You will need to read part 3 to find out why this image has been included.
A gathering prayer Loving Lord, your grace draws us to your presence Loving Lord, your grace draws us to your presence; your peace unites us in your love; your hope inspires us to praise your glory. May our worship be worthy of you. Amen. As I write this blog, we are all aware of the changing world we are living in, its Monday June 1st, I need to explain why I mention the date, I normally set aside every Wednesday for the writing of said Blog, but this week is going to be different for me & I assume many others out there, I have attempted over the last ten weeks to follow the rules, we, that is my wife & I have not had any face to face contact with our daughter, that may change this week, respecting all the social distancing measures. I had built up a weekly routine, it was quite easy to manage, but now as we slowly come out of lockdown we are presented with new problems, I for one have two online formal meetings this week, as well as other tasks which will I know test me over the next few weeks, one of those meetings is on Wednesday I need a clear head so hence me writing my blog today. Some of my friends say I natter too much, but I thought it was worth giving you a sense of where I am at this moment. “We are all drawn to your presence Lord” or are we? I have been going for a walk each morning and use that time to pray as I walk, this is something I have done all my life, in my car on a train, I think the quietness of the recent weeks has for me made praying easier, notice I said easier, not easy, I have so much to be grateful for, but also am very aware at this time of how many people & places we have to pray for. “May our worship be worthy of you” BBC Points of View yesterday reflected on the services that have been provided during this time, the novel ways of presenting Songs of Praise, we as a Church have been very grateful that we have been able to read or in my case listen (via Sound Cloud) to fantastic services each Sunday, distributed with family news by John. “Your peace does unite is in love”! Power of God Eye of God look upon me See me in your grace Hand of God grasp me Keep me in my place Heart of God love me Help me to survive Powers of God surround me As with life I strive. Tides & Seasons by David Adam Extracts taken from Roots with permission. All prayers are © ROOTS for Churches Ltd (www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020.
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The sun was created first
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. (Genesis 1:3-5) Before the 16th century, people believed in "Geocentrism", i.e. everything revolved around the Earth. Since then, we know everything centres around the sun (Heliocentricism), therefore, the sun must have been made first. There was originally only one continent And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:9) Scientists have proved there was originally one super-continent, which they call Pangaea. Gradually, this land mass began to rift and break-up, separating into the continents and islands we know today. Stars have a life expectancy In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. (Psalm 102:25-26) Our sun, which is also a star, is expected to last 5 billion years. Other stars in the sky have different time spans. When they "perish", the larger stars explode, causing a supernova. The smaller stars cause an emission nebula. Our sun is one of the smaller stars. Its emission nebula will engulf the earth and other planets. The Universe is constantly expanding ... you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth... (Isaiah 51:13) The size of the Universe is indeterminable and the centre of Earth unreachable “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:37) As Jeremiah says, the heavens or the universe cannot be measured. At the moment, scientists have observed a diameter of 93 billion light years but also know there is more they have not discovered. The centre of the Earth, according to Inge Lehmann (1936) is made of molten iron and nickel, however, it can never be "searched out" because it is surrounded by liquid mantle. The Earth is round He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth... (Isaiah 40:22) The Earth was originally believed to be flat until proven otherwise. There are four major winds on Earth I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven; I will scatter them to the four winds, and there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go. (Jeremiah 49:36) The four major wind systems are the Polar and Tropical Easterlies, the Prevailing Westerlies and the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Source: BIBLE: Faith Verses - Win Verses LLC Notes from an address preached by the Rev. Ronald M. Ward, B.D. Originally published in the January 1951 issue of Progress, the monthly magazine for Romford Congregational Church. "What I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." - Romans 7:15 Looking out on this world of ours it is difficult to escape the feeling that we are living in a mad house. Are the forces which appear to govern the international situation rational forces? Surely not. And if they are irrational the future is unpredictable and ominously dangerous. If we could put the question to the whole world, governments and peoples alike, and receive an honest answer, the vast majority would say that they do not want a war. The statement needs qualification, perhaps, because for some oppressed peoples a third war must seem the only possible hope of breaking open their prison. But speaking generally, and including almost certainly the Government of the U.S.S.R., we can say that nobody wants a war. And if the affairs of men were really controlled by reason, as some people naively think, all the energies of mankind would be devoted to avoiding war. But no - to our alarm and astonishment - we find the reverse is the case. Every day something is said or done which brings war nearer. It seems impossible to cease preparing ourselves for suicide. Atomic bombs fill us with horror and disgust. Yet we have to go on making them as fast as we can. What perverse spirit is it which hurries the world along paths not of our own choosing? We remember St. Paul's words: "What I hate, that do I." Of course the simple orthodox answer to this question is to blame the Russians for everything. Their obstinacy and cunning is responsible for it all. But while there is, of course, a large element of truth in this, as a complete explanation it is far from adequate. Russians don't enjoy wars any more than we do. And remember that not so long ago we attributed all the world's ill to the Germans; and the Italians; and the Japanese: With General Franco thrown in to make weight. It is smug to look across the world from our island home and condemn the deliberate malice of "foreigners" for the sorrows of this terrible century. Nowadays we even tend to include the Americans in the general censure, blaming them for hasty diplomacy, blaming General MacArthur for taking too many decisions on his own account, and so on, All our criticisms may be justified as far as they go, but is everyone on earth out of step except us? Surely the human dilemma, expressed by St. Paul in our text must lie deeper than that. As we read St. Paul's letters we find that from time to time he breaks out into paradoxical statements as though struggling for words with which to express an insolvable contradiction. (The sixth chapter of II Corinthians, for example, speaks of the Christian ministry in terms of violent contradiction: "As deceivers, yet true; as unknown, yet well known; as dying, and behold we live.") I think this is because he clearly recognises the tension of opposing forces rooted in human nature itself. Life is not made up of a simple pattern of things good and bad, true and false. Experience is more complex than that. Things can be good and bad, true and false, at the same time. We may at once want and not want a thing. We may be both attracted and repelled but it is a single response. And that is why reason alone is often powerless to grapple with reality. We fondly suppose that any problem of relationships should yield to common sense. But that is not so. The contradiction n the affairs of men is due to a contradiction in the heart of Man. How strange, we say, are the German people. They produce beautiful art and lofty philosophy, and also concentration camps. How odd that a sentimental people, a kindly and hospital people, even, are at the same time capable of such brutality. How does it come about that the land of the Moonlight Sonata is also the land of the Twilight of the Gods? But contradictions of one sort or another are not unique to the German people. Every nation, just like every person, presents us with a puzzling paradox when we come to know it. Nicholas Berdayev in his book, "The Russian Idea," points out that there are two opposing states of consciousness within the Russian people. There is an elemental pagan wildness and enthusiasms that we can clearly discern in Russian songs and dances which seem to surge out of the earth itself. But at the same time there is a strong tendency towards the very opposite for this - esceticism, sacrifice, patient suffering, almost a monastic ideal of self denial. And it is indeed a mysterious paradox that the Russian people. one of the most profoundly religious and even mystical in the world, should at the moment be engaged in a crusade for Marxist materialism and atheism. Examine some of the goals towards which human beings strive, and also some of the dangers and disasters from which they shrink, and you will find that it is sometimes only in thought as opposed to experience, that pleasant and unpleasant things can be rigidly divided. In life they often overlap. Freedom, for example, is a greatly desired thing but it is also greatly dreaded. Men will make tremendous sacrifices to achieve it, but they will fly in horror from the loveliness of personal responsibility which freedom means. The most primitive dread is that of death. But psychology has classified a strange truth - always known to men of insight - that life itself may be a thing from which we flee, and death has a power to attract as well as repel us. This does not apply only in a limited sense to abnormal persons with a suicidal tendency. It applies to everybody. There is a death wish as well as life wish within us; and thus we are pulled at the same time towards annihilation and nothingness. and towards creation and joy in existence. Similarly, it would seem absurd to say that suffering can be attractive. Yet there is a condition of mind in which people enjoy submitting to suffering. And, conversely, it is possible to enjoy inflicting pain, not only on an enemy but on someone you love. It is extraordinary, but true, that cruelty can conceal love. And kindness can be a mask for terrible cruelty. An everyday example of the contradiction in human nature is provided by those people who, after quarrelling with one another consistently for a long time, suddenly amaze us by going off and getting married. On the other hand, bosom friends may abruptly reveal themselves as deadly enemies. Nothing is more expressive of the paradox of life than the relationship between the sexes. This is not the place to examine the question in detail, but it is surely obvious that the sexual impulse is one of the most powerful of all attractive forces, and at the same time something which repels and horrifies. Both these feelings are present deep down in all of us. And so it is that the relationship of marriage, when it is wholly natural and unredeemed, is one of conflict as well as comradeship. Some wives love their husbands and nag them unmercifully! We have all met husbands and wives who seem to find it impossible to avoid quarrelling with one another. They even seem to enjoy it! By so doing they illustrate the strange truth that the sexes are at war with one another as well as in alliance. Do you know these verses by Stephen Phillips? "My dead love came to me and said, God gives me one hour's rest, To spend upon the earth with thee, How shall we spend it best? Why as of old, I said, and so We quarrelled, as of old. But when I turned to make my peace That one short hour was told." There is, therefore, in the deep places of human nature, a tension set up by the conflict of opposing principles. Reason alone cannot resolve this conflict. If you have ever tried to settle a quarrel with somebody by means of an argument you will know well what I mean. Our emotions remain divided even when the mind is persuaded that they are irrational. The intellect alone cannot unify personality. The tragedy of human life is that man is at war with himself.
There is, however, a power in the world which is strong enough to produce harmony between our most violently conflicting impulses. And that is the power of Love. If, for example, communist and capitalist powers were truly inspired by a love for humanity, many of the difference between them could become opportunities for a fruitful alliance, to the benefit of everybody. The fact that such a possibility belongs to the realm of idle fancy shows the measure of our spiritual poverty. There is no lack of intelligence in the world. Enlightened self interest would have brought in the Golden Age long ago had it been able. But without love, and the sanity which it brings, irrational passions make wreck of all out careful plans. It is extremely unrealistic to ignore this fact. To appeal to the power of love is to be laughed out of court. For love seems a weak thing compared with firm, manly, common sense. Nevertheless, human nature is so divided against itself that unless we can find love in it it is powerless to do anything but pursue its own ruin. The Christian Church knows that the source of divine love is outside the human mind, in God. It knows also that this Love has entered the world in Christ, and is available for everyone through faith. Faith, therefore, is love's firm foundation, By means of it the human heart finds peace which the world cannot give. Opposing forces within us, and within our relationships, can transcend themselves in a new harmony. This is indeed the only way of Salvation. Therefore the task of evangelising Christ is of supreme importance. But unless His love moves in our own hearts we labour in vain to open His Kingdom. It is His Spirit, not His Name, which saves. And without His Spirit this universe of ours becomes totally irrational. “That God is omnipotent is easily said, but it nonetheless requires amazing power to create a whole world or universe from a ‘formless void’. Was this process a myriad of loud bangs, crashing sounds and flashing lights – something like an unimaginable thunderstorm? Imagine being present as this was taking place. Do you think you would have the vocabulary to describe what you were seeing? Would you be scared? While the disciples worshipped Jesus when on the mountain, Matthew’s Gospel says that even at this late stage some doubted – they could not quite believe what they were seeing. Yet, Jesus still commissioned them to make disciples of all nations. Is it comforting to know that Jesus can work with the ‘unfinished article’? That we are all spiritual ‘works in progress’ – and perfection can only be achieved when we are promoted to glory? That, like the disciples, we do not have to be perfect for God to use us? How might that help us in the ongoing work – now passed on to us – of witness and making disciples?” We definitely don’t need to be perfect, in fact none of us are we are all the “unfinished article” we can witness in so many ways, there have over the last ten weeks been a myriad of examples of kindness, different novel ways of sharing a message through voice and music, by video link, Zoom, WhatsApp – the simple phone call – how lucky are we to have our phones whether they be land line or mobile – we can share Gods love in so many ways! ”In the Gospels, Jesus is often referred to as one who ‘taught with authority’. When the 11 disciples gathered on the unnamed mountain, Jesus openly declared that authority: ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’ This authority, or power, is closely related to that which created the world he came to save. Jesus – the Word made flesh, the Word that was with God at the very beginning, the Word through whom everything came into being – was asking his followers to continue the work of transforming the world he created. As followers of Jesus, how are we to take up his command and carry out this redemptive work today?” The above question is even more relevant today, the new normal for our Church has not been written yet, but we are all still active Christians, so even without a building to worship in, we do have the authority given to us to spread the word. “There is little doubt that some Christians feel uncomfortable with the idea of sharing their faith, arguing, perhaps, that it is the preserve of those who are specifically called to this work. However, could it be that when Jesus said he would always be with us, this was a specific nod to times when we are – or should be – sharing our faith with others? It is certainly at such times that we need the Lord’s presence.” The above says it all for me, we have a duty to share our faith with others. I am now going to quote an extract from Justin Welby’s article in the Sunday Times (24thMay 2020) “ It is my prayer that these tough circumstances might draw us together and help us write a new social contract with one another that says every person is vital, that every life has meaning, value & beauty.” “Then we can rebuild a society founded on kindness, on truly loving our neighbour, on relationship & community.” I say amen to that, don’t let it be like my friend from Jaeger – spread the word! “Worship & Witness” May the grace of the Father be with you; may the love of the Son enfold you; and may the peace of the Spirit comfort you, today & always. Amen Extracts from Roots taken with permission.
‘When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.’ (Acts 2) The Day of Pentecost may have dawned like any other day, but from that day the disciples were never quite the same again. However God does it, whether quietly or spectacularly, He never leaves us as we were before. In true Pentecost spirit He may appear to be blowing us into new avenues of service. Perhaps our mantra should be, ‘Fired up for mission after unmistakable sign.’ Have the demands of the control of this Coronavirus breathed new spiritual life into us, and blown us into our world, our country and our immediate neighbourhood with a new sense of Christian witness?
My personal experience has been one which has given me an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Grateful for the many kindnesses that I have received; phone calls, doorstep visits - albeit observing the two metre distance rule, letters and cards, but above all I have felt a deep awareness of being in the thoughts and prayers of many. And looking forward, I have a longing for the time when we have the opportunity to worship together again ‘in the same place’. And especially in that place, to give thanks for, and celebrate, the lives of those, who during this time of ‘self isolation’ have been called to be with their God. May they rest in peace. Once again, I would like to thank the Elders and Group Leaders for their magnificent efforts in meeting the needs of those who are confined to their homes. Paul said in his Letter to the Ephesians, ‘I pray that, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Spirit’ (3:16). Whoever we are, however weak and powerless we may feel, God through His Holy Spirit, is able to take and use us in ways beyond any we can ever imagine. That is the promise Pentecost reminds us of year by year; God’s gift of power for living! I wish you all every blessing in the days ahead. Yours in Christ, Ann (Some thoughts were gathered from ‘Getting it across’ by Nick Fawcett & ‘Bible Application’ by J.I.Parker) The Bible reading I will be looking at today is taken from Mathew 28: 16-20
(The other lectionary readings are as follows: Genesis 1: 1-2,4a – Psalm 8 – 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13) Gospel: Matthew 28.16-20 “Jesus has summoned the disciples to this farewell meeting on a mountain in Galilee. The phrase ‘they worshipped him; but some doubted’ is a little misleading, as it suggests that some did one thing (worship), while others did another (doubt). The Greek words are both participles – that is, ‘worshipping’ and ‘doubting’ – so it could be that the same disciples are doing both actions. The words of Jesus that all authority has been given to him echo the kind of cosmic picture in passages such as Daniel 7.13-14, yet the idea of authority itself has been comprehensively unpacked throughout Matthew’s Gospel, whereby the power of Jesus to effect change is often contrasted unfavourably with the institutional authority of the Jewish leaders (Matthew 7.29; 9.5-6; 21.23; 23.3). The authority of Jesus is the real deal, conferred by God, who created the heavens and the earth and who can therefore grant this authority. It forms the firm foundation from which it is possible to go to all the nations. Matthew is often described as a Gospel with a narrowly Jewish focus, but here we see his wider concerns. It is Matthew who tells us about the Magi at the opening of his Gospel, and it is Matthew who gives us this command about ‘all nations’ at the end. Every ethnicity and culture is included. The strong verb in this command is not ‘go’ but ‘make’ – that is, ‘in going and baptizing, make disciples’. The Trinitarian formula – ‘of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’ – has become a very familiar part of our ritual, but in this context is surely saying something both universal and inclusive: the whole of God for the whole of the world. Equally, Jesus commands his disciples to pass on everything that he has taught them. The mission passes into their hands, and into ours.” How do we pass on everything we have learnt, or do we sometimes keep what we have learnt to ourselves feeling somehow that it is our alone, it reminds me of a true story from my days in Clothing manufacture, a good friend worked as a pattern cutter for Jaeger tailoring he was very good at what he did, but decided he wanted a change – dramatically he decided to move with his young family and became a farm hand, this was pre the mobile access we have today, about a year later we got a phone call at home, it was my friend he was back at Yeager tailoring, he had loved the first few months but soon realised the older farm hands were not willing to share their knowledge, he stayed in this job for many years, but I have often wondered what would have happened if they had shared their knowledge, I think, no I know that that is what our task is, as Christians the mission is in our hands, it’s are task to make sure that message reaches as many people as possible. The format may change but our duty does not. by G. W. Hale On Calvary's hill, I see Him there, With wounded hands and side; And as I gaze, my eyes are dim With tears I cannot hide. For sins of mine, the Son of God, In whom was found no guile, Is crowned with thorns, and crucified While men His name revile. Forsaken now by those He loved, Alone He suffers there, With sorrow weighed down, and grief Almost too much to bear. I see no look of bitterness, 'Tis pity fills his eyes, As from His lips a last prayer falls Ere of His wounds He dies. His head is bowed, but lo, He cries, His love triumphant, true: "Forgive them, Father, Oh forgive, They know not what they do." Amazing love, beyond compare; The men He came to save Demand of Him a cruel death - Yet them, He all forgave. Beyond that Cross of Shame, I see A garden bright and fair, And standing near an empty tomb A risen Saviour there. No longer thorns His brow adorn, No dying form I see; A conqueror of sin and death Is He, and I am free! This poem was found in the March 1951 issue of Progress, the monthly magazine of the Romford Congregational Church.
Dear Lord, we gather in the name of Jesus Dear Lord, we gather in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Spirit to worship you. We bring gifts of speaking, of listening, of music, of prayerfulness, of knowledge, and of wisdom. May our gifts be united to honour you and may each of us receive from you that which we need. Amen. The Gathering Prayer from Roots was most likely written prior to Lockdown, but its sentiments remain the same, if one or more are gathered in my name? I am following this up with another prayer from David Adam –Tides & Seasons. Unending Peace Take me, Lord, from my busy-ness To the place of quietness From the tumult without cease Into your great unending peace. Help me then, my Lord, to see What I am and ought to be. God of life God of peace God of wonders That will not cease God eternal Trinity God everlasting Come to me. This week’s blog was written on the 27th May 2020, I have included both the opening prayers in some small way as a reflection of my own state of mind on this day. Over the last few days a lot of our Church friends have pooled our knowledge to help make certain decisions, it is by the power of the words in the gathering prayer “May our gifts be united to honour you and may each of us receive from you that which we need.” “Take me, Lord, from my busy-ness To the place of quietness” I had settled into a routine as most of us have over the last ten weeks, for me I have had to forgo many of the activities I had in place prior to lockdown, but the last few days have reminded me of our place in the real world, the URC has given some guidelines too how the new normal might be, but I am reminded once again of the line. “If one or more are gathered in my name?” Extracts from Roots taken with permission.
The following article was written by Mr. A. Van der Broek of Stapleford Abbots and published in the February 1951 issue of Progress, the monthly magazine of Romford Congregational Church. We have heard and read a great deal about gambling lately. I hope we have all thought about it a good deal, too, because it is much more satisfactory if we can after due consideration come to an independent opinion from within rather than rely on others to solve these questions for us and to advice us on these matters.
There are many sides to the problem. Let's look a moment at the practical side first. Its usefulness. Or its wastefulness. Useful only as a source of excitement perhaps and by the way very useful and profitable of course to the promoters. But in its nature, a most wasteful pastime. Of every £1,000 paid by the public in entrance fees or whatever you may call it at least £100 is lost in running expenses, advertisements, salaries, printing, postage, office expenses, etc, etc. And the next week we have the same thing all over again. Therefore in order to gamble with £1,000 it costs the nation nothing less than £5,200 per year. This is not taking into account the loss of energy both by the public and by the staff which are helping to run the show. If all this consuming energy was turned into producing energy it would most certainly make a good deal of difference in our cost of living. Now let us consider the education or intellectual value of gambling. Crossword puzzles have a good deal of educational value but does the filling of football coupons stimulate anyone's intellectual aspirations? I am told that it really does not matter much whether you understand football or not. You can buy a special guide every week which gives you all the answers and you just copy them out. And judging from paper reports, well I believe the less you know about it and the less you expect from the results, the luckier you may be. To pin one's hope week after week on something the results of which we cannot materially influence must be in the long run damaging to a person's will, creative efforts and general intellect. This in turn may have damaging psychological repercussions. Continual disappointment is a potential danger to a person's mental stability. Now I would like to look at the question from a Christian or Biblical point of view. Has the Christian any special considerations when weighing up the pro's and con's of a particular question? I think he should have. I know it is not an easy thing to reckon with nor is it a very popular theme to touch, but should we not first and foremost ask ourselves the question whether or not anything we do is to the honour of God? Listen to St. Paul's advice in 1 Cor. 10:31: "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the Glory of God." The question, then, we have to ask ourselves is: Can gambling be used somehow to the honour of God? Or take another ruling from the New Testament, Romans 14:23: "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." If we have faith in God is there any room for gambling? Now both these questions can be ridiculed quite easily. Yet I think that before we make up our minds definitely about gambling and any other thing for that matter, we do well to remember that our relationship with God places us in a very special position when we consider such questions, and let us not forget that we will have to give an account of all our deeds to God. The reason why, and the purpose whatfor, are two dominant facts to consider when weighing up whether or not we can agree to "gambling". You will now be able I think to see clearly the difference between a raffle in a church bazaar and the football pools, horse racing and suchlike. After all it is quite obvious that the buying of a ticket in a raffle at a church bazaar is not done for personal gain but only to help the work of the Church. It is equally obvious that the person who gambles on dog races or on the Stock Exchange does so for personal gain. (Legitimate trade in stocks and bonds cannot be identified with gambling). Now, when the Wednesday evening fellowship discussed gambling, one of the members of the brains trust pardoned a person for gambling because it was the only possible way for that person to ever stand a chance of obtaining enough money, to help his or her invalid mother. Well, then, this sort of gambling would seem to fall under the category of gambling not for personal gain and could not therefore be condemned. Another question arises, however, namely, is there no other way in which this unfortunate person could be helped? Surely it is a very bleak and poor outlook if she has to wait for the luck of the person who has taken pity on her. And we could not possibly pardon gambling because in one or two cases the reason is not personal gain but the desire to help the unfortunate. In our church such cases would be brought to the notice of the League of Good Samaritans and the person concerned would not have to wait for the lucky result of a football pool before receiving help, I feel sure! Another reason why we should say no to gambling is that the possibility of easy personal gain is a temptation to many a person to endanger or risk funds which are necessary for the well being of one's dependants or even worse than that - lay hands on funds which do not belong to the person who gambles with these. And if we allow gambling we are in my opinion in some measure responsible for the sin of others in the direction. This is of course only an opinion. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind, but in order to be fully persuaded let us consider the question from as many angles as seem opportune. And please do not forget the younger people are looking to us for guidance and counsel. Shall we think twice before we lightly dismiss the question with a "can't see anything wrong in it?". |