Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1910-07-20
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How the Non
Churchgoer Robs
Himself

"HE noh-churchgoer shuts himself
of from the weekly study of
Gods Word as it is contained In
the Bible. There Is word OF
God outside the Bible, We win freely
admit. Yet the most liberal of US
know that the Bible is the one great
literary expression of religious feeling
and the fountain of Gods truth. The
man who does not kn,w the Bible SIM
ply does not know the greatest
thoughts that have ever been thought;
does not know the best words God
has ever spoken through human lips;
does not know the most inspiring,
| comforting, sustaining truth of the
| ages. Now, in every church this
word Is read and expounded. II
passes into the lives of thousands of
men, and makes them strong and
brave and pure. Bible men are al
most always strong men. Doctor
Parker was right when he said that
there was something about men
reared on the Bible that differentiated
them from other men. We have OBJ
served this ourselves. 1t is IA great
his mind and soul by not coming once
week to join in the common study
and exposition of it's transcendental
message.
Again, the non-churchgoer shuts
himself off from those hymns and
prayers that have been the common
property of all noble souls since the
psalmist wrote and Christian hymnol.
ogy came into being. The Christian
church began with the singing of
hymn. Our hymns contain the noblest
aspiration the human heart has ex-
pressed and enshrine, In words OF
beauty, set to golden music, the solace
and peace and promise of the Chris
tan faith. Once they were the com.
mon property of every man. Now,
alas! so many know them not. But
poor, indeed. that old age which finds
no Christian hymn singing its sweet
measures in its heart
Shut Off From Inspiration.
And equally deserving of notice
with these other things is this: that
the man who shuts himself off from
common worship with his fellow-men
Is depriving himself of that one and
ever necessary inspiration to the en-.
thuslasm of service and the sacriflcial
lie. The author of "Ecce Homo"
was very near the truth when be
showed the world that the reason the
disciples loved their fellow-men so
ardently was because they loved
Christ first. 1t is the man who I'm the
church confesses his love to God. and
receives the impulse of love from
christ Jesus, and dedicates himself
with other disciples to the life of
service, and receives before Christ's
altar commission" who goes forth
10 bless and preach and heal. When
worship ceases even the humanitarian
instinct will pass away. Our hos.
pitais' colleges, reform agencies and
settlements got their impulse from the
church. They are being conducted
now by men who, even if not attend.
ing church, are living on the churcb's
impulse which once reached them
Inc impulse which sustairs OUR char
ity and works for human welfare will
Wane when men cease worshiping
Hod. We can see it in our own &C.
qualntances who are not churchgoers
Ihey are good. but they do not say
Lord, l will follow thee whitberso-
ever thou goest." They are kindly.
but they do not say Send me-" The
non-churchgoer shuts himself off from
the one dynamo of the sacrificial life.
We might close this editorial here.
But we would like to remind those
parents who are not taking their chill,
dren to the church service of how
much they are robbing them of future
JOY and power and comfort and tradi.
ton. We see great throng of chill.
dren growing up in New York who
never are brought or sent to the
church services. We remember our
own childhood, those bright and sun.
ny mornings in the little church
where we learned the great hymns of
the ages, where we heard the great
religious truths never to forget them
where we came under the spell of
music, where we looked with rapture
at the painted window through which
the light was transmitted into beauty
where we sang in the choir land every
boy and girl should be allowed in the
choir In every church) and learned
the choruses from the oratorios
where we read the psalms in response
with the pastor. where we professed
Christ as the master OF our Iife-ah.
how we pity the boys and girls who
grow up with none of these traditions
impoverished in all memories of the
SOUL Parents would do we'll to con.
slider how easily one can rob a child
OF these sweetest recollectlons age
knows.-The Christian Work ana
Evangelist
Trust Tomorrow WIZ Hod