Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1894-09-28

Religion is joyous thing. do not want
10 hear anybody talk about religion as
though It were funeral. I do not want any
body to whine In the prayer meeting about
the kingdom of God. I do not want any
man to roll up his eyes, giving In that way
evidence Of his sanctity. Tho men and
women of God whom 1 happen to know for
the most part find religion great Joy. 1t Is
exhilaratIon to the body. It is invigorattOn
TO tho mind. It ts rapture to the soul. 1t
is balm for all wounds. It Is light for all
darkness. 1t Is harbor from all storms, and
thoughHG God knows that some of them have
trouble enough now, they rejoice because
they are on thelr way to the congratulations
eternal.
Oh, tho Lord God has many fair and beau
tiful daughters, but tho fairest of thom all is
sho whose ways are pleasantnGSS and whose
paths are peace. Now. my brothers and
sisters-'or have a right to call you all 50
! i know some people look back on their an
cestral line, aud they see they are descended
from the PUritans or Huguenots, and they
rejoice In that but look back on my an
/ cestral line, and I see therein such q ming
! ling and mixture ofthe blood Of all nationalt
ties 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 uni
! versal brotherhood.
come out as only o servant bringing IN
! invitation to party, and 1 put 1t into your
hand, saying, Come. for all things are now
ready and urge It upon you and continue
! to urge 1t, and before get through l hope,
! by the blessing of God, 10 compel you TO
como in.
! We must take care how we give tho invita-
/ ton. My Christian friends, l think some
/ times we have just gone opposite TO Christ g
! command, and we have compelled people to
| stay out. Sometimes our elaborated tnstruc-
tions have been the hindrance. We gradu-
ate from our theological semtnarfes on stills,
/ and it takes five or six years before 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 grcat
Masses of the people care about the tech
nicalities Of religion? What do they care
about the hypOstatic union or the difference
! between sublaDsarian and supralapsarian?
What do they caro- for your profound cX-
plantations, clear rs London fog? When a
man is drowning, he does not want you to
stand by the dock and describe the nature OF
the water into which he has fallen and tell
him there are two parts hydrogen gas and
one Of oxygen gas, with q common density
of SO F., turning to steam under common
atmospheric pressure of 212. He does not
want chemical lecture on water. He wants
O rope.
Oh, my friendf, the curse of God on the
church, 1t seems to me, In this day, Is meta
| physics. We speak in IN unknown tongue
in our Sabbath-schOOls, and in our religion:
assombIages, and in our pulpits. and how
can people be saved unless they, can under
stand US? We put on our official gowns, ant
we think tho two silk balloons 1lapping u
the elbows of preacher give him grea
sanctity, The river Of Gods truth flC rs 6owl
before us pure and clear as crystal. but "
take our theological stick and stir it up an
stir it up until you cannot see the bottom
Oh, for the simplicity of Christ IN all our in
structions-the simplicity He practiced whe
standing among the people He took a Ill
and said, There is a lesson of the manner
will clothe you," and pointing to a raven
said: "There is a lesson OF the way I wi
feed you. Consider the lilies-behold tn
fowls"
think often In our religious instruction
! we compel the people to stay out by ou