The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-09-25
He ENTERS 4 DENIAL.
Sermon Regarding the Diminishing
Of Sunday Audiences.
DR.. TeIuasEe Presents Sonne
Facts Showing That Church Az
tendance in America Is Not
IN Decadence.
ycopyrlsht. 1901. by Louis Kiopsca, \. u
Washington, Sept. Is.

yconvr,rht, 1901. by Louis Kiopscn, n y
Washington, Sept. la.
Most encouraging to all Christian
workers is this discourse Of DR.. 1ai-
mage while denying the accuracy ot
statistics which represent Sunday au-
d;ences as diminishing. Text, lie
brews 1925. Not forsaking the as
senbEng Of ourselves together
Startling statements have been n1"0
in uany of the pu!pits and in some OF
the religious newspapers. II Is nS"- :
over and over again that chufcn
tendance in America IS IL decacence.
6epv the statements by presenting
some hard facts. No one VIII olSsu'e
the fact that there are more churcneS
in America than ever before, one oe-
nomination averaging TWO ne"
churches every day Of the year. 1he
law of demand and supply is as mex
orable in the kingdom of God as 1t IS
in the world. More churches suPPlleo
argues more church privileges demand
ed. More banks, more bankers; more
factories, more manufacturers; more
ships, more importers; more churcheS'
more attendants.
In all our cities within few years
churches have been built large enough
TO swallow up two or three OF the o4o-
time churches. I cannot understand
with what kind Of arithmetic and slate
pencil Z man calculates when ne comes
to the conclusion that church attend
ance in Anerics IS in deoaoeoce. lake
the aggregate Of the number OF people
who enter the house Of GOO now anc
compare it with the aggregate OF the
people who entered the house OF God
Is wears ago, and the present attend
unce is four to one. The facts are
most exhilaratins instead OF being de-
pressing. That man who presents the
opposite statistics must have been
most unfortunate IN his church ac-
auaiRtance.
You are not to argue adversely be-
cause here and there church is &C.
pIetsd. Churches hsve their day.
Sometimes merchandise viii entirely
occupy a ueighberhood and crowd out
the churches and families ordinarily
attendant upon them. Sometimes
church per;shes through ioternecine
strife. But there are no facts to over
&hrow the statement that I have made
so regard to the increasing attendance
upon the house of God. Now, am
ready to admit, as every tateIhgent
men will admit, that there are
churches which have Been depleted,
and it is high time that sermon be
preached for the benefit OF young men
Who are just entering the Gospel min
istry and for the warning Of prosper
Gus churches as to what are the causes
os decline il any case. II merchandise
crowd out church, that cannot be
helped, but under all other circun-
stances seeadence in church attend
cnee Is the fault either OF the church
or Of the pastor.
Churches are often cleared Of their
audiences by the attempt to transplant
the modes Of the past into the pres
en&. The modes and methods Of 50
years ago are no more appropriate for
to-day than the modes and methods OF
to-day will be appropriate for 50 years
hence. Dr.. Kirk, Dr.. MeElrey, DR.. Ma
son, Dr.. De Witt, Dr.. Vernilyea and
hundreds Of other men just IS good
&C they were pever lacked audiences
because they were abreast Of the time
in which they lived. People will not
be interested in whst we say unless
we understand the spirit OF the day in
which we live. All the wee-begonish
statistics are given By those who are
trying in our time to work with the
worn-out machinery Of the past times
Such ner might just as well throw the
furnaces out Of our church Easements
and substitute the foot stoves which
our srsndn.others used to carry with
them 20 meeting, and throw ont ou-
organs and our cornets and take the
eld-sashiooe6 tuning fork, striking il
On EAe knee and then lifting it to the
ear to catch the pitch Of the hymn
and might as well throw out our mod
ern platforms and modern pulpits and
substitute the wineglass pulpit uE
"AISG <-Al4S CSSS w. S~%--- - ~ S-S
dizzy height Of Mont Blanc soHtariness
and then go in OUT OF sight and shut
the door after him. When you can
get the great masses Of the people to
take passage from Albany to Buffalo
in stage coach OF canal boat in prefer
ence to the lightning express train
which does it in four hours, then you
can get the great masses Of the Peo-
pie to go to church half cen tury be-
hind the time.
The trouble begins away back IN the
theological seoinaries. 1t IS sharns
that larger provision is not made io1
ministers Of religion, for the sick anc
the aged and the infrn who have WORT
themselves out in the service OF God
We have naval asyluns and soldiers
asyluns for men who fought on lant
and sea for our country when these
men have become aged or crippled, anc
it IS shame that larger provision j.
not made for the good soldiers Of Jesus
Christ who have worn themselves out
In battling for the Lord. But lack O:
provision IN that respect makes tend
ency 70 turn our theological seminaries
into hospitals for sick and aged ant
ioS-m ministers. When a man begins
to 60 down, they give him the title o:
D. D. by way OF resuscitation. If tha
fails, then the tendency IS to elect hin
70 q professorship in some thelogica
seminary. There are grand exception:
70 the rule, but it is often the case tha
the pro1essorate in theological sem
mary is occupied by some minister O.
the Gospel who, not being able K
preach, is set TO teach others how K
preach. In more cases than one the
poorest speaker in the faculty is II;
professor ofelocution. We want more
wide-swake, more able-bodied, Gb1e
Beers Still Fighting.
o-I