St. Paul daily globe., 1891-05-11
BURRELL'S LAST.
His Final Sermon Preceding His
Formal Farewell to Minneap-

His Final Sermon Preceding His
Formal Farewell to Minneap-
oils.
DR.. d. j. Burrell preached what might
be called his last sermon last evening at
Westminster church, as next Sunday he
bids farewell to Minneapolis and goes to
New York, where, one week later, he
will be formally installed pastor of the
Dutch Reformed Church of New York.
The sermon is to be preached by Rev.
L. Dewitt Talmage, of the Brooklyn
Tabernacle, and Rev. DIR. Peter Stryker.
formerly pastor of the Andrew Presby-
terian church, of this city, now of New
York, is to charge the pastor. The people
Will be charged by Rev. f. Z. Vermilye.
His sermon last night was from the
text: And they conspired, all of
them together, to come and hinder it,"
Nehemiah iv., s.
The children of Israel, having
returned from their captivity and
spurred on by the enthusiastic zeal
of Nehemiah, set about the rebuild
ing of the walls of Jerusalem, which,
for over century, had lain in miserable
ruin. An earnest life is structural; all
true Christians are builders. The
world is a moral ruin; the human race
is but miserable memory of what God
made ard Intended it to be. Christ
came to restore, to rebuild. to make the
world again a dwelling place of truth
and righteousness; and all earnest and
right-thinking people are invited to CO.
operate with Him. But the work is not
without its difficulties; nothing is left
undone by the enemy to hinder it.
First, the builders are laughed at.
u d ,INol
lat, who said what do these feeble
Jews? Will they revive the city out of
these rubbish heaps?" Aud Tobiah
joined in, saying, when they have
builded, if even fox go up he shall
break down their stone WALL" We
meet the same sort of opposition in the
building up of personal character. Let
drunkard resolve to leave his cups
and he mustrun the gauntlet of pointed
fingers and shouts of laughter. SO also
in the furtherance of every moral re-
form. We try to break up the dens of
infamy in Minneapolis and the very
magistrates who are sworn to enforcel
the laws stand off and cry pooh, pooh 7
night we are told that members of our.
police force put up joke" on
a certain minister who was max
ing perfectly legitimate inquiries with
reference to places of evil resort. A
sorry joke! Officers of the peace who
calmly walk their beats in front of in
famous resorts are not in a position to-
crack jokes about their official faithful
ness. 1t is much like a young lass.
making merry about her own purity.
But laughter and merry-making must
not discourage the builders. Our MINI
neopolis is the most beautiful of cities:
and the most virtuous, but only eternali
vigilance can keep it so. A little while
ago the rumsellerS and their friends
were laughing at US for our foolishi
efforts to abridge their influence in our
state legislature. but they laugh best
who laugh last. We have saved our
patrol limits. Build on, o law-abiding
and God-fearing people; build or and
let Sauballat and Tobiah laugh! God is
with us.
Second-Threats are used to hinder
the work. A certain GaShnu filed infOr-
nation against the builders of the wall
on the ground that they were plotting
treason against the king. Some of the
builders were alarmed, but, being reas-
Sured in prayer, went on with the work.
The same tactics are used to prevent
sinners from entering on the Christian
life. The impression is given that a
religious profession handicapS a man in
the pursuit of material prosperity. 1t is
falsehood. William E. Dodge, of New
York; John Wanamaker, of Philadel-
phia; John V. FarweIl, of Chicago, and
thousands of other millionaireS are wit
nesses against it. GodlineSs is gain
every way. Then, again, young people
are given to understand that religion
would cut off their pleasures. 1t is
another falsehoOd. The merriest peO-
pie on earth are followers of Christ.
They are not afraid to laugh. because
they have a good conscience, and are
not afraid of death and Judgment. Let
Gashnu threaten to array against US all
the forces of the prince of darkness; we
are not to be ''hoodooed" in that way.
Third-The worst danger lies i'll the
proposal to compromise. Failing in
previous efforts the enemies Of the Jews
now said: Come, let us meet and con-
fer in the plain of Ono and arrange this
matter" And they used woman's s
lips in suggesting it. The prophecies
Noadiah lent herself to the evil purpose.
Nevertheless, the builders were equal to
| the trial, answering: 1--WE are doing a
great work and cannot come down. AT
| the very beginning of the Christian life
we are tempted to compromise by max
| ing only partial surrender to Christ.
Then we are further tempted to reserve
| to ourselves certain darling SINS"
And we are tempted further to compro-
promise by doing just as little as we can
in Christian service. But there is no
place in the divine economy for mini
mum Christians. Every one of us must
make his influence tell to the utmost,
building over against his own place in
the temple of God.
=