Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-22

far from realizing how much part they havs
in the sermons. At least half of the success
of sermon, half of its efficiency, depends
upon the hearers. The very best sermon
that could be preached by the very best
preacher would be sure to fail of its pur-
pose if preached to an inattentive congre-
cation.
The Hearers Part In Preaching.
Somebody said to preacher, recounting
| the good old times: "We used to have
great preachers in this part of the country
40 or 80 years ago." to which the exasper-
ated preacher replied: eyes, and great
hearers That was the reason for the
great preaching. The presence of the con-
gregation also helps the people. It is q
singular trait of human nature, which we
all recognize, that people desire to get into
the place where they are in danger of find
ing no seat ALL. So that everybody who
comes helps.
The Christian, however is not content
with taking his part in the parish worship.
He does rot consider himself good Christ
| tian because he goes to church twice on
| Sunday. He takes his share in the parish
work. He does that in one wav by giving
his money III the offerings of the church.
Because money is condensed work. Money
is the medium of exchange. 1t represents
the values of the things which we barter,
and those values ought to be acquired
by reason of the work that has been ex-
pended. Money, accordingly, ought to
represent condensed work. Sometimes it
does not. Sometimes money represents
condensed falsehood. Sometimes it means
concentrated stealing. 1 heard the other
day of parish in Turkey,.an Armenian
| Church, which is supported altogether by
| robbers. These men go off in their expedi-
tions, and when they make fortunate haul
they contribute percentage of it to the
church, so that 1t is entirely supported by
robbers. Let us, however, believe that the
great majority of the money that goes into
| church on the aims basin is honest money
| that it does represent work.
Studying a Church Contribution.
1t does not always represent very much
work. One of the most interesting studies
to one who has time to pursue it is the study
of the Sunday contributions Somebody
said that often in looking over congrega-
tion he asked: "Where are the poor?" and
then when he came to look over the offering
he wondered "Where are the rich?" No
one can tell, of course, what all the money
in an offering means. The other day I
studied an offering taken for the poor of the
parish, for charitable work in the neghbor-
hood and community, and in the offering
there were 158 5-cent pieces. Now, that
number really does not tell us anything.
Some of these 5-cent pieces may have repre-
sented IS in the books of God. Some of
them may have represented $500 in the COIN
age of heaven. 1 have no doubt that good
many of them meant more than cents And
yet am equally sure that good many of
them did not mean anything at all, got no
credit whatever in the celestial ledgers, be-
cause all that they represented was care
lessness.
Some of the men who gave cents that
morning did not say to themselves: Now,
here is an offering for the poor of the par
1sh, here is an opportunity for me to do
some work for the poor; how much work
can I do now? how much concentrated
work can 1 pu. into the aims basin fer that
worthy purpose? He did not say that and
then gave cents Some of the people saw
the plate coming and put that money in be-
cause they did not like to be seen passing
it by.
One Use OF the Three-Cent Piece.
was rejoiced to find only one 3-cent
piece in the offering that morning. For
the Scent piece, as we all know, is coined
by the United States Government for the
express purpose of being put in the church
aims box, that it may represent gift of 10
cents on the part of the giver. There was
only one Scent piece in the offering that
morning. Now, 1 say that the offerings
which we make in the church are real wav
of doing work. The money ought to repre-
sent concentrated work.
This is one way in which the Christian
may do work in the parish. The Christian,
however, will also work in the parish in
dustries. His question will be that which
st. Paul asked on his way to Damascus, in |
the moment of his conversion and as test |
also of his conversion-"Lord, what wilt |
thou have me to do?" Every good man |
wants to do something, and every good par
ish ought to provide something for every
man to do. PEOPLE are not to think that
the parochial industries are set down in the
church calendar for the purpose of filling
up space, or to get people interested. All
of them are designed to accompl lish service
for the cause of righteousness, and in every
case they depend for the amount of service |
which they can accomplish entirely upon /
the efforts of people who take part in them.
So that everybody who stays away from
the parish industries weakens just SO much
the work that might be done for the cause
Of uplifting in this world.
Being Good Away From Church.
It is plain, however, that everybody can
not work in the parochial industries. There
IS, accordingly, another way of work better
han giving money, better than taking part
n the parish organizations, which every
Christian ought to do at home, and in the
street and in the shop and everywhere.
Everybody who is Christian all the week
S doing parish work. The man who is a
Christian in his business, the woman who is
/ Christian in society, the people who lead
uch lives that other people say, "If that is
that it is to be Christian, want to be a
too'-those people are doing the
'ery highest and most efficient kind of
parish work.
The Christian, however, will bear dis
inctlv in mind in all his relations to the
Worship and the work that he is not the
nly Christian in the parish, that there are
great many other people in the same par
sh who have their needs and their desires
nd their ideas. Some people seem to i'm
gine that the parish exists entirely for
that the best symbol of the
arish is big wagon filled with lazy or in
itferent Christians who are being tugged
long the Jordan road into the kingdom of
eaven by the clergy Whereas the proper
ymbol of the church Is a company of men
t life-saving station who are there beside
he dangerous reef that they may do their
Iork in saving those who are sinking into
he waves They are not thinking about their
wn safety but about the help that they can
i've to others The good Christian will re-
,ember that he is not the only Christian in
ne parish. That will stir up in him the
oirit of neighborliness and the spirit Of
olerance.
Sacredness Of BrotherIy Love.
The Christian will be good Christian
eighbor to all people in the church. The
lea used to be that the Christian ought to
o in the front door of the church, looking