The record-union., 1898-09-11

The printing press sends forth its week
ly bulletin, and an employment bureau
invades the pastors study. You can
get anything you want in the modern
church, for, if they have it not, it only
takes few moments to organize So
ciety, with full board of officers and
constitution to supply the pressing
need You can even worship in most
of these churches one a week If you
care to--but that is not necessary!
These words are not written in criti-
cism, but to call attention to the
changes that are going on; these
changes mean the enlarging of religion
so that it means the all round develop
ment of the man. That the changes in
volve anomalies is to be expected"
1T is really pitiful to see so many
good men-men who really esteem the
church-staying out of it because they
do not know what the church wants
them to do" says the Living Church"
P. Ed of Chicago. They have heard
that the church is aristocratic, formal
ritualistic.' They are afraid of it,
They are willing to follow the cross of
Jesus, but they think Professionalism re-
quires them to feel a great commotion
within, and Anglicanism requires them
to pursue an esthetic cult The whole
church should stir itself to correct this
false impression. 1t should take men
by the hand and bring them in The
TACT is, the office for the baptism of
adults must be far more used in the
twentieth century than it has ever been
before. The church should not wait
until men have made a half life time
study of repentance and conversion. 1t
must draft them into the service of
their Redeemer and King. 1t must take
them by the hand and lead them to
the holy of holies. Men must not be
distracted with Calvinistic subtleties
when they have families to provide for
and work from Monday morning till
Saturday night. They must hear the
mandate of the church speaking for it's
Divine Head, and bidding them to their
Fathers feast"
In the opinion of the Examiner"
(Bap), New York, "a real and serious
peril confronts the young peoples
movement This is the danger of sep
arate interests between the young
peoples organizations and the church." !"
1t explains. 1T came about in a way
the most natural and apparently most
harmless. Those whose duty it is to
see that money is provided for our
educational, missionary and benevo-
lent enterprises We're quick to see the
posi- bilities of the young peoples So
cieties. Here was a field that had never
been worked, even by the shrewdest
financial agent The Secretaries of our
denominational societies eagerly ap-
pealed to the young Christians of their
own constituencies to make regular
and liberal contributions The young
Christians promptly and generously
responded But where is the danger
in all this?' one may object. The dan
ger is just here: The young peoples So
cieties have been encouraged to en-
gage in this work as SEPARATE organ
izations, and not in connection with
the church. While the church is max
ing it's offering to foreign Missions
they are raising money for chapel
| in Montana; when the church is pray
| ing and giving for State Missions they
are all agog over raising money to sup
| port Bible woman in China. There
| is a necessary division of sympathy
and effort, and such a division will in
| time lead to estrangement and fric-
| ton"
eff riches tend toward selfishness,
unscrupulousness, disregard of others,
/ the evil use of power and opportunity,
; so does poverty for a different reason
h1t in ho
| ''Congregationalist" of Boston IF
| riches tend toward undue luxury and
| foolish extravaganza, poverty too often
| begets jealousy, sordidness and hatred.
| Each is narrowing and belittling, un-
| less controlled by a noble nature, and
especially by a divine grace. Perhaps
| it would not be fair to interpret the
| Biblical teaching by a single passage,
and that outside of the Gospels, but
the Gospel spirit after all is in the
| appeal, Give me neither poverty nor
riches 1t is honorable to accumulate
| wealth by righteous methods and for
| Chirstlike uses, but wealth is always
| accompanied by many and serious per-
| lis. There is no discredit in honest,
! cheerful high minded poverty, al
/ though this, too, opens many an en-
! trance for evil into the heart Each
condition has it's own temptations and
| it's own blessings. The question is
!