Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1893-10-21

eHgencie5 Of this day. Unless the church
In our day will adapt itself to the time
1t will become extinct. The people read.
ing newspapers and books all the week,
In alert, picturesque and resoundine
style, will haveno patience with Sabbath
humdrum.
We have no objections to bands and
surplice and all the paraphernalia Of
clerical life, but these things make nc
impression-lnake no more impression
on the great masses Of the people than
the ordinary business suit that you wear
In Wall street, A tailor cannot make q
6 minister. Some of the poorest preach
ers wear the best clothes, and many q
backwoodsman has dismounted from
the saddlebags and in his linen buster
preached a sermon that shook earth and
heaven with it's Christian eloquence.
No new gospel, only the old gospel In
way suited to the time. Nonew church,
but church to be the asylum, the in.
spiration, the practical sympathy and
Gue eterudI uelp VI LIZ PcOpiO.
CHURCH DOORS.
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 larry 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 stumbling out OF
life, some go grooming out Of life, some
go cursing out of life. We want to go
singing, rising, rejoicing, triumphing.
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 tulnhlt of this world
into the land Of everlasting peace. We
do not want to stand doubling and shiv-
ering when We go away from this world.
We want our anticipations aroused to
the highest pitch.
We want to have the exhilaration of a
dying child in England. the father tell
ing me the story. When be said to her,
"Is the path narrow?' sho answered:
1.-THE 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
setheavenwardh how many ofyour friends
and mine have gomez The last time they
were out of the house they came to
church. The earthly pilgrimage ended
at the pillar of public worship, and then
they marched out to bigger and bright
er assemblage So-,e of them were so
old they could not walk without cane
or two crutches, Now they have eternal
juvenescence. Or they were so young
they could not walk except as the mater
nal hand guided them. Now they bound
with the hilarities 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 Iwonder when you
and will Cross over! Some of you have
had about enough of the humping and
failing of this life. A draft from the
fountains of heaven would do you good.
Complete release. you could stand very
well. Hyou got on the other side and
and had permission to come back, you
would. not coma. Fhough you-weresin-
vited to come back and join your friends
on earth, you would say, No, let me
tarry here until they come. shall not
risk going back. If man reaches heaven,
he had better stay there"
Oh, I join hands with you this morn
ing in that uplifted splendori
When tho shore is won at last,
Who will count tho pillows pasa
In Freybourg, Switzerland, there is
the trunk of tree 400 years old. That
tree was planted to commemorate an
event. About 10 miles from the city
the Swiss conquered the Burgundians,
and a young man wanted to take the
tidings to the city. He took a tree
branch and ran with such speed the 10
miles that when he reached the city wav-
ing the tree branch he had only strength
to cry, "Yictory!" and dropped dead.
The tree branch that he carried was
planted, and it grew to be great tree,
2Ofeet in circumference, and the remains
of 1t are there to this day.
My nearer, when you have fought
your last battle with sin and death and
hell, and they have been routed in the
conflict, 1t will be Joy worthy of cele-
bration. Youwill fly to the city and
cry "Victoryp and drop at the feet of
the Great King. Then the palm branch
Of the earthly race will be planted, to be-
come the outreaching tree of everlasting
rejoicing.
When shall these eyes thy heaven built
walls
And pearly gates behold.
Thy bulwarks with salvation strong
And streets OF shining goldS