The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-08-18
Ten Pages.
About Joining the Church.

Our honored and respected friend, the AS
sociate Reformed Presbyterian, says:
1t is a mere pretext when men say that
they stay out of the church because there are
hypocrites in the Church. They stay out be-
cause In heart they are OF the world. Ihey
are no more ready to join a pure church tnan
a corrupt one"
The right way to say this is: Such men re-
alize or recognize the purity OF the church,
but being honest and conscientious, they rec
ognize also their own unworthiness. They
do not like TO sail under false colors. They
will not pretend to be what they are not.
Therefore, they will not assume vows to the
Lord, which they know they cannot per-
form.
If a man feels that he does not possess the
moral power or the spiritual grace to cruelty
the evil that is within him, should Gods
people, dragon him into making profes.
sions to which he cannot conform his life?
Should a man be expected to eat and drink
to his own damnation?
Should a man assume to please the church
while the world knows that the act would
be that of hypocrite?
The world Is a good judge OF human ma
ture, and readily distinguishes the true
christian from the pretender.
The church, TO increase its members, 1t
seems TO US, has lowered It's standard. Any
body can become one OF Goods people," no
matter what his reputation for veracity or
common honesty. The religion that is worth
less in the markets Of the world Is not Of
much value, even at the great White Throne.
The Christian whose pledged word would not
secure for him at one of our stores credit for q
pair Of shoes 1t seems TO US lacks the founda-
ton OF true christianity, and that he does not
properly set himself OFT from the world as
one OF Goods people'-though it is expressly
stated in Holy Writ that our Lord came to
save the lost and not to call the righteous to
repentance.
Viewed from the standpoint Of this editor.
and judging from his intercourse with men,
the shrewdest detective could scarcely tell the
difference between the average Gods peo-
pie" and the plain every day children Of the
devil. The fact that a man Is one of Goods
people" is generally received as information.
and nota a certificate Of good character.
The following expressions. with one or two
exceptions, are all right. The Presbyterian,
continuing, says:
And yet II church members lived up 10
their profession as they should. many who
SAS ~ 49, kAN "NAfo WAN ~ okoVN AASN
the church, The gospel, would be preached
with power through the lives Of Gods people
and the spirit would by means OF this preach
stances the preaching from the pulpit is plain
and earnest but It's power is quenched because
those who profess to be Christians are not
holding up Christ in their daily life. Their
Spirits work. II Christians only lived as
they should the word OF God would grow
nightly and prevail and there would be adj
ded TO the church OF such as should be saved"
With our good brothers permission, we
would call his attention to one expression in
the above, namely Goods people,"
That expression 1t seems to US, may not
be in good taste, even II a man should
conceive the idea that he was q special favor
tie OF the Lord. Our Saviour was a friend OF
sinners. He didn't collect himself up into a
select set to denounce those who failed TO
come up to the highest measure OF profession
OF faith. He didn't draw the skirts OF his gar
ment about him for fear Of contact with the
graceless mob-nor did HEWITT a view OF an
athematising them, form q select crowd OF
church members.
1t may be really surprising however, that
all men do not join the church. The re-
wards are:
VIVA oho puSiLSo an al
vantages.
2. If a mar is a candidate for public office
the surest way TO get the coveted prize is TO
join the church, and take charge Of a Sunday
school.
3. If a mar seeks success in business the
church with which he a~ffiliates Will be a great
helper.
4. II he seeks marriage. the best thing that
he can do is to become a jealous churchman,
no matter about the spirituality, the tempo
raj advantage is sure to follow.
s. II a man wants recognition in society, let
him join the church, or the choir, and
though he may be the blacklist bearted william
in town, yet he is welcomed into the hearts
and homes of good people-even the hearts
and homes OF Goods people"-his own very
elect.
All that is needed Is a good exterior and the
art of concealing the evil that is within him,
and he becomes one OF the choicest Of Gods
people. .
' Most OF the people around here are under
stood TO be Goods people,"
Those who are not Goods people, may be
set of, or assumed to be, as orphans, or else
they are children of the devil. 1t is so diff
cult for a child to change his parentage that
1t is possible that the devil may go perma-
nently into the business OF peopling this
earth. and thus come into active competition
with Gods people.
In connection with this subject, it may not
be amlss to state that in the youth Of this ed
itor he was the intimate associate, acquain-
lance, or friend OF W young men. He knew
their lives-was familiar with their conve
sation and their private acts. One OF these
boys joined the church. The other did not do
so, because he knew that the life, or practices,
OF each were such as to properly exclude both
from the church. The young man who was
the less moral Of the two became a high dig
nitary in the church. The more conscien-
tious man refused to take the VOWS. Their
lives, in fact-before and after joining the
church-was not essentially different except
that one sought the protection of the church
from which his private life was concealed
while the other remained outside-among the
goats-a plain every day citizen. The hypo-
critic was carefully taken into the fold among
the "sheep OF his flock" The inducement to
renounce principle was great-the reward for
hypocrisy was abundant.
According to the opinions ofthis editor, the
effort OF church people should be first to in
duce men to abandon sinful lives. and when
men resolve to live blam eless lives. an effort
might then be fnade to induce them to join
the church.
The taking ofimmoral men into the church
is about on a par with the acts OF some
good women in marrying reprobates to re-
form them.
Unless a man is actuated by the proper spir'
spirit neither the marriage nor the churchly