Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-10-20


ar1tion for their high station.
AGAIN remark that sanctuary help ought
to come through the prayers OF all the poo
Mo The door Of the eternal s,orehouss is
hung on one hinge "a gold hinge. the hinyo
Of nrtver-and when the whole audience lsy
hold OF that door, IL must come open. There
are here many people spending their first
Sabbath after some great bereavement. What
till your prayer do for them? How will Il
help the tomb in that mans hearth Here
Rre people who have not been in church be-
fore for ten years. What will your prayet
10 for them by rolling over their soul holy
memories
Here are people in crises Of awful temp.
lation. They are on the verge OF despair or
wild laundering or theft or suicide. VIVA.
will your prayer do for them this morniny
in the way OF giving them strength TO resist?
Will YOU be chiefly anxious about the fl OF
the glove that you put TO your forehead
while -ou prayed? Will you be- chiefly
critical OF the rhetoric OF the pastors
pettion2 No. No. A thousand people will
feel. That prayer is for me- and at every
step ofthe prayer chains ought 10 drop OF.
and temples of sin ought TO crush into dust.
and iubiless OF deliverance ought 10 braniis'i
their trumpets. In most OF our CHURCHES We
have three prayers tho opening PRAYER.
what is called the 'loag prayer and tho
closing prayer.
There are many people who spend the first
prayer in arranging their apparel after en-
france. and spend the second prayer-the
"long prayer'-in wishing it were through,
and spend the last prayer in preparing to
start for home. The most insignificant part
Of every religious service is the sermon. The
more important parts are the Scrptural les
son and the prayer. The sermon Is only
man talking 10 a man. The Scripture lesson
IL God talking 10 man. Prayer Is man talk
ing to God. Oh il we understood the grand.
eur and the pathos OF this exercise Of prayer.
instead Of being a 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 10 take all the passengers from New York
10 Buffalo BY stage coach. or all the passen-
gers from Albany to Buffalo by canalboat or
20 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 become extinct. The people read
ing newspapers and books all the week. in
alert. picturesque and resounding style. will
have no patience with Sabbath humdrum
We have no objections 70 bands and sur.
lfil'f anu Az iNf HdAhN uNAAAili Va NAEAlNAi
life, but these things make no impression
make no more impression on the great
masses OF the people than the ordinary bust
ness suit that yOu wear in Wall street. A
tailor cannot make a minister. Some Of the
poorest preachers wear the best clothes, and
many q bacswOodsman has discounted from
the sqddlebags AMI in his linen buster
preached a sermon that shook earth and
heaven with its Christian elOquence. No new
gospel. only the old gospel IN "a way suited
20 the time. 40 new church. but q church
20 be the asylum. the Inspiration the prac.
teal sympathy and the eternal help Of the
people.
But while hall OF the doors OF tine church
are 70 be set open toward this world the other
half of the doors Of the church must lee set
open toward the next. You and Itarry here
only brief space. We want somebody TO
teach us how to get ont Of this life at the
right time and in the right way. Some
fall ont Of life. some 20 stumbling out otlite.
some 70 grOaning out Oflite. somc % ours
ing ont oflifo We want 20 60 singing. RS
iu,. rejoicing trumpAing. We want hall
IN, doors Of the church set in that direc-
ton We want half the prayers that way
half the sermons that way. We want 10
know how 10 get ashore from the tumult OF
this world into the land Of everlasting peace.
We do not want 20 stand doubling ana shty-
c-ing when We - away from this world. W.
wan; our 1nticipatons aroused 10 the high
st pitch.
We want % nave the evhisratt0n OF dy-
ing child I'm England. the father telling mo
the story When be said 60 her, Is the path
narrow. she answers "The path IS nar'
row. 70 l. 81 narrow that cannot walk arm
On arm with Christ Sc Jesus goes ahead and
Ho says Mary, follow Through these
church gates set heavenwarj how many OF
your frieuis and mine have gone The last
tino thnv were OUT ~ the house they came
10 church. The earthly pilgrimage ended At
the pillar OF public worship. aud then they
marched out 10 a bigger and brighter assem-
hage Some ~ thsm were 80 Old they could
not walk without cane mr. two clutches.
Now they have eternal iuyenes'encc DC
thov were so Young they could not walk eN-
rept as tine maternal hand guided them. Now
they uounl with tho hiarities celestial
The last time we SAW them they weri
wasted with malarisl or pulmonir disorder,
lui now they have no fatigue and no di1i-
Guilty Of respiration in the pure air OF heaven.
How [ wonder when You aud | will cross
over some " YOU have had about enough
1ftha humping and falling 81 this lie.
draft from the fountains OF heaven would DC
Won. good. Complete relelse. you could
stand very well. II YOU got on the other
side and hal permission to co1o back. you
would not come. Though you were invite
10 como back and Join your friends on eartr.
Won would SAY. NO let me larry here until
They come I shall not risk going barS. y
, man reaches heaven he had better stay
there.
on. Join hands with you this morning IA
that Inllited splenfor