Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-10-14

Last evening in the Fourth street NJ.
f. church the Rev. S. y. Westhafer, the
pastor, preached an able sermon on the
text:
And the common people heard him
gladly" Mark. 1871
The religious situation in Palestine
at the beginning Of Cnrist's ministry
was appalling. A period of awful de-
cline had come upon the Jewish church.
The idea of God and consequently idea
OF worship had been drawn out into
mere names and empty phrases Men
were taught that God can be approach
ed only through scrlfices, and formulas,
by observing fast and holy days, by
potions and pylacteries, by reading
OF scripture and general performance
according to rule and routine. The
most religious man is he who frequents
the temple oftenest, uses the priest,
the sacrifices offers the eostiiest gifts
and stands by tradition.
One of the alarming results OF this
meaningless amelforatIon in worship
was the division of the people into nu-
merous classes. The priests, the
scribes and the pharisees were the re-
ligious people. They were churchmen.
They belonged to one class. They
3ere the aristocracy. Then there were
publicans, and sinners, poor people
sick people, the lame, and the halt
and the blind. They constituted another
class. They were the common peop.e,
who had neither titles nor social posi-
ton, nor religious standing in the com
munity. They were aliens outside the
church. When Christ began his three
years ministry these learned churchmen
looked upon him and his work with
suspicion. They were disputations.
They argued the points OF the law.
They made hair-sp.itting distinction.
they received him not. But the com
mon people heard him gladly
Now We have come upon a condition
in bur time which in some respects is
not unlike that just described as
Existing in PaIestinc
nearly two thousand years ago. We
are surrounded by great seethinS
mass of peoples, representing manv
races, with corresponding peculiarities
in temperament, in education, in chaTac-
ter, and ideals CT life for the mcst
part outside the church Canon Farrar
says the Episcopal church in England
is rapidly losing its hold Upon the
workingmen, taere being less than FIVE
per cent who attend the services of
that church. The New York Tribune
declares that all Christian bodies, not
excepting the Catholics, are losing
their hold upon many working people,
and adds that as yet not one of them
has discovered way by which the
allegiance of the backsliders can lie
regained. You have but to attend the
meeting of conferences, and synods and
assemblies, to discover how grea. is
uhe concern of the leaders of the church
for this condition of things. 1t is an
open secret that professedly evangelical
churches are no longer the cheerful
resort Of workingmen and their fam
lilies.
II is an Open secret
that labor unions and secret societies.
and mutual benefit associations, of
which the member is legion, are attract
ing the working man, and are taking
the place of the church. But the evil,
arising from the lifeless churches Oh
the one hand and the presence OF a
multitude Of rival organizations on the
other cannot be removed by attackig
either on these grounds. The appall-
ing fact stares us in the face that z
new generation has grown up outside
the pale of the church while the church
has been apparently asleep.
| am sure it is the duty of every
earnest preacher and every member of
the church to ask why is this?
Why are not the masses of the peo-
pie interested in what the minister has
TO say and in the services of which he
has charge? Why is there a separa-
ton between the churches and the So
called common people? Is it not pos
sible for the minister and the church
to awake to the Importance Of the
situation and methods, devise means
which will draw the people TO the
church and make possible an ingath-
ering of those who now stand alooft
from the church and it's services.
One OF those reasons why the church
hesitates is that the causes as yet
have not been clearly pointed out, no
remedy has been prescribed; no move
ment has been inaugurated. But is
not the absence of theory significant?
is not the conviction that the theories
of socialist, and communist, and an,
archist, and literaturer are wanting
an indication that no theory is need
ed.
You VIII Remember That
when Christ sent his disciples out to
eveangelize the world he sent them
out without formula, or creed or writ