The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-09-21

the same moment. AT one time that
| night it seemed as if a squadron of
spirits weeping up from earth had met
a squadron of descending angels whose
glory beat back the woe. Standing
there and looking at the taper on the
altar of the cathedral, / said: 'How
much like many a Chris tian's lifel
Shadows hover, and sometimes his hope
is dim, and faint, and Pickering, like a
taper on the altar. But at what time
God wills, the heavens break forth with
music upon his soul, and the air be-
comes resonant as the angels of God
beat it with their shining scepters"
Oh, the Lord God has many fair and
beautiful daughters, but the fairest of
them all is she whose ways are pleasant
ness and whose paths are peace, Now,
my brothers and sisters-for l have a
right to call you all SOL know some
people look back on their ancestral
line, and they see they are descended
from the Puritans or Huguenots. and
they rejoice in that; but look back on
my ancestral line, and l see therein
such mingling and mixture of the
blood of all nationalities that l feel
akin to all the world, and by the blood
of the Son of God, who died for all
people, | address you in the bonds of
universal brotherhood. l come out as
only servant, bringing an invitation
to party, and put it into your hand,
saying: Come, for all things are now
ready" and urge it upon you and con-
tinue to urge it, and, before l get
through, hope, by the blessing of God,
to compel you to come in.
We must take care how we give the
invitation. My Christian friends,
think sometimes we have just gone op-
pOsite to Christs command. and we
have compelled people to stay out.
Sometimes our elaborated instructions
have been the hindrance. We gradu-
ated from our theological seminaries on
stills, and it takes five or six years be-
fore we can come down and stand right
beside the great masses of the people,
learning their joys, sorrows, victories,
defeats. We get our heads so brimful
of theological wisdom that we have to
stand very straight lest they spill
over. Now. what do the great masses
of the people care about the tech
nicalities of religion? What do they
care about the hypOstatic union or the
difference between sub-lapsarian and
supra lapsarian? What do they care
for your profound explanations, clear
as London fog? When man is
drowning he does not want you to
stand by the dock and describe the ma
ture of the water into which he has
fallen, and tell him there are two parts
hydrogen gas and one of oxygen gas,
with a common density of 80 degrees
Fahrenheit, turning to steam under a
common atmospheric pressure of 212.
He does not want chemical lecture
on water: he wants rope.
Oh, my friends, the curse of God on
the church, it seems to me. in this day,
is metaphysics. We speak in an I'M
known tongue in our Sabbath schools,
and in our religious assemblages. and
in our pulpits, and how can people be
saved unless they understand us? We
put on our official gowns. and we think
the two silk balloons tapping at the
elbows of preacher give him great
The river of Gods truth
flows down before us pure and clear as
crystal; but we take our theological
stick and stir it up, and stir it up. until
you cannot see the bottom. Oh, for
the simplicity of Christ in all our in
simplicity He practiced
when, standing among the people. He
took lily. and said: There is les
son of the manner | will clothe you;"
and. pointing to a raven, said: There |
is lesson of the way / will feed you:
the lilies-behold the fowls"
/ think often in our religious instruc-
tons we compel the people to stay out |
by our church architecture. People |
come in and they find things angular, |
and cold, and stiff. and they go away, |
never again to come: when the church |
ought to be great home circle. every |
body having hymn book. giving half |
IF it to the one next him; every one |
who has hand to shake hands. shak- |
ing hands-the church architecture and |
the church surroundings saying to the
people: Come in and be at home" In
stead of that, think all of these sur
often compel the people to
stay out. Now, let us all repent of
our sins and begin on the other
rack, and by our heartiness of affec-
ion, and warmth of manner, and i'm
,loration of the Spirit of God, compel
he people to come in. How shall we
cad sinners to accept the Lords invi-
alton? l think we must certainly be-
rim by holy life. We must be better
men, better women, before we can
compel the people to come in the King
lom of Jesus Christ. There are fine es-
avs being written in this day about
cience and religion. l tell you the
,est argument in behalf of our holy /
1t is good man, a good
a life all consecrated to Christ
30 infidel can answer it. Oh. let us by
holy example compel the people to
ONE in
read of a minister of the gospel who
vas very fond of climbing among the
'wiss mountains. One day he was
limbing among very dangerous places
nd thought himself all alone, when he
eard a voice below him saying:
Father, look out for the safe path,
IN following" and he looked back and
aw that he was climbing not only for
imself, but climbing for his boy. Oh.
ct US be sure and take the safe path.
)ur children are following: our part
ers in business are following: our
eighbors are following. great null
itude stepping right into our steps.
N, be sure and take the right path!
Exhibit Christian example. and so by .
our cody walk compel the people to