THE MILLSTONE OF THE MODERN CHURCH.
By Floyd L. Cornish
[Floyd L. Cornish in the Christian Work and Evangelist.] The millstone about the neck of the church to-day is not atheism, but materialism—that spirit and motive which knows little distinction between God and mammon. The house of prayer is turned all too readily into a house of mimicry and merchandise. A short time since I passed a massive, historic church edifice. Upon its portal was displayed a great poster bearing this shameful and blasphemous legend:— “A minstrel show in this house to-night. “Come-one, come all. Admission 25 cents.” Has it come to this? My mind flies back to a scene in another historic temple. It is near the hours of worship. The multitude is gathering in the courts of the sanctuary. The money-changers jingle their coin, and the pious worshipers exchange their foreign money for Cæsar's currency to drop into the sacred treasury. The dove-sellers display their lovely birds to be bought for sacrifice in the temple. The bleating of lambs falls upon the ear with pitiful complaint. Suddenly a majestic Figure appears in the temple. Gathering up a scourge of small cords lying near, He charges upon the buyers and sellers with uplifted hand—the only time that that nail-pierced hand was ever raised against men. The Christ indignantly poured out the changers' money and overthrew their tables. And to them that sold doves He said: “Take these things hence; make not My Father's house a house of merchandise.” Then behold what happened. The temple was filled with the lame and the blind and little children singing hosannas. What, think you, would the Christ do if He should enter one of our modern churches and behold their mimicries and their merchandise of things far less sacred than doves for sacrifice? These stern realities are out of harmony with the accepted order of things, it is true; but “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever.” The church can exchange her spiritual power for gold to adorn her temples and to beautify her altars, and to feed those who minister in them, but what will it profit the church if she gain the whole world and lose her Christ?