Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-02-22
8e1igions Department.
HOW CHURCHES NAY RI
SAVED.

SA ED.
One OF our best religious papers
has recently published an account of
the destruction of church in one of
our western cities. Ii was a slow
process, but sure, for it began with
unsound teaching from the pulpit.
The writer of these lines was remind
ed of an experience in New England.
''The weeds grow faster than the
vegetables, said the aged deacon,
as he came in from his garden to
greet the young colporteur. This is
the condition of our town. continued
the good old man. MANY years
ago." said he ''there was prayer in
every house in town. My look of
establishment, as | thought of my
experience that day, led him to say
that he did not wonder | was aston
ished. | asked him the reason of the
great change. His answer was:
"Christians fell asleep, and the enc
my came in and sowed tares. One
brought infidel books. and another
secured subscribers to a paper not
noted for evangelical truths, and the
tares, like the weeds in my garden,
grew rapidly. Oh, sir the sleep of
Christians is a fearful thing for a
church or country
These words I heard more than
quarter Of century ago, made a
deep impression upon my mind.
They come to me often as | read Of
the failure of this or that church to
reach the masses in the city or vii
lage- The Christians are asleep.
There has been a growing tendency
to do all kinds of Christian work by
proxy. The workers are few, the
listeners and croakers are legion.
The need of our churches to-day is
worshippers and workers, and when
souls really worship they will work.
The tendency in most of our assem-
lslies on the Sabbath is to listen, and
then to 60 away to praise or find
| fo,,lf In hiS
than God. This was the trouble
with the Corinthians, to whom Paul
wrote, "For this cause many are
weak and sickly among you, and
many sleep" Instead of worshipping
God, they had exalted Paul and
Cephas and Apollos. They center
ed into temptation" because they
did not watch and pray.
There would be less loose theology
among the preachers, if there were
more real devotion in the pews
There are many strong churche!
where the leading members are no
in sympathy with real worship o
GOD. A genuine revival is a dis
turbing element in the services. The,
are seldom at the prayer-meeting
and all the interest they have il
the service of the Sabbath is to hav
an intellectual discourse and artist
music. They do not always objec
E to sound theology, but like to hea
about science and the topics of th
: day. They have no interest in tn
! devotional parts of the service. The
are asleep, and need to hear the CT
which Jonah heard, ''What meanes
+, thnn, O sleeper2 Arise call opo
thy God" The great need of man
;, of our churches-even those tn;
:, seem to be strong-is more calm
upon God. This will save I'll
churches, and make them @ power.
The spirit of praise and devotlo
is needed far more than the mos
elaborate sermons. The spiritu
natures of the masses are hungry
,e and we have not given them breaC
in The recent services in old Trinit
in and other Episcopal churches, an
the services of the present month
MS the Reformed and Presbyielis
u churches, indicate that some a
O. awake