The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-08-19
pRESEAT-OAY INCARNATION.
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev. c.
z. McNally.


Baptist Church. preached his trst sermon
in his new pulpit Sunday morning. His
He took his text from First. Corinthians
xi:27: I'VE are the body Of Christ and
severally members thereof" Mr.. McNally
said:
Throughout tine land, vita somewhat Of
wall, the question is being asked. What
as the church? That she is sick seems
to he a foregone conclusion. The religious
periodicals and some others are quick to
give diagnosis of the case. 1t is because
the pew has been elevated edncationally.
II is because the ministry has lost sef-re-
spect and prestige. 1t is because men
everywhere are too busy to attend to the
concerns of the soul, or because Christian
" practical for the practical life OF to-day.
Many other reasons are given for why the
church lacks power.
Is this charge against the church just?
II statistics may be trusted, it is. The last
religious returns for the nation disclose the
amentab,e fact that Christianity has made
no gain that even her warmest friends can
call proportonate to the increase OF popu'
lation and the mighty development Of com.
mercial interests. In the city as well as IN
the rural districts, the preachers OF the gos-
pei are finding it hard to get enough peo.
pie to take hold Of church affairs to make
the church live with commanding intiu.
enee in the community. The land is full
of reports of mans greed, his tricks OF
trade and other disregard of sacred obliga'
tions. Men are looking to the church to
stem the tide Of moral recklessness. 1t
must be frankly conceded that the church
has seemed to be powerless to arrest the
drift. The masses OF the people pass her
doors or rarely enter. Her hold upon pub
lie morals does not seem to be very strong.
Her ability to mold the ethical life OF the
world does not seem to be adequate to the
needs. If the conditions are what they
seem to be. if the church is really failing to
enlghten the world by the ethical stand
ards Of Jesus Christ, something is surely
wrong, and the church should quickly
awaken to realization of her real cond-
ton. and take measures to strengthen her
hold upon the life of the nation.
Where does the difficulty lie? / believe
in this: The church has too much forgotten
what her real status in the world is. She
has in her effort to solve the mighty prob.
lens that the last few generations have
presented to her. gone away from the SIM
pie teaching and simple method OF Christ
her founder. The ministry has too much
given itself to the work of education, OF
culture. OF reform. The pew has too much
demanded these things. The result is the
hearts OF men hive been spiritually starved.
Many who would have waited on the min
istrations of the church have forsakcn her
because their spiritual natures were not
SdtlSUeu anu ucNtlOpGu. isuuSutioil, SSNh.'
les and reform they could obtain from the
schools and the papers of the day.
1t must be remembered that Christ.
while incarnate. gave Himself to none OF
these things. He devoted His entire min.
istry to lodging in the minds OF His dsci'
one purpose and that to save men from sin.
To the end that He might save the sinner
from his sin He devoted all His time, lie
gave all His energy. and sacrificed His life.
The mission Of Christ was primarily not
mission of education or reform. it was a
msee o SspentaaSe Sf saSnS Son Of MI aa
come to seek and to save that which was
lost" "This is faithful saying and wor.
thy OF all acceptation, Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners" When the
church will concentrate her efforts upon
this one thing-the saving of sinful men
and women from the power OF sin-the
questions of education and reform will take
care of themselves.
The status of the church in the world il
pointed out by Paul in the words of oul
text. "Ye are the body of Christ" and sew
orally members thereof. If Christ gave
Himself while in the flesh to saving mer
from sin by manife9ting to them the life O.
God, can that body-the church--in which
He is willing to incarnate Himself, do bet
ter that to devote its undivided attention
and energies to the salvation OF men, b,
the manifestation OF the life and will o
God? The church is the body OF Christ
In it He has incarnate1 Himself. Wha'
Christ was in the world while in the ilesf
that the church must be in the world to
day. What Christ did for the world while
in the flesh that the church must do fo
the world to-day. "Ye,"' rs church ant
as individual members Of the church; "ar'
the body Of Christ" Ye must be Chris
to the world Except the church rs bod,
and the several members thereof as, inai
viduals live rs Christ in the world, thu
world will never know Christ;
Paul, the master mind. could use such
figure with such potent power. OF all HI
figures there is perhans no other more elah
orate.y worked ont or more carefully ar
piled. The body is not one member. hu
many, and the man. members only. on
body. So is it with the church, and tn
church is the body OF Christ.
Observe that this figure permits of dc
tailed analysis. While the church is tn
body OF Christ. it is only the body. that i
which Christ has incarnated Himself. :.
l. Christ is the life OF the church. II
is the inner vtalizing spirit which an
mates and directs. The church which re'
ognizes this has by this very recognitio
marvelously vitalized itself.
There are two kinds OF churches-th
church gives itself to hero worship an
leans on the arm OF flesh. The Christie
church gives itself to the worship cf Chri:
and leans hard on the arm OF Col. 1o
may be able from the history OF your cit
to supply an illustration OF the fact tha
there have been churches where the preacl
er has been the church. When the preaci
er has gone the church has gone. Mar
such church 81 one that has been maj
led. The church has looked to its paste
for vitality and to lead it. What the heal
is to the body that is Jesus Christ to II
church From Him through the agency
the Holy Spirit it receives the. impulse
its life. The quckening,. vitalizing pow'
can no more he impaired to the heart
nan by the visiting physician. Christ
that inner muscle at whose every pnisatio
the life blood OF sniritual power is ma6
to surge through the body. 10 it Chri
and Christ only can give life, color CT
beauty. This should be self-evident fac
The fact is. bo'-eyer, that it is not so SCI
evident as it ought to be-
Never has there been time when Il
churches set so much store by the ma
their leader, as to-day. Hero worsh
runs rampant. The church when it see
leader searches for the orator, the sch'
ar, the man OF executive parts, and up'
the man they depend. Many church &c
all these, but does not get any rsgenerati'
Of its life. The reason is clear. They ha
looked to the wrong source for life-giyi
power. Christ alone can give 1t. Up
Christ, church and minister alike are {
pendent for their spiritual vitality. II
only as they are together animated by I
warm impulse of His life that I. ~ live
ALL When the church will look to t
Lord OF Life for its life, then, and not Y
til then, viii it throb from head to IL
kO.tl r.. a