Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-12-28
MORE WORK TAINTED.

sincerity and godliness that once character
lied it. Instead of the house of God being
a place of prayer, it has of verify become q
den of thieves and worldly minded men and
women, who use it to promote other pur-
poses than those of worship, and have sue
cesded only too we'll in divesting it of its sa-
cred character. Men attend upon the ad
ministrations of the gospel for no higher
object than the keeping up of appearances,
or, perhaps, to create the impression that
they lead better lives than their neighbors.
Women attend to display their finery and be-
cause it is fashionable,o or that they may meet
and gossip with their neiehbors. To search
for piety in a modern fashionable church, is
like looking for a grain of wheat in bushel
of chaff. You may search all day, and when
you have found it., it is not worth the search.
How shall the standard of piety in the
churches be elevated? This question is
worthy of the closest attention from all who
have the welfare of true religion at heart.
For no matter how unworthy it is of such a
charge, tho church is in fact the custodian of
religion, and as such is held responsible for
whatever sins are committed in its name.
Even though protesting Christian may be
unworthy of the name, a great majority of
the people will lay his moral direlection at
the door of religion and, not approaching
that it is the lack of what he processes that
causes him to err, blame the holy cause for
it. In the first place the ministers of the
gospel must set a better example to their
flock. They must be more consistent follow
ers of Christ, more earnest in their search af-
ter souls, more jealous in the prosecution
of the work given them to do. It will not
answer for them to be content with reading
sermon from their pulpits once or twice
a week, for these reach but few of the
people who need warning and instruction.
10 seek and to save sinners was the aim of
Christ upon earth it ought to enlist the
| most active efforts of those who at the
present time jprofess to follow him. But
| ministers nowadays love their too
much and prefer their wealthy Pensioners
to works of charity among the poor and
| lowly or efforts to reclaim those who are
fast travelling the downward path that leads
| to ruin and death. They need an awaken
| ing to realizing sense of the duty they owe
| to mankind in general as we'll as to the
| chosen few who seek counsel at the Sab
bath service or the weekday prayer meet
ing. During tho past few weeks they have
in conjunction with couple of religious
agitators, been trying to get up revival in
their several religious congregations. Thei1
want of success, we suspect, is due to the
fact that they themselves have not beer
converted-that they lack that zeal which
in every cause proves infectious and attracts
by its very earnestnees.
The church members, IS well as the min.
listers, have something to do-a responsible
ity that they too generally neglect. They
leave the whole of the church work to Tho
ministers and the deacons, never seeming
to realize that they too, by reason of thei1
professions, have work to perform. AS &
consequence the work of the church, ever
within itself, is half-hearted, imperfectly
done, and the spiritual life cold and for.
bidding. Perhaps if the members of the
churches would take an active interest ir
the cause Of religion, and labor earnestly
for the good of the cause, they would sue
coed in awakening their pastors to activity
and maybe act the part of missionaries. Al
active clergyman can almost invariably in
fuse new life into a passive congregation
and earnestness on the part of congregation
will be very apt to stir up the veriest
dolt of preacher who cumbers one of ou1
pulpits. It will be seen, therefore, that en-
thusiasm is reciprocal, for it acts in both di.
rections-from the pulpit upon the pews and
from the pews upon the pulpit.
The SUNDAY GLOBE is not hypercritical
1t sees the apathy which is fast impairing the
usefulness of the church and bringing relig.
| ion into disrepute, and by it's wise counsels
would stir those upon whom the good of the
cause so greatly rests to renewed activity an6
to sense of the grave responsibilities they
have voluntarily assumed. Let the clergy
manifest that zeal in the prosecution of theil
religious duties that characterizes them ir
pursuit of social pleasures, and let the occu.
pant of the pews reciprocate by displaying
some of the energy that prompts them il
business life in carrying forward the work
of the church. Then there would be less
cause for complaints, and the SUNDAY GLOBE
will take great pleasure in CONNIE ending that
for the lack of which it now criticises them.