The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1891-06-25

on. a small scale. Abahdon the Third!
You go up and assault that old EpiscO-
pal church, which has been storlning
the heavens for centuries with the
sublimest prayers that were ever ut
tered-church of Bishop Leighton,
Bishop White and Bishop McIlvaine,
and get that denomination discussing
| men instead OF discussing the eternities.
Abaddon the Fourth! Yougo up to
that old Methodist church, which has,
through her revivals, sent millions to
heaven, which we would otherwise
have added to our population the
| church of
WESLEY AND MATTHEW SIMPSON,
against which we have an especial
grudge, and get them so absorbed in
| discussing whether women shall take
| part in her conference, that they shall
not have SO much time to discuss how
many sons and daughters she will
take to glory
Now, what part shall you and take
IN this controversy which fills all
Christendom with clangor? My ad-
vice is: Take no part. Spend no time
on the mysteries You, a. man only
five or six feet high, ought not try to
wade an ocean thousand feet deep.
My own experience has been vivid.
devoted the most OF my time for years
in trying to understand Gods eternal
DEGREES, and I was determined to find
out why the Lord let sin come into
the world, and set out to explore the
doctrine of the Trinity, and with a
yardstick to measure the throne of
the Infinite. AS with all my prede-
cessors, the attempt was a dead fail
ure. For the last 80 years 1 havenot
spent two minutes in studying the
controverted points of theology, and
if l live 80 years longer I will not
spend the thousandth part of a Sec
ond in such exploration, I know two
things, and these I will devote all the
years of my life in proclaiming: God
will through Jesus Christ pardon sin
and he will comfort trouble.
Creeds have their uses, but just now
the church is creeded to death. Let
me say to all young men about to
enter the ministry that soon the
greatest novelty in the world will be
the unadulterated religion of Jesus
Christ. Preach that and you will
have a crowd. The world is sick to
reorganization with the
MODERN QUACKs IN RELIGION.
Now what is the simple fact that
you in the pew and Sabbath school
class and reformatory association
and we in the pulpits have to deal
with? It is this, that God has some
where, and it matters not where, but
somewhere, provided a great heaven,
great for quietnessfor those who want
quiet, great for vast assemblage for
those who like multitudes, great for
architecture for those who like archi-
lecture, great for beautiful landscape
for those who like beautiful landscape,
great for music for those who like
music, great for professions for those
who like armies on white horses,
and great for anything that
one especially desires in such
a rapturous dominion; and through
the doings Of one who was
born about five miles south of Jerusa-
lem and died about ten minutes walk
from it's eastern gate, all may enter
that great heaven for the earnest and
heartfelt asking. Is that all? That
is all. What then is your work
and mine? Our work is to persuade
people to face that way and start
thitherward and finally 60 in. But has
not religion something to do with this
world as we'll as the next? Oh, yes;
but do you not see that if the people
start for heaven on their way there
they will do all the good they can?
They will at the very start of the
journey get so much of the spirit of
Christ, which is a spirit of kindness
and self-sacrifce and generosity and
burden-bearlng and helpfulness, that
every step they take will resound with
good deeds. On, get your religion off
OF stills! Get it down out of the high
towers! Get it on a level with the
wants and woes of our poor human
race! Get it out of
THE DUSTY THEOLOGICAL BOOKS
that few people read and put in their
hearts and lives. Good thing is it to
profess religion when you join the
church, but every day somehow we
ought to profess religion.
Do you know that think that if all
ministers in all denominations would
stop this nonsense of ecclesiastical
strife and take hold the word of God,
the only question with each of us be-
ing how many souls we can bring to
Christ, and in how short a time, the
Lord would soon appear for the sal
walton of all nations?
But the skies do not part. Ihear
no rumbling of chariot wheels coming
down over the sapphire. There is no
swoop OF wings. see no flash OF an
gelic appearances. All is still. Ihear
nothing but the tramp of my own
| heart as pause between these utter
ances. The King does not land be-
cause the world is not ready, and the
church is not ready. TO clear the way
for the Lords coming let us devote all
our energies OF body, mind and soul.
A Russian general riding over the
| battlefields, his horse treading amid
the dying and the dead, wounded
soldier asked for water, but the officer
did not understand his language and
knew not what the poor fellow want
ed. Then the solder cried ont "Chris-
tos," and that word meant sympathy
and help, and the Russian officerdis-
mounted and put to the lips OF the