Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1892-02-20

believe ten thousand things, but
none of them have anything to do
with my salvation except these two
! am sinner and Christ came to
save me.
Musicians tell us that the octave
consists only of five tones and two
semitones. and all the Handels and
and Schumanns of all ages must do
their work within the range of those
I five tones and two srmitones So !
have To tell you that all the theology
that will he of practical use in our
world is made ont of the two facts
Of human sinfulneSs and divine
atonemcnt Within that octave
swing The Song of Moses and the
Lamb" the Chri>t,nas chant above
Bethlehem and the Hallelujah of all
the choirs standing ON seas of glass.
Is there not some mode of getting
out of the way these noncSsentials.
these superfiuities. these divergen
cies from the main isSuei Is there
not some way of bringing the church
down out of the mountain of con
troversy and conventionalism and to
/ put 1t ON the plain where Christ
standsf The present attitude of
things is like this: In famine struck
district table has been provided
and it is loaded with food enough for
all The odors of the meats fill the
air. Everything is ready The plat
ters are full The chalices are full
The baskets of fruit are full Why
not let the people inl The door is
open. Yes, but there is Il cluster of
wise men blocking up the door, dis
cussing the contents of the caster
standing midtable. They are shak
ing their fists at each other
One says there is too much vinegar
in that caster. and one says there is
too much sweet oil and another says
there is not the proper proportion Of
red pepper say, Get out of the
way and let the hungry people come
in" Now our blessed Lord has pro
vided a great supper, and the oxen
and the fatlings have been killed. and
fruits from all the vineyards and
orchards Of heaven crown the table
The world has been invited tn come,
and they look in and they are hun
CRY. and people would pour in by the
millions to this worldwide table, but
the door is blocked up by controver
sizes, and men with whole libraries
on their backs are disputing as To
what proportion Of sweet oil and
cayenne pepper should make up the
creed. cry, Get out of the way
and let the hungry world come in"
LOOK OUT FOR THE ROCKS
The Christian church will have 10
change its tack or it will run on the
rocks of demolition The worlds
population annually increases fifteen
millions No one pretends that half
that number of people are converted
to God. There are more than twice
as many Butllhists Us PruteStants
more than twice. H. many Buddhists
as Roman Catholics Protestants.
l35. 900, 600; Catholics. 1875 900. 900 .
Buddhists, 400. .O0O. 900 There are
l75. 0O0. 600 Mehammc,lanS and 22O.
600. 900 Brahmans
Meanwhile. many of the churches
are only religious clubhOuses, where
& few people go ON Sunday morning.
averaging one person Ia Il pew or
one person To Il half dozen lews. and
leaving the minister at night To sweat
through sermon with here and
there a lone traveller. unless. 10y a
Sunday evening sacred concert. he
can get out an audience of r,-sIec'ta
/ BILE size
The vast majority OF the church
membership around the world put
forth no direct effort for the saliva
ton of men Did say there would
have to be changer correct that
and say. There will be change If
there be fifteen million persons added
every year to the worlds population
then there will be thirty million add
ed to the church and forty million
and fifty million and sixty million
How will 1t be donei II will he done
when the church will meet Christ on
the plain Come down out of the
mountain of exclusiveneSs 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 H. Tying. great on
earth and in heaven. once said to
me: Il am ia favor of a change. |
do not know what is the best way OF
doing things III the churches. but
know the way we are doing now Is
not the best way. or the world would
be nearer its salvation than II seems
to be" So feel so we all feel. that
there needs to be change. The
point at which we all come short Is
presenting Christ ON the plain. Christ
ON the level with all the world 3
woes and wants and necessities.
The full change will have to come
from the rising ministry. We now
in the field are too set in our ways
We are luinl"'rad up with TECHNICAL
ties We have too many concord
ances and dictionaries and encyclo
pedia> and systems of theology on
our head To get down on the plain
Our vocabulary is too frosted. We
are too much under the domination
of customs regnant for many centu-
ries. Come on. young men of the
ministry Take this pulpit. take all
the pulpits. and in the street, and the
market place. and the family circle
preach Christ on the plain
As soon as the church says by its
attitude, not necessarily by its words,
My one mission is to help for this
life and help for the life to come all
the people. and it proves its earnest
ness in the matter, people on foot and
on horseback and in wagons and in