The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-11-16

|
We ask, Where are the men in our
church membership to-day? They have
gone out of the church in search of the
life of the Christ, | fear.
| Jesus Christ came to establish the
| kirgdOm here on this earth, he said. We
| have been trying to establish t in the skies
after death.
The sphere of the church has been
pushed by its own theologians into the
grave and beyond it. This life has been
| left to the devil. And he has been MAX
| ing good use OF the great opportunity.
| The church must do one of two things
| wake to the consciousness OF her mission
or die.
She must know that her sphere is the
! sphere of the human conscience. 1t less
than this, it is nothing. Ii accepted as
this, it sweeps the whole range of human
life, and all things are sacred. The idea
of the secular should be relegated to hell,
where it belongs. 1t was an invention
of the devil to protect as his own terri
tory the fairest portion of Gods world.
If the church have nothing to do with
philanthropy, pauperlsm, crime and sa-
looms; if the church have nothing to do
with progress, reform and social science,
its work is done. 1t is time to quit, for
this is the work of This age. The religion
that does not touch and settle these
questions can not live far into the
twentieth century. Man is more and
more Il social creature. More and more
his life touches every other in the most
sacred relations.
The age is militant one.
The only powers that can survive its
conflicts are those that believe what they
stand for with body, mind and soul and
are ready to die for them
Churches are dying because they do
not touch the life of the age in which they
live. They do not preach vital gospel.
There has never been any difficulty
about getting more people to come to
this church than can get inside OF any
building we take. There are hundreds
of men attending these services regularly
who have not been inside of church for
years-some of them for % years by
their own statement.
THE BOY AND HIS DRUM.
The church that really desires to reach
and save people can do it. But they
must pray for this end as the little boy
prayed for the tOy-it must be with the
whole heart, and it must be between
every line, for they have no other reason
for existence A little boy of 6 was crazy
for drum. The household objected
to the noise. But one night after he
went to bed he was heard to pray like
this, with his little soul thrown into
every word:
Now l lay me down to sleep
| | want a drum.
pray the Lord my soul to keep
| want a drum.
If should die before wake
4 | |
| pray the--LOrd--m y--sOul--tO-take--
I-Want-a-drum.
We can depend on it, he got that drum
, The church can get and does get what il
wants. The church does not get the
, people, because it does not ask for them
1t does not want them. 1t is afraid o
the noise Whenever the chursh makes
; up her mind to take off the long robes
that cumber the feet of her companions
J and the high collars that choke then
l and enter into the life of the people Will
love and help, she will rise in power to
, save.
The accent has been on the wrong
! syllable. We have been trying to prepare
men for death. We are commanded tc
prepare them for life. 4 good old Meth
t odist preacher of the old regime was
l riding along a country road in Virginia
? and overlook peddler struggling under
? his pack. He asked the peddler to get
up and ride with him. He did SO. Fol
? some time the preacher said nothing
+ Presently he turned his solemn counte
nance full upon the peddler and said Will
awful emphasis, "My friend, are you
r prepared to die?'
The pedder gave him one look O
terror, leaped out of the buggy ant
: broke for his life down through tn
: woods with all speed. The preacher
t FASTENED to assure him as he flew thai
? he did not mean to murder him. But h.
peddler refused to come in reach of thai
buggy any more, and the preacher ha'
5 to leave his pack on the side of the roaC
and drive on.
The sphere of religion is this world
; not the next. Its work is to prepare TO
2 life, not death. He who recognizes thi
: fact will find to-day willing thousand
. to hear the gospel OF Jesus.
: Mrs. BOOTHS ELOQUE>CE.
! We are told that Mr. Reed. an Englisl
gentleman. asked Mrs Booth OF tn
Salvation Army to give an address in
hall which he had erected for the use o
his tenantry and neighbors. He had hi