Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-14

useless thing In worshiping Assem- bly.
70 sermon above the heads of the
people" IL an anthem ut a like eleya-
ton.
MACHINERY WILL NOT
CURE CHURCH WEAKNESS
Machinery. organization, galYanic
treatment. will not cure the weakness
or meet the need Of the half-starved
church. Much Of this is useful in 4
wellred church. We can scarcely
oTereStimata these things wisely
framed and carefully worked If there
Is the healthy. vital force perrading 1t
and running il, but without this the
more there Is of machinery the more
cumbrous AMI unwicidy is the whole
anair. In such a church ] have seen
the Endeavor Society doubled or more
in attendance by a contest between the
boys" and girls which would bring
In the largest rccruitagc. and the side
that vas worsted was 10 banquet tho
whole crowd. But what came OF IT.?
ihat particular society is dead. The
members of a church who. not fed by
II, contrive to feed themselves seeing
the sunday school running down. say
one 10 another: Go to, we must or
gaI!iz. a Baraca class and n Philathea
class and teachers training class.
and must grade the other classes and
have Rally Day and a Chldrens Day
and all the rest. Every one OF these
Is an excellent thing If there Is behind
it and within il the warm kealthful,
red blood vitality, bur. IL not the
inovelty wears out and tho organizations
or arrangements withcr and pass away.
THB Personal TOUCH
IS WHAT Is NEEDED
What. then. shall be done for a half
starved church? Feed IT. Feed il with
food convenient for IL. Follow the pre-
scription Of the Great Physician. its
Divine Healer. It's everlasting Lord,
Jesus the Christ. What is this pre-
scription? Himself. My flesh IS food
indeed and my blood is drink indeed
Study the sixth chapter OF John. verses
32-3i and 4s-J9 and you Will see what
Jesus meant when. in restoring to
apostleship the disciple who mad thrice
denied Him. he babe him Feed my
sheep. and Feed my lambs 1t is
not philosophy. IL is not theology. IL Is
not ethics, II is not even christianity
III the abstract but il is Jesus Christ
himself. In the concrctc--himself living
our life, dying for our sins. risen ard
living evermore-our life, His church
life Himself and He alone the way
the truth. the life. This does not mca II
that the pastors preaching Is to have
nothing TO say about external behavior
or about abstract truth. or about com
munty interests, or about methods al
church activity, or about world wide
missions. any more than Paurs pur-
pose to know ut corinth nothing save
Christ and Him crucifed prevented
him in those wonderful letters to that
church from touching upon All such
matters. But II does mean that In
whatever he Is called to say respecting
such things. there shall he somehow a
lifting UP of Christ. 81 IL be lift ed
up, will draw all men unto me" "No
man cometh unto the Father but by
Me-" The personal Jesus. at once our
high priest and our accepted sacrifice
our companion. counsellor advocate
indwelling llfe-He, brought forth
from personal experience of Ills for
giving love and His renewing grace
this Is the golden thread on which our
pearls Of speech are to be strung. This
the vitaminc in whatever food we
bring. a $ shepherds, to our focks will
give us wellfed churches Nothing
else will do il. Apart from Nc We can
do nothing" =.
real. GOSPEL Is WHAT
CHURCH-GOISG PEOPLE CRAVE,
And pastors are mistaken who think
that thus to preach will empty the au-
ditorium. am persuaded that this is
what church going people crave. I
once heard IL said concerning the
brother who at that time was doubt
less the most popular preacher In San
Francisco. on his retirement from the
pastoratc, we have had q man who
could gather A crowd; now we want
one who can build up the church" But
I am sure that the preaching which
feeds the church will steadily. even If
slowly, gather in those who are with
out. People are hungry for Christ.
Even though they are not conscious of
this and think that almost anything
else would feed them better, their hun
ger is for Christ and the true God az
lived out on earth in Him. Christian
men in business life. lawyers, teachers.
bankers, are saying this privately and
publicly: we are reading about the
war. about politics about civic right :
cousness. about social service all the
week; we even think that we know
more about these matters than our
pastor does. He is an expert in
another sphere. and we go IN Sunday
to hear him concerning things In his
domain" What they mean is, whether
they know it or not. We arc hungry
for tho living bread which came down
from heaven--hungry for JESUS Christ.
Great Di0ceann Meeting.
Clergy and laity representing $4,000
Protestant Episcopal communicates of
tn. diocese OF New York will meet
November 30 for the one hundred and
thirty second diocesan convention In
Syrod Hall, Cathedral of st. John the
Divine. a new feature will be great
exhibit. open to the public, In old Synod