The Penn's Grove record., 1889-02-02

audience-chamber; I plead not for groin
ed rafters or magnificent fresco; Dut L
do plead for comfortable churches,
home-like churches.
MAKE THE CHURCH WELCOME
to all, however poorly clad they may be,
or whatever may have been their past
history; for I think the Church OF God
is not SO much made for you who could
have churches in your own house, but
for the vast population OF our great
cities, who are treading on toward death,
with no voice Of mercy to arrest them.
All. when the prodigal comes into the
church, do not stare at him as though
he had no right TO come. Sometimes a
man wakes up from his sin, and he says:
''l'l go to the house Of God" Perhaps
he comes from one motive, perhaps
from another. He finds the church
dark and the CHRISTIAN people frigid
land there are p6 people on earth who
can be more Sfrigid than Christian
people when they try), and the music is
dull, and he never comes again. Sup
pose one of these men enters the church.
AS he comes in he hears q song which
his mother sang when he was a boy; he
remembers 1t. He sits down, and some
one hands him a book, open at
Jerusalem, my happy home,
Name ever dear to me"
"Yes," he says, 81 have heard that
many tImes.n He sees cheerful Chris
tian people there, every mans face a
psalm Of thanksgiving to God. He
says: "Do you have this 80 every Sum
dayp l have heard that the house Of
God was q doleful place. l have really
enjoyed myself" The next Sabbath the
man is again in the same place. Tears
of repentance start down his cheek; he
begins to pray; and when the commun-
ion-table is spread, he sits at 1t, and
someone reaches over and says: II am
surprised to find you herel l thought
you didn't believe in such things"
"Ahl" he says, 81 have been captured.
l came in u day, and l found you
were all 10 loving and cheerful here
that l concluded 1 would come among
you. Ali you can't drive men out Of
their sins, but you can coax them-you
can charm them out.
I would to God that we could all
come to a higher appreciation Of this
Sabbath leritageI We cannot count the
treasures Of one Christian Sabbath. 1t
spreads out wei us the two wings Of
the archangel of mercy. oh, blessed
Sabbath! They scott a great deal about
THE OLD PURTTANIc ~sABBATHs,
and there is a wonderful amount Of wit
expended upon that subject now-the
Sabbaths they used to have In New
England. l never lived in New Eng
lard, but l would rather trust the old
Puritanic Sabbath, with all its faults,
than this modern Sabbath, which is
fast becoming no Sabbath at all. II
our modern Sabbatism shall produce as
stalwart Christian character as the old
New England Puritanic Sabbatism, /
shall be satisfied, and I shall be sur
prised.
Oh, blessed dayl blessed dayl I should
like to die some Sabbath morning when
the air IS full of church music and the
bells are ringing. Leaving my home
grouped with a dying blessing, ! should
like to look OF upon some Christian as
semblage chanting the praises Of God
as / went up to join the thousands Of
thousands standing around the throne
ofJesus. Harkl l hear the bell of the
old kirk on the hillside Of heaven. It
is Il wedding-bell, for behold, the Bride
groom comethl 1t Is a victor's bell, for
we are more than conquerors through
Him that loved us.
ooh when, thou city of my God,
Shall I thy courts ascend2
Where congregations ne'er break up,
And Sabbaths have no md"