The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-03-22
PULPIT THEMES YESTERDAY.
DR.. McLeod's Structures on the Hypoc-
risy of Pretended Christians.
Rev. 0. C. McCulloch Thinks that the Labor
Problem Must Finally Be Settled by
Christian Principles of Justice.
woRLDLINEss IN THE CHURCH.

wORLDLINEss IN THE CHURCH
DR.. McLeod's Solution of the Unholy War
Between Capital and Labor.
Rev. James Mcleod, D. d., preached at the
Second Presbyterian Church yesterday morning
on 1.-THE World in the Church." taking as his
text Romans, xii, q "Be rot conformed to this
world"
He said the church and the world are familiar
words to every reader of the Bible They are,
too, words of deep significance. From one point
of view, they come before rs in direct antago-
nism. They have nothing in common. They
are mutually exclusive. The world hates the
church, and the church does not love the world.
The church belongs to Christ; the world lieth in
the wicked one But the church and the world
are also presented to US in another aspect First,
the church in the world. l. is here by divine
appointment It has been put here
to do very definite and blessed
work It is here not as an enemy
OF the world, but as its best friend. It is here
because God loves the world, and longs for its
salvation. It's mission is to glorify God. to
preach the gospel to convert sinners, and to
conquer the world for Christ The church is
Christs representative in the world. Christ is
no more in the world, but His church is in the
world, and He expects her to make manifest to
the world both His spirit and His life. Is the
church doing all she can to fulfill her mission-to
carry out the great wish OF Christi If not, why
mott
suppose it is true that there never was
time when the church of Christ exerted
80 wide and SO powerful an influence
over the world as it is doing
to-day. And, I suppose, it is equally true that
influence on the church. Hence it seems that,
somehow, the world is in the church. And, in
proportion az this is so, the power OF the CHI urch
must needs be crippled. This is an evil against
which the church has always had to contend.
The world has crept into it in various ways.
Ever, during Christ's ministry, as well as in
apostolic times, tares were found among the
wheat. They have been found together in the
same field ever SINCE and SO, doubtless, they will
continue to grow until the great harvest day.
But this is not the only way by which the world
has gained an entrance into the church, nor is
this the way in which it exsrts its greatest infu-
ence. The crop of tares is very small COM
pared with the cropof wheat. Hypocrites, and
false professors and wolves in sleeps clothing,
constitute very small proportion of the visible
church Of God. But the world has managed,
time and again, to get into the church in other
ways. It has succeeded in making itself so at
have, for time, been controlled by it. When
first they gave their hearts to Christ, they
thought but little of the world. Now their
hearts are so given to the world that they
think but little of Christ. Once they took great
delight in heavenly things; now they mind
earthly things. Is not this true of far too many
processing Christiansa Yes; the world is in the
church The conduct and conversation Of many
who have name in the church prove it. The
worldly pleasures and worldly amusements in
ncht rdf11r ha inf
est they take in the Bible, in prayer, in worship
and in the affairs of Christ's kingdom generally
prove it. If they are at home in the church, is
It not trne that they feel still more at homs in
It is not the world that is without
the church so much as the worldl-
ness that is within it that constitutes
the greatest barrier to the churchs progress. A
therefore, is: How is the church to get rid of
this worldlinessg We may rest assured that it
will not be done by the pulpit. The pulpit
could not do so great work In apostolic times,
since the age of the apostles the power of the
Christian pulpit was never greater than it is
day. It is able, therefore, to render most
efficient help in this direction. But its power is
not sufficient for the accomplishments this great
task For we must remember that the
pulpit itself is not altogether free from world
liness. Indeed, it is more than probable that a
good deal of worldliness has from time to time
been preached into the church, and that, too,
from some nonainally orthodox puIpits. Nor is
this end to be reached by resorting to church dis
cipine. Some churches, doubtless, are far too lax
in regard to this matter. If strict discipline
applied it might, in some cases, prove healthful,
even though it should result in reducing very
considerably the membership Of many churches.
But even that would not rid any church Of world
illness. And besides in gathering up the tares,
some wheat might also be rooted up with them.
Not by denouncng the world, nor by with
l~,r ol<,.
of it, to get rid of worldliness. That has been
tried on large scale, and it has proved failure.
Many of the so-called saints who bitterly de-
nounced the world and went into their closters
were far enough from keeping themselves un
they have been if they had stayed in the world
and visited the fatherless and the widows
in their affection. The same is true
of those in these days who lay claim
has about it. very often, far too much of
worldly flavor. There is 'sanctity," so-called
which is only sanctimoniousness, and sancti-
moniousEess is scarcely a respectable form of
worldliness. But if worldliness cannot be gotten
out of the church in any of these ways, nor by
all of them combined. what then? If, in any
ease it cannot be gotten rid of completely, how
may it be reduced to a minimum?
In the first place, let me say, we should guard
very carefully the door into the church.
It is we'll that the door into Christ's
church should stand open, as wide open, if pos
sible, as the door into the paradise of God. But
as some will be excluded from paradise, SO some
should be excluded from the church. And just
here, apprehend, is where the world sometimes
gets into the church. Many converts" are not
converted. They have neither knowledge to dis
Germ the Lords body nor faith TO feed upon Him.
When they came into the church they brought
their worldliness with them, and there it still
remains. But, in addition to this, there are not
few who were mere truly converted. who need,
like Peter, to be converted over again. The more
we have of such reconversions the better. Such
converts will strengthen their brethren. Hence
a revival genuine revival. in any church al
ways drives out worldliness, because Christians
then actively engaged in doing the Lords
work. and they have neither the time nor the in
clination to be conformed to this world.
If the church is to discharge her duty in the
world, and at the same time keep herself IN
spotted from the world, she must be actively en-
gagged in doing the Lords work This