The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1898-02-22

brings to q community. Hence the
stronger the religious sentiment the
more healthy and vigorous is the So
cial and moral condition; 80 that ! r
respective of the benefits Of salvation
which church presents to a people,
in its wake are thousands of minor
blessings which accrue to the COM
munity. The salt is preserving the
social structure from decay. The
leaven is working vigorously day
and night, infnsing its own nature
into varied surroundings. This
then narrows the question to a defin-
lite application, which is !: that the par
ticular community in which we live
Is dependent upon the salt and leaven
for its preservation and its life. The
Church of Christ in all it's branches
must be the medium through which
preservation and life are granted.
Hence the natural question, care the
people of our churches fulfilling their
duties in being the salt and leaven of
which Christ spoke ?" Several points
appear which are we'll worth consid-
Grafton:
I, Is there q decline in religious
sentiment BY that is not meant an
apparent lowering of the standard of
what is right and moral, but con-
nivsnce at things against conscience.
There are two classes which emerge
here whose opinions are to large de-
gree opposed.
First Those who are professedly not
church members, whose palliation
of much that lie not right is to be ex-
pected.
Second There are those who are
members of the church who, to large
extent stand by and permit great
deal that they know is contrary to
conscience and TO the law of God,
But the point that is to be examined
is the consensus of opinion of the
community, one needs only to make
! a most casual observation either by
reading or in person to see the glar-
ing conditions that exist in many
places. Our large cities have become
almost by-words for crime and vice
and the worst of it all is that people
tolerate it. A denial of the accusa-
ton that such conditions exist does
not change the reality. All this goes
to Indicate that people are publicly
enduring what they privately con-
denim, and their moral sensibilities at
first shocked have become somewhat
scared to such matters or else they
turn deaf ear.
In the issue of Harper's Weekly of
January %, Mr.. Matthews, a. New
York reporter, under the title of
"Wide-open Chicago" exposes the
worst moral condition that could be
conceived of in any place. The au-
thorities of that city deny his state
ments and plead that such things ex-
ist in every city. This dormant NOR
al tone exists everywhere. This illus
tration is not Irrelevant, bu: merely
indicates what might exist in our
midst. There are books and period
icals circulated which bid fair to be
very popular one hears them praised
on all sides as works of literary merit,
which nevertheless contain much that
is coarse and vulgar. What does this
fact mean? 1t indicates that the
christian conscience is not as pronoun-
ced as it should be. But while there
may be decline in moral sentiment
from that high and noble standard
which ought to exist, there is salt
enough and leaven enough if only 1t
can be laid hold of. Our duty is clear
to utilize to the furthest extent what
salt there is,preserve the good healthy
sentiment already existing and stir up
the leavenVto fermentation, IL by some
means 1t may diffuse its power into
other quarters.
III. Another condition which con-
fronts ms is the attitude of church
members. Here there is no srraign-
ment sought, nor any spirit of criti-
cism INDUCED in, but merely the pre-
sentstion Of few facts which each
one as pastor must face and is facing
in this place.
First. Their Indifference. There is
perhaps nothing which is so detri-
| mental to churoh's progress as the
apathy of its members. II is an I'M
fortunate sentiment that is growing
that the pastor Of the church ia the
n