Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-30
rhs conoREoArloAL CHURCH,

JUL IN Pck 0CutOkVo AOASAOtc a6oA 60 W. /
the principle Of that denomination and its
aims and purposes in our city. The staunch
doctrines expressed by Mr.. Harper were not
more marked than was the broad, generous,
sympathetic, spirit Of the whole address.
Amer touching briefly upon the heroic
spirit Of the founders Of Congregationalism
and the influence OF the denomination on
the early history Of our own state in its
struggle for liberty, he turned TO the work
now being undertaken in Wichita. We
have only space for few extracts from the
address. He said: "From the most relia-
BILE and Trustworthy information that have
been able 10 obtain the total number Of per-
sons that could be accommodated with seats
in all our churches, including the colored
and Roman Catholic, is $500, or little
more than one-fourth Of the population. In
order that everyone can attend public wor-
ship may have an opportunity of doing so,
it is estimated that provision should be
made for IS per cent of the whole popula-
ton. and estimating the population of
Wichita at $4,000, we should have 6, 100 per-
sons; according to which calculation there
is room in the city for four more church ed
ifces, each having an accommodation for l.
1856 persons.Again, considering the num-
Der of children that there must
be in the city growing up
without any distinctively religious training,
basing our estimate upon the school popu-
ton nf the city. there are LOO children
here. the larger proportion Of whom it is
fair to assume. think receive but very mea-
gre, If any religious training. Now what we
propose is to join hands and hearts with
those already engaged in the work Of max
ing this christian city. If We had to elbow
our way, displacing others in order to find
standing room for ourselves, we should
make no attempt here. We come not to
weaken other churches that we may
strengthen our own; not to steal the sheep
away that are gathered into other folds, but
to provide shelter for our own, and
search for and gather those ortsid all folds;
not assuming that we have monopoly of
christian truth and goodness. We wish as
one of the ambassadors of Christ to unite
with you, enfofcing His claims and asserting
His right to rule over the conscience and
hearts of men:
Within the church there is more toler-
ance of question and doubt, but what we
must guard against is tolerance growing
into indifference, liberty into latitudnarian-
ism. If the church is to retain her power
and accomplish the purpose for which Christ
organized her she s:,ust hold with death-like
grasp those doctrines of Christianity which
constitute her vitality and power. Men call
for practical truth, and often with reason,
but let me ask, are those truths which relate
to your practical, every day life of greater
importance than those which reveal the
relation Of the soul to God! Is the CON-
mand, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy
sell" higher and Of greater Importance than
the command "Thou shalt love the Lord
} with all thine hearti" As the carnal mind
becomes learned it discovers new ground Of
opposition. In6delity now admits nearly
all that the divines of century ago thought
, it necessary to prove. The basis of attack
has been changed and it found the church
for time unprepared to meet it The re-
suit has been widespread though unex-
pressed doubt among timid Christians that
the verities of our holy religion could not
bear the test of modern criticism.
am not disposed to chant mournful
lay over the rstionslism and inidelty Of to-
day. am deeply and truly sorry that in.
} fidelity exists. am tenfold more sorry fol
the causes which have been in existence fol
the past 500 years that have produced it
When consider the character of the rep
5 resentatives of so called christian Rome and
the manner in which they caricatured the
E religion they professed; their dogmas, theiI
traditions, their intolerance, their hypocricy
: their scandalous lives, their abominable ad-
ditions to the word of God, am not sur
prised that It should have produced infdeli-
ty of the most revolving type. In its passage
: down through the ages, christianity has beer
= despoiled of its grandeur and beauty, and
) there have gathered around it excresence'
which obscure its glory.
All doubters are not sceptics-some doubt
in order to believe; there are others to whom
= doubt is the conclusion of the whole mat.
3 ter" There are some, it is true, who have
but little if any claim to our sympathy and
E forbearance. 1 have little regard for those
who are forever riding Balaam's ass, and
t feel inclined to remind them of what an old
: divine once said: "The ass did not be-
4 come prophet until the prophet
; became an ass" If We could have
t at our command an argumentive donkey
we should be disposed to refer such doubt
ers to him. But as have said, there are
: others who deserve different kind of treat
' ment at the hands or Christian people. The
/ church has been harsh, unsympathetic and
! impatient toward some who have doubted
while they have longed for light and agon.
: lied to believe as We do. There are many
) who express sincere desire that they
could believe as we believe, and hope as we
r hope. Never will we treat such doubters
with harshness or GOODNESS, but rather with
) brotherly sympathy. Let our aim be to
treat them in such amer that they may
feel that we possess treasure they have not
{ found, Joy they have not known.
, wish now to speak of that which is the
, distrustive feature Of Congregationalism,
viz, its form Of church government. We
: meet as Congregationalists with the distinct
object in view Of uniting ourselves into a
, corporate body. We meet in no exclusive
, spirit, and certain am that we are prompted
by no unworthy antagonism. We are, we
trust, Christians first, churchmen second and
Congregational churchmen thirdly. Our
faith in and love for Christianity lies at the
. very basis of this church relationship which
we have in view. We have reason TO
believe that as body of Christian Congre-
gatioIalists we can best secure the ends of
church communion. Our outward organi-
cation and certain characteristics of church
life diferentiste us from others but notwith-
standing this we have common interests, and
the main purpose of our meetings will be to
advance the great object at which all
churches are aiming by securing an efficient
discharge OF our own department. Of service
and by wise and earnest cooperation with
Christians of other denominations. We
meet. apart from the necessities of the case
and not of separsteness of spirit or purpose.
We shall heartily welcome the representa-
tives of other churches into our assemblies
and thankfully accept their sympathy and
help. Our sepsrateness is the right and
reasonable separateness which arises from
the specially of our work and our methods.
| CONGREGATIONAL SERVICE.
Mr.. Harper preached last Sabbath morn
ing from the text, "Jesus Christ, the same
yesterday, to-day and forever" He spoke
of the hunger of the human soul for some