In His Steps, Reading #38

In His Steps


Chapter 19

 

Letter from
Rev. Calvin Bruce, D.D.,
Nazareth Avenue Church,
Chicago,
to
Rev. Philip A. Caxton, D.D.,
New York City.

“My Dear Caxton:

“It is late Sunday night, but I am so intensely awake and so overflowing with what I have seen and heard that I feel driven to write you now some account of the situation in Raymond as I have been studying it, and as it has apparently come to a climax today. So this is my only excuse for writing so extended a letter at this time.

“You remember Henry Maxwell in the Seminary. I think you said the last time I visited you in New York that you had not seen him since we graduated. He was a refined, scholarly fellow, you remember, and when he was called to the First Church of Raymond within a year after leaving the Seminary, I said to my wife, Raymond has made a good choice. Maxwell will satisfy them as a sermonizer.’ He has been here eleven years, and I understand that up to a year ago he had gone on in the regular course of the ministry, giving good satisfaction and drawing good congregations. His church was counted the largest and wealthiest church in Raymond. All the best people attended it, and most of them belonged. The quartet choir was famous for its music, especially for its soprano, Miss Winslow, of whom I shall have more to say; and, on the whole, as I understand the facts, Maxwell was in a comfortable berth, with a very good salary, pleasant surroundings, a not very exacting parish of refined, rich, respectable people – such a church and parish as nearly all the young men of the seminary in our time looked forward to as very desirable.

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In His Steps, Reading #37

In His Steps


Chapter 18

“What is that to thee? Follow thou me.”

 

When Rollin started down the street the afternoon that Jasper stood looking out of his window he was not thinking of Rachel Winslow and did not expect to see her anywhere. He had come suddenly upon her as he turned into the avenue and his heart had leaped up at the sight of her. He walked along by her now, rejoicing after all in a little moment of this earthly love he could not drive out of his life.

“I have just been over to see Virginia,” said Rachel. “She tells me the arrangements are nearly completed for the transfer of the Rectangle property.”

“Yes. It has been a tedious case in the courts. Did Virginia show you all the plans and specifications for building?”

“We looked over a good many. It is astonishing to me where Virginia has managed to get all her ideas about this work.”

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In His Steps, Reading #36

Two months went by. They were full of action and of results in the city of Raymond and especially in the First Church. In spite of the approaching heat of the summer season, the after-meeting of the disciples who had made the pledge to do as Jesus would do, continued with enthusiasm and power. Gray had finished his work at the Rectangle, and an outward observer going through the place could not have seen any difference in the old conditions, although there was an actual change in hundreds of lives. But the saloons, dens, hovels, gambling houses, still ran, overflowing their vileness into the lives of fresh victims to take the place of those rescued by the evangelist. And the devil recruited his ranks very fast.

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In His Steps, Reading #35

In His Steps


Chapter 17

The next day she went down to the NEWS office to see Edward Norman and arrange the details of her part in the establishment of the paper on its new foundation. Mr. Maxwell was present at this conference, and the three agreed that whatever Jesus would do in detail as editor of a daily paper, He would be guided by the same general principles that directed His conduct as the Saviour of the world.“I have tried to put down here in concrete form some of the things that it has seemed to me Jesus would do,” said Edward Norman. He read from a paper lying on his desk, and Maxwell was reminded again of his own effort to put into written form his own conception of Jesus’ probable action, and also of Milton Wright’s same attempt in his business.

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