Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-05-30
WARM WEATHER CHRISTIANITY.

WARM WEATHER. CHRISTIANITY.
Preach the word; be instant in season. out of
season; reprOve, rebuke, exhort with all long
suffering and doctrine. TIMOTHY. ": z.
The warm W Gather has set IL, and per-
ceptible decrease in the number Of attend
! ants upon the services of the churches is
already seen. The pews contain few devout
worshipers, and few who go to church
from force of habit. But many who, during
the bracing days of the winter, and the cool
and refreshing days of the early spring,
were wont to resort to the churches for an
hour and half on each Sabbath are con-
spicuous by their absence-or have been for
the past two sultry Sabbaths. Is it possible
that their religion is gagged by the tempera-
| ture?
The SUNDAY GLOBE does not wish to deal
harshly with the protesting Christians of st.
Paul or any other city. Yet there are num-
Der of things that are manifest to disin-
terested on-looker that are calculated to Gre
ate the impression that there is lack of sin
cerity somewhere. AS soon as the summer
season fairly opens the congregations begin
to diminish in size. few HE themselves
to the seaside or lake resorts, but the major
ity prefer to spend the hours of Sabbath
| worship either in some shady nook in their
own grounds, or to visit some suburban re-
sort where they fancy they can as devoutly
worship deity by looking through nature up
to natures god. Such Indifference is dis
couraging to the pastors of the churches,
and very naturally produces somewhat
similar effect. About the time that swelter-
ing weather begins and the pews are empty,
the minister begins to complain of overwork.
He breaches more of his old ser
mons than is his wont, exchanges pulpits
oftener than usual, exhibits de-
gree of lassitude in the pulpit and at the So
cial gatheringssof his congregation that is
indicative Of excessive fatigue, and coca
sionally hints that vacation will be neces-
sary to enable him to continue in the work
of the Lord. He does not wish to desert
his flock, but thinks that, after month or
two of recreation, he could return reinvigo-'
rated, and accomplish much more for the
cause than if he continued to minister to the
wants of his people in his present debili-
tated condition. The result generally is
that he receives leave of absence, and the
sheep of his flock are allowed to. go astray,
or to be cared for by some strange shepherd.
| The blame for this state of affairs does not
rest entirely with the minister, nor yet with
the congregation. It is simply pernicious
custom that has of late years been growing
steadily. It has become fash
| ionable for the worshipers to
absent themselves from church during
the warm season. A preacher is excusable
in feeling that he is throwing his talents
away in preaching to empty benches, and
the only release he can conceive of is to ask
that he be allowed the same liberty of reli eff
the system is bad one. For three or four
months in the year church work is practi-
cally abandoned. There are, it is true, min
listers who remain at their posts, but they
have no congregations, and there are con-
gregations, but they have no ministers.
The cause of Christianity was formerly es-
teemed of vital Importance, and the workers
in it were required to be instant in season
and out of season, serving the Lord. That
time has apparently long since gone by, and
religion is adopted only when there is
nothing more interesting to engage the at
tention of professors. 1t is deplorable that
this is the case, but it is nevertheless a
} fact that religion has become a fashion
|. rather than conviction. If it was the lat
anity. The professors of religion would
feel greater interest in maintaining the
ordinances of the church, and would absent
} themselves from the sanctuary only from
necessity. The clergy, too, would be in
cl ned to dispel their summer ennui by q
J little earnest work, and instead of asking 8
vacation might take the opportunity to labor
] among those who show no respect to the
, sanctity of the Sabbath. There was never q
more promising field for evangelical work
than there is al present among those who
spend their Sab5aths in the pursuit of pleas
ure that is sometimes, if not frequently, of q
questionable description. We have too much
, Christianity of the warm weather sort.
| What the church most needs is religion
, that will hold as we'll in the dog-days as in
the pleasant weather of Che spring and au-
tumn.