The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-06-22
RELIGION ON ITS MERITS,
AN .JNTERESTING DISCOURSE Al
 THE MESSIIH CHURCH

Rev. MT, Dickerman, pastor of the | Church of the Messiah, preached yes terday forenoon upon the topic "Reng- | ion on it's Merits" His text was from Matt, 6:3S. He said:
 Religion has ever been regarded as the chief concern of life. It has been set over and above all things secular, | as the highest and best to which man could attain, All other things have been counted as loss in comparison with it, To the mass of men its i'm portance is first truth, self-evident, and is received without demonstration. Reverence for the Supreme Being, the love and practice of justice and mercy in our relations with mankind, person. al righteousness and spirituality, and the hope of everlasting life, constitute the essentials of religion, and have an intrinsic worth that is above all world ly considerations or material values Religion includes the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come It holds forth to every soul universal possession. All things are Spoi D. ilON ullSDtdhdDle d prospect IL opens to the aspiring mind How infn- ite its reach! How transcendent in in- terest!
 Do you not think such things should be self-commending? Is it not evident, without argument, that 1t is desirable for man, woman or child to be at his or her best? Does boy want a chro- mo for loving his mother, or a man premium for keeping himself clean?
 If religion has been largely fetish il the pasta matter of fear-it has been because of ignorance; therefore we might reasonably expect that edu- cation would bring into full view the worth of religion. But does it? No one will deny that the race is more en- frightened than ever, and that worthier views of religion prevail where it is considered at all But has the appreci- ation of religion kept pace with the in- crease Of knowledge?
 We can only study the signs of the times.
 Competition in church life, not in religion There are no challenging comparisons of doctrines How many churches in this city would survive if depending for revenue on the voluntary offerings of people who give because they love and need religion? Is relig- ion in such demand that a church can live on it's sheer merits? Can there be any strong, self-reliant, inspiring, helpful faith hope or fellowship, much less spirituality in a church that feels compelled to pull wires or peddle it's services like fish hawked about the streets or green peas sold in the mar kets?
 Do not misunderstood me I believe in this world in human nature, in en- joyment and culture but it does seem to nae that many of the expedients em- ployed to sustain churches cannot be otherwise than degrading to the finer instincts of the soul. would not trail the robes of righteousness-the vest ments of the spirit in the dust in order to be in fashion.
 While believe the church should be as much to man as possible, still it is depIerable that religion should be forced to leave her high seat and go begging her way through the world; dividing her gifts and time between the sweet ministrations of love, and the in vention of baits, make shifts and crafty expedients whereby money may be leased out of people to make the ends meet.
 'In the same category belong all the Inducements that appeal to selhshness and pride, so commonly used to swell a church membership or pack Sunday school.
 Must we confess that religion has lost its hold upon the hearts of men, ceased to be winsome?
 If Christian churches feel obliged to fairly nag men into the kingdom or al- lure them with bait selected from the weak and beggarly clements of the world or deceive them with spacious arguments based upon the doctrine that the end justifies the means-would it not seem that Christianity, on it's merits, has failed?
 The religion of our day instead of being a convincing and attractive power intrlnsically, gets attention only IS it wears the livery of the world, and offers bonus for patronage.
 There are institutions among us called Christian that would disband in thirty days if deprived of their worldly drCeSSOIleS, anu II OJn3eu to stand alone on their religious platform. It is sad commentary on the religion of the Nazerene, when the churches rear ed in His name are forced to adopt, as a means of grace, practices which amount to a repudiation of His teach ing The most glaringly inconsistent of these are the introduction into church work of boxing, fencing, mili- tary training, the accoutrements of war and the appeal which these things make to pride, display and the love of power s. "To what is this but to subsidize for Christ, 'beak claw and tooth'-the yes tigial anmal-man? To martial, for spiritual purposes the aboriginal love of war paint and feathers, which finds its refinement in the modern art of war, | seems a strange incongruity. "T am familiar with all the reasons urged in favor of these eXpedients, and the reasons themselves at once reveal ! the failure of the ordinary means of | grace, and admit that there is ground l for suspicion that the instrumentalities | employed are more potent than religion | itself"
 Freddie seems bent on matrimony. l Arthur-Well, is he marries her she'll lf-%,- yrrn4 hi