The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-03-11
CHURCH AND THE MASSES.
Does tho Former Eudeavor to Reach the
Latter,
And Fxlerd aympathiaing Hand 10 the
Poor and tho Lowly sermon ON
tho Subject by Rev. d.
E.sPlatter.

E'l, a.
Christ upon the history OF the. human
race, we must diyest OnfaelVe4of any 10
tent spirit Of ldOlatry toward that vlIl-
Bile organization known In history AZ
the church. This organization has not
Alwaya represented Christ. Christianity
and the church are not 10 inseplrably
identified that they cannot be- parted.
Az matter OF fact they have parted
company more than once In the course
OF their history; and the church, claim
Ing TO represent Christ, has been NJ
tunes no more than u tfayesty upon hls
teachings. The church has at times al
lied Itself with earthly ambition and the
lust OF plWeT; ut other times q epirlt OF
cruelty and iuhnmanlly has been reg
nant In II; again, II has lent Its sanction
Ia the greatest inlqnltiea, the crnelest
WrOngl, 40 has stood behind the inqn'al'
tlOn with hot pinchers aud burning g.
pOts In its hand; II has made Itself hats
ful, and 80 has merited the hate. which
the masses Of men have come TO feel TO
ward II IN certain periods,
There IN nothing IN the teachings OF
Christ; nothing IL Christianity AZ sya
TEN OF laws for the government OF hu-
man conduct and the regulation OF hn-
man society, that ought 10 be hated by
any man Of unpeTyerted lnstlnctsi and
II In any ago tho church has developed
a widespread feeling Of enmlty toward
Itself beyond what IL natural to per
yertpd human nature, II In because the
church and Christ have In measure
Darted cnmpany;it L. because the chni Oh
no longer truly presents christianity TO
the multitude.
II Ia a great misfortune to christian
ity aud 10 the world, when the church
aud Christ have parted company to any
marked extent. II Ia q misfortune TO
Chrlstianlty;tOr such Visible org iniem
az the church IN essential TO the de-
Velopment and spread Of Christianity
and the making OF II dominant power
In the worlds and any marked departure
OF the church from the spirit OF chris
tianity IN lessening OF the pr0jectile
power OF Christianity. II Is mi-for.
tune TO the wOlld, because the world
stands sorely In need OF Christla lityi
that Christianity which IL the spirit aud
life Of its founder, and for whose dis
semlnatiOn the church Ia the diyinely
appointed agency.
The mul.lude does not stop 10 dis
Crimna.e between Christianity and the
church, The organized church In not
always the embodiment OF Christianity,
az the church member In not always the
embodiment OF the christian character.
Neither dOea II always remember that
Christianity is perfect system OF truth,
because given by perfect teacher; but
that the church IL necessarily q more or
less imperfect institution, because " Ia
composed OF imperfect and ialll6le men, |
We must expect something Of imperfec. |
ton In the church. Pr0toatantism NJ |
any rate does not hold that the church
IL sinfillible. Christ himself taught u1
that such would be the case, and that |
we need not expect 10 Oe an Ideally pure |
In lltuliOn, an the system Of truth 10 was |
10 present 20 the world was ideally |
true. Tue church may be ~ far from |
presenting Chrisllanity exactly, as the !
sun is from presenting character OF |
Christianity exactly. The multitude is !
ant To Identify Christianity ana the |
church, aud n lta attitude for any cause |
become one of hatred, II hates them
both as one. II for any reason the
church becomes hateful To lts thought,
Christianity rpllgl0n-beComes hateinl
too. This may IN some sense be newt
able, but II IN most unfortunate. We
may safely assume upon general ptin-
clpleq, that the multitude will not
stand In nn unfriendly atti uie to the
church, unless one Of two things be
true.
First, n the church, by reason Of
false development, and q I lso spirit
creeping into II, dlacrimlhatea In any
sense against the multitude, and IN favor
OF the more fortunate and .priyil ged
classes; II tha church no far fOrgeis her
81 cred mission ~ b. bid for the favored
elementa OF society, az against the null
tltudp; II ahe has warmth, aud smiles,
and hearty greetif q for the rich aud
well 10 DO, and says 10 them, Come aud
slt thou here" and has cOldness, aud dis
regard, aud lack OF aympalhy, for the
poor who arc clad In plain raniment
and SAYS TO them "Go aud stand thou
yondef, or sit here under my footstoOli'
In for any reason II has come TO pass
that In The church "the poor have not
the gospel prsached 10 them," IN word
and IN deed, or, II the church stands
committed 10 any great wrongs, which
outrage the mora sense Of mankind, or
I'm any attitude tf Ind ference TO themj
II In word har teachi and her bear
Ing are not mensuTaby IN harmony
with the spirit and teaching OF her
Lord, she may expect, and We may sRy
deserves, thealienation olthe multitude
jnst In proportion 10 her own alienation
from the spirit and teachings OF Christ.
But second, the multitude may DO led
Into an unfriendly attitude to the
church, oven when che IL measurably
true TO her mission, by false teaching,
ard false leadership. Shrewd but un'
prlnciped, or Ignorant or mistaken, or
Wild aud yisl0nory Leaders, may corrupt
the thinking of the multitude, and lead
them 10 believe that the real or the
ianci5d wrongs which they complain Of
which In many casea are no more than
the ordinary hardship8 Of life which
they ought 10 meet and bear like men,
have their origin In the religious faith
which exerclses dominant n iluence In
our aOcial system; that the wrongs and
the hardshlps which they suffer, real or
fancled, can be traced to religion; that
the very thing which God has given for
the cure OF the disorders Of society IL
chargeable M being at the DO tom OF
them, Now II IL altogether possible that
III given periods both Of these causes 10
which have alluded may be operating
at the same time, TO ALLEVIATE the multi
tude from the church.
But lot us 70 back Of philosophy to
fact. Let us raise the question, Is the
thing we ore talking about o factp Ia
there NJ this present time any greot de.
gree OF alienation from the church on
the part OF the multitude, beyond what
we ought u expect. from the natural
antagonlem OF human nature TO the
restraints Of holiness, which the church
Ia hound TO insist upon, and which
brings her into opposition TO the law.