Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-25

), 1891.
discover no church spire through all the
length and breadth of 1t. 81 saw no temple
there" he sad. There is no room in the
church for saints. We have nothing here
which we can offer to such high company.
Saints have no need OF sermons; saints
have no need of sacraments. The church is
meant for sinners. If anybody is conscious
OF unworthiness, sad ly aware that the ideal
life is very different from his. knows how
hard it is to resist evil. and how difficult it
is to learn the real truth of God, and feels
the need OF help, the church is the place
for him.
It's a Personal Matter.
The best thing TO say to the beginner in re-
ligiOn who is met at the outset by the un-
Christlikeness of Christians, is that which
our Lord said to Peter, when Peter, who
was beginning to follow after him, turned
about and saw another disciple also follow
ing, aud asked question about him. Our
Lord said. "What is. that to thee? follow
thou Me-"
If you are tempted to ask questions about
other disciples, the Lord asks this question
OF you: What is that to thee? This one is
dishonest, that one is bitter-tongued, these
v, Z. u.
take them for warnings, then.
First of all, remember that God knows
their hearts, and is acquainted with their
temptations, and is aware OF all the efforts
which they make or don't make, and hears
them at their prayers; and you are quite on
the outside. Perhaps you are right in your
stern judgment. Perhaps you are as
mistaken as other people are mistaken in
the hard thoughts they have of you.
And then remember that Christ is the real
church, and that He has set His face against
all wrong-doing, and, chiefest of all, against
wrong-doing which wears Sunday face,
and TOR pretense makes long prayers
chiefest and sternest against that. He will
take care of all the Pharisees. You need
not trouble yourself about them. Follow
Me-" He says "What is that to thee?'
The Question of Benefit.
The thing to be decided is whether join
ing the church is the best thing, or not the
best thing, that you can do. Whether other
people have proved to be good church men,
bers or bad, has really nothing to do with it.
II there is question about joining an army,
the question is not decided for any thought
full man by assuring him that there are a
great many rascals in the ranks. What
is the army fighting for? What is
bhC CduoC lucy are COuteSLiuH OF Qe-
Tending? If the cause is righteous one and
ought to WIN, why the more bad soldiers
there are in the camp the more need there
is of good soldier, who will do some stout
fighting; and though the new recruit should
find himself, like the neophyte Of Dore's
picture, in strange company. that will not
deter him. Are there any bad Christians q?
Well, then. if you believe that the cause of
Christ ought to win in this world, come in,
and be good Christian.
No good work can be done on any wide
scale for the uplifting of men without CO.
operation, without hearty and whole-souled
cooperation. We want the help of every
good man and woman in the world.
If there is question about Joining a class
for some special study. the question is not
decided for any. earnest seeker after
truth, BY showing him that sew
eral members of the class are lazy,
and not learning anything. What is that
to him? Can he himself learn ANYTHING?
Is there an efficient teacher? Is there a
helpful lesson?
Question of Personal Fitness.
But "I am not good enough That is
the other stumbling stone. Let the other
people go; they may be bad or good. At
least, know myself. L am not good enough
to join the church. N1 not il the church
is club of saints. But it is not. The
church is great association OF sinners.
Arn't you sinner? The chief difference
between the sinners outside the church and
the sinners inside the church is, that those
who are inside confess, by their position,
that they want to be helped out of their sin .
The others do not say that
Here is great crowd of people listening
to the message of the Apostles and at the
end of the sermon some stay and some 60
away. Those who stay, stay that they NAV
be baptized and admitted into the church,
They are "pricked at the heart;" they are
conscious of sin; they want forgiveness and
help to be better. Do they stay because
they consider themselves better than other
people? Do they ask entrance into the
church because they feel that they are good
enough? Is there any doubt about the mat
ter? Is 1T not as plain as the shining sun that
the people who considered themselves pretty
good people walked serenely asay
that afternoon, aud never thought twice
about joining the church? They were not
''pricked at the heart" They heard no
accusations from their deaf and dumb
consciences. They were not conscious of
any particular need of spiritual help. They
were good enough" That is Just why
they did not join the church, because they
were good enough"
The Good People Don't Join.
You will never find ybody who is "good
enough" joining the church. 1t is the
people who are bad enough who come into
the haven of the church. 1t is those who
are weary and heavy laden with burden of
sin, who seek rest in the church. 1t is those
who are sadly conscious that thev are not
approaching their ideal, who come for help
into the church.
If you mean when you say that you are
not good enough" that you have no real
desire, and longing to live the life which our
Lord wants us TO live. that is another matter.
Then you are not good enough, indeed. But
if you mean that you are not vet
as strong Christian as you want to
be; it you mean that your love and devo-
tion to Jesus Christ is not so deep and
tender as you wish it was; if YOU mean that
there are a hundred lessons in the Christian
life in which you cannot pass a good exami-
nationally, you are beginning at the end.
The purpose OF the Church is to help you in
all this. If you had learned it all there
would be no need for you to join the Church.
"Follow me-" Christ says. And what YOU
are to do is just that. day by day, trying
always to get d little closer. But do not
think that you may not enroll Yourself
among the followers of Christ until YOU have
come up as close behind Him as the Apostle
Paul. Everybody is a follower of Christ
who is trying to follow Christ.
To honestly and earnestly desire to live a
Christian lie is all the good enough"
which Christ asks at the beginning.
GEORGE HODGES,
THE FIRST COIN OF SCOTLAND
That Bore a Date Went Under the Odd