Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1910-05-18

Ak W "a times as synonymous
H9AJS S2a with the kingdom Of God
BWC E@ on the earth. 1 do not
SdTNNETS$ now use the term In that
sense. The home, the
school, the hospital. the city mission.
the social settlement. the Christian
state itself-all are institutions OF the
kingdom OF God as truly as Is the
church. Any particular church is but
one institution within the vast king.
dom OF Christ. It has It's own definite
luhctlon-a function fundamental to
christian civilization and of immense
speclal Importance to all the nobler
elements within that civilization,
writes Albert L. Garland In the Chris
tan Work and Evangelist.
The church sometimes gets confused
as to its mission, but the world al.
ways knows what a church is for and
knows how to hold the church respon-
sible for all the wickedness and mis-
cry OF the world. The big world goes
on serving the devil seven days a
week, working out it's greed and cruel.
~ and lust into every conceivable
FORM OF individual iniquity and social
wretchedness, and then shakos its
black, cruel finger in the face of the
church with the insolent questions:
why don't you stop all this? What
are you good for anyway" The church.
always sensitive to the worlds criti-
clsm, looks upon that filthy finger as
the Judgment Of God and trembles in
her sense of failure and shame. In her
-iCyhf 81,
terical, flies about in a most ridiculous
fashion, until at last she gets herself
transformed into hydraheaded mon
strosity. running everything from a
bowling alley to n dance room and a
concert hall. Now at last, thank
heaven! the church has actually found
something to do and the men of the
church as well as the ladies have a
job
Criticism Beneath Notice.
a recent writer in the Westminster
thinks that 'in the church there is
nothing really doing" He quotes a
man at the ball park who said: "The
reason why men don't go to church is
because you don't play ball" He also
quotes college students objection
TO entering the ministry: THE minister
seems TO me like man who sits in
tne grandstand and explains the game
TO the ladies'" The same writer con.
cludes that when the church has q
mans job on his hands it gets a
man response" Such criticism as
TINS Is mere child's prattle and ought
10 pother no man who possesses the
sense OF God and the souls worth. Is
is so lntrinsically manly to sit on the
preachers and yell oneself hoarse
at ball game, but thing forever I'm.
worthy of man to lead a congrega-
tlon IN worship at the throne of grace?
1t is mans job to stand behind a
counter selling dry goods to ladies
ana SOFT carpets for their feet and
easy chairs for them to sit in; it is a
man S job to tote ladies about in auto
mobiles by day and dance with them
by night; these certainly are Jobs fit
TOT manly men, but not the preaching
OF the everlasting gospel The gospel
or Christ, forsooth, is worth nothing.
me blood of Christ is cheap-cheaper
imam soda water and beer. The great
truths of Christianity are not. indeed.
worth the attention of a man who is q
man. Bright and brainy certainly. and
most remarkably manly, are the men
who have made these discoveries,
Mission of the Minister.
The church should not listen to the
sneer OF the world 1t should know
its own business and be content to
stay at it. It's business is to minister
TO the deepest needs of the noble
spirits God has made, and out of these
to fashion in beauty and immortal
strength new race of men upon the
earth, who shall be the salt of the
earth, and who can be trusted to go
out OF the church 10 their businesses.
their politics, their charities, their
societies and their homes, and i'm all
these places work out the big and
blessed things which God commanded
them to do and which they resolve to
do, and for which they seek divine
wisdom and strength to accomplish
as they sit and pray and think to-
gether on Sunday in the church. This
Is what the church is for. 1t is for
tho salvation and cultivation of the
soul II is for the training and en-.
couragemeut Of men and women in
high ondeavor after God and truth
and righteousness
Let the minister stick to his own
path. Let him still remain the Chris.
tan scholar the preacher Of truth and
righteousness, the man OF God the
counselor and friend of the people
who accept his spiritual leadership.