Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-05-18
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYH DIVINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject. "a Cheerful Church"

Trxr. Behold, thou mt fair, my love-
-S"lomon's Song iv-. /.
"Hichsr criticism saws that this book Of
. Soinnon'S song Is love scene. ior.orn
maiden sighing for her beau. II so, II Il an
nm ..l.nu an lebaurhe'i utterance inserte J
in tho pure wori Of Col AMI is not NJ Tor
common reading. Nv opinion Is that Il Is an
inspire % ln seltln: forth the feeling OF
/ Christ lrs, ri the church an : Of the chur n
icWar C.r.~'. Christ - tue bridegroom,
anI a." ,.urrh Is M. bride. The same
words wartn utlorto- liytruihfuliv. whether
In r-gnr To the church 81 Go / in general or
This church IN part' MAR. "3rhold. thou act
fair. my love
The past Wee, has been on. Of prolonged
Communication tor that w. have Tor twrn,v-
i've years been permitted To associate with
each other in tue relation Of pastor an p.o-
pie When 7 can. to Bropklvn 7 fOuul a
small hani nf Christian disciples who from
various causes had become less AMI less until
.hry stool upon the very verge Of extinction
rs ri urrh. and the question was being
acitatr from Tim" io tim " lrthrr il woull
I've possible To maintain "a church lie longer
Indeed. had not those men aui women been
cOusrcrated ana rarurs,. they would have
surrendered 10 the adverse circumstances.
q
and gathering mp all the forces possible they
EAST nineteen votes for a pastor. all OF which
| am happy To have received.
II was not through any spirit OF personal
courage or reckless adventure that was led
D. from one al the warmest and most congenial
pastOrates in Philadelphia that man ever
enjoyed TO this then most uninVitin. field.
but 1t Was the feeling that Go had Gale me
to the work, and was sure He would sre me
through.
l have thought that il might lie profitable
to us 10 state briefly what Kind Of church
we have been trying to establish.
In the first place, remark that we have
been trying to buill here Christian church
-,iistnrtiyely surh-.u other words, a
church where We should preach the Lord
Jesus Christ and Him cruriard. Nv theo,o.y
is all gone into 1--we letters Jesus. Jesus,
the pardon OF all oiyensas. Jesus, the
foun iat,on for all structures. Jesus. tho
balm for all wounds Jesus. the eye splve
for all blindness. Jesus. the guide through
all perpleXtirs. Jesus, the hope for all dis
rouragements. Jesus. the -. orm Tor all
wrongs.
/ have faith to believe that there j. mora
power in one drop OF the blood OF Jr-u,
Christ to cure the woes OF the world taan
in an ocean full OF hu nan quackery. Jesus
is the gran lest note in any minstrelsy. Ne
is the brightest gem in any crown height
overlapping all height the centre OF every
circumference; the circumference to every
centre the paciier OF all turbulence: IN,
umpire OF all disputes. Jesus Jesus At
His table all nations are to sit. Aronn Hts
throne all worlds are 10 revo.ve He j. To
be the irradiation OF the universe. I-sus
Jesus! Ii Is that truth that we have tried
TO reach in this TahrrnIcIe
Do YOU ask more mlnuelv what We be-
iievrl can tell YOU. We have no dry.
withered, iuirress theology We believe in
God, the Father Almighty, maker OF heaven
and Garth, the deiVerrr NJ the distress ! .
the home tor the homeless. the friend for the
lrienilcss. We believe ia Jesus Christ. ahle
10 save t. the uttrrmo>t. pnrdOniug n y.
guilty. lmputing His righteousness to tn
believer We believe in the Holy Ghost
the comforter. the sanctirr. cheerin: up
the heart in li'eS Ills AMI ktnilnH bright
lights IN every dark landing place We be-
lieVe that the whole race Is 80 sunkeu IN Ain
that nothing but the on.nipoteut arm Of Goi
can ever lift il out We believe in grA,r--
Tree grace, sovereign grace, triumphant
grarr, eternal Rracr. We believe Ia Bob
--authenti" In It's statements. immaculate
Ia its teachinss, glorious in lis promises
We believe III heaven, the abode OF the
righteous. and In he'll, the resi- irnre ofthoa.
who are soul suicides OF their own free,
choice refusing the divine mercy W. b.
leve IN the salvation OF all men wno accent
Christ hy faith. hc they sprinkied o! In
merSed. worship they in cathedral or ia log
cabin. believe they III Prrsbytrrmntsu or
Episropacy. dwell they under italian skies
or III Siberian snowstorn~. be they Ethiopian
or American. All one il Christ. one Lord,
one FAITH. one baptism, on the way 10 heay n.
We built this Taoernrclr for the purpose ~
aFE ts,.V &. D.. . IA l.
pei Of the Son OF God. Wuad thnt W. Al
been more faithful in the pnIpt Would
thnt We hal been more faithful in the p-W
remark, further, that We have tried here
to hut!d "a church diStinr;iveIy unconyra.
Lout. Instead Of asking, aS some people
ar" dispose TO do how other p-Opl" 40 i,
W hIv" asked the question how people 10
not do il. Inperious custom has dt,clied
that cnur lbs sha!l he angular. rhser-ss,
gloony. unsygpalhrt" forgetting that lat
mea call pious gloom Is imp'ous an / iat
that church has the hr-, architecture wh"rt
the people ar" the most comfortable, and
that THAI is the most efficient Christian ser
vie" where the people are made most sex OF
sin AMI mostanxIous after Christ and heaven
And so We called the architects together Got
our first church hnildlng aud slid Civ. u:
an amphltheater' that Is. Il larsa f. uiiy
circle, gathered AROUND a fireplace.
For many years VIZ ha / felt that an a,nphi
theater was the only proper shap, for ~
audience room. The prominent architrci
oftne country said at cannot De done
You need church building And 50 We
bad plan after plan OF churchlv building,
presented. but in durtime Col sent u mau
who crasptd our idea AMI execute IT, 81
lar from being failure. 1t satisfied our want
und all our three churches were built on Tia,
amphiIheatrcal plan, and scores Of rhurche
all over the country have adopted the sam,
plan.
And, my brethren and sisters. We fail IL
our work Just in proportion AS we try to b,
like other churches. We believe that 10 In
tended every church. ike every man. TO b.
individual, gathering up all its peeuliaritie
and Incorporates and hurting them all TO
ward some good and grand object. In olae
words, no two churches ought ever to De ins
alike. Here is II church, for instance. who's
object Is 10 prepare philosophers and art!s
and critics for heaven. Goi speed them il
the difficult work Here Is church on tn
other hund, that proposes to bring only tn
poor into the kingdom Of Jesus Christ. look
ing not after the rich. God speed such
church in It's undertaking! But there ia
larger idea that a church mavtake-bringin
IN the rich and the poor, the wise AMI tn
ignorant, the high and the low. so that knp
ing beside each other shall be the man farm
sumptuously every day aud the man VIII
coutd n9t get his breakfast. God speed sue
: Il church
oh, my friends, we need to break avn
. from slavery to ecclesiastical custom. W
dare not sing II anybody hears us. We dar
not preach unless We have rounded of GU
sentences to suit the criticism OF the Horlt
We dare not dress for church until we hay
, examined the fashion plates and would rat he
stay at home than appear with n coat or
hat not sanctioned by custom. When wi
the day OF deliverance come to the church
God, when. instead ofa dead religion lai
out in state on a cataIalque Of pomp and In