The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-05-16
Opening Sermon by the Re-
firing Moderator Rev.
Carson of Brooklyn.
CALL IS FRANK AND FEARLESS
FANC|NG OF ACTUAL CONDITIONS
Surface Indications are that thc An.
pcarancc of Religion is kent nm
While tho Fire Has Gone Out IN
the Inner Altar.

IL, louisville. ny. May 16.-The gen.
eral assembly of tho PRESBYTERIAN n
church in the United States of Amer
ica opened at the Warren Avenue
preshyterian church this morning
with a sermon by the retiring moder-
a'9r, ReV. j. +. Carson of Brooklyn.
Inc doctor took his text from Hag-
gai l:7s-"This saith the Lord Of
hosts: consider Your ways. Go up to
the mountain. and bring wood, and
pulld the house: and ] will take nleas-
urc in 1t. and will be glorified. said
the Lord"
He said in part:
The prophetic call to the church is
summons to frank and fearless
facing OF actual conditions. The tenn
per OF criticism is alert in our day. and
ine ina, church M seems to he the special oh
!ect OF its attack. We are told that
II has lost its hold upon the life of
today. | would remind YOU that such
'hlnss have been said about the
church in every age. But. despite all
the criticism. the church abides and
today stands forth with as tine and
lar front TO her work, with as gem
ulne and generous an enthusiasm for
her work as she ever had.
Yet there are conditions i'm church
NE and work that call for serious
consideration. The tone of religious
HE needs STRENGTHENING. If what we.
see on the surface is true to fact there
are many who keep up the outward
semblance while the fire has gone out
on the inner altar.
Inc prophetic call to the church is
!of deeper and more genuine christian n
living: for more of the religious home
NE, with its family altar. it's bible and
Its psalm: for more religious training
n 1,n L., ~
scriptures and in the love Of God, for
more emphasis upon the church as the
center OF religious worship. a moro
1a1thful attendance upon the public
services of the sanctuary and upon the
meetings for social prayer.
The comparatively small number of
accesslons to the church on confession
OF faith sound note Of warming and
appeal. The stated clerk of the gen
erai e, a. assembly is authority for the
statement that of our i0.fo1 church,
es. 3,739 or 81 per cent reported no
addltlons on confession or faith. to
their membership, during the wear
1911"
The evangelistic fire must be kind
led in every church. After much talk
ing about the enthusiasm of humani-
". the service of man." social min
lstry, and other freeing distractions
w must SoIile l'dch TO lne Master s
love of men. The church has become
so overlaid. if not stitled. by a con-
geries of societies and guilds and
movements that it is lost sight of, ex-
cept when criticised for failure to sup
port innumerable movements. Let the
church itself have right of way. Let
churchmen. who in zeal and devotion,
are promoting so many movements
concentrate their thought and energy
upon the churches with which they
are connected and work through these
churches. and the results will Justify
and reward the concentration of their
interest and energy.
The spiritual function of the
church must receive new emphasis.
Our danger today is not that We will
neglect the social and practical side of
christianity hut that we will treat too
lightly the spiritual and mystical The
living, heating heart of the church
takes into its purpose and sympathy
and ministry every need of man. But
it must not be forgotten that in her
service to man the church has a func-
ton peculiarly her own and unless
she fills that function it will not he
fulfilled. That function is ministry to
mans spiritual being. Back of all the
unrest that disturbs our day. whether
that unrest is revealed in the liscon-
tent of the poor or in the fevorisl,
quests of pleasure or of wealth on the
part of the rich, is the souls cry for
God. whether men know it or not The
church must answer that cry by bring
ing Christ and His love to the knowl-
edge of men,"