The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-01-12
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY Sermon sT
TIE REV. EDWARD NILES.
Subject: Godliness In Form.

Niles preached at the White Church
Sunday evening from III Timothy lA.';
Holding form of goilineSS. hut nav
ing denied the power thereof lie
sad:
That distance lends euchautment
10 the view" i true of time ~ well
aS space. The older We grow, rhe
more immaculate appear the imagined
days of youth. Christian believers are
purer in our eyes i'm proportion To the
number of centuries that intervene.
Within tn covers OF every volume OF
sermons. whether written in one age
or another. are the well-nigh certain
jeremiads over these time OF extreme
worldlineSs. unequaled love OF money,
peculiar Indifference 10 spirltual
things" followed 10y laudations OF
the apostolic age as the golden era OF
Christianity.
\ reconstruction Of conditions exist
ing in those New Testament churches
from materials afforded us in the
epiStleS. warrant no such assumption
HereSies then were rampant, lncoh-
siStent lives numerous. backsilders
diStreSSingly frequent. The things ol
sense maue cogent appeal. The husks
of the gospel often satisfied 10 the dis
1e8Hlu III us ktl ilti. dAi = 'N'N''i
tion of "the last days" was based upon
facts about him. AS he penned the
sentence of our text. he probably had
in mind fellow communicates who
held the form of godlness, but denied
the power thereof.
Since then outward changes have
been many. kingdoms have come and
gone. languages have died and been
born. church order and ritual been met
amorphoSed Human nature is I'M
affected by time or cline. SO the New
Testament is not a graveyard. with
epitaphS of only antiquarian interest
but is Photographic of contemporary
heart throbS.
In our Borough Of Brooklyn are loo
Go people holding To the Protestant
form of godineSS. While statistics
are unable to figure out how many
hold to The Protestant power thereof
if form and power were IDENTICAL not
one of the buildings where divine Wor-
shin is being held tonight would have
a vacant seat and every theatre ana
hall would be utilized for overflow
meetings.
The original of "dcny" has as its
root meaning mot 10 seek Hold
ing a form Of godlineSs, they have not
sought for its power" The world has
much to say about hypocrites. | be-
lieve the Outcry against them is out
of all proportion 10 their numbers
The conscious hypocrite to-day is Il
rare bird. | have made frequent hunts
or him. Despite the most diligent
search, | have seldom found him.
The number of those called hypo-
critics vino would rightly be catalogued
as Journalists, is legion. They are not
striving to deceive others. They sue
ceed in their striving TO deceive them
selves. Satisfied with the appurte-
nances. the trappngs of godliness,
they inquire no further. Attendants
upon the services Of the church, men,
bers Of il. supporters of its outward ac-
tivities. they fancy themselves to be
godly. Branded as Christians. they
but feebly apprehend what disrepute
they bring upon the name by their IN
feriority TO the real article. Their
gullibility is wrongly taken for hy-
pocrisy. They submit 10 the drudgery
OF religion to pacify troublesome con
sciences and impose upon themselves.
An important reason for so many
lapses from church membership is be-
cause so many become dissatisfied with
a form, yet fail to seek the reality, so
give mp all.
Almost every one in this congrega-
ton has form Of gOdliuosS. You look
good. / find little 10 criticiSc i'm what
YOU do. for there is so little YOU do on
which to base a criticism. The trouble
lies in what You do not You may
have called me here 10 predigest your
spiritual food, TO relieve you from
first-hand study OF the Bible. to rep
resent your church not only i'm clasSis
but in the tenement, 10 he your proxy
in heart 10 heart work for souls, your
substitute when the battle is on be-
tween good and evil. while you 20
your business and household ways dur
ing the week and on Sunday enjoy
your cushioned pews, criticise the SER
mon and singing.
The Lord never called me TO any like
task. If there has been any such tacit
agreement | now repudiate it, | am
called of God TO point out the forms
OF gOdliness as means Of obtaining IT'S
power.
The imperative needs Of our invent
I've age have almost bodily transferred
TO our language the Greek here rem
dered mower" i'm the word dynamo.
| j DelleNe IN iOIIlN. just dN INV ldhi''N
engnce- believes i'm the third rail. as
he believes i'm the elevated structure on
/ the Williamsburg Bridge. But The
mass OF iron is q .rusrlc#, cycsOrc mn
iii It is connected with the main line.
Even then IL is useless until related
TO the power house. until tho power.
the hrc-fcd dynamo, sends forth the
electric current. enabling the cars go
carry thousands OF wJ2r-'arnrr- 10 and
from their places Of everyday toll
What private concern would be 50 in-
ane rs 10 sink for two years such a
wealth OF money IN an enterprise for
aCcumu.atiug rustt
The forms OF religion are essential a.
prriiminarips % the accessories Of
power Church-r. ministers. Bibles
were instituted and have been perpet-
uated because diyinsly ordained and
humanity tested 20 be good for making
the kingdom Of heaven "gO' upon
earth. IN themselves. they have no
value. The power Of gOllincss genar-