The record-union., 1895-08-26
THE YOUTH Who SLEPT TN CHURCH.
A Sermon on the Incident That Oc-
Cured at Troas,
Where Eutychus slumbered-Rev. Nr'
Hoskinson's Appeal in BehaiI
of Church-Going.

nected with PauPs aIl-night sermon al
Troas-Acts 20, V. 8.
Here, he said, was an event In the lie
OF Paul that may not have occurred to
you as important. We think it has some
good lessons, and hope to bring them out.
a modern paper would have made great
thing of this. By flaming heading II
would have started out, and then given
column or two of this nights dOlngs.
Newsboys the next day would have
''caught on" to the headlines, and we
should have heard it in every town, little
or big, in all the land.
But see how the great Book treats it.
Only few lines TO tell us of this wonder
ful night; but in these few lines the
young man, Eutychus, who fell asleep IN
church, has been put on imperlshable
record.
Paul was on his last trip-the third
missionary iourney-aad now on the re-
tnrn to Ephesus and Rome. He had been
over in Macedonia and now was coming
back. Two days was the time by ship
between Philippi and Troas on the Egean
Sea, but owing TO rough winds and
oheppy sea il took them i've days, 2rr.V-
ing at Troas Sunday evening or Monday
morning. Thore is no record of any
meeting that week. The time may have
been spent in going from house TO mousse,
cheering the brethren and arranging the
affairs OF the church at Troas.
Next Lords Day, or our Sunday, they
came together for worship, as was their
custom. They had no church building
yet. They hadnrented, Or had the use OF.
a hall in the third story OF some build
ing We are not told of morning serv-
ices on that day; likely they had morn
ing, afternoon and evening services. The
incident related occurred in the evening.
The house was crowded. Every chair
was taken, and the people were standing
or sitting on stairs or anywhere that
gave a little comfort. 1t being warm
april evening, the windows Wore hoisteG
and some sat in the windows. Among
them was the young man. He may have
been very weary from a hard weeks
work, or accustomed to retiring early,
and, in a close, crowded room, became
drowsy. His eyelids dropped and
quickly opened, his head nodded and
then dropped on his breast; he leaned
over and fell; and there was q heavy
thud on the pavement three stories below.
Before they reached him from above he
was dead.
1t was great uproar. and the services
were suddenly broken up. Paul, the
preacher, turned doctor. Coming down
he fell on the dead form, as Elisha had
embrace, and said to the troubled people:
Trouble not yourselves. for his life IS
in him." Soon Paul had him on his feet
again and back upstairs among the
crowd. They all partook of the Lords
supper, the young man among the rest,
aud then Paul continued preaching until
the SUMS rays began 10 gid the hilltops
of Asia Minor All night long they
were there listening to the great preacher
holding up Christ and Him crucined as
the hope of the world.
Why the story? Luke gives It to teacn
that Paul was an apostle sent of God with
power to bring the dead to life again.
This was one of the seals of apostleship.
Some other lessons are here quite useful
TO you and TO me; let US try to get them.
You see these people found IL necessary
to go to church. They could not be satis-
fed with staying at home and reading
their Bibles and praying in private
Rather did reading their Bibles and pray
ing in private make them long for the
assembly OF Gods people. Their spirit
ual life demanded that they meet in pub
lie worship and Christian fellowship with
those of like mind with themselves.
Now, If this was good for them, it is
good for us, too. You hear men say: II
DON'T see the need of going to church and
worshlping. l can be Christian on
my own hook, and be free from all these
s.
Now, you may put that man down at
ouce as having no religion. The apostle
warns US very particularly mot to for
sake the assembling of ourselves to-
gether." Why? Because it Is one of the
first signs of backsliding and decline
when one becomes Indifferent to attend
ing the church. Such neglect grows and
develops rapidly until with even a quiet
conscience he can give up the sanctuary
altogether. and any trivial excuse will be
enough TO keep him from prayer and the
sanctuary.
Why. right here in Sacramento. are
men, once faithful to church, who have
dropped back into practical heathenism-
the saddest cases ministers have ID meet
to-day-men who once seemed to value
the Gospel ordinances and delight in tel
lowship-and now they are no better Than
pagans and intidels.
Now, all this came about from desert
ing Gods house. See 10 il, brothers, that
you remain close by the sanctuary. If
you" hearts are in the right spot: you will
not willingly be absent from the sanctu-
ary; you Will not willingly be absent
from the prayer service. Rather will you
be ready at all times to sing, Lord. |
have loved the haOitation of Thy house
and the place where things of honor
dweileth.'
We want to make these services attract
i've to you. useful 20 you, helpful to you,
SO that every time you go away you'll be
saying, 1T was good for me to be thereU
We see here that these people kept
Sunday, and not the Jewish Sabbath.
They passed over the Jewish Sabbath
and came together on our Sunday
Didn't Paul know when to go to church
Hurried as he was To be on his Journey.
why did he not call the people together
on Saturday the jewish Sabbath Ii it was
proper ana customary 10 worship on that
day? Didn't Luke, the companion OF
Christ, and now one of the company az
Troas, know the Will of Christ with re-
gard to keeping Sunday? Christ was
Lord of the Sabbath, and arose on our
Sunday. He appeared many times to the
Apostles as they were assembled together
on our Sunday; the Pentecostal blessing
the origin of the Christian Church, was
on our Sunday; the Apostles kept the
Lords Day on Sunday, and set it apart
for worship, knowing that they were
obeying God in keeping one day in seven
holy and unto the Lord. They called it
''the Lord's' day, and this is good
name for US TO give It.
But the essential thing is to keep it.
not 10 desecrate it. Christianity cannot
be long maintained without it in the ma
ton nor in the individual life. Give up
Sunday and you'll soon give UP your
Bible. See mems lives about you: many
mans downward course starts right
back there when he began TO desecrate the
Lords day.
Apart from religion you need to keep
it. Your body needs il; your limbs and
muscles. and nerves, and brain. and
heart rebel against seven days work aud
no rest.
But mere idleness, and 1ounging, aad
rolling on your bed is not keeping the
Lords day holy. Sunday rest is not
the rest of the idler aud the sluggard."
See these early Christians turning the