The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-05-18
ing and said, "Give us an ainphithea-
ter"-that is, large family circle, gath


ing and said, "Give us an amphithea-
ter"-that is, a large family circle, gath
cred around a fireplace.
For many years we had felt that an
amphitheater was the only proper shape
for an audience room. The prominent
architects Of the country said: tit can
not be done. You need q churGhly build
ing" And so we had plan after plan of
churchly buildings presented, but in due
time God sent man who grasped our
idea and executed it. So far from being
a failure, it satisfied our want, and all
our three churches were built on the
amphitheatrical plan, and scores of
churches all over the country have
adopted the same plan.
And, my brethren and sisters, we fail
in our work inst in proportion as we try
to be like other churches. We believe
that God intended every church, like ev-
cry man, to be individual. gathering up
all it's peculiarities and idiosyncrasies
and hurting them all toward some good
and grand object. In other words no
two churches ought ever to be just alike.
| Here is church, for instance. whose OBJ
ject it is to prepare philosophers and art
lists and critics for heaven. God speed
them In the difficult work. Here is a
church, on the other hand, that proposes
to bring only the poor into the Kingdom
of Jesus Christ, looking not after the
rich. God speed such church in its
undertaking! But there is a larger idea
that a church may take-bringing in the
rich and the poor, the wise and the igno-
rant, the high and the low, so that kneel
ing beside each other shall be the man
faring sumptuously every day and the
man who could not get his breakfast.
God speed such church!
Oh, my friends, we need to break away
| from slavery to ecclesiastical custom.
We dare not sing if anybody hears u.s.
We dare not preach unless we have
rounded off our sentences to suit the
criticism of the world. We dare not
dress for church until we have examined
the fashion plates and would rather stay
at home than appear with coat or a hat
not sanctioned by custom. When will
| the day of deliverance come to the church
of God, when, instead of a dead religion
laid out in state on catafalque of pomp
and insincerity, we shall have living,
bounding, sympathetic, glowing Chris
tianity?
A Happy Church.
remark, further, that we have tried
here to build and to conduct a cheerful
church. While, as you know, we have
not held back the terrors of the law and
the sterner doctrines of the gospel. we
have tried in this house to present to this
people the idea that the gladdest, bright
est, happiest thing in all the universe is
the Christian religion. There is so much
trouble in the world. Business men have
SO many anxieties. Toiling men have so
many fatigues. Orphans have so many
desolations. For Gods sake, if there be
any bright place on earth, show it to
! them! Let the church of Jesus Christ be
the most cheerful spot on earth.
Let me say that do not want any body
to come whining around me about the
! Christian religion. have no faith in a
religion made up of equal parts of worm
wood, vinegar and red pepper. If there
ligion that is presented to us be depres-
sion, we will get along better without it.
If it be a joy, let it shine out from your
face and from your conversation. If a
man comes to my house to talk of re-
ligion with lugubrious countenance and
manner full of sniffie and dolorousness,
feel like saying to my wife, "You had
better lock up the silver before he steals
something" l have found it an invari-
able rule that men who profess faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ, priding them
selves at the same time on their sancti-
moniousness, always turn out badly
never knew an exception-while those
who are the most consistent, the most
useful and the most consecrated have
perfume in their conversation and heav-
en- in their face.
The happiest Christians that have
ever known have been persons from &C
to 80 years of age By that time people
get over the shams and the pretenses of
society and have no longer any patience
with anything like imposture in religion
O Christian. how dare you be gloomy!
Is not God your father? Is not Jesus
Christ your Saviour? Has not your path
all through life been strewn with mer-
cies? Are you insensible to the fact that
there are glories awaiting you in the bet.
ter land--doxologies of celestial wor.
ship, eternal chorals, fearless eyes. songs
that resound under arches of strengtl
and hosannas that clap their hands al
the foot of the throne?
Is it nothing to you that all the hills Of
heaven are radiant with the faces Of
those who have gone up from you and
who are waiting for your coming, ready
to keep with You eternal holiday? Il
there nothing in songs that never cease
in hearts that never ache, in splendors
that never die. to make you glad? Then
J take no more mercy at the hand of THY
God! Give back the marriage ring OF
love that Jesus put on your finger in ths
day of your espousal! Plant no more OF
the flowers of heaven where there ought
TO he NOTHING Int ,.ettles and n;oL r