Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-10-26
all the battling of the world with bow

ulA TIC Quitting u luc WOrlu WIN DOW
and arrow, as with the old style Of
church to meet the cxigencies of this
day. Unless the church in our day will
adapt itself to the time it will become
extinct. The people reading ncwspa-
pcrs and books i'll the week, in alert,
picturesque and resOunding style, will
have no patience with Sabbath hum
drum. We have no objections to bands
and surplicc, and all the paraphcrnalia
OF clerical life; but these things make
no impression-make no more impress
sion on the great masses Of the people
than the ordinary business suit that
you wear in Wall street. A tailor can
not make Il minister. Some Of the poor
est preachers wear the best clothes;
and many Il backwoodsman has dis
mounted from the saddle-bagS, and in
his linen buster preached a sermon that
shook earth and heaven with it's Chris
tan cloquence. No new gospel, only
the old gospel in a way suited to the
time. No new church, but church to
be the asylum, the inspiration, the prac-
tical 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 l tarry here only
brief space. We want somebody to
teach US how to get out Of this life at
the right time and in the right way
Some fall out Of life, some go stumb-
ling out of life, some go grooming out
OF life, some go cllrsing out Of life. We
want to 60 singing, rising. rejoicing,
trlumphing. 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 tu-
mutt of this world into the land of ever
lasting peace. We do not want to
stand doubling and shivering when we
go away from this world; we want our
antlclpatiOns aroused to the highest
pltch. We want to have the exhilara-
ton OF Il dying child in England, the
father telling me the story. When he
said to her, rs the path narrow?" she
answered, Tho 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 leavenward how
many OF your friends and mine have
o''AAH' = liz AaiSo IIllt tllcy were out Oh
the house they came to church. The
earthly pilgrimage ended ut the pillar
OF public worship, and then they
marched out to Il bigger and brighter
assemblage Some of them We're so old
they could not walk without a cane or
Two crutchcs; now they have eternal
Juvcncscencc. Or they were so young
they could not walk except as the ma
ternal hand guided them; now they
bound with the hilariics celestial. The
last time we saw them they were
wasted with malarial or pulmonic dis
order; but now they have no fatigue,
and no difficulty Of respiration in the
pure air of heaven. How I wonder
when you and 1 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 well. If you got
on the other side, and had permission
to come back. you would say, mo, let
me tarry here until they come; I shall
not risk going back. if a man reaches
heaven he had better stay here
Oh, join hands with you this morn
ing in that upliftcd splendor.