The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1890-04-12
WHAT sHALL NJ Do2

The members OF some of the
country churches are looking up
in religion and endeayoung to get
on higher plane of religious OBJ
servation. 10 the old line Bap-
list who has been reared to 90 to
church on one Saturday ln
month, sic around on hofseblock,
white, chew tobacco and talk
crops till meeting tune, then go
IN the house and merely put his
head down for prayer, then 20
home after the sermon and let the
young people go on Sun hay while
he walked oyer the field aud plan.
ned for next week work to these
demands foI increased religious
work, or for any religious work,
looks like startling innovation.
The practice Of feeding the
physical man three times a day
and the spiritual man but twice
month, seems to be developing
more tares than wheat. Why IS
this SO? Simply because there is
no kind of convert culture.
Young people are taken into
the church are called saints, and
no attention Is paid to their relg-
ious welfare. The only attention
they get from church or pastor
comes in when il becomes widely
known that the world notices
Their wlldness; then Il spasmodic
effort i made to chasten or disci-
pine the member, and the latter
knows SO little Of church require
ments, that he even does not know
what the church requires.
Pdstcrs treat converts much like
Texas herdsmen do their cattle;
these have a grand round up IN
Spring aud mark and brand the
young cattle, but express no sur
PRISE that the cattle are wild next
spring. Our preachers have big
round UPS in the three pIuus
months and take IN many, bat un-
like the herdmen, they nave no
mark to carry around with them
to denote then identity. They try
10 winter themselves but the devil
and Tucker get away with thell
so-caIled spirituality. Their name,
are on the church book, they have
beeh baptized, received the hanc
Of fellowship, are called saints (? y
and if he dies he Is remembered
by the preacncr as being III heay-
en-. The convert thinks he is one
:, of the elect, but forgets that pos
slbly lie may have ouly elected
hlmsolf The result is the church
! rs her numbers increase, drag
out Il lengthening cham aud make
no advance in spiritual work
. .housh she may make good rec
ord IN outside work.
Z The remedy is Ia convert cul
: ule. The pastor must see hl
: young members and talk TO them
y Religious conversations must o
! heard around the tables and .,
;, the galleries of the oleer mem
q" 5eIs, the prayer meeting subiec
: must come UP oftener than once
y year, and the Sabbath Schoc
= must run fol business aud not 70
= show.
= Instead of pouucing upon youn,
= members for dancing and mino
= violations, get after old member
= who never pray in public or Sc
- gocly examples. We must 20 i
= for fruit and not for blossoms
= and the scriptural requirement
~ should be made mandatory an
not merely directory to members
Is ., Religion must be made to liv
= and glow all winter as we'll as san
= mer, aud the practice of preach
= i els going round to churches TO g
= up big Ground up" should [
a a abandoned. Revival should com
! from within and not be carrie
round with the preachers. AboN
). = ali things good religious eonvers
~ tions should be built up anon
!; ~ the members.
Tnenw we must interest the hea
more and shOwless. We mu
nd talk more of the spirit and less
sect. We must learn to love o.
X nelghbor more and self hit
ed less, and each one strive to i
m. crease his own spirituality, al
in we must get away from the id
n that a church he's saving powe
Of We have planted too much al
or cultivated too little and we are
of the grass while weather is bad
cleaning.
20 What shall we do!
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