The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-07-11

or worshipful spirit. By religion |
do not mean more of ceremony and
rites and ritualistic observances and
long-faced "piety." No one has a
greater horror of "the sanctified per-
son." as he is popularity represented
than l have. But by the religious
spirit mean the prayerful, worship
full spirit, which leads men to recog-
nize and worship an infinite and
eternal spirit.
But how many of our people really
go to church to worship God9 I'm
doubtedly there are few in every
congregation who do go to church to
worship. But none will deny that
these good souls are decidedly in the
minority. Our people themselves
would be the first to admit their
shortcoming in this respect. They
are naturally bright, and many of
them are we'll educated people. They
are thinkers and they go to church
to be intellectually edited. They
desire to be instructed and enter
tained-or, as friend once admitted
to me, they "want to be instructed in
an entertaining manner" They are
not willing merely to be instructed,
but the instruction must be accom-
panied by eloquence and amusement.
Now, there is not one man in hun
dred who could fulfill this require
ment year in and year out. He
might be instructive, eloquent and
entertaining for one Sunday, or for
several Sundays, but he could not
keep it up for year, or for ten years.
Nor should such thing be expected.
Religion is something more than in
tellectual entertainment or it is moth
ing. The church is much more than
an educational and social club, or it
is nothing. Religion means the
worship of God and the service of
man, and these twain are one and
cannot be separated without in
jury to the religious life and the
church.
The result, then, of this straining
after intellectual entertainment on
the part of our people is that they
are very hard to please in the matter
of a minister. They soon grow tired
of listening to man of average abil-
ity-and most men have only average
ability-and they stay at home and
read the Sunday newspaper or go
driving or riding on their wheel and
blame the minister for the weakness
of his church.
Now, of course, 1 do not mean to
underestimate fine preaching. l
would be the last one to listen to
stupid sermon land hence l never
preach such sermon, if can help
IT'D. and | would not ask others to
listen to stupid sermons. But as al
ready stated, our clergy are as body
of men certainly up to the average,
and many of them are far above the
average preacher, and all OF them can
tell their lay brothers much truth
which they need to hear. Laymen
should demand less of sensation and
more of truth, less of entertainment
and more of solid mental and spiritual
food, less of pulpit pyrotechnics and
more of reverent teaching, less oper,
attic singing and more worship, and
when they reach this state, then and
not till then will our churches grow
as they should.
At present the sermon is everything
in our churches and worship little or
nothing. Hence, when the sermon
ceases to please e. to entertain"
and to instructive people desert
their church. The sermon is, no
doubt, the chief part Of church SER
vice and it should be duly empha
sized should be given the place of
chief Importance. But it should be
distinctly understood that the church
stands for worship as we'll as
for instruction and entertainment.
Do not infer from all this that agree
with those who would eliminate from
the sermon all information on vital
questions and confine it to repeti
ton of commonplaces. We hear it
constantly said that the "Higher
Criticism" of the Bible, evolution
and sociological problems are not fit
themes for pulpit treatment. But
such a contention is absurd. These
are among the most important ques
tions of the day, and should be con-
stantly and thoroughly treated by
the preacher. But these things may
be done and the other not left undone.
Evolution furnishes the strongest
possible evidence of Gods existence.
Higher Criticism strips off the super
stitions that have gathered around
the religion of the Bible and makes