Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1886-05-07

&ibed 10 single phrase, q Texan cowboy
would say he was "whooping them up"
His sermons on Sunday and yesterday were
full OF these whoopings up, and the sharper
his comments were, and the more personal
they were, the more they seemed 10 be liked.
In one of them he said, "'Now is the &C.
, cepted time, now is the day Of salvation
When Gods dinner bell rings all you want
il an appetite, and you can walk in and
there's a place for you. You've got curl.
osty with you this evening TO run to
meeting like this. God help you to mix
little prayer with this curiosity" Christ,
he said, is living principle. "You may
run Confucianism with dead Coniucius,
you may run Mormonism with Joe Smith
in his grave, but you must not only have
risen and assembled Christ, but descended
Christ" Certain churchmen he described
as "Christless members" and added "The
great curse of the world to-day is not out of
the church, but in it, 1t would
I've healthy ii every member Of the church
should ask himself these questions Sup
pose every other member was like me, how
would the spirit of prayer succeed, how
would the expenses be paid, how much
sympathy would the pastor receiver II
wouldn't be long before you came to the
conclusion, Here is the biggest humbug
that God Almighty allows TO live In the
church. can stand railroad humbug,
business humbug. newspaper humbug,
hut God deliver me from religious hum
bug" He makes, however, this distinction.
putting il in the form of question, as thus;
do sou live right before Goly Are you
ccan and chaste in your habits? Do you
90 your duty to your familyg II he replies
yes, will get down on my knees and ask
his pardon before 10000 people But if any
of YOU Pharisees think that you are going
10 get any pardons out of me you don't
know me- The world goes 10 church with
you, and you go with it TO the theatre and
10 progressive euchre parties 1t goes with
you TO prayer meetings, and you both will
90 TO hell together.if you don't take care"
"The power of the pulpit" he went
ON 10 say, must be determined by the pray
ers of the pews." Then followed this strong
blow at the churches: "Somc congregations
want a preacher popular with other denom-
nations; some popular with everybody. l
wouldn't wipe my feet on him. But We sell
dom hear of those wanting preacher popu-
lar with God. You have enough preachers
in ihix ai.., Lining al TO Christ In thirty
dnlsT But theI pews afEsss ~, - = pack
a preacher in an ice.box, and fnea abuse
him all the year because be don't sweat.
We are little too decent 70 be Christians
anyhow. We've got TO come down q little
in humility lnnnoiher sermon he touched
ON the same theme. Il have met with hard
tod Sinners he said, "who have said that
church member have stood In their way.
don't wonder at this. Why, some church
members gouge each other Some borrow
money from each other and nevefN pay Il
back. Some backbite each other N0,won-
der they 60 for old sinners. never call
any names, brothers, but each fellow knows
his number when hit him. Let's get right,
and there will be found enough water in
the fountain of life TO wash away every
speck OF dirt" We might go on making
extracts from these queer, desultory, incon-
secutive, hard hitting idiomatic sermons,
but We bring them TO close with the fol-
lowing blow at Ingersoll. "If God" said
Mr. Jones, "had a blood washed throng TO
60 forth and battle for Him, what a harvest
there would bel Lets get right first. |
never met sinner in all my work who said
that Bob Ingersoll stood in his way of com.
ing 10 Christ. / never met q sinner who
was bothered about Ingersolls blatant tom.
foolery. II did would say "Old fellow.
you need not trouble about getting religion
you have not sense enough God, 10 my
opinion, will take you into Heaven at side
door" The sermons are thronged with
things like these, some homelier, and some
OF the illustrations and comparisons taken
from military life. The sermons OF Mr..
Small are in similar vein, with less of the
rugged and unpublished style OF his coaborer.
That the speakers are in earnest there is not
the least reason TO doubt As little reason
have we to doubt that there may be power
in what they say ~ arouse sluggish con-
sciences and TO impress upon some men the
necessity of leading better lives II such
should be the outcome OF their labors, the
mission they have undertaken will moi be
in vain