Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1892-02-26

traveller, unless, By Sunday evening slcre,
concert he can get out an audience Of re
spectacle size.
The vast majority of the church member
ship around the world put forth no direc
effort for the salvation OF men. Did say
there would have 10 be change' l correct
that and say, there will be a change. |
there be fifteen million persons added every
year to the worlds population, then there
will be thirty million added to the church
and forty million and fifty million aud sixty
million. How will it be done! 1t will b,
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 tn,
mountain OF Journalism. Come down out o
the mountain Of freezing and indifference.
, Old DIR. Stephen II. Tying, great OIL earth
and in heaven, once said to me: 81 am in
favor OF a change. / do not know what Il
tle 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 b,.n So | feel;
SO We all feel that there needs to be a
change. The point at which We all come
short is presenting Christ on the plain, Christ
on the level with all the worlds 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 numbered
up with technicalities We have too MANY
concordances and dictionaries AMI encyclo-
pedias and systems of theology on our head
20 get down on the plain. Our vocabulary
is too frosted. We ara too much under the
domination OF customs regnaut for many
centuries. Come on, young men OF the
ministry. Take this pulpit, take all the
N hn gtr ha lot
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 mis-.
tlon is to help for this life and help for the
life TO come all the people," and it proves its
earpestness in the matter, people on foot and
on horseback and IN wagons and in car
riages will coms to the churches in such
numbers that they will have to be met at the
door by ushers, saying: You were here
last Sunday you cannot come to-day.
Gentlemen and ladies, you must take your
turn"
And it will be as in the Johnstown freshet
and disaster, when a government station
was opened for the supply Of bread, and it
took the officers Of the law TO keep the suf-
terers in line because OF the great rush for
food When this famine struck world real
Il that the church is a government station
set up by the government OF the universe to
provide the bread Of eternal life for all the
people the rush will bs unprecedented and
unlmagiuable.
Astronomers have been busy measuring
worlds, and they have told US how great is
the circumference OF this world and how
great is its diameter. yea, they have kept on
until they have weighed our planet and found
its weight to be six sextlliion tons. But by
no science has tho weight OF this worlds
trouble been weighed. Now. Christ stand.
Ing on the level OF our humanity stands in
sympathy with every trouble. There ars 80
many aching hea1s; His achei uu .er the
thorns. There ara 20 many weary feet: His
were worn with the long Journey up and
down the land that rec .ived Him not. There
are 50 many perSecute1 souls. Every hour
of His life was under human outrage. Tho
world had no better placs to receive Him
than a cattle pen, AMI its farewell was a slap
on His cheek and spear in His side. So in
tensely human was He that there has not
been in all our racs grief or inarmity or
exhaustion or panS that did not touch Him
once and that does not touch Him now.
The lepers, the paraiytics, the imbecile,
the manic, the coartesan, the rere,taut
hrigsnd-which one did He turn off, which
one did He not pity, which one did He not
helpi The universal trouble OF the world is
bereavement. One may escape all the other
troubles but that no soul escapes Out of
that bitter cup every one must take drink.
For instance, in order that all might know
how He sympathizss with those who have
lost daughter Christ comes to the house OF
Jarius. There is sucl big crowd around
the door He and His disciples have to push
their way in. From the throng of people |
conclude that this girl must have been very
whom everybody likes.
After Christ got III the house there was
such loud weeping that the ordinary tones
Of voice could not be heard. DO not won
der. The dead daughte' was twelve years
Of age. 1t is about the happiest time in
most lives. Very little children suffer many
njustices because they are children, and
childhood is not desirable part of human
exstence-they get whacSed or set on. But
at twelve years of age the child has come 70
self assertion and is apt to make her rights
known. And then, twelve years Of age /:
too early for the cares aud anxieties OF life.
So this girl was think, the merriment OF
the household. She furnished for them tht
mimicry and the harmless mischief, auc
reused the guifaw that often rang through
that happy home. But now she is dead, anC
inc grief at her departure is as violent as her
presence had been v.vacious and inSpiriting
Oh, the bereavement was So sharp, so over
whelmingI How could they give ner up!
suspect that they blamel themselves fol-
this or for that. Oh, it they had had SOM
other doctor, or taken some other medicine
or had been more careful of her health, or
they had not given her that reproof som
time when she had not really deserved it. |
they had been more patient with her hIlari
ties and, instead of hushing her play, ha
participated in iti You know there are s
many things that parents always blam
themselves for at such times. Only twelv
years of agel So fair, so promising, 50 fu
Of life few days ago, and now so still On
what 1t is to have daughter deadl Th
room is full of folks, but yonder is the room
where the young sleeper is. The crowd car
not 90 in there. Only six persons enter. tiv
besides Christ-three friends, and, Of course
the father and mother They have the frs
right to go in. The heaviest part OF til
griei WAS theirs. Al eyes in that room ar
on the face of this girl.
There lay tho BEAUTY nj hand, white an
finely shapen, but it was not liitei in gree
ing to any OF the group. Christ stepped 70
ward and took hold of that hand and sal
with tone and accentustion charged vii
tenderness and command, "Damsel, | 81
unto thee, arser' And without moment
delay she arose, her eyes wide open, b
cheeks turning from white lily to red ros
and the parents cry: "Shs lvesl She lives
and in the next room they take up the SCUM
"5he livesl She ivesr and the throng
front of the doorway repsat it, "She live
She livesr win not all those who have lo
daughter feel that such Christ as tn
can sympathizet
Christ on the plain. / care not from VIII
side you approach Him, you can touch H
and get His help. Is it mental depressi
you sufferf Remember Him who said, ~
God, Ny God, why hast Thou forsaken Ne
Is 1t a struggle for breadi Remember Ii
who fed the five thousand with two minno
and five biscuits, neither Of the biscu
larger than your fist. Is it chronic ailmer
Remember the woman who for eightt
years was bent almost double and He lift
her face until she could look into the b
sky. Are you a sailor and spend your
battling with the tempestsl Remember Fl
who flung the tempest OF Gsnesareth fat
the crystal pavement Of quiet sea.
Tint Christ is in sympathy with all "
have trouble with their eyes, and that is
| nj Il trn n,,bl