The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-08-20
Our Evening Sermon !!

Our Evening Sermon
%And o whososser shall not receive YOU nor hear
city, shake off the dust of your feet.-Matt. Io-H.
We have the story of Christ calling
His twelve apostles, and sending them
forth with power against unclean spirits
power to cleanse the lepers, heal the sick,
raise the dead, and like supernatural
powers. They were commanded to go
and gather in the lost sheep of the house
of Israel. They were commanded to pro-
vide neither gold, silver nor brass for
their purses, neither shoes for their feet.
While this was the command to the
immediate Apostles of the Savior so long
ago, alodg down the years many of Gods
creatures seem to feel the weight of the
command-we say seem, for they start
out with the avowed intention of healing
the sick, and all but raising the dead.
These modern philanthropists, however,
are of two different kinds, those who af-
feet to heal the spiritually sick, and those
who would heal only the physical all
ments, preparatory to the greater work
of lifting the soul out of the surround
ings of physical impurities. The latter
class only heals the sick for the love they
bear to their fellow-men. Frequently
the remedies used are discoverd by mere
accident, while effecting a cure in his
own individual case, and is only given to
the world as an act of Christian duty and
charity. A small fee of dollar an ounce
is charged-merely to pay the cost in pre-
pairing the medicine and carrying relief
into other parts of the earth. This class
of philanthropists disobey the divine in
junction, for they carry with them brass
for their journey. True, they trust to
luck and their own activity for the in
gathering Of scrip, but brass they take
with them in abundance. In fact brass
constitutes three-fourths of their capital
stock. This physician sometimes joins
the physical and spiritual practice, and
dispenses scriptural doctrines with all
the solmenity of a veteran circuit-rider
The first business of this class is to find
out, from some person in each neighbor-
hood, who, in that immediate vicinity,
are in poor health, and the good man will
then go to the afflicted homes with the
great panacea. He can heal anything
from bad case of consumption to
broken bank. This physician goes about
healing the sick, and raising the dead
but his miracles are all performed in the
fertile and blooming fields of his own
Imagination. That is one class of mod
ern Apostles.
There is another class which is perhaps
entitled to more attention. This class of
Apostles go about healing the spiritually
sick. To this class belongs the illiterate
"Apostle" who has been ''called to preach"
We are not prepared to take issue with
man simply because of the assertion that
he is "called to preach" for many good
men doubtless feel the impulse of the
Divine call and inspiration. They go
about the performance of the work of
healing the sick, raising the spiritually
dead, and all the ministerial offices with
that calmness and peace and joy which
place the stamp of sincerity upon all their
work. This class of Apostles do not have
to shake the dust of any place from their
feet, from the fact that the spiritual seed
they are sowing finds firm hold in the life
of any community. These are the ''old
fogy'' Apostles, who follow the old-time
injunction-the Apostles of Religion.
But in this modern life of ours there is
another class, and there are goodly
number of them too, the Apostles of
Wind. In a certain town there was a
temple erected and dedicated to the wor
ship of the living God. All went smooth
ly as befitted the peace and happiness
taught by Prince of Peace himself. The
services ran along through routine
form of worship and praise. Each Sun
day morning found the simple-minded
people listening to the preaching of the
word of God, and lifting their voices in
prayer and sacred song. Occasionally
soul was awakened to full realization
of its privileges and opportunities, and
sought by union with the Church that
strength of association which might en-
able it to attain unto the blissful nights
of religious experience. The leader of
this little Church flock was of the good,
old-fashioned style of Christians, who
come to stay-who never have occasion
to shake the dust of any place from off
their feet.
But in the progress of civilization new
ideas, modern methods, began to encroach
upon the good old-fashioned way of con-
Quoting even Church affairs, and we have
before us the vision of the advent of a
new Apostle in that Church-an EVAN
gelist" specially called for that particular
time and place. In his superiority over
the old-fashioned minister, he received
his Divine instructions through special
revelations from on high. The staid old
preaching was all humbug. The new
Apostle gathered the Church about the
altar, where all joined in loudly singing
praise song. After a time all was eX-
citement and confusion. Where the old
fashioned Apostle appealed to the calm
reasoning of the people, the new Apostle
depended upon excitement for results.
Thus the meetings went on. Scores of
souls were brought to the altar, and many
loudly professed conversion, amid many
shoutings. Thus the meeting was in