The Condition of the Church of God.
O, if the church of God would realize its responsibility in the midst of the growing darkness! If with clarion voice it would sound an alarm to the nations of men, rebuke sin and iniquity in high places, and raise a standard and beacon light for the succor of those who are now wandering in error's paths; but alas! the great professed church of God itself has become permeated by the evil influence which surrounds it. Religion to-day has become too much a form and theory. It is used too much as a profession for personal ends and material benefit. The vital breath of heaven, which once energized it for the conflict, has been lost, and the church which should have stood in the might of God, breasting the tide of evil, stands weak and powerless, totally unable to meet the situation. Above its altars an unseen hand has written "Ichabod." The apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, thus describes the condition of the church of God to-day, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." Here is an enumeration of eighteen different sins which would be found among those who possess a form of godliness, but in their lives deny the power of the profession which they make. Step by step the church of God has been retreating. It has ceased to be an aggressive, uncompromising moral force against the hosts of sin. True, we hear of its philanthropy, of its slum work, of the erection of orphanages, of its efforts in the halls of Congress to enact religious measures, but what of its vital godliness, the personal piety of its members? Does it stand in the purity and simplicity of Christian living, meekly and humbly following in the steps of the lowly Jesus? or has it degenerated into a great social, fashionable organization? We fear too much the latter. This, in brief, is the condition existing in the world and in the church of God. No optimistic outlook do these conditions present, and, from a human standpoint, the situation would appear well-nigh hopeless. Unpleasant indeed they are to contemplate, but we must not close our eyes to unpleasant things, but seek rather the remedy for bettering the conditions which exist. And we are not alone in viewing the situation in this light; for even tho Israel has fallen by its iniquity, God still has faithful children in every church and in every denomination; and these faithful ones, by whatever name they may be known, are burdened over the sins of Christendom. They deplore the conditions which exist, and mourn for the glory which has departed. With grieving hearts they long for a revival of old-time godliness. Day by day their prayers ascend to high heaven, "Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach." Will God heed this cry? Will He abandon His children? We must remember that even in the darkest hour light breaks forth from unknown quarters. It was when all seemed lost that Jesus Christ appeared as the Saviour of men. The doom of Sodom and of Nineveh was not without offers of mercy. The morning star of the Reformation appeared from an unexpected quarter, when all the world seemed hopelessly sunken in the superstition and darkness of the middle ages. God's opportunity is best afforded in the hour of weakness. The condition of the world and the church to-day demands that God should again speak. In the very nature of the case, there is demand for a message of reproof and healing. His true and tried ones in every church need to be awakened to the dangers which exist. The nations of men need warning of the impending judgment, and afforded opportunity for repentance of life unto salvation. That such a message is due the world to-day, and that it will be given to the world in the loving and tender mercy of our God, let the succeeding articles of this symposium demonstrate.