The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-15
TIMELY THOUGHT
Expressed by Rev. Mr.. Britting'
ham, OF st. Luke's.
NEGLECT OF RELIGIOUS DUTY
The Topic ofa sermon delivered ye.tsr-
day SIornlng-Ths Dance, the Card Tab
Leland the Theatre at Times Engage too
Much ottho Interest orthe Church Mem
Der.

Recently. many ministers of the gos.
pei have spoken of what Is said by
some to be the growing practice on the
part OF church members in neglecting
their religious duties for amusements,
particularly the theatre, the dance and
the card table, The sermon by Rev,
Jacob Birmingham, OF ST, Luke's p, Il,
church, delivered yesterday morning, in
which this evil is spoken of, Is given in
full in this mornings Intelligencer
Said Mr., Birmingham:
One OF the most striking traits of st,
Paups ministerial character was his
constant and deep-hearted concern
about the churches he planted He
never lost sight of them, nor failed to
pray for them, The spirit of prayer
permeates all his letters to them, and
now and again he gives definite utter
ance to what was In his heart. How his
soul yearned over his kindred In the
flesh and how natural II was for him
! TO say, Brethren. my hearts desire and
prayer 20 God for Israel is that they
might be saved"
We see the same prayerful tender
ness with which he begins the eplstle to
the Philippian church and then the
prayer itself Is Instinct with just such
petitions as any minister of Christ
would utter and does utter II faithful
Tor the flock over which he is In charge,
and yet this prayer belongs no more
10 the ministry than 20 the people, and
no more to the congregation than 10
each individual. 1t is a prayer each OF
us might with great profit use, and II
| each one would try to live up to Its
teachinE, the church OF which we are
members would be indeed a power for
good, which, OF course, Is its great pur-
pose In the world, The great object and
AIM OF this church Is, as well as OF the
! Phllippian church, to- do good In Its
day and generation, but that 1t will
never do as 1t should. unless each
member Is Jealous of the churchs
honor and standing In the community
IN which 1t is set. For we are members
OF another. whether one member suf-
fers' all the members suffer with It; or
one member be honored all the mem
oers rejoice with 1t. Now we are the
body OF Christ, and members in partic-
ular' Like priest, like People" Is an
OLD and true saying. but not more true
thon AS are the members, so Is the
BODY" In other words. the honor Of
the church is not only in the hands OF
the minister, but In those of the indl-
Vidual member. "A chain Is no stron-
ger than Its weakest link" How i'm
portant 1t Is for each one 10 strengthen
himself and the wny to do II Is not on
ly by prayer, but by living up by Gods
word to the teaching of the prayer he
utters. But what is the teaching Of the
prayer the apostle uttered for the
Philippian church? and which each OF
us should constantly use for this, our
beloved church?
/. The first petition is that Love
may abound yet more and more in
knowledge and all judgment"
I Each individual is In duty compelled
to be prompted In all he thinks and
fCys and does by Love, which gets
Its rise in Christ. and IL it be directed
by knowledge and Judgment, It will
abound yet more and more Love, like
anything else which lasts and Is use
full. must be Intelligent and judlclous
| cNhNl Nl6t lMllhN INuNt IL upl-btN
| growth OF enthusiasm, but never Wig
orous plant; It may make you seem well
for n season, but not to the end and
this Is certainly what each one must
| do II he expects to be OF any perma-
| nent good to the church and the world
| For continuance in the Christian life
and work each one must exercise not
fpnly the hearts, but the minds love
| to God and man. The late Bishop
Brooks, In his sermon on 1.-THE minds
love to God" SAYS: In the days to come
there will be ever-Increasing demand
for thoughtful saints, for men and wo-
men, earnest, lofty, spiritual, but also
| full OF intelligence, knowing the
meaning and the reasons OF the things
| which they believe. II our children and
grandchildren are to come to this high
plane OF knowing, thinking, and living,
let us place them where the faith de-
| llvered to the saints and ourselves make
the wav for them by definite study and
systematic work. Let maps be hung
up In all the guild rooms, the mission
stations located, bishops. clergymen,
and especially our women workers,
known and called by name, with their
stories of love and labor interviewer
| with this minds love to God We shall
have definite. systematic work, with
out In the least dampeninE the in,pul-
slve ardor Of the jealous; for the heart
VIII always outrun the head Let
love abound, but let II be according to
knowledge and II will not evaporate in
to mere lmpulslVe feelings. as II too Of
ten does in our work for the Master
?. Another thug prayed far In this
prayer and which each one needs to do
Is to approve things that are excellent
and by things that are excellent Is
meant not merely things not bad
but things that are best among things
that are good Posltlveness IN the d.
vine life Is the only true standard Of
true excellence. No man or woman
who processes ANA calls himself or her
self a Christian can hold up any lower
standard The true ana noble aim OF
every Christian In to do all he Gun to
make himself like Christ, the earth like
heaven and the Kingdoms of this
world like the Kingdoms of Chrst; but
how can you hope to do this so long as
you are satisfied TO neglect your duty to
Christ and His church aud show hg
your personal conduct that these things
are Of secondary consideration II Is
your bounden duty, as good citizen,
to render to Caesar the things that
are Caesars, but II ls no less your SOL
cmn duty to render to God the things