Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-08-15
On Improving Spirituality.
y Request Of a Baptist Minister. ]

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Improved ?" was read at the recent
union meeting held with Return
church by John b. Duncan:
1. BY more careful and consci-
entious method of receiving people
into the church. Many of our preach
ers seem SO hungry for a large in
crease in membership that they urge
people to accept Christ and join the
church without making thoroughly
plain to them what accepting Christ
means. They are made to believe
sometimes that all they have to do
is just simply to fold their arms and
fall into the arms of Christ, like
sleepy child, and be carried right on
into heaven con flowery beds of
ease" without crucifying single sin
or relinquishing an earthly pleasure.
They have never been really con-
victed of sin. In fact the spirit of
God has never touched their hearts.
About all they know is that hey are
doing what the preacher told them
to do, and, never having been made
aware of their sinful state, they are
satisfied with themselves and act as
though they were at ease in Zion,
when in fact "they are dead in tres
passes and in SINS" They present
themselves for church membership
and every question aske~ is put 80 it
can be answered in the affirmative,
and by a nod of the head. The pas
tor says: "Brethren, you have heard
the questions, all of which have been
answered in the affirmative. What
is your pleasure?" Some one moves
the reception. Another seconds it.
The question is put, and probably a
half dozen, or possibly more in a
large church, vote yea. No one
votes on the other side, and the
party is received as candidate for
baptism. The time and place is
fixed the name of the Triune God
is repeated, and sinner, unrepent-
ant, is ducked, and mockery before
God is perpetrated in the name OF
the Salem Act of Baptism, and a
really live sinner, without any spirit
uality, is added to those already on
hand. And the church is made worse
off, instead of being bettered. Let
pastor and deacons wrestle with God
in secret prayer until their hearts are
touched with live coal from off the
altar. Then, in the fear of God,
they will be prepared to make an
honest effort to ascertain whether a
man is really alive unto God before
they receive him for baptism. David
said "Restore unto me the Joy of
thy salvation and uphold me with
thy free spirit. Then will 1 teach
transgressors thy ways and sinners
shall be converted unto thee"
2. To improve the spiritual condi-
tion of our churches is it not abso-
lutely necessary that we should first
have the spirit of the Lord Jesus
Christ abiding in our hearts eff We
have not the spirit of me ye are none
of mine" Then, my brethren, it is
useless for US to undertake to i'm
prove the spiritual condition of our
churches until we have first improved
ourselves. Some one says: "How
are we to improve ourselves ?''
"Search the Scriptures for in them
ye think ye have eternal life." Then,
my brethren, if we take Gods Word
for all it means, we run up against a
command right there. And if we
are commanded to read and search
the Scriptures, why it's sin to us if
we don't do that Isn't it? Then
there's the foundation of all the trou.
BILE. "There is sin in the camp"
And that is what has put the
churches in their present low spiritual
condition. There are too many
aching ones in the churches. When
we've been awakened to the fact that
it's through our disobedience to
Gods teachings and Gods laws and