The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-05-01

with You In spirit" when the facts
are otherwise. That expression
sounds like cant and pretense. The
can't of some of those who go to
church is bad enough; the cant oil
the person who does not go, is d
great deal worse. The Difficulty is
that We cannot preach TO YOUR spinit
unless your body brings 1t around
Your spirit may be in church, but
not being gifted with second sight
and haEing no occult. faculties what
soever, all the minister can see is an
empty pew. !.
If l should send word some Sun
day morning: Dear friehd il cannot
be with you IN flesh, .but i am there
In, spirit, as usual preaching to you,',
all you scould'see would be an empty
pulpit. Your spirit is where your
body Is. 80
Life IS a Habit. x. I
Other people say, 20, church going
ills a matter of habit. That Is all
there is to It." Many tell me that
tjlst as If 1t; excused everything. but
lnine-tenths OF life is a habit, and
while you are about It, why not
form good habits? No one would
contend. except the writer OF the
w9man's magazine article, that
Church going is a. bad habit. ]
really think she mas reached that
conclusion But you have not. So /
say, Get the habit. Cultivate it..
IL. a boy got into the habit of playing
truant, or staying away from school
and tried to make 1t all right with
mis- parents and teachers by saying;
why, this is only habit" how
long do you suppose, that excuse
would last?"
II bank clerk got into the habit
of slipping out a few dollars now. and
then, and trying to cover up the facts
in his books and should say to the
directors when discovered, why,
gentlemen, am surprised that you
take this thing so seriously: this is
only a habit; that Is all"-would
you expect them to treat that excuse
as you expect the minister to treat
1T?
Worshipping Out Doors.
There are, others who say: 81 DO
not need the church. Why should /
shut myself up in a room, when !
can worship out with Mature
Certainly, one can worship with
Nature, out by the lake, amid the
forests, under the tranquil stars.
think I have sometimes worshipped
thus myself. But we learned thai
sort of worship from the Hebrew
prophets and after the. Founder OF
the cr'Irch. On the other hand, not
one in a thousand who stay away
from church does worship with ma
ture. 1t is a sham and a pretense;
Those who make the excuse know It.
They are not fooling themselves, and
they could only fool the kind OF a
minister to whom the club woman
refers in the magazine.
Good Book An Excuse.
Another objector says: 81 can sit
at home and read good book" Yes,
you can do SO. But you do NOT IN, the
great majority of cases this is all
just that sort of hypocrisy which you
denounce when you lind 1t in the
church. Many say I can stand any
thing but religious hypocrite."
go further, can stand anything but
a hypocrite either religious or secu-
lar. But II you could stay at home
AMI enjoy your book, you ought not
to do so, and q viii tell you why.
Let me say first, that / respect the
rights OF the individual, and that
believe in his fullest development.
The highest phase OF that develop
ment is when he recognizes mis- OBJ
legation to the society which surges
about ntm.,
That is why you ought not to stay
at home and read or go out into the
fields with nature other things being
equal.
If we admit the validity of these
excuses. then we must close the
churches. They must cease. II we
admit one excuse We must admit all;
and then we must stop our preaching
and our work. If there ls good rea
son, .upon the ground we, have, dis
cussed; why no one should come to
church. Nail up. the doors! Tell the
old story OF the Gospel no longer!
Abandon the worEd-visl6p5 OF thu
NIasteri SGsive up the dream OF q
Kingdom of Godi
The Afghtiest Work.
The church Is here for the mIghti-
est work in. the world. II Is mot
right for one to consider simply hi
individual preferences when ths in
terests of others are involved. II
one believes in the church at all, he
admits a duty in regard to It.
II we work for merely what WI
can get, and not for what We car
give. the resulting benefits are pool
and meager.
The central idea, of the church
Is q world ideA-tae lifting of a ract
to the heights of God.
This cannot be done by worship.
ing out with Nature in the tieIdl
or forests, or by reading good books
at hnme. 1t can be done only, By
ass0eiatlpng can, pes on & only by
(Continued on page twelye.