The independent., 1903-11-26
lisa Of the Church

Cincinnati, Nov. 22.-At the Vine
Street Congregational church this
morning, the pastor, Herbert 5. Bige-
low, discussed the subject, Mhat's
the Use of the Church," He chose for
his text the parable of the Sower,
maintaining that the most important
function of the church is to incite
mankind to- progress by leading in the
thought Of the world and preaching
the truth about the grave problems
OF this present life.s
Ask the average church member,
said Mr.. Bigelow, what is the mission
of the church? He has ready made
phrase for you. He says it is TO
s'saye souls" In the theological SEM
inaries young men are taught that to
be good preachers, they must have y
passion for souls" certain mis-
sionary society OF church in this
city reported at the end of the year,
1.-Two souls saved and one sanctified.'
Is it the paramount duty of the
church to save souls? That depends
upon what is meant by the phrase.
Save them from what? From hell, OF
course. Is it the mission of the
church to save souls from hell. That
depends upon the location OF hell. Do
you mean by hell some place OF tor
ment in the next world or do you
mean the torment of body, mind and
soul that is produced in this world,
by greed of gain, and slaylsh prejudice
and bigotry and hate, by oppressive
monopolies, and .corrupting power,
and bitter poverty?
take no stock in your God-made
he'll But I know. there is hell on
earth which man has made. Here on
this earth, have witnessed the tor
ture Of the damned. Let us storm
one hell at time and the nearest one
first
But there are many church mem
.bers who do notfknow what we mean
by hell ON earth. They are able to
go to the seashore in the heat OF sum-
mer. They can go to Florida or Cali
fornia; and eat strawberries in win
ter They seldom come in contact
with poverty. From the very air they
breathe, they have imbibed the pre-
judice that poverty is mostly the re-
suit of depravity; that for the de
serving poor" there is no help but
charity; that the masses who toll are
by nature unfit for happier lot; that
the man who imposes an extra tax OF
Q cents gallon on oil and contributes
million to a university is a paragon
of virtue; and the institutions which
make it possible for him to do this
are ordained of God.
One of these more comfortable
church members visited recently in
Cincinnati. She heard men in the
street crying Goal, COAL. She asked
what it was they were selling. When
told, she expressed amazement that
the people of Cincinnati did not buy
their coal by the ton. She. declared
she had never heard of such a thing.
Indeed she was certain that in Cleve-
land where she lived there was no
coal sold by the bushel. This woman
is typical of her class. Within mar
row sphere, she is generous TO fault.
There is no question about the gen.
uineness of her piety She will shed
sincere tears over the tragic, suffer
ings of the Nazarene, and contribute
for the preaching of the gospel in
foreign parts, but of the appalling
misery in her own city and or lts
cause, she is as grossly ignorant as
the Australian bushman is of the doc
trine of salvation by grace. +
I The duty of the church to save
souls? Yes, it is the duty of the
church to save the souls of men and
women from that ignorance and in
difference which makes them oblivious
of the sufferings of their fellowmen
In every great city you will find a
little group of earnest men and wo.
men who are trying to bring to the
notice of the public the desperate con.
ditions under which their brothers anf
sisters live and to show the economic
cause OF. this destitution and its rem
edy And while such bands are few
and weak. you Will find scattered hers
and there and everywhere through
the city, churches often costly edi