Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-04-05

| the cities who became rich and
only needed suggestion to secure from the
same generous gift from the churches o.
their youthhood. These men endow. STOOLS
and libraries; about every county town in
Massachusetts is provided with q library
from such q source The churches mioht
have shared pine same generosity had the
subject ben made prominent And I am
speskag In this strain today for the simple
knpose Of lodging the idea Of the need of
endowed churches in your minds and get
ting the subject into the light.
There can hardly be two opinions as to the
advantage of an endowment In the case of
churches in the rural distriots. Their pitia-
BILE decay, their struggles, the meagre
salary of the pastors their dependence
upon the charity Of other churches, handi.
capped In every particular of administration,
Ill heated, Ill lighted, without books, often
ministered to by pastor not worth his SAL
airy, but the best the salary can command,
more often presided over by man who is
philosophy, who is Ill nourished at table and
in library, unable to travel, shut in on every
side, forced to think, along with his few peo-
pie, of ealary first and last-all this ia sad
enough, and worse than sad when we reflect
that little thrifty foresight might have
averted It, and that Christian generosity
might even now correct 1t.
In the country We have one kind of failure
resulting from non endowment, long, lin
gering struggle with death.
In the city, our failures from the same
source takes on different aspect, or rather
it does not appear at all until we search it
out. When church in the city becomes too
small and too poor to pay its bills, it finds
another church in the same condition with
which 1t unites, and in the union of numbers
and purses finds what it calls prosperity.
This process, which is going on in all our
cities, may often be wise because necessary,
but it is not one pleasant to contemplate
It may be necessary to remedy errors of
location, or 1t may be necessary in default Of
means of support, which is the point now
before us. When a church grows small
and weak, what it needs according to its
staunch nature as Christian church, is
not union with another church, but addition
to itself. If 1t has had one pastor, 1t needs
two or three; if its people become poor there
is need OF an endowment to meet the de-
mands. This is what is done in the
world of business. If q firm becomes weak
| 1t looks out for another man with capital
| and 80 enlarges its operations. If a church
| becomes weak, 1t begins to plan for extinc-
| ton. In Charlestewn, Mass, one of its two
| Congregational churches has persisted after a
history OF more than $50 years, during
which time it has numbered millions of dol
lars in its members. The other, presided
over by an able and unbeatable
pastor, is ready to perish from
poverty, and yet Charlestown is as
full Of people 1so as Is. -. ever; they y
church. Congregational householders moved
away and the church closed it's doors. What
is the other possible alternative2 None to-
day, but had it during the two hundred
years of its prosperity gradually endowed it.
self SO that it should now have q clear in
come of ten thousand dollars, and then had
1t risen to the new conception Of the church
which is coming on and which is illustrated
by the Berkeley Eemple church in Boston,
hired three pastors, established six services
on Sunday and one or two on each week day,
broadened it's plan of work from preaching
service and Q sewing society to various
and aggressive methods of reaching
people who may not be Congregationalista
nor even have Congregational nor any
other religious preferences; that ia taking
Christ at his word when he said that he came
to seek and to save the lost, and that the
proof of his messiahship is that the poor
have the gospel preached to them-such a
history as this would have been possible had
1t possessed an endowment. But this closed
church is older than any on this green, and
until thirty years ago was IS strong and had
as clear prospect of living. speak of il
because 1t stands for process that is going
/ oh Az OouAny 0ho OAtys
Isuppose II is no invasion of courtesy to
speak Of public institution like a church,
and 90 will refer to others without
hesitation, especially as those now
connected with them are not responsible for
| their present condition. I refer to q church
in Boston in which there is heard every Sun
day probably the best written sermons now
preached in that city. It is generally under
stood that If this preacher, who is equally
good as pastor, should leave, the church
would either go out of existence or double up
with some other-not a difficult matter, as
there are Others In the same cass-or do
what would be far worse than either, sell ite
valuable property, build a church on the
Back bay where 1t is not wanted and then
search for preacher who will fill the house.
Why2 Because the Congrsgationalists have
moved out of the neighborhood; but the region
about is fuller Of population than ever be-
fore. Formerly each house contained fam.
lily; now they are filled with boarders, class
which our UNCONVENTIONAL economics seem to
regard as without souls. My direct ref
erence to this church, and to the next OF
which shall speak, must not be regarded az
q criticism; they could do no otherwise than
they are doing. With an endowment and an
enlargement of its methods II could live and
flourish and do Christ's saving work in the
world. But 1t cannot change Its methods
without the endowment, which might easily
have been secured had good DR.. Kirk started
such fund at the outset. This church has
numbered amongst its members men HOLDING
millions Of money which might easily be
drawn upon for an endowment fund. An.
other Congregational church In Boston abou
twenty years ago sold it's edifce in the hear
of the city, used the money for building
church, though 1t was filed with men o
wealth. and from that day to this has dwin
died, though most ably presided over, unit
vrnv hpu had thn INT oe
CATION Ave times smaller than it's seatin,
capacity, and is looking for preacher suf
ficiently eloquent to fill the pews. Again,
do not speak in criticism. This church i
doing the best 1t can. The mistake has bee
made. What was III The churc
ought to have stsid where
was, in the midst of the crowds ths
, surged about 1t, changed it's methods
endowed itself SO that it could carry out tn
new methods, and so put itself into a re
! demptive conflict with the world In whic
, it found itself. But it's members had move
7 away. There 10 something groteeque in tn
process going on In the larger cities-notabl
In New York-of the church of the Twin
} God, the pillar and stay of the truth movin
up town as fast as Its members grow rich
But If 1t is grotssque in one point of view
: il 1t not horrible that there should be i
, these cities vast regions a. churchless q
: Calcutta or Pekin, and yet they were ono
filed with churches.
In contrast with these churches
the Old South which woman, tW
: hundred years ago, was wise enough to 81
, dow; for, after all, women do the wisest &
, well as best things.
The two churches In all the country surel
3 of continued existence and best able to mair
7 tain themselves amidst change, and to rer
. der efficient service, are the Old South
Boston and Trinity In New York, for I'll
:. reason that neither is hampsred by trad
7 tionsl theology and eaeh Ia well endowed
. There are, indeed, dangers from the posse
. sion of wealth; Christ 80 declared, but als
: said that with God all things are possibl
that Is, good men may safely hold propert,
Q 1t leaves them free and strong to act OF
r their goodness. Upon the whole rich churcl
: not a church of rich members. but ric
9 in itself, is less exposed to NOR
= danger than is q poor church. Certainly
can better adapt itself to those changes
= methods which are sure to be necessary
= the kingdom of God moves on than poo
Q tive demand that the method of preachin
3 and choir singing and pew renting should /
= not given up, but supplemented by otht
! methods. These methods are demanded
, changes in society and are suggested by th
D improved theology. The great idea of th
' western church, the procession of the spir
Q from the Son as we'll as the Father, with ii
= consequent emphasis upon the divineness
= humanity s at last getting recognition and
. driving mon to the service of humanity. TT
T field of piety is no longer in the pew, but
! is where the people are. The love of God |
8 Christ which is the KEYNOTE of the religion