In order to have a spiritual church, it is essential that there should be spiritually-minded leaders, men of ripe Christian experience and earnest faith, who can communicate their own enthusiasm for service and soul-winning to their fellow members. The true spiritual church is an active, working church, where the congregation vie with each other not merely in living up to their privileges in the matter of church attendance, but in active personal effort in their neighborhood, drawing others under the influence of the Gospel and organizing themselves for works of char ity and kindness. An inactive church cannot have spiritual growth. The church should be directly connected with the work of home and foreign missions, hospital and sick visitation, shepherding of the children, keeping up the Sunday School, and doing good at every opportunity. Neglect of prayer meetings marks a decline of spirituality in a church which no amount of social attractions will repair. The ideal church is one in which every member has a share in the general activities of the organization. This means all, large and small, young and old, learned and ignorant for too often the educated try to obtain an ascendency. Intellectuality is not always an aid to spiritual life; on the contrary, there are very many cases in which it has proved a barrier. One does not perceive God through the intellect alone, and this is shown in the fact that many of the most spiritual natures have been found among the simple and unlearned. Intellectual vanity and self-sufficiency--an overweening confidence in the powers of the finite mind--are among the strongest impediments to faith. "Ye must become as a little child."
