Morning journal and courier., 1883-03-05
Christian Living.
Ought the Standard 10 be Lowered-Ser
 nIr.. Harris.

Ought the Standard to be LOwered-Ser-
 mon by Rev. MT. Harris.
 Last evening Rev. Mir. Harris, at the St.
 John street M. E. church, preached very
 interesting discourse on the topic fought
 the standards of church membership to be
 lowered in order to facilitate the salvation of
 the world ?" He text was: 'I know thy
 works that thou hast 8 name, that thou
 Evest and art dead" Sd chap. Revelations,
 first verse. The city of Sardis was in Asia
 Minor, and interesting to us to-day as being
 one of the seven churches to which the epis-
 ties were directed. To-day it is only ruin,
 and as one of the former principal churches
 it had a name to live, but is dead. I cannot find in the writings of Saint Paul that he
 ever visited this church to which he wanted one of his letters read. He knew that the church had name to live and was dead, and SO thought it would be unnecessary to do SO. In their works they must have had form of godliness, or else they would not have been in the church.
 They had fixed for themselves low stand ard, from which they did not care to advance, to whom how appropriate are the words of Amos, 'tWoe to them that are at ease in Zion" Cannot we compare this church to our time? This deadness is fact which you all know from your own observation. As look on Christian who has name to live and is dead find it comes from six different symptoms. First there is a great dispropor- tion between his secular and his religious in- terests. How delightful he is when in daily business; he is successful, but he has nc earnestness in religious matters; his heart is
 not in the church. think this is a true say l ing that ''no person ever reaches heaven un less his heart goes long before" The second ! is that there will be bluntness, an obtuse ness of the mind as to Gods claims on the services of men. If you meet 8 man who says if like that I will choose it, if not will not whose business is it whether I go tc church or not, can do one or the other al pleasure, there is no use in talking to him He cannot be brought to see the matter rightly. The third one is state of being easily turned aside by adverse criticisms Let person believe that what he does is from his own choice and he is like grain o1 wheat dropped where there isGttle earth he fourishes for time ,but soon withert away. The fourth is that oi indiferentism like traveller who wishes to gain his journeys end, but does not care whether it be by rail or water if he only gets there. But this is 8 very bad way for g Christian, for there is only one way to the I cross. If you do not use the means, how | can you expect heaven? Just as soon as 6 Christian becomes indifferent he had better | ask for his letter and withdraw, for his inau- | ence is like pouring tepid water into boiling | water-it reduces the temperature of the ! whole.
 The fifth is negligence in not attending tc ! and improving his opportunities We are al servants of God and should heed the com | mand, ''Go work today in my vineyard. The sixth is where one transfers his per sonal obligations to work for God to somt ' one else. He becomes like the servant wht ! knew his master was hard one and hid hil talent in 8 napkin. If religion is real thing we ought to work.