The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-14

such church!
Oh b, my friends, we need to break away
from slavery 10 ecclesiastical custom. We
dare not sing if anybody hears US. We
dare not preach unless we have rounded
of 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 to appear with a coat or 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 luSlnCerlty, we shall have a living,
bounding, sympathetic, glowing Chris
tianity2
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 10 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 anXletieS; tOiling men have so
many fatlgues; 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
AlAC soy thdb uO HUI WANT ANYBODY 10
come whining around me about the
Christian religion. have no faith
in a religion made up of equal
parts of NORWOOD, vinegar, and red
pepper. If the religion that is presented
to US be depression, we will get along
better without it. If it be a Joy, let it
shine out from your face, and from your
conversation. If man comes to my
house to talk of religion with lugubrious
fag nd f,,II -
and dolorousness, 1 feel like saying to my
wife. you had better lock up the silver
before he steals something" l have
found 1t an lnvariable rule that men who
profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
prdlng themselves at the same time on
their sanctimOniousness always turn out
badly. l never knew an exception.
While those who are the most consistent,
the most useful, and the most conse-
Grated. have perfume in their converse
tion, and heaven in their face.
The happiest Christians that have ever
known have been persons from sixty to
eighty years Of age. BY that time people
get over the shams and pretenses of
society, and have no longer any patience
with anything like imposture in religion
0 Christian! how dare you be gloomy?
Is not God your Father? Is not Jesus
Christ your SaviOur2 Has not your path
all through life been strewn with mer-
ciesl Are you insensible to the fact that
there are glories awaiting you in the
better land2-doxologies of celestial
worship, eternal chorals, fearless
eyes, songs that resound under arches
Of strength, and hosannas that clap
their hands at the foot of the thronel 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 holiday2 Is
there nothing in songs that never cease.
In hearts that never ache, in sDlendors
that never die, to make you glad? Then
take no mercy at the hand of thy God
Give back the marriage ring of love that
Jesus put on your finger in the day of
your espousal! Plant no more of the
flowers of heaven where there ought to
be nothing but nettles and nightshadel
We try to make this church a cheerful
church. A man, on Saturday afternoon
stands in his store, and says, How shall
l meet these obligationsl How can / en-
dure this new disaster that is coming
upon me!" He goes home. Sabbath
morning finds him in the house of God.
Through the song, through the sermon,
through the prayer, the Lord Jesus Christ
says to the man, 90 man! have watched
thee; have seen all thy struggles 1t is
enough; | will see thee through / will
stand between thee and thy creditors |
will make up in heavenly treasures what
you have lost in earthly treasures Cour-
age, man! courage! Angels of God, /
command you to clear the track for that
man put your wings over his head with
your golden sceptres strike for his de-
tense; throw around him all the defenses
of eternityn' What is the consequence
That business man is strengthened. He
goes to the store next day feeling that
God is with him and ready to deliver.
That same Sunday there is a poor old
woman in the church hearing the gospel
Oh how shrunken she is! She wears the
same dress she wore twenty years ago.
How faded it is, and now out of date
She sits and listens as well as she can
Her eyes are so dim she can not see half
way across the church. Her ear is so
imperfect that she can only catch occas-
sionally a note of the psalm or a word of
the preacher. Some one sitting next to
her gives her book and finds the place
for her. She says, Thank you, miss,
thank you!" She holds the book close up
to her eyes, and with voice all full of
tremors, sings:
Jesus, lover Of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly
While the pillows near me roll,
While the tempest still is high;
Hide me, O. my Saviour hide,
TIL the storm of life is past,
Safe into the haven guide -
Oh! receive my soul at last.
And Jesus says to her, Mother, are you
weary7" And she says, eyes, Jesus | am
very tired" Jesus says, Mother, are you
poor2" And she says, Eyes, am very
poor. | cannot sew any more cannot
knit any more. l am very poor" Jesus
says to her, Mother, would you like to
restg' She says, Yes, Lord, that is what
l want-rest." Courage, mother, saws
Jesus, Il will see thee through" She goes
home. The next morning in the tenement
house, some one dwelling on another floor
comes to her room and knocks Moan
swer. The door is opened. She is dead !
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 hight, the depth, the
length and the breadth of such Christian
comfort! ., 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: Shall stop
those people singing ?" mo, -" said the king,
men who can sing like that can fight"
l would that we had singing church, a
joyful church, jubilant church, COM