The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-04-21
Plymouth Pulpit.
DANGERS IN CHURCH LIFE.
Sermon by Henry Ward Bcechrr.

have lost his SAVIOUR, Whcrcwlth shall III nc
sailed? it lis thcnccfurth good for nothing.
but to be cast ont, and troddcn under foot OF
men. Ic are the light of the world. \ city
that is set on Il hill can not be hid. Ncllhcr 40
men light Il candle. and put II under Il buShel,
but on a candlrSiici: and it "iveti light unto
all that arc in the house M.hTf, v, Bib.
The conservation of the morality Of the
world-"sait"-rnl the Instruction OF the
world in spiritual thin=s-"liSht.-nrc here
declared to. be the aim and object ol inc
church. II is therefore in lt3 relation tn ire
community that it Is to lie Judged, hs 10
whether II IS prosperous or unproSlcrouS. \
church that has grown up to take care Nl
Itself has defeated the end Of It's existence;
but Il church that takes care o! itSclI by AK
ing care of the whole community Is In The
line OF its very original genius.
There are two tendencies ut work In this
! world-nnc the progressive, and the other the
under the influence Of these great tendencies
as are individuals. Although many men use
these phrases, which arc very Indefinite, ana
! which often by reason OF srrcinl use In
! special times acquire II favorable or an UNI
favorable meaning. all men arc in this world
nndcs the Influence, more or less, nj nrSt, "l
great progressive tcndcncieS-yOuth: fresh Or
gani>m; health; nothing behind; everything
before. | hcspcak pity for any young man
that is conservative. We are born to nc on.
gineers of the future: and It. Is the normal
and proper condition of men That are In
youth, that are full of blood, that have their
purposes In life TO carry out. |: Is for them
to exert Il progressive influencc-tO think, TO
feel ana to execute.
AsI life advances past the meridian 1t is Just
as natural that there should cOmc in another
force; for. when enterprise has acquired, the
law of caring for that which YOU have got Is
IS Just as true rs the law OF getting. The law
of planting in spring is not any more Il law
of prudence than The law OF reaping IN sum
mcr or autumn: they are hut the rnmrci-
mcnts of each other. Although their ten
denotes are different, yet they complete the
year and are harmonious in each other. In
the snring we put our seed to moisture and To
hcat-wc throw it out into the ground; and
I'm July or in August We garner IT,, ana thus
save It from moisture and from heat; and
there is no contradiction between the two
acts, although they arc very different.
50 youth we acquire and ainaSS: and as
have required and amused, and the only
danger is IN Disturbing the proper balance
between the one and the other. And with
this conservatism there generally comes in Il
gradua' waste Of power to help th"m-cithcr
disappointment. or bankruptcy, or tho break
ing down of life. or the gradual change which
age advancing toward Old aye brings over
mcn-a spirit OF QulctncSs; and you will take
notice that Christian virtues flourish amaH-
ingly when human nature is too weak to
interfere. A great deal Of what Is called
"growing In grace" is 0ltcntimcS nothing III
the world but o~utgrowing vigor. There comes
TO men. as they advance in years, Il love Of
rest. They have, to be sure, contemplating
power rcnlaining-tllat generally is last of all
To depart; they may continue IN good Judg.
mcnt; their minds may lie clear in SO far Il
as Il Knowledge Of the practical affairs of life
Is concerncd: SO far as the ordinary realm OF
human thought is concerned men die last ut
the top; but these two-thc decay o! lndivi-
! dual power and the necessity of duty in con-
, serving that which men have ncquircd-worli
together, and men going with enterprise and
cncrgiZinG progress into life come cut of 1t,
ordinarily, conservative, prudent, cautious.
Now and then there is an exception; but only
| new and then. There arc some men who are
old when they arc born, and young when
they die; it IS about an even thing with them
right straight through life; but they are rare,
! exceptional cases.
Now, that which takes place with regard to
the individual Is taking place with regard TO
society, it all its organizations. Institutions
are not excepted. They come under this gen
cral law. In their conformation men ordina-
rily are bold. They oppose currents and per-
form experiments If IL he nCcdiul, laying the
foundations of new institutions with enter.
! prise and rrogrcSSivcncSS; but us institutions
are developed and established. and become
influential, and gather age, they have 4 con-
Scrvativc tendency, 1t may be said, in gene
raj, that all institutions are n.orc cOnScrva-
things 1t must be So. Institutions are rcScr-
vuirS, to Il iHrge extent: anu TO maintain their
form and machinery abSorbS IL great deal of
the attention of the men that run them: and
they take care Of the Institutions sometimes,
al oSl 10 the forgetting Of the functions for
which the institutions were established.
Churches arc subject to the very same i'll
luenccS. There is II transition from the pro-
greSSive to the conservative which they pass
through. They general begin with youth
iul blood. They change by decay Of force.
and by having so much in their possession
that, as it were, the duty of preserving over
mounts that OF acquiring. Enterprise in
founding; conservation when founded-thiS
Is the law, and this is the practice Of civil
and Of ecclesiastical institutions.
That being so, ] propose to speak Of the
ta puprS which hrSpl Individual rlllIrlpS M.
der This great general law. l have said that
churches have ordinarily a humble begin
ming. There are few that come together in
them at first. They arc formed, usually, in
communities that, en- 1HdSsc, are not flvoru-
bic. They are usually formed Oh men Of
great 1ceiing-cmutiOllal, imaginative men.
They have against them. ordinarily, the cur
rent OF property to Il certain extent. Usually
means only. Tn men that for the churches
in villages. in ncichborhoods, or III districts
Of cities, are not OF the highest class, mcaSur-
ell by the worldly standard. The beginning
OF such is usually a Scnday-SchOol, in our
time and in our cities, assembled in q hail
~soInewhere,is some outOi-thc-way ncighbur.
hood, and has nothing in the world ia it to
tempt men except souls. Respectable class
es. rich people, do not live there. The popu-
latiOn IL scattered, and there Is nothing to
induce men TO form Il Sunday-SchOol there
except mems n~ecls-thcir dying spirltuarI
necessities. The few that go to 1t are self
denying. They give TO 1t time that they can
scarcely afford TO spare-dayS and nights.
Their fidelity is met with corresponding sue
cess. One and another Is brought in, and one
and another Is Snatchcd rs a brand from the
burnniug. The place ovcrilOwS; and some
sunday services are proposed; and one and
another is invited to address the school. Al
last, u larger place must DC had; but their
! means are small, and those that lave given
much already tax themselves still more
, severely, and become missionaries Of solicit
tatlon, and go around begging: and at Fast it
is thought TO be wise to build 4 church; and
with Il great struggle the land is p"ocurcd;
: and with yet greater struggle the foundations
are laid; aud little by little they deny them
selves, every family giving up something
that they you otherwise have and living
palmer and lower than they otherwise would.
They give less time to their secular work,
work, and more time and thought 10 their
spiritual work, untll they get their church
buiided; and at last, when IT is built and
dedicated and free from the church begins 20
die. 1t was the glory Of the constituent MEM
bcrs that they were given th!er time their
money, their strength, tina they were Eut-
ting their shoulders 10 the burden, and that
at every single step they were denying them
selves, and working for Christ and men ~
their own expense. Thisfs religion. This Is
Christllkc.
But 10 soon as thcirbuilding is up, and they
have paid for it and furnished it, and respect
able families begin tocomc intoi II, then comes
Satan among them; and now they arc tempt
ed to take care Of themselves; and the mo-
mcnt churches are tempted To take care Of
themselves the devil has got them. AS long
as they were taking care Of the world, and
thinking Of the good of every creature in the
world, and planning for that, so long as they
were Chrisllikc; but the moment II church
has gathered itself together, and formed
itself into an organic body, and come into
circumstance In which IT Is relieved from
care and burdens and sclf.dcnial, and It's
members take a long breath and say, Nov
we are going 10 enjoy oursclvcS"-thcn what?
They think Il more fashionable preacher
{ -,,.t L., o. t,4.l rI mill tI 1. 49, l..
tcllcgcnt and respectable .cl:tSScS: and they
begin to be ashamed of the poor; and course
clothes do not suit them any longer; they do
not see through cotton and WOODEN, and be-
hold what Is inside Of n man; they only take
account Of that which Is outside. Then there
must be more expensive singing, and more
expensive everything about the church,; and
quietly, gradually, little by little, the money
changers get the upper hand, and the church
comes to be carried on entirely asa secular
institution, and draws the intelligent and
select; and by and by there is fashionable
audience gathered: and then they say. This
said, very proudly. why, you never saw
such n ncighborhood as that was when we
first went INTO it; but We knew it was going
to be settled by and by, and that fine houses
would be built there, and that a wealthy popu-
latlon wouId come in, and we built accord
ingly; and ever since we have had q good
church, such as respectable men were willing
to bring their families to; and now we are
thriving, and have enough to pay all our en-
pcnscS, and are getting on we'll"
GOd forbid thai. l should say that such
churches do not do any good; they may, they
DO, do Il great deal of good, and they prevent
much harm; but they are not the types of
ChriSt's churches. They have lost the thought
thai the place of the church Is TO stand like a
candle ON n candlestick in the community,
and cast It's light outside OF itself upon all
those round about, and that to be Salling
themselves cntcrnally with the gospel to
., ) l. SIlrp that they and their chilbrp,i shall