The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-01-02

plished gentleman. His name is in
troduced here in no personal way,
but as the representative OF certain
individuals 10 our church OF whom
we say we have too much. That is,
they are too muchin evidence. Their
voice is too frequently heard at pub
lie gatherings. and their names ap-
pear too frequently in our public
press. Call them johnson, and let
US hold up few for the judgment of
a patient and long suffering public.
I. There is Mr.. Johnson, a dealer
in church machinery, who is alto
gather too instructive, and should be
sat down upon very hard. Not but
what personally he may be very es-
Unable character. His spirit is often
genial, and he simply bubbles over
with good humor. Nevertheless be
is hindrance to the work of the
Lord, and should be dragged forth
into the light of the day, and exposed
to observation. Consider him. These
be times that test mems souls, and
there are some who are crying for a
forward movement, and are sincerely
and genuinely anxious that the
church should become more emphati-
cally the great reforming and up
lifting power of the new century.
He faces this spiritual ambition,
and all he has to say is that we
need more machinery. Perhaps a
bishop would be the proper thing.
If the wagon moves with difficulty,
and is held back by bad roads, put
on few more wheels. If two bish ps
are not enough, give US six or twenty.
Devise something more in the way
of committees or organic itions, and
wind them up and the church will be
all right. And this in face of the fact
that if there is anything the matter
with the great body today it is that
it is already too highly organized
For it is possible to SO develop ec-
clesiastical machinery as to exclude
the common people. And when the
masses of the people come to feel
that the administration of the church
is in the hands of committees or con-
ventions; or that there are wheels
within wheels, or anything of the
kind that takes the management of
things into the hands of a few, they
will not only readily accept that con-
dition of things as desirable situa
ton, but they will withdraw farther
and farther from the church, and put
their interest into other and more
immediate concerns. And this is
why Mr.. johnson, dealer in ecclesi
astical implements and church hard
ware, is too much in evidence. He
would turn the activities Of the church
in the wrong direction, and is all the
time tinkering with the wheels of the
mill, instead of turning in the water,
and beginning to grind grist. The
main question is about the grist, and
very subordinate to it is the mill with
all its machinery. Certainly we can
not have grist, unless the mill is there;
but a poorly appointed mill with
skillful and earnest management
may do far more remunerative bust
ness than much better appointed
one whose management lacks snap
and ginger So it is with the church.
1t does not exist for the sake of the
organization, but for the sake of
something much better and higher
than that. 1t is the product of Chris
tian character that the church should
produce, and not its machinery, that
the world needs. This is where Mr..
johnson gets confused, and in home
ly phrase puts the cart before the
horse. We do not need more ac-
tive experimenting of the churches,
but the generation of spirit Of en-
thusiasm within their membership
that shall set all hands at work.
There are too many who are content
with playing architectural parts in it.,
content to be simply sleepers and
pillars. Give us enthusiasm, and any
kind of machinery will answer. Let
the church slumber, and no kind of
organization can accomplish the least
good. 1t requires the spirit to breathe
upon the machine, and then it be-
comes alive.
An earnest and enthusiastic people
will accomplish anything they desire
with almost any kind of organization,
while no form of organization will
impart life to a dead community. So
the plain lesson for us as church is
to go to work, make the best use of
what we have, and keep in plain
sight the great mission Of Christian