The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-08-04

- $3.50 sNt1NA - NtN
reckless iconoclasm, and on the other
hand not stick too much TO things be-
cause they are old The air is full of
new plans, new projects, new theories
OF government, new t%heologies, and L
am amazed to see how so many Chris
tians want only novelty in order to re.
commend a thing to their confidence;
aud 80 they vaclllate and swing to and
fro, and they are useless and they are
unhappy. New plans-secular, ethical,
philosophical, religious, cisatlantic,
transatlantic. All, my brother, do not
adopt a thing merely because 1t is new.
Try 1t by the realities of a judgment
day.
But, on the other hand, do not adhere
TO anything merely because it is old.
There Is not a single enterprise of the
church or the world but has sometimes
been scoffed at. There was q time when
men derided even Bible societies; and
when q few young men met near q hay
stack in Massachusetts and organized
the first missionary society ever organ
lied in this country, there went laughter
and ridicule all around The Christian
church. They said the undertaking was
prepos JeroCs.
III co oioo tlS "Olh " UCouS SuIlSG
was assailed. People cried out, "Who-
ever heard of such theories of ethics aud
government? Whoever noticed such a
style of preaching as Jesus has?" Eze-
kiel had talked of mysterious wings and
wheels. Here came a man from Caper-
naum and Gennesaret, and he drew his
Illustrations from the lakes, fiom the
sand, from the ravine, from the lilies,
fiom the cornstalks. How the Pha.i-
sees scoffed! How Uerod derided! How
Caiphas Kissed! And this Jesus they
plucked by the beard, and they spat in
his face, and they called him 'sthis fell
low!" All the great enterprises in and
out of the church have at times been
fcofled at, and there have been a great
II lltitute who have thought that the
oueriot of Gods truth would fall to
pieces if it once got out OF the old rut.
N IT LIONS NEVER HEAR THE GOSPEL
AID 30 there are those who have no
patience with anything like improvement
In church architecture or with anything
like good, hearty, earn est church sing
ing, and they deride any form OF religious
discussion which goes down walking
a.Aong everyday men rather than that
which makes an excursion Oh rhetorical
stills. Oh. that the Church of God
would wake up to an adaptability of
work! We must admit the simple fact
that the churches of Jesus Christ in this
day do not reach the great masses.
There are fifty thousand people in Edin.
burgh who never hear the Gospel.
There are one million people in London
who never hear the Gospel. There are
at least three hundred thousand Souls IN
the city OF Brooklyn whc-tome not uus
der the immediate niinistrations Of
Christ's truth: and the Church of God in
this day, instead of being q place full of
living aplstles, read and known OF all
, men, ls more like a ''dcad letter. postof.
flee.
"But," say the people, "the world is
going to be converted. You must be
patient. The Kingdoms of this world
are to become the kingdoms Of Christi
Never, unless the church of Jesus Christ
puts on more speed and energy. In
stead ofthe church converting the world,
the world is converting the church.
Here is a great fortress. How shall 1t
be taken? An army ONE and sits
around about it, cuts Off the supplies and
says, "Now we will just wait until from
exhaustion and starvation they will have
to give up" Weeks and months, and
perhaps a year, pass along, and finally
the fortress surrenders through that star
vatlon and exhaustion. But. my friends,
the fortresses of sin are never to be TAX
en- in that way. If they are taken for
God it will be by storm. You will have
to bring up the great siegs guns of the
Gospel to the very wall, and wheel the
flying artillery into line, and when the
armed infantry OF heaven shall. confront
the battlements you will have to give
the quick commands: ''Forward!
ChargeW
All, my friends, there is work for you
to do and for me to do In order to achieve
this grand accomplishment! Here is q
pulpit, and q clergyman breaches in it..
Your pulpit is the bank. Your pulpit
is the store. Your pulpit is the editor.
lal chair. Your pulpit is the anvil.
Your pulpit is the house scaffolding.
Your pulpit is 10 mechanics shop. L
may stand in this place and, through
cowardice or through self seeking, may
keep back the word ! ought to utter;
while you, with sleeve rolled up and
brow besweated with toll, may utter the
word that will jar the foundation of
heaven with the shout ola great victory.
Ou, tIuO lOudy IulS WhOle audience
might feel that the Lord Almighty is
putting upon them the hands of ordina-
ton. Every one, go forth and preach
this gospel. You have as much right
to preach as 1 have. or as any man has.
Only find out the pulpit where God will
have you preach, and there preach.
Hedley Wears was a wicked man in
the English army. The grace Of God
ctme to hiE. He became an earnest
and eminent Christian. They scoffed
o. him ard said, "You are q hypocrite;
you are as bad as ever you were.D
Still he kept his faith in Christ, and aE-
ter awhile, finding that they could not
turn him aside by calling him n hypo-
critic, they said to him, "Oh, you are
nothing but a fanatic" That did not
Disturb him. He went oil performing
his Christian duty until he had formed
all his troop into a Bible class, and the
whole encampment was shaken with the
presence of God. So Havelock went
into the heather temple in India while
the English army was there, and put a
candle into the hand of each of the
heather gods that stood around in
the heather temple, and by the
light of those candles. held up by the
idols, General Hayelock preached right
eousness, temperance and judgment to
come. And who will say, on earth or
In heaven. that Hayoiock had mt thu