Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-16


mon The uoro important parts are the
Scripture lesson and the prayer The ser
mon is only man talking TO man. The
Scripture lesson is God talking to mau
Prayer is man talking to God Oh, II we
understood the grandeur aud the pathOs Of
this exercise OF prayer, instead OF beng a
dull exercise, we would imagine that the
room was full Of divine and angelic appear
Rnces.
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 couch, or all
the passengers from Albany 10 Buffalo by
canalboat, or do all the battling Of the
world with bow and arrow, US with thu old
style OF church to meet the exigcnces Of
this day. Unless the church In our day
will adapt itself to the time II will become
extinct. The people reading newspapers
and books all the week, in alert, pictur-
esque and resembling style, will have no
patience with Sabbath humdrum.
We have no objections to bands and sur
plice and all the paraphernalia Of clerical
life, but these things make no impression
make no more impression on the great mass
es OF the people than the ordinary business
suit that you wear IN Wall street. A tailor
cannot make minister. Some OF the poor
est preachers wear the best clothes, aud
many n backwoodsmnn has dismounted
from tho sRddlehags, and In his linen dust
er preached n sermon that shook earth and
heaven with its Christian eloquence. No
new gospel, only the old gospel in way
suited 10 the time. No new church, but q
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 ret open toward this world The
other half Of the doors OF the church must
be set open toward the next, You and
tGrry 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 out OF life. some 80 stumbling
out Of life, some 40 grooming out Of life,
some 20 cursing cut Of life. We want TO
20 singing, rising, rejoicing, trlumphing,
We want half the doors OF the church set
In that direction. We want half the pray
ers 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
everlasting peace. Wedonot want to stand
doubling and shiyering when we 20 away
from this world. We want our anticipa-
lions aroused to the highest pitch.
We want to have the EXPLANATION Of a
dying child in England, the father telling
me the story. When he said TO her, us
the puth narrowW she answered; "Ihe
path Is narrow. It is so narrow that |
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 gomez The last time
they were out of the house they came
20 church. The earthly pilgrimage end.
ed at the pillar Of public worship, and
then they marched out to bigger and
brighter assemblage. Como OF them were
so old they could not walk without a cane
or two erutches; now they have eternal
iuvenescence or they were so young they
could not walk except as the maternal
hand guided them; now they bound with
the hilRrities celestial.
The last time We saw them they were
wasted with malarlal or pulinonio disor
der, but now they have no fatigue and nc
difficulty OF respiration IN the pure air Of
| heaven. How wonder when YOU and
will cross oyerl Some Of you have bad
about enough Of the humping and Mailing
Of this life. A draft from the fountains Of
heaven would do you good. Complete re
lease you could stand very well. IL yor
got on the other side and had permission
TO come back. you would not come
Though you were invited 70 come bacl
and ioin your friends on earth, you woult
say; "No, let me tarry here until thel
con,e. ] shall not risk going back II {
man reaches heaven, he had better stay
here u
Oh, | Join hands with you this morning
In that uplifted splendorl
When the shore Is wen at last.
Who will count the pillows past1
In Freybourg Switzerland, there is thu
Trunk OF a tree 400 years old. That tre'
,vas nlanted to commemorate an event
About 10 miles from the city the swis
conquered the Burgnndians, and younl
man wanted 70 take the tidiug. TO the city
IL tool a tree branch aud ran with suel
sneed the 10 miles that when he rcaehef
tbe city waving the tree branch he bad onil
strenqth 70 cry, Victory" and droppef
dend The tree branch that he carried wa
nlanted. and Il grew to be a great tree x
fset In circumfsrsnce, nnd the remains oil y
are thore 10 this day.
Nv nearer, wheH you have fenght you
last hattie with sin and death ana heii ans
thcv have been routed ~ tae ennh'gi, d
vii be o Joy worthy 81 ceie9FT'''eA' 40