The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-02-05

from assembling in their usual force. yet there is no doubt that on a stormy Sunday morning the general ex- pectation is in agreement with the fact that the attendance at church worship will be small. It has even come to pass that we may predict with some accur- acy the spiritual interest of com munity in its worship on any given Sunday with the help of no more im- portant signs than the blue sky or fall ing rain.
 The secret of the matter is to be found, not in climatic or sentimental considerations, it lies rather in the dls- regard of the social element in Chris tianfty. Men do forsake, Gin spite of St. Pauls warning) the assembling ot themselves together, and it is because they fancy that they can be as good Christians by themselves, without as- sanbling together.
 Yet what man among us is so fool- ish or so blind to deny the importance nay, the necessity, of this in his reli- gious life?
 The force of Christian influence has been exerted in the world not so much by individuals as by companies of men and women acting together, thinking, feeling, worshipping together. The ideal or high resolve of one soul can- not become effective either to himself or others, till 1t becomes through his l expression the sentiment of whole community. Therefore, When Our Lord inaugurated the kingdom which would 1 one day win the world for God, He | made the unit of religious life the con- gregation, not the individual disciple. It was the congregation that he used ! for his own spiritual nurture, going, as we read last Sunday, regularly to the synagogue each Sabbath day. He made it the instrument of His influence and the object of His promise When two or three are gathered together there am l in the midst of them."
 In so doing, Christ claimed no new method for His church. He simply ac- cepted and confirmed a human law which he declared to be divine as well, that every spiritual emotion of the heart becomes effective only as it seeks companionship in other hearts.
 The weakness, of our present day Christianity would seem to be failure to attain to this objective point of all complete religion. If the irregularity in church attendance means anything, it proves an indifference 10 the corpor- ate power of religious life The fault lies not in the essence of our faith. At heart and by intention men are deep ly spiritual, never more So, believe, | than at the present time. Their failure | is the lack of effective, definite expres- sion. The spiritual forces which con- tain untold latent power are not felt because not registered in outward form.
 The point of weakness in our relig- | ious life may be Illustrated by sin- ilar though less prevalent, condition in political relations. There Is a certain kind of citizen with whom patriotism is a passion, simply as a sentiment, | He is always ready to avow, eloquent | ly his love for his country. He is quick to defend her honor when this involves him in no sacrifice or inconvenience, He is ready in political discussions, 1 generous of opinion, bitter in criticism | His enthusiasm is apparent everywhere
 but at the polls, When an important | crisis comes in the affairs of govern ment, when the issue between contend | ing policies calls for the expression or conviction at the expense of careful de- cision and perhaps of some self-sacri- fee, that man is silent. His city-his | country-benefts not one whit from all | his patriotism.
 What the vote is to the good citizen | Illustrates precisely the importance or | church attendance to the Christian By
 means of it he registers his influence and avows his faith.
 There are plenty of good men-Chr1s- +ian in character, Christian in creed, | Christian in a large spirit of beneyo- | lence who are never to be found in church. They have what they are pleased ito call their own way of finding and worshippng Christ and they do I so1ne of them worship Him sincerely.
 Yet in the common cause which makes the followers of Christ one in 1 fellowship as one also in allegiance to Him. such men have no part.
 The harm done by these acknowledg- ed n-churchgoers" is less injurious, however, than the church members unfaithfulness, which finds excuse in circumstance of weather, or whose de- votion waits upon convenience.
 I tell you that more than the cause of missions suffers from that disposi- tion of a congregation The work that presses close around us in our city | and awaits our leadership wdll far more seriously suffer. More than to most churches there has been given to us | ii, i...1,o,a oe n o,raot rasY,oprihiti+v