The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-26

the universe is only on the surface,
and one generation countermands the
thought of the other. There are per-
manent things provided in the rulings
Of God with which we heve no business
to tampeP. I take for granted that
you admit all this, and that you now,
having before you the two propositions,
viii follow me in the discussion.
You Will find that ours are times of
scientific specialization we DO not at
tempt to accomplish everything with
one brain. We have carried 1t to so
great an extent that there is not a
profession to which it does not apply.
And It ought to be true with the
church. The church should find her
speciality and stick to it, if she wishes
to accomplish her work Is the church
merely a fraternal order or a club?
The speciality is to win souls to God
and to regenerate society through the
Holy Spirit. I do not mean that minis
ters are to be silent about those things
which are erroneous. Our specially is
| not to keep a soup kitchen or a kinder
garten; we deal in prepondities. We
deal in those things which are without
price. You will say that our specially
is difficult, yet you will find that there
is nothing more certain than the relig-
ion of Jesus Christ. ! believe that if
the church would specialize, she would
do more than if she tries to put her
hand on everything humanity has de-
vised.
This is an age also of industrial COM
bina3ons as well as of specialization.
The world sees that there must be com
bipations and the only question Is to
see how to preserve the individual and
give the laborer his earnings. And in
combinations every individual must be
in earnest. The reason why young men
do not succeed is because they are
afraid Of going to work five minutes
ahead of time and anxious to leave ten
minutes before time IN the evening
Then they are discharged. And this is
exactly what is needed in the church
The reason why so many churches are
not successful is because the men we
put in Office do not put their necks in
the yoke. We pastors should ask these
men to resign. 1 think we need to apply
| to the church the rigid rule. Create the
opinion that your church is a co-ordi-
mating, combining society, ruled by a
military discipline of brotherly love.
| This is an age of social reforms The
church must understand that she is to
repress certain evils. l find that the
churches that have something to do are
the churches that have lots of people In
them. We are sometimes asked why we
do not have larger congregations. You
| ought to preach as short as you can, but
! if the subject demands 1t, you ought to
| preach an hour, and if you know what
you are doing, your people will listen
| to you. l believe in the power of the pull
pit. You can't move souls by preaching
little bits about the moon, about the
obituary of the tides, about everything
that amounts to nothing, and never
touching on the great truths men want
to hear.
We are living in an age of business
calculation. Tho great question is, will
1t pay?" And often this question is
asked about ministers. There has been
a peculiar constituencies about minis
tiers in regard to financial affairs, and
then the min'S-er goes out. Organize
your churches on strict business prin-
| ciples. Remember that the minister
should know just how the finances
stand. DO moi allow my church to get
in debt. Our people are accustomed to
1t now, and we have no trouble.
We Baptists have plenty of money
and all we want is courage to use it.
! When a church goes out of It's COM
munity for money, people begin to
think strange things about that COM
munity.
The trouble with a good many Of us
is that we own New England. Let us
| understand our age and apply our
selves to it and God forbid that any
thing come between us and our work
! The blessed gospel of Jesus Christ has
been so continuous in it's ministry that
we have gone to sleep under its
rhythmic sound, and when infidelity
becomes dominant we shall wake up to
| the awful crisis of a world of infdeli-
| ty.
EXPRESSION OF THANKS.
convention to the New England Rail-
road Association for the cheap rates
offered, and to the Baptists Of Worces-
ter for their hospitality. After hymn
| by the choir and a prayer, the con-
vention was adjourned until next year
at such time and place as the execu-
tive committee may designate.
DIRECTORS MEETING.
Immediately after the adjournment
the newly elected board of directors
met IN one of the committee rooms
and chose the following committees
from their body: Executive committee
members ex-officio; president, e. P
| Farnham; secretary, w. H. Eaton;
treasurer Wright Chester. Members OF
association Barnstable. Rev. A. Fair
brother; Berkshire, Rev. H. B. Fos-
ket; Boston east, Rev. N. r. Everts;
Boston north, A. M. Wentworth; Bos-
ton south. w H. Breed; Boston west
| T. r. Kimball; birmingham, Rev. F.
Hutchinson; Franklin, C. w. Hawks
Merrimac river, A. w. Downing; Mil
ler's river, Rev. L. A. Freeman; Old
Colony, Rev. J. x. Richardson Salem
Rev. L. A. Pope; Taunton, Rev. ]. s.
SWAIN Wachusett, Rev. c. L. Bow
ers; Westfeld, r. B. Esten; Worcester
George C. Whitney; finance committee
Dudley p. Bailey, L. b. Filbrick, C. c.
Barry, Rev. r. j. Adams, Dwight
| Chester, John Carr.
TWO PURSES LOST.