The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-03-02

tne range OF tnOSe I'VE tones ana TWO
semi-tones. So have to tell you that
all tie theology that will be of practic-
al use in our world is made out of the
two facts of human sinfulness and Di-
vine atonement Within that octave
swing 1.-THE Song of Moses aud the
Lamb" the Christmas chant above
Bethlehem, and the Alleluiah of all the
choirs standing on seas of glass
Is there not some mode OF getting out
of the way. these non-essentials, these
superhuities, these Emergencies, from
the main issues? Is there not some way
of bringing the church down out OF the
mountain of controversy and conveni
tionalsm and to put it one the plain
where Christ stands? The present atti-
tude of things is like this: In famine
struck district, table has been pro-
vided and it is loaded with food enough
for all. The odors of the meats fill the
air. Every thing is ready. The platters
are full. The chalices are full. The
baskets of fruit are full Why not let
the people in? The door is open. Yes,
but there is cluster of wise men block
ing up the door, discussing the contents
of the castor standing mid-table, they
are shaking their fists at each other.
One says there is too much vinegar in
that castor, and one says there is too
much sweet oil, and another says there
is not the proper proportion of red pep
per. / say: Get out of the way and let
the hungry people come in" Now, our
blessed Lord has provided great sup
per, and the oxen and the fatlings have
been killed, and fruits from all the
vineyards and orch ards of Heaven crown
the table The world has been invited
to come, and they look in, and they are
hungry, and people would pour in by
the millions to this worldwide table,
but the door is blocked up by contro-
versies and men with whole Libraries on
their backs are disputing as to what pro-
portion OF sweet oil and cayenne pep
per should make up the creed. / cry:
Get out of the way and let the hungry
world come in"
The Christian church will have to
change its tack, or it will run on the
rocks of demo lition. The worlds popu
lation annually increases fifteen mil7
lions No one pretends that half that
number of people are converted to God.
There are more than twice as many
Buddhists as Professionals; more than
twice as many Buddhists as Roman
Catholics. Professionals, 135, 900, 600;
Catholics, 1885, 100000 Buddhists, AGO.
900, 0OO There are IT'S, 900, 900 Mohamme-
dams and 220, 600, 900 Brahmins. Mean
while many of the churches. are only
religious club houses, where few peo-
pie go on Sunday morning, averaging
one person to pew or one person to a
half dozen pews, and leaving the min
lister at night to sweat through a SER
mon with here and there lone travel
er, unless, by Sunday evening sacred
concert, he can get out an audience of
respectable size. The vast majority of
the church membership round the
world put forth no direct effort for the
salvation of men. Did / say there
WOull HdNC w pC a NiuhSt' WI WV
that and say, There will be a change.
If there be fifteen million persons
added every year to the worlds popula-
ton, then, there will be thirty million
added to the church, and forty million,
and fifty, and sixty million. How will
it be done? 1t will be done when the
church will meet Christ on the plain.
Come down out of the mountain of ex-
clusiveness. Come down out of the
mountain of pride. Come down out of
the mountain of Journalism. Come
down out of the mountain of freezing
indifference. Old DR.. Stephen III. Tying,
great on earth and in Heaven, once said
to me: am in favor of a changs. l do
not know what is the best way of doing
things in the churches, but know the
way we are doing now is not the best
way, or the world would be nearer its
salvation than it seems to be-" So
feel; so we all feel, that there needs to
be change. The point at which we
all come short is not presenting Christ
on the plain, Christ on the level with
all the worlds woes and wants and ne.
cessities.
The full change will have to come
from the rising ministry. We now in
the field are too set in our ways. We
are numbered up with technicalities
We have too many concordances anG
dictionaries and encyclopedias and sys
TENS of theology on our head to gel
down on the plain. Our vocabulary il
| too frosted. We are too much under
! the domination of customs regnant fol-
centuries
Come on, young men of the ministry
Take this pulpit, take all the pulpits
and in the language of the street ant
the market-place and the family circl
preach Christ on the plain. AS soon a
the church says by its attitude, not nee
essarily by its words, MY one mission
is to help for this life and help for tn
life to come all the people" and
proves it's earnestness,in the matter
people on foot and on horseback and il
wagons and in carriages will come t
the churches in such numbers that the
will have to be met at the door b
ushers, saying: "You were here las
Sunday; you can not come in to-day
Gentlemen and ladies, you must talk
your turn" And it will be as in tn
Johnstown freshet and disaster, whe
a government station was opened fo
the supply of bread, and it took th
officers of the law to keep the sufferer
in line because of the great rush fo
food. When this famine-struck worl
realizes that the church is govern