The Ohio Independent Baptist, December 1955

a, \ 11 • ;· December 1955 THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST Page Nineteen SAINTS AND AINTS By HEW. R ICH AHD DlJ HII J\ J\ l , Jl ·issio 11ary l'udcr . 18\\'JC ]301 Fe1~nsyl vu 11ia A vc., ,l/ a11ila, / 1 /1 -ilip ;1 iJt es You have probably heard it said tha t th er e a re only t wo kinds of peopl e : th e saint · and th e a ints. 'l'h e aints are t hose who have r e– ce ived J es u. Christ as t heir 'av– iour ; th e ai11 ts are t hose who a rc yet un.- aved, lost, without hope an_d wi t hout God in this world. 1 n this so-call ed h ri stia n nation of th e orient yo u hear a good deal abo u t ''saints " (not to be defined as a– bove ) . Ever y n ow and then you see one such '',·ain t ' ' being ca 1Ti ed a– roun d th e city on t he s hou lders of a num be r of men with eit her a la rge or smal l number of peo [)le fo ll ow– ino· alono· in the p r ocession. S0me– ti1~es t h; re is a [)rofusion of f low– e rs which bedecks these rigid fac– s imil es. At ot her t imes th er e are many cand les burning, giv ing light fo r plaste r of Paris feet . ~ot long ago all of t hese "saints" had a celebration . . . a bio· ,,.et-too·eth er ... a tl"emend ous on~-day affair. Judging from th e c rowds of people who gather ed t he re to take p a r t in their cele– brati on, t hi s even t took place i11 the local cemete ry. It was ver y diff icul t to get a glimpse of th ese "saints" but perh aps tha t was dne to the cr owds of p eo ple mi l– ling about in the cemete ry. H e rc and thf'n' we re li ttle refr es hmen t st a nds wh er e g reat quantit ies of sof:t chinks we re sold, 11ot to t he "saints" but r at he r to the ai n ts, I presunH'. !Jit tl c children we re ru11 - 11in g about , dodg in g arou nd t he var io1 1s tombsto 11 es. IJ,Hg-e hun ches of brightly -(·olored ba ll oo ns wcr<' be– in i..(' peddl <' d by v<• ndors. On ly 011 cE-– in -a-gr eaL-whil c would yo u come ac ross a11 ainl who seemNl lo be dPvoutl y wors h ipping a "s,lin L," 01· k(•rpi11g- a !01H'ly vigi l hdorr th e tomb ol' sonH~ d c> part<•d aint. DEAR READER . • You probably do not owe us any mon y. W wish you did. Why not? BELIEVER' BIBLE AND BOOK OMPA Y 120 Park Ave. Elyria, Ohio Yes, t hi s wcJs .A II -Nai11ts Day in :\ la nil a, i\ ov. 1, 195:3. 'l' he head 011 a sto ry in a loca l dai ly r ead like t hi s: " Th ousands Ji'Jock To Cem– ete ries Today 'J' o P ray l 1 'o r Dead 011 All Sai nts Day ." l1et 111 e qu ote t he a r t icle as it a p1wa red on the front page: '"J'oday is \II Nain ts Da y, a clay fo r sil ent commu11ion betwee n th e li vin g and the dead . " Throu ghout t he co 11 nl ry wh e re Lh c obse r van ce is stee ped in cen– tu ri es of r el ig ious t radit io11 , t hou– ,;a ncls wil l make t h<'ir a 1111u a l t rek to cemeteries to pray a 11d keep vigi l over wh itewa s hed to 111 bston es or ma rble mausolc11ms. " .As usua l, ce n te r of t he obser v– ance will be in ~la 11il a wh ose two gr eat cemete ri es will draw th e bulk of city res id e11ts. l~y ni ghtfall, tli t'se us ua ll y da r k gTa vt'yards " ·ill be li.sr htecl by tho11sa11cl s of f licker– i11 g candl es a ncl elect ric bulbs. '' Prepa ra tions fo r today 's ob– se r vance have been o·o i1w on for t he past week. Th e ri01 a17cI t he poo r a lik <' to il ed ove r t heir own b'urial p lots. 13lack a nd white ma r ble in i111posin g ma usoleums have been polish ed to pe rf ectio11 . 1\ fall en cross her e a nd th c r<' has bec 11 s trni g ht e11 cd a 11d li111 p- \\·orn epi– tap hs have bce 11 111ad (' 111ore legibl e. " Today is a lso a t ime whe11 f lowp rs i11 t he fo rm of wrea ths or i11 vases a nd bottl es wi ll a ppea r in profu s io11 . Tlwy wi ll ado rn all til e> g raves with th eir <·o lor a nd fragn11wc, man 's s il c11l tribut e in Lim es of g ri d" or ha ppin ess. " l•'o r 111a11y , th <' obs(' n 'a11 cc be– ga 11 last ni ght as t h<'.)' st ar ted vigi l ov<' 1· grav<'s. l1ig ltls \\'(' l'(' 011 i11 so nH' s<'d io11s o l' th e <·PmC'lt' I'.\' as ot ht' rs pn' l'<' JT('(\ to stal"! ('a rl y lht' ir (·o m111u11i on with th c>i r <ka d . "'l' h<' poli <·<' as 11 s11 a l ha s a 11 - 110111 H·<'cl the• l'<'-l'O ll1 i11 g· ol' lntl'l'i l' to pn'V(' 11 t ja 111s as ,1 rc>st ill ol' th <' th o1 1sa nds o l' vt' hi l' ic's thal wi ll l'l ol' k to th <' <·<' lll <' t<' ri t's toda.v. l•' irst -aid tc>11t s wi ll lw S<' I 11p i11 clil'rt' n' 1ll SC'l' Iio11 s ol' t ii l' l'C'lllC'IP ri c>s to t·a 1·c• l'or c·as uallic•s l'rn111 t hl' ill'at 01· otl1 - <'1· (•HII S('S . . " ~la 11y in t IH' !H1·g<' t hrn11g wi ll Rose bri11 g a lo11 g l'oocl so llwy l'an k<'<' P wall' h lh r who le day. l 1 'o r t hPm buri a l pl ots will lake on the l'o rm of pi (' 11i<· g rou11d s. '' H<' lll <' mbnrn c<' of' t he dea d a<· – h 1a lly sta rt ed y<'stP rday for so 111 e in t he fo rm of Ila ll owc'c n. '!' hi s f'orm of obsp r va1H'e has pa r t icul a rl y lakcn hold among t he yo 1111 ge r srL wh o pref<, ,· lo l hi11k oE lh c dead as (' ivPs, wilt·h es a 11 d ghouls." Th e!'(' WCI'(' a few ot he r sa in ts ll'lio ll'(' l'C ad iv <' 0 11 " 1'11 Naints Day.'' , \ 111 011 µ; t he t housands an d t housa 1 ds o l' ,1i11ts gat he red you to iild S<'<', i I' yo u looked close ly, a sa i11 t he r<' a 11cl a sa i11l t here pass in g ou t gos 1w l lracts. 'l'he prin ted mes– sage of rea l "sain t hood " t hro1 1gh faith in , a 11d surre11der to t he l1o rd .Jcs 11 s Ch ri st, ou r Substitute wh o s h<' d 11 is pr<'c ious blood for the r<' 111i ss io11 of our s i11 s, \\·as g iven to 1mrn,·. <l od 's word is not bou11d, but· is li fe-g ivin g and powerful , able to t ra 11sfor111 a n aint into a sa i11t. (l od 's sai11ts cl o 110t m' ecl t h<' Jlnl.\"t' l'S o f" ai nts . f1ut t hCSl' a i11ts clo 11 C'ecl th e pray<' rs of' Uod 's sai nts . II' ill you /Yray! l 'l'O llljil /"CllC ll'Ol of ,11011/" s11b - sc1·i;1liu11 11•1"// be ap;11· cialul by 011r ( 'irrnlalio11 I) parlm 1tl. HEBREW CHRISTIAN SOCIETY (Inco rporated) 2524 Euclid Heights Blvd. Cleveland 6, Ohio REV. ALAN C. METCALF Director REV. H WARD A . KRAMER Founder "TO THE JEW f IRST" (Roman 1:16) Writ e for "Star of David" De pt. B