The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-15
TO WAKEN SINNERS FEARS.
sTERHER PREACHING ADVOCATED IN
PLTMOUTH CHURCB.

Pastor and Other Speakers Argue tho Eff
hcacy of Hell-Fire Doctrine In Quick
eninE Those Who Neglect Christian Du-
ties - Subject to Bs Taken up Again.
The pensioners OF the Rev. DR. n. Dwight
Hills. pastor OF Plymouth Church. Brooklyn. are
looking forward with more interest than usual To
the sermons to be delivered by him. because at the
weekly prayer meeting on Friday night Dr. Hills
endorsed the idea that men could and should be
driven to church through fear of he'll Are for stay
ing away. There was long discussion OF tho
falling OF in church attendance and its causes at
the prayer meeting Dr. Hills and majority Of
those who attended IL expressed the opinion that
the average man Is governed so largely by his
animal nature that the only way TO get him To
church is to appeal - that nature They also
decided that the animal in man can be appealed
TO best by fear. and that q good scare over their
future condition would drive many non church
goers to worship DR.. Iiinis was very much in
earnest in what he said, and, therefore, his con
grcgation will not I've surprised II some Of his ser
mons in the near future are Ct the cid fashioned
variety
It's estimated that 500, 900 persons in brooklyn
never attend divine service. The question Of the
cause of their ina,tcnton to Christian duties was
first taken up at the meeting by Frank Rudd,
propor,ionatcy larger non church going class
now than there was twenty years ago was the lower
moral status Of the class known as the common
people" Mr. Rudd attributed tho condition OF
the common people" TO the influx Of foreigners.
lie said:
The American eagle has developed the larg
est giz'ard of any bird on earth. | have been
but il holds together and the eagle continues To
swallow the worst that is sent 10 il from Europe.
Thousands Of them live here for years and do
not learn our language Some Of them think 1t
an imputa,iOn on u mans character il he attends
church Their example affects churchgocrs.
don hen '2o sometimes the common people
IN church If thy do e" Sometimes spend two
hours AMI half church and don't get an ca9iy,
appreciate or enjoy n service"
Mr. Rudd also believes that many incompe
tent and incapablc men get into the ministry
duced the idea that the sermons and services OF
oday do not do enough TO nstil fear into the
minds of the hearers He pointed out that lack
Of interest was the reason Tor non-chuIchgong
In a measure he thought that Sunday newspa peIs
we've responsible for some of the lack OF interest,
he stated as follows:
one reason is that they are not spurIcd on by
future, st 4. They, do not see any reason why
they should go 10 church"
Mr. Blair argued that the way 10 fiji the churches
was To bring men and women To realizing
sense Of the necessity of church attendance and
that this could be done by soaring them with the
threat Of punishment in another world for neglect
Of religious duties In this Mr.. Blair belieye
that the thing for preachers 10 do was 10 revive,
10 certain extent. the sermon habits Of The middle
Of the century and publish TO all men that they
stand in danger OF he'll fire unless they attend
church services.
,, Mt Blairs views, were endorsed heartily Ivy
d. Hills. In speaking Of fear as factor In
compelling the average person TO perform his
religious duties. DR. Hills said:
MI Blair is right when he says that the people
should be aroused 10 fear Men can be governed
by fear. The animal in man is so strong that
the fear OF future punishment moves him. There
are millions OF good citizens and good Christians
in the world who have been made SO by tho fear
of he'll II is not 10 be acclaimed against that
men arc nlenced by fear"
+. W. liinriChs. who took pa RI in the discussion
did not agree entirely with the position taken by
Mr. Rudd and Mr. Blair He maintained that
Intellectual call tn The masses Of the people was it's
failure u provide what the people want He
divided the churches into two kinds the church
visible, and the church invisible The first he
said consisted OF the organized church, with
houses of worship and preachers The church
invisible, according To him. was made up of a
vest number OF men and women all striving to
follow the teachings of Christ. none of whom
found that which their spiritual needs demanded
in tho modern church visible. Mr. Hinrichs
argued that the church visible should get nearer
to the church invisible. He cites the Roman
Catholic Church and the Salvation Army as reli-
carefully, they having wrought great good among
the very persons referred to as the common people
The discussion will be cont nucd at the PRAYER
meeting next Friday NIGHT