The Progress., 1893-06-24


that the churC hes leave these districts be-
cause The people are gone, and yet they
were never so crowded in the history of
the city. As far rs the eye can reach 10
the north, To the south, to the east, to
the west. rolls the endless tide of hu-
manity, wave on wave. 10 stories high
The simple fact is they have been
drowned in an ocean of humanity hunt
;ng for people And yet the simple truth
Is they have not tried to find people.
MAGNIFICENT MAUSOLECMj.
FOurth-We are convinced of their
practical death from the fact that they
arc so still There is no motion. move
ment. stir, about them. There cannot be
growth without movement. Action is a
necessary postulate of life. and growth
is predicate of life. Many of these
churches have grown cold and numb
They never have n sensation. Dead peo-
pie never have sensations of any sort
The dying object to sensations. In pro
portion as people are dead they are free
Eom sensations Christianity is SEN
cation. Christ was a sensatiOnaliSt. He
spoke on sensational themes. He spoke
in sensational way. The great prob
lens of religion are in themselves soul
stirring No man can believe them III
vital ways and not have his soul set on
fire
From the beginning of Christ's minis
try to its close his history is the history
of one sensation succeeding another.
/ A,,1 h,,i1 IN, -,
this day believe that they are disgracod
if they have sensation of any sort III
the pulpit or in the pews. They are cold
and stiff and numb and formal This is
the hand OF death. The dead are stiff
and dignified. In proportion as men die
they grow stiff. Speed. force. are pos
tulates of life. Many of our churches
are magnificent mausOlcums IL which
the dead move with silent tread. sit in
solemn silence in solemn pews. They
need life. They need a sensation to do
them good; to have any sort of sensa-
tion for change. Some of them never
get it except an accident happens.
saw the other day how that a parson
in a certain town long ago had habit
of putting off till tomorrow what ought
to have been done today Having some
thing to do with bottle of aqua fortis
which he should have used on Saturday,
but which he put off till Sunday, he
went into the pulpit with this bottle in
his pocket. In the midst of his sermon,
while his hands were uplifted and he
was about to close a fine sentence, he
leaned heavily against the pulpit. and
smash went the bottle. With hands up
lifted. still with his unfinished sermon,
he rushed down the pulpit stairs, through
the center aisle. out of the church, and
all the congregation followed him. Had
the good man gone crazy? On he rushed
till he came to pond short distance
from the church. into which he plunged,
while the congregation stood in amaze
ment, wondering if their pastor was
about to commit suicide. He explained
the action of the aqua fortis and in
short time secured some dry clothes and
returned to the pulpit and finished his
sermon.
think myself a little of the aqua FORTS
would be good for some of the brethren.
and it would be wholesome perhaps in
some Of the pews. Weneed the old negros
prayer to be fulfilled here in New York
He prayed for the northern brother who
came down to preach for him. He said:
Lord bless dis yer white man dat's
come down from de north to preach for
us. Fill him with de flame of de spirit,
annint him wild de kerosene lie of saliva
ton and set him afire."
FIGHT IN THE CHURCH.
Fifth-They show that they are dead
in the fact that they have no ear to hear,
no heart to pity, no arm to save the
struggling. suffering thousands that
surge about their doors. There ia "A
ceaseless cry about the city that goes to
the heart of one that knows its distress.
1t is like the low moaning of the wind
before the storm, and he whose ear is
tuned to its weird music can hear it in
the MONDAY rush above the din and roar:
can hear it in the silence of the night
above the city's groan, for it never
sleeps And yet there are hundreds of
churches that hear this cry and hear it
unmoved. They are complacent in their
ease. They have gotten in the old ira
ditional jog trot and think it is all right.
They jog smoothly along and never hear
it thunder, and if anybody suggests that
it thundered they are shocked, because
they have been disturbed. They are
welded to the mechanics of tradition
al progress that is no progress at all
that is simply the refuse of small minds
and weak personalities.
Many of these churches have been cor
rupted by the forces of our corrupt civ
ilization. Fashion and pride and wealth
have made their inroads and erectel
their standards around the very altar Of
the Most High God. A pastor was re-
Gently driven out of one of our great
churches because of an old fight in the
church. Four years ago minority of
the members of the church attempted to
force him out. and on what grounds do
you suppose they brought their action:
Eirst ha waa not an orator. second