The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-06-15
POVERTY AND THE CHURCH.

FOVERli AND IhE ChUNIh.
Yesterdays Sermon at Union Congrega-
tiona! Church.
At the Union Congregational Church
yesterday Rev. Wallace Nutting took for
his text, "And He Lifted up His Eyes
on His Disciples and said, Blessed are
the Poor for Yours is the Kingdom OF
God"
4 summary of his sermon Isl
The gravity of the social question Is so
great and the menace OF its present phase
Is so alarming that 1t would be blind
folly to pass 1t by. The civil war was
ended with the surrender OF one side;
but the social question Will not be set
tied until we who are engaged In solving
IL are dead or made Christlike. 1t IS
before the world today. Once IL was be-
fore the republics of the ancient world.
Now 1t agitates all that portion OF the
world to which the message OF Jesus has
come. 1t is perhaps not worth while to
seek for the reasons why social aglta-
| tion Is co-extensive with Christendom be-
| cause not eli men could agree on that
| question. But inasmuch as some form
| OF social distur bance is found wherever
christianity is found, 1t is plainly
| challenge to Christianity to point out the
| just remedy for this disturbance, and
|
Many OF the poor, what proportion we
| will not undertake to say, claim that the
| rich are entirely responsible Tor their
| distress and that the laws and the church
favor the rich. On the other hand,
| many. OF the poor recognize the fact that
| they are poor through the fault OF no one
| class of society, but that variety OF
| reasons contribute TO poverty. They see
| that in addition TO the injustice OF the
| rich there are such causes as lack OF
| financial capacity. disposition SO gen.
| erous as to hinder the accumulation OF
property, lack OF opportunity to obtain
| a competence before sickness comes, OF,
| what seems a mere chance, an investment
at the wrong time, when some one else,
| no wiEer perhaps, did not invest.
| Last, but not least, OF the causes OF
| poverty, is the feeling of many that il IL
better to spend as they earn; they wo I'D
| ratt er have the benefit of their money in
| the present I'll an to provide for the future.
| AS to the rest, the great number who
| do as well as tney can, who have never
| earned more than moderate wages, who
| have sufferdsd in various ways, and who
have been left destitute through the
| sins of somebody else, we face the
fact that the innocent suffer for the
| guilty, and that so long as anybody goes
wrong everybody has to pay something
| for 1t. Sin is expensive, whether ii 10
| our sin or our neighbor's But the main
| question is, does the church sympathize
| with the poor man, and what does it offer
him? The church is supposed to base its
| faith upon the life OF Jesus, who "lifted
| up His eyes on His disciples, and said,
| sBlessed are ye poor; for yours Is the
kingdom OF God." Now II is, i suspect,
a habit among some poor people to think
| that there is a particular virtue in being
poor. Jesus, they say, blessed the poor.
| Just because of poverty, without assign
| ing any reason for IL, men have said that
| they ought TO find favor in heaven. But
| he il noted that Jesus never commented
| the rich or the poor as such. That is not
the cleavage line at which humanity
His congregations, and He had some
rich, and so it Is now. Men divide on
the line Of love-the presence or the lack
| of 1t
Only Christlike poverty is blessed.
There is no hope for poverty except in
| tion in wealth. There is no Kingdom
! awaiting those who are ready to seize it.
| There is no permanent way OF getting up
except by getting better.
| Is the church, again. in sympathy with
| the poor? Look around you. The con-
gregation consists for the most part OF
| poor people There are very few churches
| in the land filled with the wealthy.
| The rich man also, to large extent,
| belongs to the unchurched. The rich
"classes" are out of the church just as
! much rs the "masses.n And then what
woulc you do with tho rich man? Shut
| him out Of church? II is tacitly assumed
by those who complain of the church that
| the rich man isa member of it. But the
| majority Of the rich men, like the ma jor-
| ity of the people, are prayeress. think
| there Is no one in more need OF the gospel
| than the rich man. 1t Is true that the
| gospel IS not preached to the poor as
1 N le Navprf - lpea
| church is made up for the most part OF
poor men, and the poor men furnish the
| larger support OF the church. 1t Is,
therefore, simple ignorance TO suppose
| that min listers cater TO the rich, for by so
doing, even as a matter of policy, they
| would offend more persons, and interfere
| with the income of a church to greater
| extent, than by any other method.
The message Of Jesus, therefore, Is in
great part a message to the poor. 1t is
contrary to a divine plan that good
man should be without good things. 1t
is according to the eternal fitness of
things that the child who is beloved shall
be- fed at his fathers table.
| I affirm that no regular attendant here
| has failed to hear the whole counsel OF
God so far as | Understand it, and / know
that l often di, agree with persons OF
| wealth in regard TO matters OF duty.
There Is room for work n, the country.
| That men have lived and are living in
the country, beginning as their fathers did,
| Il proof that the unemployed cap do so.
| The simple truth Is that many OF the I'M
employed will not go into the country,
but go they must. or beg oy steal. This Is
the answer that the political economist
| gives, and there is great sense in 1t.
| The answer of the church must be that.
| according to the teaching OF Jesus, and
the impulse OF good hearts, the church
| should look after its own unemployed.
| which IL is endea soring TO 90 rs we'll as ii
| knows how.
| II Is time .or the owner of lsnd TO be-
| como Baron Hirsch In small way and
| give the destitute a start. Most OF the
| poor are willing to work. There are
| middle-aged men who are now for the
| first time In their lives without employ
| mcnt-men with no. bad habits, and with
as large n sense OF human need and the
| divine life as they had I'm the days OF
plenty. These are times to try toe gen.
| erosity OF the well-to-do, and the curse of
a terrible neglect Will fell upon ms u I've