Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1893-10-27

waited on. We do not complain because we
do not Immediately get this medicine We
! know our turn will come after awhile. And
| so, while all parts OF a sermon may not be
| appropriate TO our case, II We wait PRAYER
| fully before the sermon is through we shall
have the divine prescription. l say TO these
| young men who come here Sabbath by Sab
bath, and who are going to preach the gos-
| pel-these theological students-I say 10
| them, We want in our sermons not more
metaphysics, nor more Imagination, nor
more logic, nor more profGnditv.
What We want In our sermons and Chris
tian exhortatlons Is more sympathy. When
Father Taylor preached in the Sailors Bethel
at Boston, the jack tars felt that they had
help for their duties among the ratlines and
the forecastles. When Richard Weaver
| preached to the operatives in Oldham, Eng
| land, all the workingmen felt they had more
| grace for the spindles. When DIR. South
| preached to kings and princes and princesses
all the mighty men who heard him felt prep
aration for their high station.
Again l remark that sanctuary help ought
to come through the prayers OF all the peo-
| pie. The door OF the eternal storehouse is
hung on one hinge-a gold hinge, the hinge
| OF prayer-and when the whole audience lay
| hold OF that door, II must como open. There
are here many people spending their first
Sabbath after some great bereavement What
will your prayer do for themp How will II
help the tomb in that mans heart2 Here
are people who have not been in church be-
fore for ten years What will your PRAYER
do for them by rolling over their soul holy
memores2
Here are people in crises OF awful temp
tation. They are on tho verge OF despair or
wild laundering or theft or suicide. What
will your prayer do for them this morning
In the way OF giving them strength TO resist :
Will you be chiefly anxious about the fit OF
the glove that you put to your forehead
while you prayed2 Will you be chiefly
critical OF the rhetoric OF the pastors
petition2 No. No. thousand people will
feel, THAT prayer is for me-" and at every
step ofthe prayer chains ought to drop OF,
and temples OF sin ought to crush into dust,
and jubilees of delverance ought to brandish
their trumpcts. In most Of our churches we
have three prayers-the opening prayer,
what Is called the "long prayer" and the
closing prayer.
There are many people who spend the first
prayer In arranging their apparel after en-
trance, and spend the second prayer--the
'long prayer"-n wishing 1t were through,
and spend the last prayer In preparing to
start for home. The most insignificant part
OF every religious service is the sermon. The
more important parts are the Scrlptural les-
son and the prayer. The sermon is only
man talking to man. The Scripture lesson
is God talking TO man. Prayer IL man talk
ing to God. Oh, II we understood the grand
eur and the pathos OF this exercise OF prayer,
instead Of being a dull exercise, we would
imagine thar the room was full OF divine and
angelic appearances.
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 coach, or all the passen-
gers from Albany to Buffalo by canalboat, or
TO do all the battling OF the world with bow
and arrow, as with the old style OF church to
meet the exigcncies OF this dav 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 resounding 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
masses OF the people than the ordinary bust
ness suit that you wear In Wall street
tailor cannot make a minister. Some of the
poorest preachers wear the best clothes, and
many n backwoodsman has dismounted from
the saddlebags and in hts linen buster
preached a sermon that shook earth and
heaven with its Christian eloquence. No new
gospel, only the old gospel In way suited
to the time. No new church, but "A church
to be the asylum, the inspiration, tho prac-
teal sympathy and the eternal help OF the
people,
But while half OF tho doors OF the church
are to be set open toward this world the other
half OF the doors OF tho church must be set
open toward the next You and Harry hero
only hriof Gpocc. Wo want somebody TO
touch us how to get out Of this life at tho
right time and in tha right way Some
fnll ont of life ~ = ulbintr n ltfp
some go groaninG oct oflife, some 90 ours
inI out oflife. We want TO 30 singing. RS
ing, rejoicing, trlumphing. We want half
the doors OF the church set In that direc-
ton. Wewant half the prayers 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
We do not want to stand doubling and shv-
ering when we go away from this world. We
want our anticipations aroused to the high
est pitch.
We want TO have the exhilaration OF dy-
ing child In England, the father telling me
tho story. When he said to her, as the path
narrow" she answered 1.-The path is mar
row. 1t Is so narrow that cannot walk arm
in arm with Christ, so Jesus goes ahead and
He says, Mary, follo~.'" Through these
church gates set heavenward how many OF
your friends and mine have gone? 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 brighter assem-
blage. Some Of them were so old they could
not walk without a cane or two crutches
Now they have eternal juvenescence. Or
they were SO young they could not walk ex-
cept as the maternal hand guided them. Now
they bound with the hilarities celestial.
The last time we saw them they wero
BOD nl..-
but now they have no fatigue and no diffl-
Guilty OF respiration in the pure air OF heaven.
How wonder when you and l will cross
over Some Of you have had about enough
OF the humping and failing of this life.
draft from the fountains Of heaven would do
you good. Complete release, you could
stand very well. II you got on the other
side and had permission to come back, you
would not come. Though you were invited
to come back and Join your friends on earth,
you would say, mo, let me tarry here until
they come. | shall not risk going back. II
man reaches heaven, he had better stay
there"
Oh, join hands with you this morning in
that uplifted splendorl
When the shore is won at last
Who will count the pillows past1
In Freybourg, Switzerland, there Is the
trunk OF a tree 400 years old. That tree was
planted to commemorate an event. About
ten miles from the city the Swiss conquered
the Burgundians, and young man wanted
to take the tidings to the city. He took tree
branch and ran with such speed the ten miles
that when he reached the city waving the
tree branch he had only strength to cry "vic-
tory !" and dropped dead. The tree branch
that he carried was planted. and 1t grew to
be great tree, twenty feet In circumference.
ana the remains OF 1t are there to this day
NY hearer when you have fought your last
battle with sin and death and hell, and thew
nave been routed In the conflict, 1t will be a
Joy worthy OF celebration. You will Hy to
tne CITY ana cry Victory" and drop at the
feet OF the Great King. Then the nalr,
branch OF the earthly race will be planted. 10
become tho outreaching tree OF everlasting
rejoicing.
When shall these eyes Thy heaven. built yxalIs
And pearly gates behold; ~
hI lNuaR a..