The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-05-18


faded it Is and now out Of datel She tits
and listens as well as she can. Her eyes
are SO dim she cannot see half W. y across
the church. Her ear is 80 imperfect that
she can only catch occasionally note OF
the psalm or 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 d voice all full of tremcrs
sings:
Jesus. lover of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly
While the pillows near me roll,
While the tempest still is high.
hide me, o my Saviour. hide,
Till the storm Of life is past.
Safe into the haven guide
Oh, receive my soul at last.
And Jesus says to her, "Mother, are
you wearyg' And she says, eyes, Jesus,
am very tired" Jesus says, Mother,
are you poor?" And she says: Yes,
am very poor. cannot sew any more.
cannot knit any more. lam very poor. ,
Jesus says to her, Mother, would you
like to rest2' 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. Noanswer. The door is opened.
She is dead The night before the chart
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 Chris
tan song as they went into battle. A
general said to the king, Shall | stol
those people singing?" mo" said the
king. "Men that sing like that Can
fight" would that we had a singing
church, a joyful church, a jubilant
church. comforting churtA, for then
we would have triumphal arch.
An Up to Date Church.
/ remark, further, that we have here
tried to build church abreast of the
times. tits all folly for us to try to dc
things the way they did so or 100 years
ago. We might as we'll be blowing with
Elijah's crooked stick, or go into battle
with Saul's armor, or prefer canalboat
to an express train, as to be clinging tc
old things. What we most need now is
wide awake church. People who are
out in the world all the week, jostline
against this lightning footed century
come into the church on the Sabbath and
go right to sleep unless they have spir.
tied service. Men engaged in literary
callings all the week, reading pungent
sharp writings, cannot be expected tc
come and hear our ecclesiastical hum
drum.
If a 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 stoI
hunting with blank cartridges. The
church of God ought to be the leader
the interpreter, the insplrer of the age
It is all folly for us to be discussing old
issues-arraigning Nero, hanging Absa
lom, striking the Philistines with Sham
CARS OK goad-when all around about us
are iniquities to be slain.
Did say that the church ought to bs
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 in.
vention. Paul was /, 900 years ahead Of
the day in 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 it will catch up and pass it in two
bounds. The church of God ought to be
ahead of the times.
A Church That Converts.
Iremark, further, that we have tried
here, in the love and fear of God, to builG
a church that would be characterized by
conversions. have heard of very gooG
people who could preach on for 10 or q
years and see no conversions, but YET
have faith. 1t takes very good man te
do that. do not know how man car
keep his faith up if souls arenot brought
to the Lord Jesus Christ. That church
that does not bring men and women te
the feet of the Saviour is a 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 a failure. The church of Goo
was made for just one thing-to get mer
out of the world into the kingdom o.
heaven.
The tendency in churches is to speni
their time in giving fine touches to Chris
tians already polished. We keep our re
igion too much indoors and under shell
ter, when it ought to be climbing thu
rocks or hewlng in the forests. Then i
would be stalwart religion, robus
religion, a religion able to digest th'
strong meat of the word, instead of be
ing kept on the pap and gfuel of spiritua
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. 1t is l 49,
years since Christ came, and yet Europe
Asia, Africa, North and South Americ;
are still unevangelized. More peopl,
born every year into the world than ar
born into the kingdom of God. At tina
rate l ask any one who can do a simple
sum in arithmetic to calculate when Till
world will be brought to Jesus. At tina
ratio. never, never, never! And yet VIZ
know that it is to be brought to Christ
But the church will have to change il!
tack and take wider sweep with tn,
gospel net than any it has yet taken.
believe that the great masses Of the pee
pie are now ready to receive the gospe
if we give them chance.
A boy goes along the street at nigh
and sees fine house beautifully lightei
up and hears music, and he says. 81 wisl
/ was in there. but l have not been il
vited," and SO he passes on. Here is til
church of God, lighted up with festivitl
and holy mirth, and the world passe!