of the noble institution.”

The Washington Association desires to build a building through which they may reach the 20,000 young men and women in that city, a very large portion of whom are not under Christian influences.

The Buffalo Association employs a city missionary and sustains two or three large and flourishing Mission Sabbath Schools, in which there have been a number of hopeful converts.

The Montreal Association reports thus:— “Our general mission work—that is, visiting from house to house, the hospitals, jails, and other institutions—is kept up with varying success. Since our last report our missionaries have made about five thousand five hundred visits, that is, about fifteen per day. The barracks and all the vessels in the harbor are regularly visited. About forty of our young men have, during the winter months, been engaged in cottage meetings in different parts of our city, with satisfactory results. A day prayer meeting and two Sabbath evening prayer-meetings are held in the most thickly inhabited parts of the city. 80,000 tracts were distributed, and relief as well as spiritual instruction was afforded to the poor, the sick, and the dying.

From New Haven we have the following report:- The present work of our Association is the establishment and support of mission schools, prayer-meetings, and temperance meetings in neglected and degraded parts of the city, among which is a Bethel meeting for seamen, which has been in successful operation for more than six years, and which has been repeatedly visited by our Heavenly Father with converting power. We also organize and sustain neighborhood prayer-meetings in various parts of the city, held at private houses, which have resulted in great good.”

But I need not multiply evidences of the usefulness of these associations. God only knows the blessings that have been thus carried to tens of thousands of precious souls.

The speaker then gave an account of the noble work of the Christian Commission, saying it sprang from the Young Men's Christian Associations of the country. He then said that God has given to them the seal of His divine approbation. No one can for a moment doubt that they are destined in the future to be in His hand instru- ments of great spiritual power: for never in the world's history were there such openings, so attractive and wide fields of usefulness, as now present themselves to earnest Christian laborers. The susceptibility of tens of thousands to moral influences and religious impressions; the new vitality that seems to be infused into the heaven-appointed forces for good; the agencies of associated effort of the public and the press, through which masses of men can be reached and moved—all are powerful stimulants to prompt and energetic efforts for advancing the interests of humanity and religion. Then, events are transpiring that far exceed in importance the greatest revolution of the past, and are them- selves germs of still mightier changes for the future. God is overturning and overturning, preparing the way for the reign of Him whose right it is to sway the sceptre of supremest dominion over the nations. A country, too, invites your efforts upon which great triumphs have already been achieved. Here freedom of thought, freedom of speech and of the press, occupy the thrones of power. Here, recently, liberty has crushed its adversary at the moment that it had gathered up and concentrated all its strength to establish its claims and extend its dominion. Here industry and commerce, education, literature, and science, are rapidly becoming the handmaids of religion. The signs of the times indicate that in this field the great decisive battles between truth and error are to be fought, and that here prizes are to be won that will shine with an eternal lustre.

Upon the warriors in this struggle the eyes of the civilized world are fixed, and waiting with deep anxiety the result. A great cloud of witnesses bend from the battlements of heaven to catch the first tidings of the conquest made for Jesus; and let this union be consecrated to Christ, and Europe will feel her power. In the cities, the richest rewards await those who are faithful unto death. Christian young men, go forward! The great and the good are with you. Patriarchs, prophets, apostles, the noble army of martyrs, the redeemed of all ages, are with you. All the holy angels are with you. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost are with you. Be true, be earnest; draw your strength from God by prayer, and you must conquer. The darkness of error must be dissipated by your spiritual light. Vice will yield to the triumph of virtue. Evil passions will be subdued by heavenly love, and the kingdoms of the earth will become the kingdoms of our Lord.