Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-05-14

Rm very DOOR. i cannot sew any HOio'
I cannot knit any more. / am very
poor" Jesus says to her, Mother,
would you like to rest?" She says,
.Yes. Lord, that is that / want-rest."
Courage. mother" says Jesus, 81 will
sea thee through" She goes home.
The next morning, in the tenement
house. some one dwelling on another
floor comes to her room and knocks. No
answer. The door is opened. She
is dead! The night before,
the chariot OF God halted
AT THAT PILLOW OF STRAW,
and Jesus kept his promise. He said
that he would give her rest, and he has
given her rest Glory be to Coo lor
the height, the depth, the lenRhtn aud
breadth of such Christian comfort! On!
that we might have such Joy as that
which inspired the men at the battle OF
Leuthen. They were singing Chrls-
tian song as they went into battle. a
general said TO the king, Shall l stop
those people singing?" mo" said the
king, "nen that can sing like that can
fight" | would that we had singing
church, a Joyful church, q jubilant
church, a comforting church; for then
VS. would have triumphat church.
Iremark, further, that we have here
tried TO build Z church abreast OF the
times. 1t is ell folly for US TO try to DO
things the way they did fifty or hum
dred years ago. We might as well be
ploughing with EIijah's crooked stick,
or go into battle with Sau's armor, or
prefer a canal boat 10 an express tram,
as 10 be clnging to old thiags. what we
most need now is a wide awake church.
People who are out in the world all the
week, josting against this Lightning
footed century, come into the church on
the Sabbath and 20 right to sleep unless
they have a spirited service. Men en-
gagged in literary calIings all the week,
reading pungent, sharp writings cannot
be expected TO come and hear our ecclesi-
astical humdrum. If man stays at
home on Sundays and reads the news
papers, it is because the newspapers are
more Interesting. We need, my 6reth-
rem, to rouse up, to stop hunting with
blank cartridges. The church OF God
ought to be the leader, the Interpreter,
the inspirer OF the age. 1t is folly for
US TO be discussing old issues-arralgn'
ing Nero, hanging Absalom, striking
the Philistnes with Shamgar's OK goad
when all around about US are iniQui-
ties 10 be slain.
Did | say that tn Church ought to
be abreast OF the times? l take that
back. The Church OF God ought to be
ahead OF the times-as far In advance
as the Cross of Christ Is ahead OF all
human invention. Paul was thousand
years ahead OF the day in which he
lived.
THE swIFT-FooTED YEARS
that have passed since Luther died have
not yet come up TO Luther's grave.
Give iniquitY four thousand years the
start, and the feet OF Christianity are so
nimble that if YOU will bnt give II fnil
swing, 1t will catch up and pass it In
twin bounds. The Church OF God ought
to be ahead of the times.
remark, further, that we have tried
here, in the love and fear OF God to
build o church that would be character
lied by conversions. l have heard of
very good people who could preach on
for fifteen or twenty years, and see no
conversions, but yet have faith. 1t
takes a very good man TO do that. do
not know how man can keep his faith
up il souls are not brought TO the LORD
Jesus Christ. That church which does
not bring men and women to the feet OF
the Savior is a failure. care not how
iiue the building or how sweet the mu-
sic, or how eloquent the preaching, or
how elegant the surrouudings-it Is
failure. The Church OF God was made
for just one thlng-to get men out OF
the world into the kingdom OF heaven.
The tendency 10 churches is to spend
their tune in giving fine touches to
Christians already polished. We keep
our religion too much indoors, and un'
der shelter, when il ought to be climb
inc the rocks or hewing in the forests.
Then It would be stslwart religion, a
robust religion, q religion able to digest
tho strong meat OF the Word, instead OF
being kept on the pap and Cruel OF splr-
itual invalidism. II Is high time that
we threw of the Sunday clothes OF
sickly sentimsnta'ity, and put on tho
work day dress of an earnest, active
Here is Brooklyn, here is New York,
here are the United States, here is the
whole world, to be converted. 1t Is
eighteen hundred and ninety-four years
since Christ came, and yet Europe, Asia,
Africa, North and South America,
ARE STILL UNEvANGELIZED.
More people are born every year into
the world than are born into the king
dom of God AT that rate, | ask any
one who can do a simple sum in arith-
metic to calculate when this world will
be brought 20 Jesus. At that ratio,
never! never! never! And yet we know
that ii is to be brought 10 Christ But
the Church will have to change It's
tact, aud take wider sweep with the
Gospel net than any IL has yet taken.
l believe that the great masses OF the
people are now ready TO receive the
Gospel, il we give them chance. A.
boy goes along the street at night, and
sees fne house beautifully lighted up,
and hears music, and he says, II wish
l was in there, but l have not been in
vited;" and so he passes on. Here is
the Church Of God, lighted up with feS-
tivity and holy mirth, and the world
passes along outside, hears the music,
and sometimes wishes 1t was inside, but
saws that IL is not invited. Oh! invite
the world to come in! Go out into the
highways aud hedges. Send ticket
of invitation, printed in these words,
Come, for all things are now ready"
Some years ago two hundred men
were buried in the Hartley colliery Of
England. The Queen OF England, from
her throne, autographed, lis there any
hope for the men?" After while the
answer came over the wires: mo hope;
thew are dead" Here is a whole race