The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-03-19
MORE MEN AT CHURCH.
RET. DR. GILBERT SPEAKS OF 4
 WANT IN CHURCH CIRCLES.
The Subject Suggested by an Eloquent Address by Rev. Dr. Lines Before the Trinity Brotherhood

This was the subject of Dr. Gil
 berts sermon at the Trinity M. F.
 church last night, suggested by the elo-
 quent address of Dr. P. S. Lines be-
 fore the Trinity brotherhood the Mon-
 day night preceding. pr. Gilbert said
 in part:
 Where formerly everyone went to
 church the present comparative lack
 of men at church services is matter
 of common observation, Many are
 the causes which are suggested. First,
 The complexity of our modern life Men
 are too Tagged and prefer to sleep and
 rest on Sunday. This frequently keeps
 the wife at home also. The intensity of
 business life must be mitgated. Every
 thing-home joys, health, recreation,
 social pleasures must not be sacrificed
 to gain. Non-church going arising,
 perhaps, from. some little dislike for the
 minister or petty disagreement with
 some other church member, soon easily
 forms into habit Again, the events
 of secular life are absorbngly interest
 ing, the national extension, the Span
 ish war, the Philippine discussion, the
 new problems in Puerto Rico and
 Cuba, the Anglo-Boer contest, the com-
 plications of political Europe, the new
 situations in Africa and China, all en-
 gross the mind and draw it off from re-
 ligious things. Men dc not have as
 much time as formerly to think about
 religion. As Rudyard Kipling tells us,
 wealth, colonies armies, navies are not
 all, Lord God of Hosts be with us yet,
 lest We forget; lest we forget" The
 Sunday newspaper offers reading at a
 small price to last the day out. With out being essentially evil it is epheme- ral. What one reads on Sunday ought to be the highest and best literature. The mind filled with it's miscellany, with all the distractions of the week dragged in to spoil the souls Sabbath rest, is in no receptive mood for Gods truth. If read after morning service every good impression is obliterated
 The general comfort of life, the easy possession of luxuries by the many, breed in man the same contentment with the good things of life as Jesus depicted in the parable of the Rich Fool: "Take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry" it says, forgetful that the souls life shall be required. The earth seems such good place, and abundantly satisfactory. There Is rush after pleasure and every variety of amusement, good and bad, to take the edge off from care. Life is not serious enough. The insanity makes inroads into the church, codnteracts spirituality, withdraws from interest and work, Sunday becomes a day of recreation. We must indeed have en- joyment, but not at such cost or for feiture of higher things.
 There is also the break between cap ital and labor. The mechanic says he will not enter "the capitalists church" He says the poor are not wanted there. | As matter of fact there are compar- | atively few rich in the churches, The | poor are in the majority, and are well | comed. But the artisan does not cred | it 1t, He thinks that all the church is { after is his money. Other causes | named are the effect of the higher crit icsm and sceptieal theories It is | claimed, particularly by the New York | Sun, that faith in the Bible as a scrip | tural book, as the word of God is un- | dermined. The corner stone of religion | is removed, and no incentive for wor ship remains. But, if it existed, it , would be too misunderstood the pro- { cesses and results of criticism. We l have not found half dozen so affect ed.
 It is claimed that men are not con- vinced that preachers preach what they believe--thinking that they are sus piciously silent or equivocate on vital matters. Our testimony may be ex parte, but 1t is our conviction that never was there frank, honest, bold preaching out-of- the-heart, unfearing consequent ces. Others say there Is no bond be- tween men and ministers. The pastor visits women in their homes and gets their thought. He ought, indeed, to see men in their offices and shops and mix with them in their assemblies.
 What are some of the things the church must do? CD It must make it. self a warm, social solar place, whose hearth-gIow shall attract men; not a. cold-storage warehouse, dormitory, a an Eden musee, a collection of There ought to be many free socials with no money-tag. Mems clubs for frequent meetings, to listen to the best addresses, should be in all ofs 5 them The rapid growth of the frater- nal orders ehows the craving of men for l, take the hint The laity must not leave everything to the minister, who may get , discouraged under the unequal load. : They must do more than come to church perhaps irregularly-once a Sunday. 7 No preacher, however eloquent, can fill 2 church in these days. There must be invitations by individuals Brotherhoods must be formed. The old-fashioned re- yival seens to have given place to per sonal, hand-to-hand heart-to-heart work. That is the way Christ did His work; not by strained, mechanical / means but by easy, natural friendships and companionships. The big boys in he Sunday schools might possibly be zept if each clase was a club and each y teacher personally friendly. Il There must be man in the pulpit 1 t md never was there less effeminacy V ess of the cloister-spirit than now b oarson and people meet on the level e Men must have confidence in his char b lcter and piety. He must be man c lmong men and yet a man walking E with God. Other men must treat him e IS a man and grant him friendship-not T in, ,,rofpsasiOpal relatlOnShlp-aS fl