The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-19

minds should be corrupted from the
simplicity that is in Chrlst.-II. Corin-
thlans, XII. ).
St. Paul was a careful student OF hu-
man nature He was scholar, critic,
man OF the world and knightlv defend
er Of what he believed to be the truth
When forecasting the future Of the
Church at Corinth, he dreaded the
tendency, everywhere prevalent, to de-
part from the simplicity of the Gospel
and change the new religion into a
kind Of philOsophic theory which
would open the door to all sorts Of dis
putations. Against that tendency he
warns his followers in this remarkable
epistle
II we had preserved this simplicity
which ST Paul speaks Of the Christian
Church would be the strongest force
in the world today But we have sadly
departed from it, and the moral infiu-
ence of the Church has corresponding
/ ly decreased. Churches are not for the
classes-an expensive edifice in which
the wealthy may pray to their Father,
and cheap churches in which the Door
may pray to theirs.
The line is drawn as tightly between
the rich and poor in religion as in so
ciety. 1t is almost impossible to say of
any church that it was for the people
that is, for whomsoever may see fit to
worship in it. The clergy will tell YOU
this is not true, but the experience Of
every poor man who would kneel by
the side of his rich neighbor in cost
ly editice proves that it is true, for his
welcome is lukewarm, il not forbidding.
gospel and the other on the wealthy
members Of the congregation. That
which St Paul feared has come to pass,
and men have been CORRUPTED from
the simplicity that is in Christ"
Tie Lord preached to al alike.
Wealth was is kindly treated as power
Il, or, to state the fact in other terms.
Christ cared for neither wealth nor pov-
erty, but for souls He had word to
utter, a law to announce, message to
deliver and it was needed by the mem
the poo: Nagdalen who croucled at
His feet. Nothing could be more sim
pie, more beautiful or more godIihe
than The way in which lie ignored So
cial environment, both that Of the hut I
and that oi the palace, and appealed to /
men as men. The open air was His
temple the sands Of the sea shore were |
His pulpit, the multitude was His con |
gregation He needed no choir to at /
tract the people, no surpliced assistants, |
no announcement of popular topic, !
no ioI, MI on
modern worship.
Besides, HIS only creeG consisted OF
a belief in the fatherhood of God and |
the brotherhood Of man. These two
statements, which are within the com
prehension Of every creature on the |
globe, are like the sources of the Miss
issippi and the Amazon, whose floods
irrigate whole continents and SO fcrtil
ize the soil that it cheerfully brings
forth crops for the sustenance of mil
lions. Christ demanded honest lives
and honest aspirations, pure hearts and
trutbfuI lips If lie rejected or receiv-
ed any one. it was on the broad basis of
the saving, He that is not with me is
against me" You could have been
counted as His follower in old Judea if
you had simply believed that there is
a heaven above you, and place for you
there if YOU will earn the right to it by
loving your neighbor as yourself Moth
ing is more amazing than the Simplici-
tv of Christ's teachings unless it he the
manner in which they have been for
bv ecclesiastical councils. with
the apparent purpose of excluding the
large majority Of mankind.
The question arises, therefore. and it
is a very serious question. If the Lord.
by His apostles, should
revisit the earth, which of all the
churches in the land would thev ap-