, 1876-12-04
Oh, but this religion uf Jesus Christ IA good
fDr atlmrthlnE moro tllnn this "IespCctAblo liz

To 'd4 hold r.d; !; ,,o, so wnn; nt.s can ,n1t 40 .o
WY, tiink oi 'sh WHAT TIT l. to'd about these crls;
TIM cllnrrl,rs here in this c!tyi fon nrc proud
Of your ety--pro,,d of its architectural beauty,
proud Of its dauntless enterprise, proud Of iis
Hut Is Tint nlli j. there nu.hng TINT you aro
not prnut! Of, nothing that sometimes a. yoi
scc n makes YOU feel awontcfinE salness ana
longing that something could 10 done ''ne,ti t1
tllosa wOrac aIltt poorer gl,artets where INC
wrctclicd brokcn-lowu frnfnc houses arc hud-
died together with no trim gnr,lens and no
trec.hordercd streetsl Ani 4 you DO, aaes ti u
hy Of, the other sllc,' or only Thinking Tint ~.
otl'cr fire would nothc an H,mixcd cyl only
swept TINT "poor property awaya Does It. tno 1,ot
Il must be to tic little cl!tldrcn many Of them
brought up to swcnr, md bcg, and steal 80 few
Of them ever in tic public school; what Il must
Ic to tl.c poor women, when you peg nero anu
cnly, ali tho sweet grace Of woinnnhool long
fnt,cd out pf them; what Il must bc to the men
whom, on Sundays, II YOU wlll ,; look you may
see loaIlng llstlessly about, When y,, yo,,, as aea
plenty enough IT. this magnificent city ot yours,
Il fyAlhEill only look for them, ,--dots It never
cross your mind how Christ would feel hbont
spen, al its leisure riding Up m and dow, Mich,
q, Sundays hero or ut Grare Church, a'ltl think
no moro about ~ Or, TINT, L his attsntlo,. e
and then for totnc poor mission, a,Hl that, per
Ting almost tco expensive for hard t!mes7
A1 + T. not ony for g sus ,aa, ss ts thsss urcrs nm
much larger fniure In them than TINT. looIs
At the har keen, driving life Of thIs grcat co,n-
,nunty. 1look Mt tho tens Of thousands who
Gty.1n {7ft hat
and battle u tol1. think oi what llfu is to 50
1uatly Of tlcsc-snch grim. eager strain; such
heavy tnrcA; sucll wcarfncss-a wcarfncss that
at ng't leaves them wtl' 10 aprlt to read n1,7 9r
heart to prayl think Of them as lifc wears
down towards age, and tho brightness has
faded, and the pleasrrcs lavc ceased to please;
a perhaps Success as eoe' 0s ,, sacessS
Mt tho heart Of Il. Perhaps success Inns not
come; but only the old! hard, uphill path for
tho tired feet, and away, beyond aIl, coming
icart l1ns no ioS In thinking Of, but rntcr tries
not ia think of-wisies to ignore, but cannotl
think, III IL word, Of nll tho cager, driving
| worldliucss Of this grcnt city, TINT ! snppose
hss to he, but that l'red,'t he alonci that might
letter thing by tho religion Of Jcstts Christi
IT. is no. oic class NOR nilothcr slnsf, b!lt the
whole life around us, thnt wants these old ever
lastsng truths Of God, and the soul, and provi;.
| with Tie living carnestncss uf hearts On fire
| With inithl But tho churches 90 OH IN thci'
old dull way, some Of them droning ont aoe-
| that no ono puts very strongly now, that thc
| living power Inns gonn nut Of. Aud others will!
nobler, larger thoughts only half nttering them,
putting the new wine Into bottles as IKE tic
hapB tho brightest, clenrcst truth, content to
have It, doing nothing 10 make II q power; with
light, but no lleart; with very much rcspcsta-
bllisy md very much Indifference. And SO tic
Ali this il what gives tho revival it's power.
Hero is this mighty mass Of human lives with
their cares, their foll,cs, their pleasures tint
Sins, tier vague iltful thoughts of faith; in,t,
under nl, hearts, lul cpllsctcucCs, and souls
that are going to live on forever, md can never
quito forget It. Is It wonderful that when, ut
Of tho dull routine Of tho churches about him,
who talks abnut these grand realities not In
tnineing pulpit phrases, but In tho downright
lauguugc ot store anu strcct, and who is In dead
and who has Ut tho heart Of nll kind,
loving anxletY for every wretchel drunkard
or poor lost child lie mects,--is IL wonderful
that men crowd to hear him1 The. people eas,
understand him. He makes religion living
thing to them. lie breaks down their doubts BY
tho sheer forcc Of bis own vehement certainty.
lie proclalms to them bright hopes which ai..
sws1 to the alf opEng ,tn, of ma1y wake[u and
|
lived ecstasy, out Of thu dull, unculsghtencd
greed Of earthly earc. lie touches the springs
q thoughts and feelings @ which M many hays hard
0f es tsy weTo tdrSn
%hy, you ask a' myset sea tat sometmss
1t euts me to tho quick to llavc to do IL
! aud all tho more that am conscious that I'LL
/ those who haye had trtlcE and better things tt
say have not sail them, or l'avc said them Will
s,,ch slaek indifference. Hut all the Same tn,
word o{ protest las to be spokcll. For it Is ont
. | really to help and save them. I believe Mr
t Moody Ia wukening up these souls, to gvo then
something that will not satisfy, and that has III
: saving In It.! 7 bolleve he oxcltes them into
i moment Of ecstattc glory, which too soon tho,
Will find uut is not tho salvation ho pcrsltatlc
that It Is, ind which will s0on leave all but aver
D few IN more helpless state tlsan they wcrc Il
, begin with believe his whole basis u appca
/ ia uIsOnoring y God and dcgrnding to mnt1
r anl ono which II the churches suffer temsclye
J. to be carried away by tlto vehement eagcrnce
!, the whole tons Of their Thought aMl work
t quarter Of century. 70, dars not hold fron
8 Of Cllrlst's own Gospel, which have been comm
i iuto clearer view tlrongllout alt churches, b
+ 1risc|Iiayous superstttibns for the sake of tn
t ttuntIcrbolt whleh is undoubtedly ut tho hear
j. Of II
i Dut having SO SINkeI ADotlt tlllS FcYlvA!y 1 ltt
l that nm bound to bc douby plain and fatthfl
. In speaking heneeforth about the duties Of aver
r Christian church aMl AIl Christian people.
e think It llas never come to mo so strongly BIZ
i fore what blessing to men that simple, pra.
r tIcal religion as Jesus Christ Aimself prCarlle
8 1t and lived 1t might be, aye, how awfnlly meet
I'd It Is, a,ll how the silence aul indifference
Il those who hold II leaves men At the mercy c
i every vehement zeAiot oven OF tho poorest 81
IS porstition. l would that my voice could reat
u I'LL those who hold tho moro liberal and teasoE
. ablc faith in other churches besides ours, and ye
who, from love Of peace, let tho old errors stan
!. for tho only way OF salvation and 'nakc no sigt
j know that there arc nuMbers Of such people
, do not believe tilat there is church In TIL
i city, even among those tiut most pass &c
Il Evangelical F" aud ''orttiolux," and that stan
Il Nrsuest for the "anclent ways" which docs nt
i Include people Who no more bo!ieyo those o'
h schemes Of doctrlns than do, and w1l0 III the
q own thoughts, Just hold for the simple Chri
II tiantty of tho rroaigal Son anA the sermon Q
It tho Mount. appeal to these 10 10 more ou
II spokcnt Tlo tiinu Ia come when your opcnc
la H1 IL III Na1r ts,t ~,