"Too Many Hypocrites in the Church"

HE excuses of men for not being Christians are four; or rather, there are four kinds of people who make excuses. In class one are those who profess to worship false gods. These include the devotees of heathenism in all its forms. In class two are those who claim to believe in no God - the atheist and the infidel.:

In class three are the careless, the world-loving, the pleasure-seeking, the willfully rebellious, the religiondespising. This class have many kinds of excuses.

In class four are those who, deep down in their hearts, have a desire for a better life. They are not so bad as they appear. Many of them would be Christians if they knew how. Some think they have had their last opportunity to repent; they are fearful that God will not accept them. These have quite different excuses from those in the first three groups.

Reader, it might be well for you to classify yourself. To which of these four groups do you belong?

Let us deal with some of the excuses of all four classes for not being Christians. The excuse before us for first consideration is a very common one: "There are too many hypocrites in the church."

"What is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?" Job 27:8.

I must admit, as much as I dislike to do so, that there are hypocrites in the church. They attract a great deal of attention to themselves. You know that a foul spot is seen soonest in the fairest cloth. When the sun is eclipsed for a few minutes, it attracts more spectators than when it shines brightly for a whole year.

Some of the students of Princeton once thought to play a joke on one of their professors. He was an old "bugologist" who had specimens of nearly every insect to be found. The students took the legs of one kind

Would Peter be justified in leaving his Lord because Judas
was a hypocrite?

of insect, the body of another, the head of another, and the wings of still another, and fastened them together, endeavoring to make them appear as though nature had done the work. Bringing the product of their efforts to the teacher, they inquired of him what kind of bug

it was.
After a minute's examination, he said, "Boys,
this is a humbug." There are too many humbugs in
the church. You and I are agreed thus far.

To me, it is sad to hear, the son or daughter of a
professed Christian say, "If you had my father or my
mother, you could not live a Christian life." It is an
awful fact that many stumble over the faults of others.
I sympathize with this class greatly; yet I can not
refrain from saying to them, What you need is to be
"born again," and so to get a new Father. It runs in
His family to do right. When Christ has full control
of the heart, no member of the body will find it impos-
sible to do right. Men do not need a change of circum-
stances so much as they need a change of heart. Adam
sinned under the most favorable circumstances. Το
paint the barn a nice bright color will not cure the
horse of kicking.

And in spite of the fact that there are hypocrites in the church, it is the best institution in all the world to-day. Christianity is not to blame for the hypocrites in her midst, any more than a steamship company is responsible for the life of a man who jumps overboard in mid-ocean. Some one has said, "Nobody ever counterfeits brown paper." But people will counterfeit religion as they do money. This is one reason why I know it to be good. A hypocrite is a counterfeit. You never refuse good money because there are counterfeits. We do not despise the sheep because a wolf has worn her fleece. Were it not better, if there is a spot on our garment, to rub it off instead of throwing the garment away?

And now you will permit me to speak plainly concerning this excuse, will you not? Blowing into a heap of dust, and thereby blinding your own eyes, does not help you. Would Peter be justified in leaving his Lord because Judas was a hypocrite? Did you ever hear of anyone's cutting off his legs because others went on crutches?

Why is it that the world would rather make excuses for its own terrible sin than for the fault in the church? You say, "Find me a perfect church, and I will join it." Take my advice: Go to some little South Sea Island and found a church where you are the only member. But after you have your church founded, it will not be perfect five minutes. God will have a perfect church some day; but so long as you are making the excuse you do, you will not belong to that church.

In speaking on this subject, an evangelist tells of a man who said to him: "A church member cheated me out of forty dollars ten years ago. Hypocrite! Hypocrite! That is my excuse!" The evangelist then comments: "When you hear a man howling about hypocrites, look out for him; he doesn't live far from one himself. Most people have an idea that a man has to join a church in order to become a hypocrite. I will find a hundred in the world where you will find one in the church. Here is a man who pretends to his wife that he is playing square, when he isn't. Is he not a hypocrite? There are hypocrites among doctors, lawyers, merchants. Why don't you keep away from all doctors, lawyers, and merchants ?"

You say the church is full of hypocrites. Hell will be full also; but you won't find any in heaven. You would not think much of me if I walked up and struck your wife or your mother because you kept a dog I didn't like. Then why do you strike God and refuse to be a Christian because there are a few hypocrites in the church? The best people in all the world are to be found there, also. They are going to live together forever in a land where there will be no hypocrites. If you expect ever to be there with them, you will need to put up with a few hypocrites until the separation day arrives which, thank God, is not far in the future. Be careful lest you who profess such a dislike for hypocrites find yourselves in that company where all the hypocrites are.

"I Am a Good, Moral Man"

HERE are some people in this world whose self-respect and sense of honor restrain them from outwardly immoral acts. They are esteemed as good neighbors and as good citizens. They pride themselves on being moral Some have such an exalted opinion of themselves that when you ask them to become Christians, they will reply, "I am a cleaner, kinder, better man than the majority of your Christians." They thus base their hope of the future on either their own good works or other people's badness. Which is it?

But whether you place your trust in one or the other of these two, it is vain. Neither can save you. Imagine yourself saying to the great Judge, in the day of final reckoning: "I was a good man. I did not lie, steal, covet, kill, or commit adultery. I was fair in my treatment of my parents and of all other humankind." The Judge might well be pictured as replying: "You think you have observed the last six of My commands; but how about the first four? You have certainly had another god besides Me, whom you have worshiped, and that god is yourself. Your life has been dominated by self-love. Thus you have violated the first commandment. And have you kept the fourth?" To all of which you must plead guilty.

Then you moral men must face another question in that great day. To you, God will say: "What did you do with My Son Jesus? Little do I care for your good works apart from Him. Unless you accept Him, your sins of selfishness can not be forgiven. 'This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.'" John 6: 29. John 6:29. The greatest question any man has to answer is the one asked by Pilate, "What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?" How do you who trust in your morality answer this question?