The Harrison times., 1915-07-10

l lully dSISS WITH II - l \ j.
Bri iges' idea of the mission OF the
church, as given in his Criticisms
of Life" S. 159
"We maintain that the function OF
the church in the world is to act as
the standard bearer of human ideals,
to insist upon the distinction be-
tween the life OF the senses and the
life OF the spirit, to release the an
gel heart of man from the grip Of
ape and tiger, and to make chan
nels for the streams Of human love
and service so that the finer energies
of the spirit may be released from
the trammcls Of the baser nature,
both of the Individual and of society,
and poured forth in beneticient SER
vice TO ALL
Backed up by an amazing mass Of
undeniablc and most damning evil
denee, we may truthtnIIy declare
that of the 36 million church mem
bers said to exist 10 the United
States, a very small part take their
membership seriously to heart
Healthy men and women will
plead slight WEAKNESS or the trifilng
Inconvenience of heat, cold and wet
as excuses for net attending church,
excuses which would scarcely be
thought ofin connection with the
demands Of business or the solicita'
tious of pleasure
Well-to.do people will spend money
for Iuxurics for their own use and
callousy permit their church to be
crippled and hindered in its humane
service for want OF funds.
The struggle Of the church against
evil awokens ia them no solicItude,
whether it succeeds or fails is to
them Of less consequence than the
style Of a hat or the cut OF coat
Multitudes OF meu aud women,
who would be iusulted hey meas
ure were they charged with hypocisN
are less sincere in their attitude to.
ward their church than they dare 10
he toward business, party, society
or lodge,
The presence in Christian civiIiza.
ton of unrghteous conditions, of
causeIess and destructive wars, OF
shaIlownesS and frivolty, Of laxity
of morals, Of open and shameless
naunting Of beastly lusts, is, III no
small degree, TO be attributed to the
corrupting influence Of crowd OF
nominal church members who pos
sess neither illuminating wisdom nor
saving power; who clog up the WAYS
of grace with bodies that sweat in
the exercises Of folly and shut out
the light Of Christ from a world per.
ishing in the night Of unbelieE
In the midst of all this decline of
spirituality in organized Christianity
u new and vigorous religious lie is
maniIesting itself in n host of men
and women in all denominations
aud no denomination, in all parties
and no party who are the glad and
eager eSponents and workers OF a
new day and order Of things,
Their grand ideal is not heaven
gained and u world relnquishcd TO
be lost but oworld regenerotcd with
vital truths put into practice until
the conditions Of heaven are meosur'
ably realized here and thus heaven
and earth both be gained,
With these the center of interest is
no longer "l' but "Cs',
10 be and 20 do the greatest good
for themselves and for all is their
aim, and their great words are
knowledge, Education Democracy
and Righteousness,
Their program IS the evangelical.
ton Of the heutbcn, the displacement
Of the ideals Of sayNgery with the
ideals Of Christ, the conversion of
business to the general use in place
ol serving the ends of private gain,
They have outgrown that stage Of
religious development which deSpairs
ol the world and hopes for nothing
more than the deliycrenee Of the elect
from its inevitable doom of dcstrue.
tiun and have come to believe In the
capohiljty ol human life aud affairs
e. vast Improvement by a faithful
and general application OF righteous
! meNns
So great is their confidence in the
| power OF the truth to overcome the
| opposition Of those interested Ia the
continuance Of evil conditions, aud
to enlist q majority Of mankind in n
program Of world reconstruction,
that they gladly e0nseerate their ue'
| tive energies and contribute literally
Of their means to further the great
nauae al ,Vnpld alVaIiau