The Penn's Grove record., 1903-08-21
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
"PRESENT.oAY iNcARNATIoN."

EnEoENIs1H sfSNs
rhe Rev. C. r. McNaIly Gives an An
swer to the Question, "What Ails the
Church ?"-She Has Forgotten Her
Real Status in the World.
NEW YORK CITY.-The Rev. Charles II.
McNally, the pastor of the Sixth Avenue
Baptist Church. preached his first sermon
in his new pulpit Sunday morning. His
subject was "Presens Day Incarnation"
He took his text from First Corinthians
xii:27: 1--WE are the body of Christ and
severally members thereof" Mr.. McNally
said:
Throughout tine land, with somewhat of
a wall, the question is being asked. what
ails the church? THAT she is sick seems
to be a foregone conclusion. The religious
periodicals and some others are quick to
give a diagnosis of the case. 1t is because
the pew has been elevated educationally.
1t is because the ministry has lost self-re-
spect and prestige. 1t is because men
everywhere are too busy to attend to the
concerns of the soul, or because Christian
ity is SO "other worldly" it is not sufficient
ly practical for tie practical life of to-day.
Many other reasons are given Tor why the
church lacks power.
Is this charge against the church just?
If statistics may be trusted, it 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 proportionate to the increase of popu-
lation and the mighty development of com
the rural districts, the preachers Of the gos
pei are finding it hard to get enough peo-
pie to take a hold of church affairs to make
the church live with a commanding iniu-
ence 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
steh 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
enlighten the world by the ethical stand
ards of Jesus Christ, something is surely
wrong, and the church should quickly
awaken to a realization of her real condi.
ton, and take measures to strengthen her
hold upon the life of the nation.
Where does the difficulty lie? l 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
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, esthet-
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 oil
these things. He devoted His entire min
istry to lodging in the minds Of His disci-
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 his sin He devoted all His time, He
gave all His energy, and sacrificed His life
The mission of Christ was primarily not
mission of education or reform, it was a
mission OF salvation; i come-to call sin
come to seek and to save that which was
fost. This IS a faithful saying and wor
thy of all acceptation, Christ Jesus cam
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 j;
pointed out by Paul in the words of oul
text, Eye are the body Of Christ" and sew
orally members thereof. If Christ gave
Himself while in the flesh to saving mer
49, - 1~x L. H. H. 1sE. -
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, by
the manifestation of the life and will o
God? The church is. the body of Christ
In it He has incarnated Himself. What
Christ was in the world while in the fest
that the church must be in the world to
lay. What Christ did for the world while
n the flesh that the church must do fol
he world to-day. "Ye," as a church ant
he body Of Christ" Ye must be Chris
% the world. Except the church as a bod,
md the several members thereof as inal
RITUALS live as Christ in the world, thu
world will never know Christ.
Paul, the master mind, could use such
lgure with such potent power. OF all hi:
igures there Is perhaDs no other more elab
,rately worked out or more carefully ap
olied. The body is not one member, bu
many, and the manv members only on
body. So is it with the church, and thu
church is the body of Christ.
Observe that this figure permits of a de
sailed analysis. While the church is thu
| body of Christ, it is only the body, that IL
which Christ has incarnated Himself.
l.. Christ is the life of the church. III
s the inner vitalizing spirit which ami
mates and directs. The church which rec
,gnizes this has by this very recognition
n~arvelously vitalized itself.
There are two kinds of churches-th,
nan-led and the Christ-led. The man-le(
.hurch gives itself to hero worship ant
cans on the arm of flesh. The Christ-let
church gives itself to the worship of Chris
and leans hard on the arm of God. Yol
may be able from the history of your cit.
TO supply an illustration of the fact tina
here have been churches where the preach
er has been the church. When the preach
such a church as one that has been man
led. The church has looked to its pastor
for vitality and to lead it. What the hear
is to the body that is Jesus Christ to Hi
.hurch. From Him through the agency o
the Holy Spirit it receives the impulse o
its life. The quickening, vitalizing power
,an no more be impaired to the heart o
man Dy the visiting physician. ChrlSt i
hat inner muscle at whose every pulsatior
the life blood of spiritual power is mad
to surge through the body. To it Chris
and Christ only can give life, color anc
beauty. This should be a se~lf-evident fact
The fact is. ho-ever, that it is not so self
evident as it ought to be.
Never has there been a time when tn.
churches set so much store by the man
their leader, as to-day. Hero worship
runs rampant. The church when it seek,
a leader searches for the orator, the schol
ar, the man of executive parts, and upor
the man they depend. Many a church get!
all these, but does not get any regeneratic
Of its life. The reason is clear. They have
looked to the wrong source for ~hfe-givins
power. Christ alone can give it. Upor
Christ, church and minister alike are de
pendent for their spiritual vitality. 1t i
only as they are together animated by thu
~6sarm impulse of His life that t-ey live a
all When the rrrnh win look to the
Lord of Life for its life, then, and not un
til then, will it throb from head to loo
with real life and power.
Not only is Christ the heart of tht
| church, He is its head. We read that III,
was given to be head over all things toSHii
church. He is the head of the spiritaa
body-the head is the governing or organ
izing power of the body. From the head
\ comes the purposes that give direction tx