Democratic messenger., 1888-10-27

feel that In church they must look dull In
order TO be revercntial, and many whose
faces in other kinds Of asscmblage show
all the different phases Of emotion have
In church no more expression than the
back wheel Of hearsc. Brighten up and
be responsive. lfyou feel like weeping.
weep. IT, you feel like smiling. smile. II
you feel indignant at some wrong assail.
cd from the pulpit, frown. Do not leave
your naturalness and rcsilicncy home he.
cause Il Is Sunday morning. lfas officers
Of church you meet people at the church
door with black look. and have the mu.
sic black, and the minister in black preach
q black sermon, and from invocation TO
bencdic,ion have the impression black, few
will come, and those who do come will
wish they had not come at ALL
THE SEVEN STARS
Turn now In your Bible to the seven
stars. Wea are distinctly told that they are
the ministers Of religion Some of them
are large stars, some Of them small stars,
some Of them sweep wide circuit and
some Of them small circuIk but so far
as they are genuine they Cd their light
from the great central sun d and whom
they make revolution. Let each one keep
In his own sphere. The solar system.
would soon bc wrecked if the stars instead
of keeping their own orbit should go to
hunting down other stars. Ministers of
religion should never clash. But In all
the centuries of the Christian church some
Of these stars have been hunting an Ed.
ward Irving. or Horace Bushnell, or an
Albert Barnes and the stars that were in
pursuit Of the other stars lost their own
orbit and some Of them could never again
find II. Alas for the heresy hunters! The
right way to DESTROY error is to preach the
truth. The best way to scatter darkness
Is to strike light There Is In inmensi.
" rt ON enough for all the stars, and in the
church room enough for all the ministers.
The ministers who give up righteousness
and the truth will get punishment enough
anyhow, for they are "the wandering stars
for whom Is reserved the blackness Of
darkness forever" But should like as
a minister when am dying to be able
truthfully to say wha. captain of the
English army fr'sn at the head OF his col
umn and dy ON the Egyptian battle.
field saiY General wolseley. who came
to con- with him: II led them straight;
didp cad them straight, general ?" God
hg Jds ministers as captains In this
u Field oftruth against error Great
1t will be our chagrin if We fall lead.
ing the people the wrong way, bu, great
will be our gladncss IL when the battle 10
over We can hand our sword back TO our
great Commander. saying: Lord Jesus !
We led the people straight; didn't We lead
them staight." Those ministers who go
of at a tangent and preach some other
gospel are not stars. but comets, and they
flash across the heavens little while and
mak'' ''eople stare, and throw down few
..ics, and then go out Of sight,
out Of existence. Oh , brethren in
The ministry, let us remember that God
calls III stars, and our business Il 10 shine
and 10 keep our own sphere, and then
when We get done trying TO light up the
darkness Of this world we will wheel into
higher spheres, and In us shall be fulfilled
the promise "They that turn many to
righteousness shall shine as the stars for
ever and ever" All ! the ministers are not
all Pccksniifs and canting hypocritcs, as
some would have you think! Forgive
me, If having in your presence at some
other times glorifcd the medical proies.
sion and the legal profession and the lii.
erary professional glorify my own
] have seen them in their homes and
heard them In their pulpi,s, and u grand.
er array of men never breathed, AMI the
Bible figure Is not strained when il calls
them stars; and the whole consultations
Of glorious ministers have already taken
their places on high where they shine
even brighter than they shone on EARTH
Edward n. Kirk, Of the Congregational
Church: Stephen II. Tying, Of the Episco.
pal Church; Matthew Simpson. of the
Methods, Church; John Bowling, Of the
Baptist, Church Samuel X. Talmage, of
the Presbyterian Church DIR. Dewitt, OF
the Reformed Church John Chambers, of
the Independent Church; and there stop,
for II so happens that have mentioned
the seven stars OF the seven churches.
THE sEvES SEALS
pass on TO another mighty Bible seven.
and they are seven seals. 81. John In q
vtalan SAW n arroil with aavon aoats aud