Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-05-17


things the way they did 90 or 100 years |
ago. We might as we'll be blowing with |
Eliiah's crooked stick, or go into battle |
with Sauls armor or prefer canaiboat |
to an express train, rs to be clinging to |
old things What we most need now Is q |
wide awake church. People who are out |
in the world all the week, jestling against |
this lightning footed century, come into |
the church on the Sabbath and go right to |
sleep unless they have spirited service.
Men engaged in literary callings all the
week, reading pungent, sharp writings,
cannot he expected to come and hear our
ecclesiastical humdrum. If a man stays at
home on Sundays and roads the newspa-
pcrs it is because the newspapers are moro
interesting We need, my brethren, to
rouse up and stop hunting with blank
cartridges. The church of God ought to
be the leader. the interpreter, the inspirer
of the age 1t is all folly for us to be dis
cussing old issues-arrnigning Nero, hang
ing Absalom striking the Phlistines with
Shamgar's OK goad 49, when all around
about us are iniquitcs to be slain.
Did say that the church ought to be
abreast of the timcsY ! taxi, that back.
The church of God ought to be ahead of
the tmcs--as far in advance as the cross
Of Christ is ahead of all human invention.
Paul was coo 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 Luthers grave. Give
| iniquity 4, coo 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 he ahead of the times.
A StaIwprt Religion.
| remark, further, that we have tried here
! in the love and fear of God to build a
/ church that would be characterized by
conversions. l have heard of very good
people who could preach on for 10 or 90
years and see no conversions, but yet have
faith. 1T takes n very good man to do that
/ ! do not know how a man can keep his
faith up if souls are not brought to the
I Lord Jesus Christ. That church that does
! not bring men and women to the feet of
/ the Saviour i, a failure. ! care not how
fire the building or how sweet the music,
or how eloquent the preaching, or how
elegant the suToundinRs-it is II failure.
/ The church Of God was made for just one
/ thing-to get men out of the world into
the kingdom of heaven. The tendency in
churches Is to spend their time in giving
/ fine touches to Christians already polished.
, We keep our Gion too much indoors
/ and under shelter when it ought to be
/ climbing the rocks or hewing in the for
ests Then it would b. a 5talwart religion,
a robust religion, a religion able to digest
| the strong meat of the world instead of
being kept on the pap and Cruel of spirit
ual invalidism. IT is high time that we
threw off the sunday clothes of sickly sen
timentality and put on the worhday dress
Of an earnest, active Christianity
hero arc tho I,,ited St.tes hero is tho
.,I,i ,,.,,,,l .. -, o,,,,,.o,+oa 49, co.
vcars since Christ came. and vet Europe
Asia Africa. North and South America
arc sin unevangelizod More peoplc horn
every wear into the world than are born
into the kiuU,o1n of G0d. AT that rate
Jnsk anv one who can do n simple sum in
arithmetic to calculate when This world
will me brourht to Jesus At that ratio
mover. never ncverl And vet we know
that if is Ia be brought. to Christ. But tho
church will have to change it's tack and take
n wider s,yeep wirb the pospel net than
any it has vet taken. believe that the
ur,1t masses of the pcople are now ready
to receive the pospcl if we give them a
chance
\ how goes along the street Mt nirht and
secs a fine house beautifully lighted up
and hears music and he saws. d" wish
wa. il, There but have not been invited -
and 10 he passes on. Here is the church OF
God lirbfrd IN with fcstivitv and holy
nlirtL. and the world Misses along outside.
I hears tho music and sometimes wishes il
| was inside. Init SAYS that it is not invited.
on. invite the world to come I'M Go ont
! into the highways and hedges send q
, ticket of invirorion. printed in these
j yord. Come. for mi Times are now
ready u"
Buried In sin.
Some wears AGO 2oo mon yvore hurried in
cha Ii...tIe,, '|IIic,o ~ rn,iond m.