The Washington herald., 1914-03-22
EVANGELIST AND CHURCH.
BY EMORY J. HAYNES.

II 10 50 easy 10 Oidme uic ShurSn'
There is ever recurring the evangelist
who begins by lashing the church. 1t is
like whipping the free horse in pair to
start the load. The herald of revival
starts off by accusing the church of
lethargy, of "worldliness," of score of
derelictions which may or may not be
true, but it serves to arouse people. 1t
is unfair, neretricious, and most unkind.
Who is far from what he ought to be ?
Everybody. The church is greatly at
fault that this is not a better world. But
there is not one good thing in this old
world today which is not fostered by
the church. There is not virtue which
she does not teach, not mercy in which
she is not far and away the chief con-
tributor of both money and effort.
There are three great ideas: Country,
Home, Altar. They being together, they
sustain each other. They are insepara-
Bile. Any man who asperses either of
them is fatuous, blind and worse
Look over any congregation of wor-
shippers, as they congregate. There are,
sitting in those pews the very salt of the
earth. But these are handful. There
are also the half-hearted, the shallow,
the disobedient, who hang like load on
the necks of the faithful few. Yet shall
We not discriminate? Let the honest
Evangelist discriminate instead of saying
that the church is faithless and cares not.
Let him say many members OF the
church are of this character. The facts
are that, tactfully, steadily, and with in
finite faith, the church of the ages is
lifting, lifting and saving human society.
Who pays the cost of the evangclist's
meetings? The sincere members of the
church. They do this in honor of their
creed. They do this in hope. All, every
cent of the financial burden of cam
paign," comes from the pockets of the
church. All, every one of the smallest
and most fatiguing errands of the evan
gelist's campaign, are pursued by the un-
firing feet of the church. A dismal fig
ure indeed, in this great city, would the
extra meetings" present if not sus-
tained by the churches.
On the back of such facts it is Of
fensive in the highest degree to snap
at the hand that feeds you.
What is gained for true religion, for
the real thing, by coarse slang in ad-
dress? Is not everything lost to the true
manliness of correct life by such ap-
peals? The American public has too
frequently endured this. An attempt to
attract attention by fouting the respecta-
bic conventionalities OF life. 1t is sound
social philosophy that the convention
alities are the most valued, imprinted
laws OF human well being. To violate
them by slang speech and outre address
does a lasting harm for which trivial
benefit OF attracting attention for day
is poor recompense indeed.
The reason, the entire explanation of
the uprising OF one OF these movements
is, primarily, the concentration of atten-
tion, attendance and prayer OF the gen.
uine members of the church. They say,
why, yes. If this is the thing to do
just now. if there is hope OF gaining the
worlds car, we can adjourn a hundred
other duties and unite our enthusiasm.
1t is not in us to call anything common
or unclean that God may have chosen.
Certainly VIC will put by for few days
countless holy errands that each of us
has been pursuing in the one great cause
of righteousness, and we will think on
united evangcl.'
The result is precisely what it would
be if the fires of many hearthstones were
united for big bonfire. Bonfres there
would be. But these several house fires
must be returned to. They are the
eternal fires. 1t is by no means the
sole duty of the church to save sim
ners." She is to guide and instruct be-
levers. She is to hallow childhood,
visit the sick and the fatherless in their
affection and keep oneself unspotted
from the world"
What do these flaming evangelists"
suppose all these uniting pastors are do
ing all the year? Arc they not kneeling
at the bedside of the dying, stretching
out hands of comfort to bcreavcd and
sorrow-stricken ones? Docs the evan
gelist do much of this? Does he weep
with those that weep" What are you
doing, pastors? You arc giving your
selves to "thc study of the Word" to
many hours OF prayer for this old world,
to the weary hours of missionary COM
mittees, to countless funerals, to we'd
dings, that marriage may be made holy.
The earth of June does not more re-
spond to a million million sun touches,
and bloom, than human society today
responds to the regular, systematic and
never ceasing work of the clergy. No
candid man will for a moment dispute
this.