The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-10-28

We read your editorial Of Thursday,
entitled empty seats." AMI tho
thought suggested itself to our mind
why should there be in our city
churhos an empty seat" or why is it
that there is nm empty seat" In the
house OF God. at the appointed time
OF service. We are glad to say that In
empty seats during the hour OF
worship. 1t happens generally,
though not always, that an empty re-
tliRlon" makes empty pews or seats III
tho house OF God. and all religions are
empty that have no Christ in them.
1 here is an abundance of professional
christianity. but 1t Is only profession.
Ial. It is empty. there Is no life. no vi.
tally. no power, no Christ IN it. 1t is
a sham. humbuR, counterfeit. on
which men and women are being
carried down to ruin day by day, as
the moments come and go.
We say 1t Is a counterfeit Christian.
Ity. Issued by Satan and circulated by
men. II is this counterfeit. valuless,
Religious currency, 30 abundantly cir
lculated, and goes better out of tie
church than In IL, that tends largely
to making empty seats" In the church
Of God. It is this currency which
passes current at the theatre. at the
foaiOUtts ~ bib iuobhDis oii lhG OhDOabii-
breaking street cars, Ia fact anywhere
in tile realms OF Satan's kingdom.
1t ls the holders of this kind of cur
Irency that make most OF tho empty
seats" in the church Of Christ. and
more particularly 30 on the occasions
OF those spiritual services. the prayer
or class meetings.
II is fact which observation will
prove that people who make no pro-
lfession OF Christianity at all, but who
by their attendance on pubic worship
lin Code house do more towards max
ling n quorum" or occupying the
seats then do the professional, spuri-
Gus. religious tilibusters- l never did
like the idea OF not counting q man
when he was In his seat, neither do
admire counting a man when he is not
In his seat. So whom you see empty
Iseats" In the church. as II rule. you
will be able to count about that many
IfilibusteriDR professors who, II they
meant business for their Master would
be in their seats. ready for business.
and there would be fewer empty seats
to make mention OF. These profes.
Isional counterfeits are great hind.
rance to the cause OF Christ and His
church, because the world often takes
them for genuine and then discovers
that they have been deceived. and are
ready to condemn the whole issue of
christian currency, and pronounce it
all counterfeit.
But may we not gather some useful
lesson from few thoughts In rela-
Itlon to this question of religious
currency" as to its genuineness. or its
IspurlousDess. Let us then lay down
this broad foundation, that there could
never exist a counterfeit" without u
genuine" A painter could not paint
"a landscape or a tree, without the real
ito draw from. An artist could not
make a counterfeit bank bill or noto.
unless be had a genuine note or bill to
work from. So it IL In all things.
There must OF necessity be genuine.
or else counterfeit could not exist.
You may, 1t Is true. make counterfeit
from the genuine, but you can never
make genuine from counterfeit
For counterfeit will always be q
counterfeit, simply because 1t ID q
counterfeit.
Our government has authority to Is
cue paper currency. Engraved metal
pilates or dies are used to Stang the
bill or note, and only those male or
stamped by the government are genu-
line. and only those that are genuine
will be redeemed by the government I
treasury. All other notes arc counter.
its and worthless aid will never be
owned or redeemed by the govern
ment. Reader, lhristianity ls no
cunningly devised fable. but the power
OF God unto salvation" Do not take
the counterfeit, but get the genuine
For thanks be to God. notwithstand.
ing Satan has flooded the world with
u deceptive, alluriDg. bogus currency,
and made every human heart bank
OF deposit there has been issued by
the government OF Heaven q currency
for me and for you, that Will make us
rich In time, and Itch to all eternity.
How shall We know the genuine?
II you never had genuine notrAfouI
would not know what one was like.
but when you got one you could then
genuine notes, which the counterfeitsr
'lcannot find out, and the holders can
not explain. nevertheless. they can be
distinguished by the little, to the
naked eye, invisible lines interviewer
In the body OF the note. So 1t Ia with
genuine Christianity. You know God
tells us in His word. THE secret of
/ the Lord is with His people" There
la secret abont Christianity. which
the Devil never knew. or else all the
world would have known about 1t tooS
! But the Devil never knew it and the
world don't know IT.. but / am glad
that Gods word tells us that there Is
God in Henyen who reveals secrets. "
/ Reader, If you will you may know
this secret. ! cannot tell you-no man
can tell you-but God can. And you
can know 1t personally. for yourself,
when He reveals to your conscious
ness the secret of reieeming grace.
He, md He alone, can impart the
.genuiue secret that binds u trem bling
human soul to Christ.
Repentance and faith in tho Lord
Jesus Christ on your part will bling
you within reach OF His promise-and
| His promise will never fail-"Hiin
that cometh unto me l will in nowlse
cast out" and in touch of that d.
vine virtue that no man can ever
ImIsunderstanu, for there will
come to yonr soul such Hood OF
light and heavenly wisdom; such an
conscious over as will drive
Satan TO his lowest hell. and every
doubt and every fear and manner OF
Iunbelief will flee with lightning speed
and you will know that Christ par.
ldons. that Christ saves, that Christ is
yours and you are Christ's. And no
power in hell or in tho world can
break the evidence that God will give
Iyou, when.by hisA mighty spirit He
reveals his son in you" Glory be Ia
God.
mo storm can shake my inmost calm
While to this refuge clinging.'