The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-08-21
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
"PRESeNT.oAY INCARNATION"
The Rev. {. X. MeNaiiy Gives an An
swer To the Question, "What Ais the
Church . s"-she Has Forgotten Her
Heal status In the World.

MSNallE, the pastor OF Tue siNlh NNShuS
Baptist Church. preached his first sermon
in his new pulpi; Sunday morning. HIS
subject was "Presen, Day Incarnation"
He took his text from First Corinthians
xn:27; We are the body OF Christ and
ssverally members thereof" Mr.. MeNally
said:
Throughout the Iand, wit. somewhat of
a wall, the question Is being asked. What
ails the church; That she is sick seems
to be ioreeone conclusion. Tie religious
periodicals and some Others are quick TO
give diagnosis OF the case. Ii is because
the pew has been elevated eduoatlonally.
IL Is because the ministry has lost seli.re-
spect and prestige. IL Is because men
everywhere are too busy TO attend 10 the
concerns of the soll, or because Christian
ity Is SO "other worldly" IL is not sufficient
ly practica, for the practical life OF to-day.
Many other reasons are gwen for why the
church lacks power.
Is this charge against the church just?
Ii statistics may be trusted. il Is. The last
religious returns for the nation disclose the
lamentable fact that Christianity has made
no gain that even her warmest friends can
call proportlonate 10 the increase OF popu'
la,!on 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 II hard 10 set enough peo'
pie 10 take hold of church affairs TO make
the church live with a commanding intlu-
ence IN the community. The land is full
OF reports OF mans greed. his tricks OF
trade and other disregard OF sacred oblga-
tlons. Men are looking 10 the church TO
stem the tide Of moral recklessness. Ii
must be frankly conceded that the church
has seemed 10 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 10 he very strong.
Her ability 10 mold the ethical life of the
world does not seem TO be adequate 10 the
needs Ii the conditions are. what they
seem TO DE, II the church is really telling To
eniighten the world by the ethical stand.
ards OF Jesus Christ, something is surely
wrong. and the church should quickly
awaken 10 a realization of her real condl.
tion, 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 an her effort TO solve the mighty prob
lens that the last few generations have
presented 10 her, gone away from the SIM
ple teaching and simple method of Christ
her founder The ministry has too much
given itself 10 the work of education, OF
culture, of reform The pew has too much
demanded these things. The result is the
hearts Of men have been spiritually starved.
Many who would have waited on the min
istrations OF the church have forsaken her
because their spiritual natures were not
satisfied and developed. Education. estbet-
les and reform. they could obtain from the
schools and the papers Of the day.
IL must be remembered that Christ.
while incarnate. gave Himself to none OF
these things. He devoted His entire min.
istry 20 lodging in the minds of His dsci-
pies the fact that He was IN the world for
one purpose and that TO save men from sin.
To the end that He might save the sinner
from hs sin He devoted all His time, He
gave all His energy, and sacrificed His life.
The mission OF Christ was primarily not a
mission of education or reform. II was a
mission of salvation. II come-to call sim
ners to repentance" The Son of Man is
come to seek and To save that which was
lost This is faithful saving and wor-
thy of all acceptation, Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners When the
church VIII concentrate her efforts upon
this one thng-the saving Of sinful men
and women from the power of sin-the
questions OF education and reform viii take
care of themselves.
The status Of the church in the world is
pointed out by Paul III the words OF our
text. eye are the body of Christ" and sew.
orally members thereof. II Christ gave
Himself while in the flesh to saving men
from sin bv manfesting TO them the life Of
'tOu. can lEdI DbuN--lHe tnurCN-ln WHICH
He - willing to incarnate Himself. do net
ter that to devote It's undivided attention
and energies 90 the salvation of men. by
the manifestation of the life and will OF
Gody The church IS the body OF Christ.
In II He has incarnated Himself. What
Christ was in the world while in the flesh
that the church must be IN the world 10.
day. What Christ did for the world while
in the flesh that the church must do for
the world to-day. "Ye," az n church and
as individual members OF the church. "are
the body OF Christ" Ye must be Christ
10 the word. Except the church rs a body
and the several members thereof as iDdl-
viduals live as Christ in the world, the
world will never know Christ.
Paul, the master mind. could use such
figure with such potent power. OF all his
figures there is pernaDs no other more elab-
orately worked out or more carefully APP
piled. The body rs not one member. but
many, and the man. members only one
body. So is 1t with the church, and the
church is the body OF Christ.
Observe that this figure permits Of de-
tailed analysis. While the church is the
body OF Christ. il is only the body. that in
which Christ has incsrnated Himself.
j. Christ Is the life Of the church. lie
is the inner vitalizing spirit which ami.
mates and directs. The church which rec
ognizes this has by this very recognition
marVelously Nitalzed ltset.
There are two kinds of churches-thc
man-led and the Chrst-led. The man-led
church gives itself 20 hero worship and
leans on the arm OF flesh. The Christ-led
church gives itself 60 the worship Of Christ
and leans hard on the arm Of God. You
may be able from the history OF vour city
to supply an illustration Of the fact that
there have been churches where the preaoh-
or has been the church When the preach.
h.. 1a Ia. 80.
such a church a. one that has been man
led. The church mas looked 20 its pastor
for vitality and TO lead 10 What the heart
- TO the body that - Jesus Christ 10 His
church. From Him through the agency Of
the Holy Spirit 1t receives the impulse OF
ats life. The quickening. vitalizng power
can no more be impaired TO the heart OF
man by the visiting physician Christ is
that inner muscle at whose every pulsation
the life blood OF spiritual power ~ made
20 surge through the body. 10 10 Chris,
and Christ only can give life, co,or and
beauty. This should be a sef.evident fact
The fact is. ho-e ever. that Il Is not 20 self
evident as Il ought % be.
Never has there been time when the
churches set 50 much store by the man,
their leader. a. to-day. Hero worship
runs rampant. The church when IT seeks
a leader searches for the orator, the sohol.
ar. the man Of executive parts. and upon
the man they depend. Many a church gets
all these, but does not get any regeneratic
Of it, life The reason j. clear. They have
looked TO the wrong source for lfe-giying
power. Christ alone can give u. Upon
Christ, church and minister alike are de-
pendent for their spiritual vit1ity. H. -
only a. they are together animated by the
warm impulse oi His life that - 1--we az
all When the church will look 10 the
Lord Of Life for - lie, then. and not IN
tl then, will 1t throb from head 20 foot
with real life and power
Not only H. Christ the heart of tho