The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-03-30

I
wholesome restraints He who desires
does not object to clear and distinct
signs in every forks of the road keep
straight ahead"
Another weak and inconsiderable ex-
cuse is that of common cowadice, Il
am afraid 1 shall not be able to hold
out" 1t is hardly worth while to
refute the silly premises which, if ac-
cepted, would utterly destroy mans
fitness to enter any field of enterprise
requiring the spirit of courage, manli-
ness and determination. The high de-
mands of the church should be. a chal-
lenge gladly accepted by every man and
woman with drop of red blood an
atom of grit or a spark of ambition.
The onward looking and aspiring
| should be glad to enter the church of
God which calls to the highest and best
living and challenges to the sharpest
conflict against all the destroying ele-
ments of character.
Another faiacious objection offered
to this important step is the trite say
ing, Il am not good enough" The
church is the institution for the Gull
ture Of goodness; it is a fellowship
to aid each other to be good. Its altar
4
services strengthens his weakness and
! enlarges his powers of resistance. This
excuse has in it the Stiffness of the
hungry man who was invited to a table
laden with food; he lifted his hands and
said, Il am not fit" His host point
4 ed to the bathroom and said, This
| is the place to get fft' and he replied
with the philosophy of man who
stays out of the church-"I am not
| fit to get fit Such an excuse mani
tfests simply lack of desire to make
an effort to become worthy of ones
own feeblest ideals of life and to con-
meet himself with those relations in life
which are his highest aid in the ac-
complishment of this. ~ 81 u
Some offer this as their reason for
remaining out Of the churchA''I am
satisfied with the institutions with
which l am connected and the activi-
ties. and companionships that enjoy.
l do not feel the need of membership
in the church. This is only pitiable
admission oil, lack of ambition and
desire for a connection with the high
est of the brotherhoods, with the choic-
est of the fellowships and with the
largest field of service to ones fellow
man and to society at large. The adj
mission that rejects these refuses at
the same time to admit the church as
a Divine institution as first of all
holding the principles of eternal life, adj
ministering the powers of spiritual re-
/ generation and of leading one into the
realms of a spiritual atmosphere and
life out of which come those sacred
and holy delights which must be ex-
perienced to be properly valued. As
an actual test and demonstration of
human experience no one who has ever
tasted and tested the highest that the
church of God offers would ever be
content to spend a day outside of its
sacred courts. We do not wonder that
the Psalmist from his lofty. summit of
4 delight, cries, 20 taste and see that the
Lord is good; blessed is the, man that
4 trusteth in Him" Here is the chal-
lenge for an experimental test for the
highest experience of happiness.
| One of the most common; and with
al the most baseless excuses is that
1.-THE hypocrite is in. my way. l do
not wish to join an institution where
| there are so many hypocrites" This
| is another excuse which has not been
thought through. What is a hypo-
critic? He, is a man or woman weak
| in the elements of character; people
who are subject to temporarysand NOM
entary influences; people who when
they are with good people easily ex
| hibit, desires and purposes to be good
but when they get with bad people or
| fall under temptation as readily sur
render to these. A most careful study
of the character called "hypocrite"
will reveal him to. be one swho is a
subject of unfavorable heredity; to I'M
fortunate environment and whose train
ing has been neglected and who is a
sad victim of those conditions in So
ciety which most need correction. These
characters easily fall into whatever in
fluence touches them, are drifted here
and there by every wind, that blows
and are what we may properly denomi-
nate as the dangerous drift of So
and carried to good or bad activities.
They join the church at one hour and
the mob at the next. sjei7.
They are with the good today and
with the bad tomorrow. lit must be
admitted by every thoughtful citizen
that by the patient effort of the church
many of these characters have been
brought into a substantial and con-
sistent life. The church is the one
fraternal institution which observes the
laws of a family. God is our father
and every member of the household,
however weak, however ( vaeillating,
however fallen and bruised,s is mem
Der of the household and he who would
turn his back upon the church or re-
fuse its membership because of its pa
tient, loving efforts to hold within its
arms and help even these weakest ones
is the one who, if his excuse is really
consistent, would turn his back upon
4 % Iarler
the name of his father and mother, re-
fuse the efforts to keep together and
preserve the honor of the home because.
forsooth, father and mother and a
brother or sister should lovingly cling |
to a brother or sister whose weakness
and vacillation was a constant dis
grace to the family A..
The church is not an institution to
confer social degrees, to foster social
castles or create social facilities, hon
5Ors and pleasures. The church is an
institution to save sinners, lift the fall
len, strengthen the weak.S reclaim the
erring and go after the down-and-oqt
For one to turn his back on the church |
because he finds in her loving, pa
tient, long suffering arms the weak and
Herring members of society is no more
consistent than for man to refuse
his sympathy and support ITO a hos
pital because it has in it so many sick I
with supurating wounds and offensive
and repelling diseases. Christ, the head
of the church, said to the egotistical
sophisticated and self-righteous Phari-
sees who criticized him and his group |
because He ate with Pubficahs and
sinners-HThey that be whole need not
a physician but they that are weak; /
am not come to call the righteous but
sinners to repentance"
l again appeal to you to hay aside