The Globe-republican., 1893-10-20

wishing it were though, and spend the
last prayer in preparing to start for
i home. The most insignificant part OF
every religious service is the sermon.
| The most important parts are the
Scripture lesson and the prayer. The
sermon is only q man talking to a man.
The Scripture lesson is God talking to
man. Prayer is man talking to God.
| Oh, if we understood the grandeur and
the pathos of this exercise Of prayer,
instead of being dull exercise, we
would imagine that the room was full
of divine and angelic appearances.
But, my friends, the old style of
church will not do the work. We
might as well now try to take all the
passengers from New York to Buffalo
by stage-coach, or all the passengers
from Albany to Buffalo by canal-boat.
or do all the battling of the world with
bow and arrow, as with the old style
of church to meet the eXigencies of this
day. Unless the church in our day
will adapt itself to the time, it will be-
newspapers and books all the
week, in alert. picturesque, and
resounding style, will have no
patience with Sabbath humdrum. We
have no objections to bands and sur
plice, and all the paraphernalia of cler-
ical life: but these things make no i'm
pression-make no more impression on
the great masses of the people than
the ordinary business suit that you
Ill -. fos1 n$
make minister. Some of the poorest
preachers wear the best clothes: and
many backwoodsman has dis
mounted from the saddle-bags, and in
his linen buster preached sermon
that shook earth and Heaven with its
Christian eloquence. No new gospel,
only the old gospel in way suited to
the time. No new church. but a church
to be the asylum. the inspiration, the
practical sympathy and the eternal
help of the people.
But while half of the doors of the
church are to be set open toward this
world, the other half OF the doors of
the church must be set open toward
the next. You and tarry here only a
brief space. We want somebody to
teach us how to get out of this life at
Some fall out of life, some go stunb-
ling out of life. some go groaning out
of life. some go cursing out of life. We
want to go singing. rising. rejoicing,
triumphing. We want half the doors
of the church set in that direction. We
want half the prayers that way, half
the sermons that way. We want to
know how to get ashore from the tumult
of this world into the land of everlast-
ing peace. We do not want to stand
doubling and shivering when we
go away from this world: we want our
anticipations aroused to the highest
pitch. We want to have the exhilara-
ton of dying child in England, the
father telling me the story. When he
said to her: rs the path narrow
she answered: The path is narrow: it
is so narrow that l cannot walk arm in
arm with Christ, so Jesus goes ahead
and He says, Mary. follow. Through
these church gates set heavenward how
many of your friends and mine have
gone? The last time they were out of
the house they came to church. The
earthly pilgrimage ended at the pillar
of public worship. and then they
marched out to bigger and brighter
assemblage. Some of them were SO old
they could not walk without cane or
two crutches: now they have eternal
juvenescence. Or they were so young
they could not walk except as the ma
ternal hand guided them: now they
bound with the hilarities celestial
The last time we saw them they We're
wasted with malarial or pulmonic dis
order: but now they have 40 fatigue,
and no difficulty OF respiration in the
pure air of Heaven. How l wonder
when you and will cross over. Some
of you have had about enough of the
humping and failing of this life. A
draught from the fountains of Heaven
would do you good. Complete release
you could stand very we'll If You got
on the other side. and had permission
to come back, you would not come.
Though you were invited TO come back
and join your friends on earth, you
would say: NO. let me tarry here I'M
til they come: l shall not risk going
back: if 4 man reaches Heaven he had
better stay here
Oh. join hands with you this morn
ing in that uplifted splendor.
When the shore is at las,
Who will count the pillows past:
In Freybourg, Switzerland, there is
the trunk of tree 400 years old. That F..
tree was planted to commemorate an
event. About ten miles from the city !
the Swiss conquered the Burgundians,
and young man wanted to take the
tidings to the city. He took a tree /
branch and ran with such speed the ten |
miles, that when he reached the city /
waving the tree branch. he had only |
to cry. Victory and |
dropped dead. The tree. branch that
he carried was planted. and il
grew to be great tree twenty feet in /
and the remains of it |
are there to this day. My hearers. when /
You have fought your last battle with
sin and death and hell, and they have
been routed in the conflict. it will be a
joy worthy of celebration. You will
fly to the city and cry Victory" and
drop at the feet of the great King.
Then the palm branch of the earthly