Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-05-17


want-rest" Courage, mother" says
Jesus. II win see thee through" She
goes home. The next morning in the tene-
ment house some one dwelling on another
floor comes to her room and knocks. No
answer. The door Is opened. She is deadl
The night before the chariots 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
end the breadth Of such Christian comfortl
Oh, that we might have such joy as that
which inspired the men at the battle of
Leuthen. They were singing a Christian
song as they went into battle. A general
said to the king, "Shal I stop those peo-
pie singingS" mo-" said the king.
Men that can sing like that can fight"
would that we had singing church, q
joyful church, jubilnnt church, COM
forting church, for then we would have a
triumphant church.
remark, further, that we have hero
tried 10 build church abreast Of tho
times. II is all folly for us 10 try 10 do
things the way they did 80 or 100 years
ago. We might as weu be plowing with
with Saui's armor, or prefer q canalboat
to an express train, as to be elinging to
old things What We most need now Is o
wide awake church. People who are out
in the world all the week, tostling against
this lightning footed century, come into
the church on the Sabbath and go right to
sleep unless they have a spirited service.
Men engaged In literary callings all the
week, reading pungent, sharp writings,
cannot be expected to come and hear our
ecclesiastical humdrum. If man stays at
home on Sundays and reads the newspa-
pers, 1t 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
be the leader, the interpreter, the inspirer
of the age. 1t Is all folly for US to be dis
cussing old dissues-arraigning Nero, hang
ing Absalom, striking the Philistines with
Shamgar's OK goad - when all around
about us are iniquities to be slain.
Did say that the church ought to be
abreast of the timesf 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 invention.
Paul was 1000 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 Luther's grave. Give
iniquity 4, 900 years the start, and tho 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 stalwart Religion.
Iremark, further, that we have tried here
in the love and fear of God to build
church that would be characterized by
conversions. have heard of very good
people who could preach on for 16 or 90
years and see no conversions, but yet have
faith. 1t takes very good man to do that.
l do not know how 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 I care not how
fine the building, or how sweet the music,
or how eloquent the preaching, or how
elegant the surroundings-it is q 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 religion too much indoors
and under shelter when 1t ought to be
climbing the rocks or hewing in the for
esta Then it would be a stalwart religion,
a robust religion, religion able to digest
the strong meat of the world instead of
being kept on the pap and cruel Of spirit
ual invalidism. 1t Is high time that we
threw off the Sunday clothes of sickly SEN
timentality 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. Tt is 1, 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
Task 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 neverl And yet we know
that it is to be brought to Christ But the
church will have to change its tack and take
wider sweep with the gospel net than
any 1t has yet taken. believe that the
| great masses Of the people are now ready
W ISCcANc oAc SosPoA A. WO e1VO oiASAA q
chance.
A boy goes along the street at night and
sees fine house beautifully lighted up
| and hears music, and he says, II wish
was in there, but have not been invited, "
and SO he passes on. Here is the church OF
God, lighted up with festivity and holy
mirth, and the world passes along outside,
hears the music and sometimes wishes il
| was inside, but says that it Is not invited.
| Oh, invite the world to come in! Go out
into the highways and hedges. Send q
ticket of invitation, printed in these
words, Come, for all things are now
ready"
| Buried In Sin.
Some years ago 200 men were buried in
the Hartley eolliery of England. The
| queen of England from her throne tele
graphed, us there any hope for the men?'
After awhile the answer came over the
wires: mo hope. They are dead" Hert
is whole race buried in sin and darkness
and VICE. The question that thrills up te
the throne of God today is, lis there any
hope for the men?" Answering intelli
thrilling through the worlds darkness
thrilling through the world "Yes
Hope for onel Hope for all. Whosoevel
will, let him come. And the Spirit ant
the Bride say, Come. And let him that Ii
athirst come"
| We have had conventions all over tn,
country discussing the subject, How Shal
the Great Masses Be Brought to Christi
They have passed splendid resolutions a
the close of the meeting-a long list O
8, 10 OF 15 have been read, and then the pre-
siding officer has said, "All those in favo
of the resolutions for the conversion of tn,
world, purifying the cities and redeemins
the masses, and making everything al
right, say aye" "Ayel Ayel' say LOO
voices. "An opposed nc" !" 1.-The ayes hav
it." There, the world is convertedl All
we do not seem to get along by such
process.
| NIie would Ia ox,or 60 ho I,o,, 4,