Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-04-23

Last evening at the First Christian
Church the pastor, Rev. Charles NJ.
Oliphant, delivered a timely and very
interesting sermon upon the topic,
Faults of the Church as Seen by
Those Outside" In the course OF his
remarks, which elected the closest at
tention from the large congregation
present, the reverend gentleman read
a number of replies to a letter which
he had previously written to various
gentlemen of prominence in the city,
kindly requesting them to express their
opinions as to the faults of the church.
1t was shown by these replies that
many see faults, not in the church as
a divine institution, but rather among
the people, composing the membership,
and this the minister looked upon as
complimentary.
Rev. Mr.. Oliphant took the position
that one of the faults of the church is
that there is a lack of sincerity among
many church people and gave as an
evidence the carelessness and indiffer-
ence of the people, the irregular at
tendance of members when it is posi-
BILE for them to attend regularly. He
also presented as another evidence OF
this fault a lack of financial sup
port of the church. A sincere man,
said the minister, is n who speaks
what he truly thinks, does what he
processes, makes good his promises
and is what he would appear to be.
Another fault which the Rev. Mr..
Oliphant stated was a want OF hon
esty among many church people and
gave as evidences, first the evading
the payment of debts; second, false
profession; third, untruthfulness, and
fourth, carelessness as to the reputa-
ton of fellow Christians. He thought
that honesty implies what a man will
pay what is due to his God and his
neighbor. A man cannot be honest
with his God unless he be honest with
his neighbor, and vice versa. He can
not be honest with himself unless he
be honest with both his God and his
neighbor.
He said that another fault of church
people is that they make the church
appear to be a ffty-two-day institu-
ton, seen only in its Sunday clothes.
The religious and business lives of
some people are not consistent with
each other. Some people only use re-
ligion, as they use ENTHUSIASTICALLY,
when company comes, instead of using
it as good, wholesome daily bread,
having to do with the whole life. There
are many people who are anxious
about bread for the physical man.
They will eat three to five meals a
day. Some will eat even at midnight.
Are they as anxious to cat spiritual
bread? Do they not make spiritual
Llll6S ouDOl ulloIO w OilICl IAlASS.
They make the church and her inter
ests last in their consideration. This
will explain why some churches are
not more prosperous.
The minister spoke of the last fault
as the tendency to compromise the
truth of the gospel and silently disre-
gard those fundamental principles es-
sential to Christian living. He re-
marked that there is a certain liberal
ism among church people that gives
them license to do as they please.
Many people want prophesied to them
smooth things. They do not care to
be disturbed with those things which
cause them to think and thus the world
has too many superficial things. In
conclusion the minister told a rather
interesting story of the difficulty ex-
perienced in placing a mule on a
steamer bound for Cincinnati. Even
after the mule was on board he said
it was very obstinate and not at all in
harmony with its surroundings. But
the vessel reached Cincinnati, mule
and all. So the church even though
many of her people are not in SUBJ
ject to the will of Christ, moves grand
ly and VIGOROUSLY on, clear as the
sun, fair as the moon and terrible as
an army of banners"