The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-03-20

good out of that service. In contrast to
this statement | never entered church
building with the spirit of criticism in
my heart but l found something to crit-
else about the minister and the service
before | got through with it, and, fur
thermore, when ] did enter a service in
the spirit of criticism | always found
that | received more harm from that
service than good. If William E. Glad
stone, with the greatest brain in all Eng
land, could sit Sunday after Sunday in
the little church of Hawarden and get
spiritual food from young, inexperienced
rectors who came there to break for him
the bread of life" surely you can afford
to honor the ministers of Jesus Christ as
Gods representatives.
Respect Gods Presence.
But behaving yourself Alright in church
implies not only due respect to God
presence, in whose sanctuary you assem-
BILE, and to his representatives there, but
also due respect to the strangers who
come in to worship with you at your
church affairs. 1t not only means that
we should bow before Gods affairs and in
reverential tones say, "Our Father" but
it also means that we should give a
warm. loving, Christian welcome to
Gods children who would sit by our side.
1t means that no church is a consecrated
Christian church unless all the men and
women alike, whether clothed in silk or
In homespun. whether rich or poor,
whether master or servant, shall be cor
daily greeted with an open church door
and an open church pew.
Christian etiquette should run exactly
along parallel lines with social etiquette.
Suppose | am invited to your home to
visit for a week. Supposing at this coun-
try house party you should have ten or
fifteen guests, including some of your own
children. Surprising at this house party
| should be rude to one of your guests or
make fun of your old mother because
she murdered the kings English or be-
cause she once did her own washing.
What would you do? Would you consid-
er me one of your friends? Would you
say. "Wel. if you don't like my mother
or my children | will turn them out of
doors in order that you may feel a little
happier?' Oh no. you would rather
say: What is good enough for my moth
er and my children is good enough for
you when you are in my house. When
you are rude TO my kith and kin and
loved ones, then you dishonor me-" So
the members of a congregation cannot
honor God unless at the same time they
are ready to welcome and honor all of
Gods children. no matter to what social
caste they may belong
But. though Christian etiquette In the
house of God should mean much, how
many churches are sinfully trying to be-
come the churches of class instead of the
churches of a great Christian democracy?
Can we not, one and all. be large hearted
enough to know that there is only one
true gospel aristocracy, and that belongs
to the noble serving class which Jesus
be chief among you, let him be your SER
vant?' AS you would never be rude to
my child because you love me, so may we
in our church etiquette never cast sur
upon Gods children. May we never
jostle or push any one away from us.
We should all belong to the gospel clan.
We should feel that we are all brothers
and sisters in Christ, and that, Therefore,
by the gospel firesde there shall be plen-
ty of room for all the members of the
gospel family.
Lastly refined and consecrated church
behavior Is demonstrated as much in the
way a congregation disperses as in the
way 1t assemblies. If I make a social
call upon you and you are polite and
respect me, you do not try to show your
Impotence even though l do stay a
little longer time than l ought. You do
not cape and yawn and take out your
watch again and again to look what time
it may be- You do not get up and go
out into the hall and put on your over
coat and then hold yaur hat in your hand
as though you were ready to run away at