The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-06-13
DIR. CHAPMAN'S SERMON
A SUNDAY DISCOURSE BY THs NOTED
PasToR.sVANcsllsT
Subject; why Men DO Not Attend Church
some Reasons Given by >on-Goers-
The Value Of sympathy spiritual
Happiness Found in Gods Love.


ist. who Is now preaching 20 ovcrtowing
congTesa sa~sons IN this city. has furnished
the following eloquent sermon 20 the
press IL was preached from the text
And the man said, The woman whom
Thou gavest 10 be with me, she gave me
OF the tree, and | did eat Genesis 3: II.
This may be counted a strange text tor
a sermon with such a theme as this and
yet We Will al agree, | am sure, that all
men are the sons OF Adam IN this respect
as well as IN others. for there l. always A
disposition 10 excuse self and pace re-
sponslbillty upon some one else for wrong
doing and Ailure. | have sent out letters
through some personal friends asking those
who were nou-attendants upon church 10
give me the reasons for their position, and
| have been amazed 20 see how many have
found fault with the church, and how
very many with the ministry and how re-
markably few with themselves. | shall
give YOU these excuses as they have sent
them 20 my friends, and yet | doubt not
but If men were perfectly honest they
would say that they were away from the
house OF God because of something IN
their own heart and life which made
church attendance constant rebuke 10
them.
This is an important question we have 10
consider More than half the inhabitants
OF our country DO not attend church; OF
the non-churCh gocrs the majority are
men, and there are actually millions OF
men IN this land OF ours who have no con
nection with the church whatsoever \
few OF this company attend occasionally,
some OF them are employed and cannot
come. but the vast number have become
Indifferent. In New York City not more
than three per cent. OF the male population
are members OF the Protestant churches,
and of the church membership 1t Is said
three-fourths are women. Not only IL this
true in the cities, but in the rural districts
as well. All classes OF people to-day seem
TO have become affected with this disease,
for there are Chrstless rich as well az
Christless poor. IL Is true that a crowd ls
not the only thing 20 be considered IN church
Attendance. IL Is easy 10 get a crowd; a
balloon ascension always draws crowd (;
| If the minister Is sensational he usually
has a crowd about him, but there Is this 10
be said about sensational preaching, while
il draws it does not hold, and yet a crowd
Is necessary 20 consider, Tor there Is great
inspiration in a great company of people.
However, let Us not forget that some OF
the greatest sermons IN the worlds history
have been preached 20 the few. Jesus
! spent an evening with one man and
preached on regeneration as no man has
! ever preached, and Nicodemus became a
| child OF God He must needs 90 through
/ Samara and stops az the well curb OF
/ Jacob because there l. one poor woman
] there, and she had her life transformed by
! His teaching.
ago a minister SAID, Il do not think
! shall attend the church tonight, for no
! one will be there" and when finally he
| did 20 he found a scattered few through
! the pews He was then almost persuaded
| 10 give up the preaching; when finally he
! did 20 on a boy up the gallery heard tn,
text and began TO live, and the boy was
l.N mt,
his own church and drew multitude 70
! Christ the wide world round. His namC
was Charles H. Spurgeon. Yet | am per
| suaded that what Is needed to-day IS not
so much ministers that will draw, that Il
| what we hear on every side, but rather
churches that will hold the people that at
tend, hold them by their sympathy, hole
them by their manifestation of the Spri
of Christ. These are the reasons whlcl
men have suggested TO me for non-churcl
| attendance.
First-One man wrote, II am out Of tn
habit OF attending church II is a yer,
easy thing to form any kind OF habit
but If once broken It i difficult TO beglI
again, especially If it be a habit 10 d.
good. Our large cities are remarkable II
this respect in these DAYS, for with owe
thousands OF people IN them professiona
church members who do not frequent tn
church, they lower the spiritual atmo-
phere OF the city and their last state !
frequently worse than the first.
Second-Arother man wrote that he wa
not a church attendant because he ha,
never been trained 20 II in his youth, an
this Is certainly true. for the homes hav
changed; for while 1t used 20 be that Tn
father and mother and the children at
tended church, now the children are con
| spicuOus for their absence. ! can remem
! -. 10 40 huF ~
one OF the children, however young o
however old, had the right 20 stay ava
from the house of God ! tremble Whe
| think of the next generation OF non
church goers unless the church reform
speedily.
Third-One young man writes that h
has come 20 believe that IL is no. mani
upon the family life, for the father Of III
house ought TO 30 reflect Christ IN hi
home life that the children could easil
say. "Oi all the good men IN the wor
my father u the best, and If church al
'endance can produce such a character
shall never be absent
FOURTH DO not attend church. say
another. because | am too tired and u
many respects this Is the most reasonabl
excuse presented. ] believe the time }
coming when the business life OF our larg
cities must be adjusted 50 as 90 give thOs
who toll more time on Saturday, thercb
giving them a better opportunity on sun
day 90 worship God and yet one OF th
/, I busiest men m this country, with WnoT
10 was my privilege for a number OF year
% be associated the Hon. John Wana
maker. who attends church every Sundl
from early morning until late at night. dC
| cIares that II tests him. and that he bs
gins Monday always refreshed. Rest
/ not lilencss but change OF occupation.
Fifth-Onc man writes that nc had ratf
or sleep and read than attend tIrch, bu
that u pure uuadultcrated So lshness.
selfish man d. one who n out Ot proportion
! have no right 90 consider simply my ow
comfort / am a citizen and ! am respOr
sib'e for the morality Of my city.
ouzht % be willing % do anything tina
would make mv own life better or m
brothers life better.
SIXTH DO not attend church becaus
the sermons are too long said another
and set be cOnfesses that he has not bee
In church for years. ! am well aware TIA
the sermons used 20 be long. j have "a
many time through an hour sermon wit
| mv father, but az matter Of TACT yer
few men preach long sermons today, an
vet strange 20 say the very men who Ol
iect 20 long sermons could ST thrOug
hours OF a theatrical performance Vhic
would be cru.iixiou % some % Us
Seventh am fed upon q " husks whe
+ attend church. writes auo her. and tna
is true in some places There are sO-caile
Christian churches where men preach au'
thing but the gospel. They are a disHaf
| % the profession and a lIsu0nJr 90 Chris
II -. however. my privilege % know a
| many ministers a. the most Oi men, an
| know comparatively few ln all tbs gre,
| company who preach anything bot M
| gospel 0f Christ. Il ls true. however. tn.