Church Control of Gospel Preaching
We have often heard those who advocate Sunday laws and such like principles disavow any desire to compel people to go to church. But here is something that is closely akin to it. A strange minister, says the Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Visitor, recently applied for the use of the town hall in a village in Northern Ohio, to be informed that “the churches have laid in a petition before the town council not to have them let in any stray ministers to preach in the hall, as they had churches for that purpose, and if people wanted to hear the Gospel they must come to their churches to hear it.” That is not exactly saying the people must go to church, but it is saying they must go to some of the churches or be denied the Gospel in that town—to the extent of the influence of the churches and town authorities. The principle is the same. Query: Could the people hear the Gospel if they did go to churches where such a spirit predominates? “Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us.”