Telegram-herald., 1890-05-08
The Lissts ChsreA "a tAs Csrssr.
u..-. ~ rtr= Fss..... -.

-
r. rse - ser 81 fhe TsLsss.x- Hss.ss
Oae Il lhe Old landmarks at tas ciIy
i tas ltls brown ehu1ca "a ts.e oor2tr
fIeon and Norsh Dssoa s.s. ystt
hss aesa s.f. "a sacA eze eas rerair
tast oas vould har3ly taiak e had
lxeu buill So many years. Taspaaters
and decorators esYs rendered the e.
irr of exceedingly p.aslat. aud TIE
Les seats. pg-p-t ana chairs g.Ye lg
r tro.o .tAa als. A feu hundred dol
IA spent 9n t1e outs sd aaornneat
N..L -se t4v socetY q vrrs clEy
IL r.e Tlt landing u t..e u0sl-0f.lce
and c.tg lal Las made the oatsi ~
th- Itle cnur>h appear mole Us gill
Meant taau ever.
0lr II two lhings seems 20 D. clearly
established ~ the sttenlzace az many
Of me elty churches esther Grand kap-
.l, La, TO many churches. or ouI pe0-
ne are very very WlokeC. Two weeks
ago attended seryiee al tDe Church Oi
CHRIST. The fay vas delightful There
were 20 gus oI ran 10 Keep suy BODY
away. fOl fear Their SUNDAY clolhes or
bonaets should be injured. Ii e the
only church OF that denomination IA
the city and yet ! judged there were
ouiv about nifty people present. Inc
BAPTIST CHURCH Was not over One-hAlt
hlIed when Or. Jackson preached.
The Swedenborglaus nave only one
church ia thls populous city, and
Vet not forty people were present, sun
day evening. Not over that many were
present al Dr Fluhrer's church a week
. aso sunday evening. It's saiG that not
I over one ln SIX Of the people in Brook
I iyu.tbe city of churches attends church.
/ In would seem that not oue-tWenueth
/ of the people OF Grand Rapids are
/ cAutch-goers. Here Is problem for
I the mo,al.st and the thinker. Are our
/ people surely becoming utterly ma fer
tut 10 rel glOn, or ls x because the
church no longer satisfies the thinking
minds OF spiritual hunger OF meny
Rev. Mr. Dole essaycd a large task
indeed Tor one discourse. VIZ. To give
us IAN outline OF Gods purpose IN
creating TINS earth and the human
race" | could but recall the saving OF
the Apostle Paul: "Or who hath known
the mind OF the Lord, or who hath
been his counsellor and the passage
which asserts that "nIs ways are past
finding out" but Mr.. Dole gave us a
very interesting and thoughtful dis
course. 1t seems pity that such
scholarly men as DIR. Fuhrer and Mr..
Dole should have such beggarly audi
ences TO hear them. Can one wonder
that preachers heart becomes sick
as he faces such an array
OF empty seats, and the
hollow echoes of the vacant room.
ring in his ears. noticed that Presi-
dent Hayes, of the North Park railroad
was sufficiently humble TO be "a door
keeper in the house of the Lord, as Is
Mr. Hollister and other citizens of our
city.
| would simply offer one criticism Of
the sermon. Orthodoxy has always
pictured Heaven as being much like
the modern church-lots OF room, but
plenty of empty seats; but Mr.. Dole
made the matter even worse. He en-
phatically declared that all the angels
IN Heaven had once been men, women
or children living on this earth That
being the case, Heaven was utterly
empty during all eternity and until
Enoch died. If the Almighty loves
company he must have had an awful
lonesome time before that. 1t may be,
however, Mr.. Dole never thought OF
tins, and may make fresh study OF
the subject now that j cali his attention
to it, The devil would also have had
an equally lonesome time, or else there
was no devil until after Adams crea-
ton. Who was il that finally became
the devil? Doubtless Mr.. Dole can tel
us about this. VIII he please do so?
Yours respectfully,
CHAs. X. GIBsoN.
May 4, 1890.