The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1894-09-22

IL Is llHnJ LOT al udrkiicSS. ~
for all storms, and though God knows
that some of them have trouble enough
now, they rejoice because they are on
the way to the congratulations eternal.
1 stopped one nightfall, years ago, at
Switzerland, to hear the
Of worldwide celebrity in that
place. l went into the cathedral at
nightfall. All the accessories were
There was only one light
in all the cathedral, and that a faint
taper on the altar. I looked up into
the venerable arches and saw the shad-
ows of centuries, and when the organ
awoke, the cathedral awoke, and all
the arches seemed to lift and culver as
the music came under them. That in
strument did not seem to be made out
of wood and metal, but out of hui
man hearts, so wonderfully did IL
pulsate with every emotions; now
laughing like a child, now Sob
bling like n tempest. At N mo-
ment the music would die away
until you could hear the cricket chirp
outside the wall, and then 1t 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
the same moment. At one time hat
night it seemed as if n 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. I said: elbow
much like MANY a Chris tian's lifei
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 a
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 mguenots, and
they rejoice in that; but l look back ON
my ancestral line, and l see therein
such a mingling and mixture of the
blood of all nationalities that I feel
akin to all the world. and by the blood
Of the Son of God. who died for all
people. I address Won in the bonds of
universal brotberhood. 7 come ont as
ouly a servant. bringing an invitation
to a party, and 1 put it into your hand,
saying: "Come, for all things are now
ready" and I urge Il upon YOU and con-
tinue to urge il. and. before l get
through. I hone. bv the blessing of God.
to compel O to come in.
We must take care how we give the
invitation. NV Christian friends, 1
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 IL 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-lapsarian and
supra-lapsarian? What do they care
for your profound explanations, clear
as a London fog? When a 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 n of oxygen gas
with a common density Of 80 degrees
Fahrenheit, turning to steam under q
| common atmospheric. pressure of 2l2.
He does not want a chemical lecture
on water; he wants q rope.
Oh, my friends, the curse of God OF
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, and
in our pulpits, and how can people bt
saved unless they understand us? We
mt on our official gowns. and we think
| the two silk balloons f~iappinp at the
elbows of a preacher give him prea,
sanctity. The river of Gods truth
flows Down before us pure and clear a,
crystal; but we take our theological
stick and stir 1t up, and stir 1t up, unit
YOU cannot see the bottom. Oh, 70,
the simplicitv of Christ in all our in
structions-the SIMPLICITY He practice,
when standinO among The people ri,
took a lilv. and said: '.There is a les
son Of the ann I will clothe vou.,
and. pointing to a raven, said: .aTher
Is a lesson of the wav I will feed Won
consider the lilies-bebold the fowls
Tth;nL oftan In o,,r ralio;oys ;nstruc
.;ons wa oomn.I tha nann1a 40 s,aw on
bv onr church arcb;tecture Peonl
come An and tbav and things anorIa :
and cold and st;ar ana thev 90 AVA
never again to come: when the churcl
ought to he a great home circle. every
hodv having n hvmn hook. p;vino hal
of Il 10 the one next. him: every on,
who has a hand IN sbaLe hands sbak