National Baptist world., 1894-09-28


strument did not seem to be made out
of wood and metal, but out of hu-
man hearts, SO wonderfully did it
pulsate with every emotion; now
laughing like child, now sob
bing like a tempest. At one mo-
ment the music would die away
until you could hear the cricket chirp
outside the wall, and then it would
roll up until it seemed as if the surge
Of the sea and the crash of an avail
lanche had struck the Organ-pipes at
+Le 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 life!
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
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 | see therein
such a mingling and mixture of the
blood of all natiOnalities that | 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 | come out as
only a 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 | get
through, Ihope, 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 Christ's 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-lapsarlan and
supra-lapsarian? What do they care
for your profound explanations, clear
as a 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 part:
HYDROGEN gas and one of oxygen gas
with a common density of 80 degree:
F, Fahrenheit, turning to steam under {
I common atmospheric pressure OF 212
He does not want chemical Lecture
on water; he wants rope.
O Oh, my friends, the curse of God OF
6 the church, it seems to me, in this day
, is metaphysics. We speak in an un
. known tongue in our Sabbath schools
= and in our religious assemblages, an(
in our pulpits, and how can people b.
;, saved unless they understand us? W.
n put on our official gowns, and we thinl
q the two silk balloons Tapping at th'
/ elbows of a preacher give him grea
sanctitv. The river of Gods trut]
~ flows down before us pure and clear
\ crystal; but we take our theological
= stick and stir it up, and stir it up, unit
;. YOU cannot see the bottom. Oh, fO
. the simplicity of Christ in all our IL
~ structions-the simplicity He practice
when, standing among the people, II
= took lily, and said: There is le'
~ son of the manner 1 will clothe you;
= and pointing to a raven, said: ''Ther
- is a lesson of the way | will feed yOl
9 consider the lilies-behold the fowls.
!, think often in our religious instru'
% tions we compel the people to stay OF
- by our church architecture. Poop
~ come in and they find things angula1
70 and cold, and stiff, and they go away
+ never again to come: when the churc
- ought to be great home circle, ever.
70 body having hymn book, giving ha
=, of it to the one next him; every or
&c who has hand to shake hands, shal
a ING hands-the church architecture an
20 the church surroundings saying to tt
- people: ''Come in and be at home" II
% stead of that, l think all of these su
! roundings often compel the people
h stay out. Now, let US all repent
our sins and begin on the 9TH
az track, and by our heartiness of atte
oe ton, and warmth of manner, and II
ploration of the Spirit of God, comp
the people to come in. How shall v
lead sinners to accept the Lords inv
tation? I think we must certainly b
gin by holy life. We must be bett'
men, better women, before we ca
compel the people to come in the Kin
OF dom of Jesus Christ. There are fine G
e. says being written in this day abo7
I science and religion. | tell you Il
he best argument in behalf Of our no
of Christianity: 1t is good man, go'
10 woman, life all consecrated to Chris
ce No infidel can answer it. Oh. let US
en- holy example compel the people
he come in!