Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1894-05-19

| same ureSS hnt wore ~ years ago. Row
faded IL is and now ont of date! Sac sits
and listens as well as she can. Her eyes
are SO dim she cannot see half way across
the church. Her ear is so imperfect that
she can only catch occasionally note of
the psalm or a word of the preacher.
Some one sitting next to her gives her a
book and finds the place for her. She
says, Thank You. miss; thank you.
She holds the book close up To her eyes
and with voice all full of tremors
sings:
jesus. lover Of my soul.
Let me To thy bosom ny
While the pillows near me roll.
While the tempest still Is high.
Hide me. . my Saviour. hide.
Till the storm OF life Is past.
Safe into the haven guide
oh. receive my soul a. last
And Jesus says to her, Mother. are
you weary" And she says. Yes, Jesus,
am very tired" Jesus says, Mother,
Sre you poor And she SAYS: Yes.
am very poor. Icannot sew any more.
cannot knit any more. lam very poor. >
Jesus says to her, Mother, would you
like to rest:" She says, Yes, Lord;
that is what want-rest." Courage,
mother" says Jesus. II will see 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 chari-
OTIS 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 God for the
height, the depth. the length and the
breadth of such Christian comfort! Oh,
that we might have such joy as that
which inspired the men at the battle OF
Leuthen! They were singing q Chris.
tian song as they went into battle. A
general said to the king. shall stop
those people singing!" No." said the
king. Men that sing like that can
fight" would that We had q singing
church. joyful church, jubilant
We would have a triumphant church.
An Up to Date Church.
| / remark, further, that We have here
tried to build church abreast of the
times. 1t is all folly for us to try to dc
things the way they did so or 100 years
ago. We might as well be plowing with
Elijah's crooked stick, or go into battle
with Saul's arInor. or prefer a canalboat
to an express train, As 10 be clinging to
old things. What we most need now is
q wide awake church. People who are
out i'll the world all the week, jOstling
against this lightning footed century.
come into the church ON the Sabbath and
60 right to sleep unless they have a spir-
ited service. Men engaged in literary
callings all the week. reading pungent.
sharp writings. cannot be expected to
come and hear our ecclesiastical hum
drum.
Ii u man stays at home ON Sundays and
reads the newspapers, it Is because the
newspapers are more interesting. We
need, my brethren, TO rouse up and stop
hunting with blank cartridges. The
church of God ought To he the leader.
the interpreter. the inspirer of the age.
1t is all folly for us to be discussing old
issues-arraigning Nero. hanging Absa-
lon, striking the Philistines with Sham
gar's OK goad-when all around about lis
are iniquities to be slain.
Did say that the church ought to be
abreast of the times! i 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 in
vention. Paul was / 900 years ahead Of
| the day i'll which he lived. The swift
footed years that have passed since Lu-
ther died have not yet come up to Lu-
theirs grave. Give iniquity 1000 years
| the start, and the feet of Christianity are
SO nimble that if you will but give it full
swing i: will catch up and pass it in two
bounds. The church of God ought to be
ahead of the times.
A Church That Converts.
remark, further, that we have tried
here, in the love and fear Of God, to build
q church that would be charact terized by
conversions. have heard of very good
people who could preach ON for Is or ~
years and see no conversions, but yet
have faith. Ii takes very good man to
do that. do not know how "a man can
keep his faith up if souls are not brought
| to the Lord Jesus Christ. That church
that does not bring men and women to
the feet of the Saviour Is failure.
care not how fine the building. or how
sweet the music, or how eloquent the
preaching. or how elegant the surround
ings-it is failure. The church Of God
was made for just one thing-to get men
~ \ Al. L.. 4
heaven.
The tendency in churches is To spend
their time in giving fine touches To Chris
tians already polished. We keep our re-
ligion too much indoors anG under shell
ter, when it ought to be climbing the
rocks or hewing in the forests. Then it
would be a stalwart religion. a robust
strong meat of the word, instead of be-
ing kept on the pap and Cruel of spiritual
invalidism. 1t is high time that we threw
off the Sunday clothes Of sickly senti-
mentality and put on the workday dress
of an earnest, active Christianity.
Here is Brooklyn, here is New York,
here are the United States. here is the
whole world, to be converted. II is ,s94
years since Christ came, and yet Europe,
Asia, Africa, North and South America
are still unevangelized. More people
born every year into the world than are
born into the kingdom of God. At that
rate ask any one who can do a simple
sum in arithmetic to calculate when this
world will be brought to Jesus. At that
ratio. never. never. never! And yet we
know that it is TO be brought To Christ.
But the church will have to cha age its
tack and take wider sweep with the
gospel net than any it has yet taken.
believe that the great masses of the peo-
Pile are now ready to receive the gospel
If We give them chance.
A boy goes along the street at night
and sees fine house beautifully lighted
up and hears music. and he says. IL wish
| was in there. but l have not been in
vited," and so he passes ON. Here is the
| u. r..