The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-21
INSPECTION
 OF SELF Subject of Strong Sermon by Dr. Patterson.
 - CALL TO sELF-NSPECTION Neglect of Inhabitants of Jerusalem of Temple. xhis Brought Forth the Powerful In- dictment in the Text Which
 Was Taken from
 Haggai.
CALL TO sELF-NsPEcTION.

At the First Presbyterian Church yes. terday morning the pastor. Rev. c. W. Patterson, delivered an eloquent sermon on "A Call to Self-rnspection."1
 His text was taken from Haggai, 1, 5; Now, therefore. thus saith the Lord of hosts; consider. your ways"
 These words" said pr. Patterson. s'cohstituts the application of one of the most searching and practical sermons ever delivered by a prophet of God. The immediate occasion of their utterance was the shameful neglect of the temple of God by the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thix building. once the glory and the pride of the city, had been allowed to fan into decay while the people mduiged in personal luxury. The sum of tho pow erfni indictment drawn by the prophet against the people of Jerusalem was, that while the Lords house lay waste, they had run every man unto his own house.
 .sThe meaning of this charge is. of course, that they had put themselves first, and God last. both In their plan nings and their exertions. They had al- lowed themselves to become utterly sei- fish. to be bound by the chain of that master-sin.
 s"The sermon tells us that this people had not only become selfish, but as a natural consequence, had become wretch edly miserable. Their exertions for them- selves had been unfruitful. Concentrat- ing their attention upon the results of their investments in material things they had been sadly disappointed. They had expected much. but little had come.
 s.6ingHlarly expressive are the words of the prophet descriptive of their unhappy experience 'Ye have sown much, but bring in little: ye eat but ye have not enough: ye drink. but ye are not filled with drink; ye elothee you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with hoies."
 ..The prophet makes 1t exceedingly clear that in this experience of the people of Jerusalem the Lord had directly hand. Their course had been sinful and He had made 1t unavailing. Their bitterly dis appointing situation was, according to him, the punitive consequence of thclr salfish course, chastisement from the hand of God. They had transgressed the divine command. and God had made them unhappy. Again we have recourse to tbs expressive words of the inspired preacher, 'Ye Iaolk for much, and. To, 1t came to little: and when ye brought 1t home. aid blow upon it. why7 saith the Lord of Hosts. Because of mine house that is waste. and ye run every man unto his own house
 ''Now, God has a temple in the world today, as truly as when the beautiful bualding stood in the city of David; and it may. as truly. and with as great gull and resultant misery. be neglected, as Il was in the day when the prophet raised his voice in blame and warning.
 This temple exists under two aspects Tn one It is visible. and. in q sense. ma teriaI It is in the fact. the machinery and the equipment of the church. with iti members. it's organizations. it's buildings and apparatus for work. This Is tht seeming of the church of God as the worit views 1t. A body of people banded to- gether, with a place for meeting and wor ship, a number of societies engaged in ac ticity of various sorts, and an equipment more or less suited for the accomplish ment of the purposes supposed to be em bodied in the organization
 'sThe other aspect of the temple of God on earth it assumes when viewed as be ing formed out of the faith. devotion worship and service of His people. Thii is the spiritual conception of the church as built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets. Christ himself being thu chief corner stone, and with every be Iiever. as a living stone. built into 1t. mystic walls.
 Tn a sense aIso there is a temple o God in every believers life. built of thu same structural materials. the faith, de votion, worship and service of the trust ing heart.
 with these aspects of the temple O God before us. let it be our purpose tC determine, by candid search. the ways il which we may allow 1t to lie waste ant neglected. and to discover whether VI have been guilty of such fault. Let i be our purpose. in the phrase of thu prophet, to consider our ways
 Gods people may be guilty of the sil