The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-07-25

one day at least in The seven ia spent ln
worshiping God the other days of Chg
week win dwarf and starve that spiritual
nature which every man possesses whether
he is conscious of Do on not. The tendency
90 look down and not mp VIII after a While
give the man a hnlting, hesitatiug, blind
way Of walking while the man who one
day in the week at least looks up and not
down viii find himself purer and better
and stronger. Men are sure to retro
grade and lose ground If they neglect the
church" said a man to me the other day.
whose saarv Is $500 per year My pros
nerty win be ny defeat unless ] am care
ful ] find now that / am constantly
thinking Of business and eeheming 70 I'M
crease my riches" and then the Gears
started as he said, 81 question II ] am az
happy as when ] was on small salary and
lived i'm q very simple way
Second-The church needs men and the
work of God cannot be accomplished with
out It has always been Gods way 10
work through instruments sometimes as
humble rs the rod which Moses held IN
his hand and yet as important as Moses
himself God means TO win men through
men. and if the men Of the day absent
themselves from the church Of God for the
loss of the souls Of other men they are held
responsible at the day of judgment.
cause Of the intellectual culture that is
therc gained The average man has little
time for reading little opportunity through
the week for recreation and lectures and
it is the opinion Of TINS distinguished busi-
ness man that the average sermon viii be
a stimulus to his intellect Remember it
is not so much what you hear as the inn
preston it makes upon you and the after
effects upon your life. Men may have forget
ten the Greek they learned in college, and
the principles Of the higher mathematics,
| but no man could pass through college
without coming out stronger and better
/ in every way if he were true to his educa-
| ron, and the effect of a sermon rightly
1 heard and received is TO make the life
/ purer, the mind clearer, the character
! stronger.
! Fourth-The example Of church going az
| fords an important means of promoting
/ the good order Of the community. The re-
feX influence uDon oneself is of the very
/ hest, and the influence upon others is con-
/ ducive to regular habits and good order.
Fifth-The idea Of recreation in church
attendance is one of the most important
reasons for faithfulness in this regard.
/ "Surelv" writes a distinguished man,
Church going will afford this" A change
| of occupation is rest and a working man
who feels that he must sleep through the
| hours of the morning because he has
toiied faithfully through the days of the
week, will find that he is beginning his
week duller than if he had been true to
God; while the business man who reads
through most of the hours Of the day be-
cause he feels that to attend church would
be a sense of WEAKNESS would find that he
begins the week more weary than if he
had been loyal to Christ.
Sixth-Another writes owe ought to
attend church in order to become ac-
ouainted with the saving power of Jesus
Christ; men ought to attend church to be
good, and then they viii be good for some
thing.
There are certain facts which we must
remember in our efforts to reach and to
help others.
First-There is worshiping faculty in
man, and it is the climax of all his other
faculties. For the exercise of his voice
man has the air, for his feet he has the
earth, for hunger he has food, for thirst
he has water, but for his soul he must
have God. John Stuart Mills was one OF
the greatest men. and he had one of the
greatest minds we have known in these
latter days, but his early life, his father
blood and his education had drawn hin
away from the church. He tried to kill al
faith, and yet he could not kill the de
mand for something to worship. He eulo
lied his vile until he worshiped her, anC
the seven and a half years they lived to
gether were the happiest years of his life
When she died the light of his life wen
out. There never was a sadder closing Il
mortal life than his.
Second - Men have misunderstood tn
spirit of the church. Criticism has beer
made that the church is class institution
existing for the favored few, but this i
not true. The existence of the st. Bar
tholomew Mission House in this city
where people by the thousands have beer
reached and Blessed the presence of tn
Madison Square Church House, so recentl
dedicated to the glory of God and tn
helping of all classes Of people is an argl
ment which directly meets this disposition
on the part of the unchurched. Not Ion
ago man went about through tn
churches clad as a poor man, plainl
|, dressed and found that he was repulse
by no one and welcomed by nearly al
Z The church is the greatest factor in tn
= world, but its work is first and foremos
with the soul and its needs. Men hav
, been disposed to censure us because we
no do what the club does, nor what tn
lodge does, but it should be remembers
that the church is not charity institution
u nor an educational institution; it is
place for regeneration, conversion and etc
5 nal salvation. The church has socit
mission, it is true, but first Of all it has
: saving mission. We must keep first thing
first. The lodge may have its place in tn
= ranks of men, but woe be 10 that man VIII
allows it to usurp the place of the churc
4 in his life.
After Rossini had rendered civilian
l. Telp' for the five hundredth time a cor
r pany Of musicians came under his windo
in Paris and seranaded him. They pl
J upon his brow cold crown, and in IL
= midst Of the cheers Rossini turned to
friend and said, Il would give all of tn
g just for day of youth and love-" ar
S there Is many an old man in New Yol
IS who has passed his Sundays in the hou
h Of God who knows more Of real joy b
3 cause of this than the man whose name