The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-03-05

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e DE-. Holland, ID: sctrib5nietir's Monthly,
~ S.
~ Us have pl.ini. =; VOID about the ,,
greed for sermons, so prevalent ID these
latter days. We doubt whether there.
eyer!was*s tino tlih the history of the
Christian Church when its ministers we're
placed in SO awkward, difficult and. un-
Just position IS they are to-day. Great,
expensive edifices Of worship are built,
for which the builders run heavily in
debt. That debt can only he handled,
the interest omit paid, and the, principal
reduced, by fiIling.it with . large and in.
terested congregation. That congrega.
ton cannot be collected and held without
brilliant preaching. Brilliant preaching
is scarce because and only because;
brilliant men are scarce, and scarcer still
the brilliant men: who have the gift
OF eloquence. So soon,: there.
fore, as a. man shows
that he cannot attract the crowd, ''down
goes his house, He may be 4 scholar, a
saint, \ man whose example is the sweet
est sermon thst human life, ever utter
ed, lovely friend, . faithful pastor, a
wise spiritual adviser. and even = sermon
izer Of rare attainlnents and skill, but if
he cannot draw crowd by the attractive
gifts Of popular eloquence, he must be
sacrificed to the ,exigen les of finance.
The church must be filed, the interest on
the debt must be paid. and nothing can
do this but a man who will 'tdraw.'' The
whole thing is managed like theatre. If
an actor cannot draw full houses, the rent
cannot be paid. So the actor is dismissed
and new one is called to take his place.
There is an ,old-fashioned idea that a
church is built for the purpose Of public
worship. It is not a bad idea and that
exhibition Of Christianity which presents
thousand lazy people sitting bolt up
right in their best clothes, gorging sugar.
plums. is not = particularly brilliant one.
1t was once supposed that a Christian had
something to do, even as q layman, and
that pastor was a leader and director in
Christian work. There certainly was a
time when the burden Of church: was
not laid crushingl y upon the shoulders of
it's minister, and when Christian men and
women stood by the man who was true
to his Office and true to
them. We. seem to have out
lived it, and thousand American
churches, particularly among the great
centers Of populations, are grooming over
discontinue in the sad results. Instead
of paying their own debts like men, they
lay them on the backs of their founder
ing ministers, and if they cannot lift
them. they go hunting for spinal columns
that will, or tongues that hold a charm
for their dissipation. 1t is wrong and
4 shame which ought to be abolished, Just
as soon as sensible men have read this ar
ticle.
But we are consuming too much of
their time. The great dragon, with its
multitudinous heads, and arms, and feet,
is to meet them next Sunday with its
mouths all open. 1t has done nothing
all the week but sleep, and it is getting
hungry. Woe to him who has not his
two big sermons ready! Insatiato mon.
-Ster, will not one suffice?
"No," says the dragon; "No,'' says
his keeper and feeder. Brains, paper,
ink, lungs-he wants all you can give,
and you must give him all you can. The
house must be filled, the debt must be
paid, and you must be popular preacher
or eet out Of the way: Meantime the
dragon sleeps, and meantime the city is
badly ruled; drunkenness debauches the
people under the shield of the law, har-
lotry jostles our youth upon tho side.
walks, obscene literature stares our daugh-
ters out Of countenence from the news
stands. and little children with no play
ground but the gutter, and no home but
a garrett, are growing up in ignorance and
vice. If this lazy, over-fed, loosely artic.
ulated dragon could only be split up into
active men and women, who would shut
their mouths and open their eyes and
hands, we could have something differ
ent. But the sermon is the great thing
the people think so, and the preachers
agree with them. We should like to
know what the Master thinks about it.