Connecticut western news., 1892-02-18

have no more to do with his saliva
 ton than the question. How many
 volcanoes are there in the moon2 or,
 How far apart from each other are
 the rings of Saturnl or, How many
 teeth there were in the jawbone with
 which Samson smote the Philstines2 believe ten thousand things. but none of them have anything to do
 with my salvation except these two l am a 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 Haydns and Mozarts and Wagners and Schumanns of all ages must do their work within the range of those five tones and two semitones. So 1 have to tell you that all the theology that will be of practical use in our world is made out of the two facts of human sinfulness and divine atonement. Within that octave swing The Song of Moses and the Lamb" the Christmas 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 nonessentials, these superhuities, these divergen- cies from the main issue2 Is there not some way of bringing the church down out of the mountain of con troversy and conventionalism and to put it on the plain where Christ stands2 The present attitude of things is like this: In famine struck district a 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 in2 The door is open Yes, but there is a cluster of wise men blocking up the door, dis cussing the contents of the caster 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 great supper, and the oxen and the fatlings have been killed, and fruits from all the vineyards and of heaven crown the table. The world has been invited to come, and they look in, and they are hun gry, and people would pour in by the millions to this worldwide table, but the door is blocked up by controver- sies, 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 to change it's tack or it will run on the rocks of demolition. The worlds annually increases fifteen millions No one pretends that half that number of people are converted to God. There are more than twice as many Buddhists as Protestants; more than twice as many Buddhists as Roman Catholics. Protestants, 135 ,0OO, ,n00; Catholics. l95.000, GOO; 400. 1000, GOO. There arc 175, ,OOO, GOO Mehammedans and 220,- 900, 900 Brahmans.
 Meanwhile. many of the churches are only religious clubhouses, where a few people go on Sunday morning, one person to pew or one person to half dozen pews, and leaving the minister at night to sweat through a sermon with here ana there lone traveller, unless. by a Sunday evening sacred concert, he can get out an audience of respecta- ble size.
 The vast majority of the church around the world put forth no direct effort for the saliva ton of men. Did say there would have to be a changel I correct that and say. There will be a 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 it be done? It will be done when the church will meet Christ on the plain. Come down out of the of exclusiveness. Come down out of the mountain of pride. Come down out of the mountain of formalism. Come down out of the mountain of freezing indifference.
 Old Dr. Stephen H. Tyng, great on earth and in heaven, once said to me: Il am in favor of a change. 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 a change. The point at which we all come short Is Christ on the plain, Christ on the level with all the worlds woes and wants and necessities.
 The fujl change will have to come from f Y ministry. We now in tn" too set in our ways We are numbered up with sechnfcali- ties. We have too many concord ances and dictionaries and encyclo- pedias 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 Take this pulpit, take all the pulpits, and in the street, and the market place, and the family circle