The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-06-01

We need somewhat of the enterprise
of the business world. One of the
most familiar advertising mottos of
the present day is the terse remark:
"Good thing! Push it along" 1t
might be we'll for us to adopt this
motto in regard to our religion. 1t is
good thing-the best thing in the
world, We feel it, we know it. Then
why not "push it along" Advertise
it. Spread it abroad. Bring it home
to the people. And the surest way
of doing this is to bring the people to
the church. We have been too mod
est, too timid, about this. Or is it
that we have been too selfish, too
much like little Jacky Horner, who
"sat in his corner, eating his Christ
mas pie" If we have had any such
spirit of greedy selfshness, if we have
shut ourselves up in our little as
semblies and contented ourselves
with the enjoyment of our special
blessings, let US quickly change our
habit; for it is not in accordance with
the altruistic ethics of today, and GER
tainly not with the all-embracing
philanthropy of Christ. We must
exert ourselves to reach the multi
tudes. We must employ love, zeal
and tact. Yet these things are some
times omitted.
Henry Ward Beecher was wont to
ascribe the failure of certain ortho-
dox preachers to the fact that they
did not know how to fish.
Such preachers would offer the Sc
we're and arbitrary alternatives of sal
walton and damnation, and expect
their hearers, without any presenta-
ton of the attractive beauty of the
former, to choose it at once or to suffer
the latter forever. This has not been
our style of preaching, to be sure.
But our fault has been that we have
waited somewhat in the manner some
one describes the Indians in the Fiji
teenth century as standing along the
Atlantic coast, waiting for America
to be discovered, and wondering why
Columbus was so late in arriving. If
they had shown any genuine Ameri-
can enterprise, they would have sent
out tug with delegation of dis
tinguished citizens and brass band,
to meet the navigator and facilitate
the discovery! At any rate, Chris
tan denomination that expects to
succeed must not idly wait to be dis
covered. 1t must go forth to herald
it's faith and meet the advancing
multitudes. We must attract and
welcome the people whom we desire
to help.
The prosperity of the church like
wise signifies that it receives ample
material support. When the world
was poor the church was poor. When
the world grows rich, the church
must also grow rich, or else much
wealth goes to unhallowed uses and
the Church, the greatest means of
human uplifting, is made made
quate to its work. 1t must keep
pace with the times. 1t must possess
a material equipment properly suited
to the present day. The modern
church must have all the modern inn
provements. There is certainly no
good reason why it should not have
them; and they will promote and ia
cilitate its activities to an extraordin-
airy degree.
The church is prosperous, it erects
beautiful buildings, and equips them
in the most artistic manner. The
church home becomes most attrac-
tive place. And the spirit of enter
prise, of self sacrifice, and of earnest
benevolence, which leads to the build
ing of beautiful church, is the same
spirit which sustains the charities
that soothe and heal and bless" and
are scattered at the feet of men like
flowers"
The prosperous church finds way
to secure the means needful for its
support. 1t gains both numbers and
resources. 1t displays the outward
evidence of its vitality and thrift.
And the wisdom which provides for
these visible and tangible signs of
life is itself an evidence of certain
things that are intangible and invis-
ible, but none the less potent in
There is a. passage of Scripture
which says,-the words of Christ:
Seek We first the kingdom of God,
and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added unto you"
And so. if church prosperity signi-
fies numbers, and resources, and large
influence in the world, it must first
signify "the life of God in the soul of