The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-04-21
back 10 the Church.

Back 20 Christ ~ has been the rallying
cry of few prophets OF better day for
Christianity. 1t has penetrated the Chris
tian conscience Of a considerable number,
inspiring and unifying for the noblest pur-
poses and achievements. Many have aban-
doned the tithinS OF the mint, anise and
cummin, and. catching a real glimpse Of the
mind and spirit Of Christ, have sought to
reproduce His life in themselves and In
others. But as IN accompanying bugle-
call We need to take up the cry, Back
to the Church, Perhaps there is moth
ing more pathetic or more indicative OF
dangerous trend in these days than the rad
ical change manifested by the general pub
lie toward the Christian church. The old
time reverent regard for the sacredness and
authority Of the church Is nowhere shown in
our large communities. and is fading out In
the country towns. We believe the mem-
bers Of the Christian church are very largely
responsible for this condition Of things.
For quarter OF century the lodge,
temperance organizations. the Grand
Army, the grange and later the young
peoples societies have been treated by the
membership OF the churches as OF equal i'm
rtance with the church which the Son OF
uvd died to inaugurate. We have been max
lug the annex to the Christian church larger
and more important than the church itself.
We are only reaping. therefore, what We
have sown. That degenerate. deleted, weak
ened body which we call the church is
the human organization which We have
fashioned. At the very time when the
Roman Empire officially declared its ac-
ceptance OF the Christian faith, pagan
ism with its sensuous ideas and conces-
sions had already interpenetrated and
paralyzed it. The Christian church Is now
passing through a similar experience.
Schliermacher rightly said that the church
was a society in which every regenerato
soul is u component part. Wesley, In his
remarkable sermon, ION the Church" said:
The church is called holy because 1t 10
holy; because every member thereof is holy,
GALES, them Is holy President Thwing
has this excellent modern definition: The
work OF Christ's redemption is continued by
His church. The LABOR Of the church,
therefore. is primarily the turn
ing OF men from sin unto righteous
ness. Its purpose is the incarnation OF holi-
ness in the individual and community"
The church is, or should be, Christ's repre-
sentative OH this earth. living out and work
ing out His life and dying vicariously as he
did for the salvation Of men. But We have
been busy making it pretty, reputable and
enjoyable thing. We have been content,
social club and palace OF entertainment and
amusement. We have stopped to and coddled
the multitude until the identity OF Chris
tian discipleship is scarcely discernible.
The Christian has become soft and ener-
waited by this scaling down practice. Atone
ment. forgiveness, regeneration, conscious
salvation, holiness. nave become unwel-
come words, with little present and personal
signification. The church Is eciipsed oy
multitude OF semi-sentimental and SEMI
moral organizations. 1t Is = time for spirit
ual surgery, for cauterization and excision;
And II thy hand offend thee, cut 1t on.
And II thy foot offend thee, cut It on.
And IL thine eye offend thee, pluck IL
out. 1t is better for thee to enter into
the kingdom Of God with one eye, than
having two eyes to be cast into hell hre.
Then back to the church; to the church OF
the "living God," OF the ''tirst born;" to the
church against which 1.-THE gates OF nell
shall not PREVAIL" to the church IN which
We were forgiven, and which put a new
song into our mouths: to the church 30
pure. so white, so single-eyed and robust,
and withal so spiritually transformed. that
it can lead lost men to salvation.