The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-28
THE UNION SUNDAY SERVICE
The Meeting at City Hall Last Evening
Largely Attended by Church People.
Church and It's Members by Evangelists-
Remarks of Revs Neighbor and Gilbert.

The religious services last evening at Tomlin-
son Hail. in which several congregations took
part. were attended by at least thirty five hum
bred and perhaps four thousand people. The
chairs on the main floor were nearly all occu-
pied, while the large balcony space was crowded
While it was as large as any attracted there by
the preaching of Sam Small and Sam Jones, the
audience differed somewhat in character. 1t
had the unmistakeahle signs of church going
! sudience, with small minority. proba-
bly,. of those drawn thither through
curiosity. On the rostrum was a large
choir, which, throughout the evening, sang
well-known hymns of revival interest and the
songs familiar to all. The congregation united
with the choir in the singing which gave to this
part of the service an impressive and somewhat
| emotional force. While Rev. N. A. Hyde, Of
the Mayfower Congregational Church, had
charge Of the order of exercises, the presence of
Revs. Mcleod, of the Second Presbyterian, Gill
bert, of the Merdan-street Methodist, McLain
of the Grace Methodist. Rondthaler, of the
Tabernacle, Haines, OF the First Presbyterian
Neighbor, of the North Baptist, Day, of the
United Brethren, and Mcconnell, of Roberts
est taken in the meeting.
After the singing of two or three familiar
songs. the Rev. Mr.. Day offered prayer, and fol-
lowing this came more songs Rev. Mr.. Neigh
Dor then spoke on Church Unity in Jesus
Christ" He was very much pleased at the large
audience, saying: ''This is a magnificent sight,
and doubt not that in the audience there is a
very large proportion marching through Eman-
uel to the better world. Since l have been on
this stage tonight my conscience has reproved
me in the language of the Savior: oh, We of
little faith Wherefore do you doubtP I
said to my wife at supper, I will
be satisfied if the hall is half filed
l did not expect this great audience" He then
said that no matter what denomnational differ
cnces and convictions may be among the
churches, every mothers son of them means
business in saving souls. Progress is noe only
being made in UNCONVENTIONAL unity, but we
more and more honor a man who is not afraid of
his convictions. The difficulty with churches
though, is that they do not apply themselves
sufficiently to saving perishing souls. This
is the paramount work to be done
by the church. not the building up
1t was tire duty of every minister TO reach out
after the perishing, and interest in this work
should be above everything else. 1t has been
said that the church of Christ thinks only of it
self. This is libel. Men and women, thou
sands of them within the church, are always CIV
ing, and giving literally, of their time and means
in forwarding the works ofcharity and missions
They do not do it as a speculation but because
they love to give as part of their Christian duty.
One of the finest results of the recent revival
meetings is that congregational and denomina-
tiona differences have been laid aside. and
| Christian people, with heart and hand, entered
| heartily into the work.
Rev. DIR. Mcleod addressed the audience
on 1.-THE Church of Christ taking for his text
Chrst also loved the church. and gave himself for
| it."-Eph. V, %.
| He said: l have been asked to speak to you
| that should interest everybody What is the
| church? What are its claims upon us2 What is
| its mssionl Perhaps there are those in this city,
| and, it may be. in this audience who would find
| 1t difficult to answer these questions. At all
| events we may be sure that the answers we
would receive to such questions would not be,
| by any means, uniform.
| There, for example, is building which is
! more or less elegant in point of architecture.
! We ask what it Is, and we are told it
| is a church. And that is about the extent of the
| idea which some entertain of church. 1t is a
material building. and but little more Bnt such
| building, however plain or however elegant,
| is, at best. only the place where church meets.
| The building is not the church. But it is more
| over true that number Of people may call
| themselves church. and they may meet from
| slime to time in a building which they cali their
church and yet they may not belong at all to
| the church of Christ. Whether they do or not
| depends upon their relation to Christ, and upon
the object of their meeting. There are some
| churches, so called which scarcely deserve the
| name. If they were called ''clubs"-literary
/ clubs, or social clubs-it would be more appro-
| pirate, because the ideas associated in our minds
with club life seem to DO the prevailing ideas
| in such organizations The members of these
churches" did not join them, in the first place.
| for any scriptural reason whatever, nor do they
| continue their membership therein for any such
reason. They did not join them because of their
/ supreme love for Christ, AS their Redeemer, nor
| nor because they were anxious, above all other
things. to please Him, nor do they continue their
| membership for any such reason. The worship
| of Christ, the glory of Christ, the spread of
Christs gospel. the conversion of sinners, their
| anx,e,, for their own soul. and their longing to
be more Christ-I,kv -, character these are not
the constraiuiac motives by Which they are
drawn 10 the als.:.ary aad by which they regu
/ late their life. They may can tnem>e., co
| church members, ont are they indeed members
| of that church which Christ loved and for which
| He gave His life!
| Perhaps the Christian pulpit, especially the
| Protestant pulpit, and more especially STILL the
| pulpit as represented by some evangelists, is to
| blame for certain loose notions which many seem
/ to entertain touching the church of Christ.
/ There was time when preachers and teachers
| made everything of the church and but little of
/ Christ. That was grievous error. But is there
| not now little danger in some quarters of going
C~1l
! make everything of Christ and but little of His
/ church, Before the reformation. the church was
| exalted and Christ was almost ignored. Now.
| by some who call themselves evangelists. Christ
/ is exalted (l) and His church is almost ignored.
| Or if they do allude to the church, it is chiefly
/ for the purpose of denouncing it. TO hear them
talk about tho church, one might suppose
that it is composed, for the most part,
of hypocrites, and gamblers, and such like.
/ And in the eyes of these brethren. the gospel
| ministers who will not indorse such wholesale