Morning journal and courier., 1891-01-12
AT CENTER CHURCH.
Discourse by Rev. Dr. Smyth Yester- day Morning-The Church of All Things to All Men.

were to reVleW our cQufcn 1Le TOT UAo past year some words would need to be spoken in memory of those who have been taken from us into the unseen world: for while we have been left nineteen of this church and congregation have been taken, seven from the veteran roll of the church and one from the Sunday school, and oth- CTS from the full promise and vigor Of their lives. '---.- ~..- 4
 A discourse suggested by the review of another year of our church work might. also find place in it for some recognition of the helpful things which have been said and done by members of this Christian household, and those salutations which occur at the close of St. Paul's letters to the churches might be brought to our an- nual church gathering with their Greek translated into names which are familiar among ourselves: Salute Prisca and Acqui- la; salute them which are of the household of Aristobulus; salute Persis the beloved, which labored much in the Lord, and the house of Onesiphorus, who is dead-the Lord grant mercy unto the house of One siphorus, for he oft refreshed me. And to some absent members of the church also greetings might be sent, to Erastus, who abode in Corinth, and also to Trophimus, who is left at Miletus sick; grace bes with you all
 Pleasing, however, as it might be to lin ger with such grateful salutations to the living, or with memories so sacred of the dead, we are left by the review of another year of our church history before our un- finished tasks, and set down in the midst of increasing opportunities.
 Without seeking to anticipate any of the reports which may be read this evening relating to what has been done, I wish to speak rather of some ideas of church work and organization which are attract ing much attention and interest among us. My subject might be defined as some mod ern ideas of church organization and work, if by modern be meant not necessarily new ideas, for some of our newest ideas are derived from the most ancient Christian sources, but if by modern be meant those ideas, from whatever source or age they come, which now are brought by the Spirit to the attention of the Christian world. Indeed our text, in which St. Paul has ex- pressed his conception of what as Chris taken as very concise and opposite de- scription of the most modern idea of the church; it's best idea of itself is put in these terse words: stI am become all things to all men, that may by all means | save some." That, my brethren, is the l latest idea of the Christian church "And do all things for the gospels sake, that may be joint partaker thereof" /" This idea of becoming joint partaker in all that is to be done for the gospels sake, though an idea as old as the apostle Paul's brave missionary devotion, is the newest 1 conception of the aim and end of the Christian church.
 Now true idea will often make an i'm mense amount of stir and trouble in this world, until somehow it gets itself done among men. Least of all will any Christ 1 like idea be content to remain in abstract l spirituality in some thinkers thought o1 dream; it seeks for incarnation in some living apostle of it, and will find embodi
 ment in some visible institution of it. Sc this modern idea of the church of all things to all men has been moving and stirring of late the minds and hearts of 8 great many Christian people, and has already I taken to itself here and there some forms l of actual embodiment
 This modern idea of a church in its broad simplicity is the idea of applied Christianity a Christianity applied all around through the church to human life ! Now there are several features of the ap
 plication of Christianity to life which have
 always been seen in the church, and whicl
 we may be sure will not disappear in any
 modern development of our churches. Ont
 of these, I hardly need remark, is thu
 preaching of the word. While the com
 ing church will not be mere institution
 for preaching, it is already evident that il
 those churches which are being organized
 and conducted with the same kind of ad
 ministrative talents that would be em 1 ployed in the management of factory O
 railroad, and with sagacious provision
 for the wants of all kinds of people, tn pulpit has received from such bushes | conduct of the church increased opportu
 nity and power. And though Sunda newspapers bring their all spice of world
 ly seasoning for the Sabbath day; althougl
 books multiply and the means of ibera
 education are now happily placed, in man,
 branches, within reach of the hands o
 the people, so that the lecture
 has well nigh disappeared iron
 the American platform, and eve1
 the political orator has become almost al
 echo and tradition of the past, neverthe
 less, so long as the church continues t, | confess it's belief in the Holy Ghost, an,
 the Spirit works as divine infuenc
 through personal contacts of men iron
 soul to soul afire with truth, we may
 assured that the spoken word of tn
 Lord will not lack audience, and tn Christian pulpit, if it does not lose it
 touch of vital faith upon the living Christ will never fail of it's prophetic office an'
 
 Neither among these applications o Christianity to modern life will the voic of Christian worship be hushed. Gu
 forefathers, it is true, were pushed by tn
 necessities of their protest against an en
 forced order of worship to an extrem (which threatened the absorption of tn devotiora in the didactic service of tn
 sanctuary. It was not deemed safe even t,
 read scriptural lessons without verbs
 comment in the pulpit; music, sung with | out notes, sank into discordant barbarism , ! and even the long prayer became too ofte l homily to the people and 8 word of in , struction to the Almighty. But the neces , | sity of the separatists' reformatory pro
 test has long since passed, and throughou l modern Christendom there has been c
 late years remarked revival of the de
 votional spirit.
 It is noticeable that in current discus
 sions concerning some possible future al
 fliation of the now conflicting principle of the historic Episcopate and our Congrt | gational principle of the completeness i
 itself of the local church, the prayer
 book hardly enters on either side into th ! matter of debate, and is already becom
 one of the minor questions of ohurc | unity.
 In further realizations of churc
 which shall be all things to all men for tt | gospels sake, doubtless more thoughtf,
 and more liberal will be made of mt ! sic and all fitting accompaniments to tf spirit of devotion, and very possibly sue |. churches as shall be amply provided an l endowed for helpful services to all me . ! will not stand the whole week long sol tary and closed as silent monuments commemoration of heaven, but will off : some sanctuary and house of refuge eve1 day to any passers-by, and at least for ! few choice moments at morning, or nool } | or evening time, will be vocal with prai and reverent with prayer.
 Still another factor of applied Christia : ity, which is destined to grow more rat
 CT than less important, is the education office of the church. Congregationalis have always believed in an educated mi istry; and we are now coming to belie- also in an educated church. When Ha : l nah Mix, some time in the last century, le : in her will small sum of money as scho ! fund, in order that no poor children in Ce ter church might go without an educatit in reading, writing and arithmetic, though she could not have anticipated O l public school system, by which the sta
 relieves the church of the necessity - caring for the secular education of the pc s pie, the good woman showed, at least, h er appreciation of the fact that religion al g. education are to enter in and possess t worlds future, hand in hand. And nc some progressive and systematic Christi