Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1896-06-27

good game is hidden and secluded. r.vcry
hunter knows that 30 many of the souls
that " in IN of most worth for Christ and
Of most value 10 the church arc secluded
They do not como in your way. You will
have - 70 where they an, Wonder they
are down in thai cellar, yonder they are up
In that garnet Far away from the door Of
any church, The gospel arrow has not been
pointed at them. The tract distributor and
city missionary sometimes catch glimpse
al thoin, rs hunter through the trees gets
IA fuumcntIry sight ri II partridge or Il roe
buck rhc trouble is we are waiting for
the game - come to us We arr not good
hunters We are standing i'm some street
or inf slway cNpcctin, that the timid ante
lupc viii come upand cat out Of our hands.
We arc expecting that the prairie fowl will
light on eur church stcrplc IL Is not their
habit. Ii the church should wait 10000,
600 Of years for the world to o,snc In and
be saved, il viii wait in vain. The world
will not come What the church wants
now is % lift its feet from damask otto
mans and put them in the stirrups We
want "A pulpit on wheels The church
wants not So much cushions as il wants
siddlchags and arrows We have got To
put aside the gown and kid gloves and put
on the hunting shirt Wchavc been fishing
So long in the brooks that run under the
shadow of the church that the fish know
US, that they avoid the hook and escape as
soon n we come To- the bank, while yondcr
is Upper Saranac and Big Tuppcr's lake,
where the first swing Of the gospel net
would break il for the multitude " the
fishes There IS outside work IL In done
What Is that 81. in the hackwood$ 1t is
Is tent Tho hunters have made a clearing
and campc.l out What do they care If they
have wet feet. or If they have nothing but
pine branch for u pillow. or for the north
east Storm II moose In the darkness
steps into the lake 10 drink. they hear 1t
right nway II n loon cry in the moonlight.
they hear il
80 I'm the service If God we have exposed
work. We have got To- camp out and rough
it We anc putting all our care On the pco-
pie who come To- our churches What are
we doing for the thousands upon thou
sands that do not come Have they no
souls: Are they sinlcSs that they need no
pardon: Are there no dead In their houses
that they need no comfort: Are they cut
of from God 10 20 into ctcrnty-no wing
To hear them. no light to cheer them, no
welcome to greet them: hear today, surg
ing up from ln' ioMtT NtilliS. u Srth1
that comes through our Christian assem-
blagcs and through our beautiful churches,
and II blotS ont all this scene from my eyes
today, rs by the mists Of great Niagara,
for the dash and the plungc Of these great
torrents Of life dropping down into the
fathomlcss and laundering abyss Of suffer
ing and woe. ! sometimes think that just
rs God hloit,yl out the churches Of Thyntira
l. -
sloth and s;olidiiy he will blot ont Amer
lean and English Christianity and raise on
the ruins II stalwart, wide awake mission
AIRY church that can take the full meaning
of that command Go into all the world
and preach the gospel Ia every creature "
Courage.
l remark. further, II you want TO sue
coed in spiritual archery You must have
courage II the hunter stand with trcm-
bling hand or shoulder that ilinchcs with
fear, instead of his taking the catamount
the catamount takes him What would
become Of the Grcnlandcr If. when out
hunting for the bear, he should stand shiy-
ering with terror on an iceberg What
would have become Of Du Chaillu and
Livingstone In the African thicllet with u
faint heart and Il weak knee When pm
has is eve on you and 1t has squnttcd for
the fearful spring. Steady there
Courage. . Sc spiritual archcrs. There
are great monsters in iriquity providing all
around about the community Shall we
not 81 the strength Of God 10 forth and
combat them: We not only need more
heart bat more backbone What is the
rhurch q! God that it S..ould lcnr t. look
In the eye any triuscrr>>au, There is the
Bengal tiger Of drunkenness taat prnwls
around, and instead Of attacking it how
many If III hide under the church pew or
the communion table There is - much
invested in 1t We arr afraid T. assault IL;
millions Of dollars Ia arir.ls. in waits, in
spil,oiS. in curkScrewS, IN gin palaces with
marble ilnors and Italian top tables. and
chased ice coolers. ana in tho strychniuc,
and the logwood, and the iEtaric acid.
and the nux Vumica that 20 Ia make up
a.r pure American drinks | looked
with wondering eyes on tho heidelberg
tun." IL Is the great liquor vat Of Ger
many which is said - hold 500 hngshcids
Of wine, and only three times In 100 years
II has been filled. But as sto,d nrd look
ed AT Is | said u myself THAT is nothing,
500 hogshcadS Why. our AtlcricIn vat
holds >. 300, 600 barrels Of strong drinks,
and we keep 200, 900 men with nothing to
do but 20 see that IL Is filled Oh! IA Mt
tack this great monster Of intcmperance
and the kindred monsters Of fraud and I'M
clcanncSs, requires you IA rally all your
Christian courage. Through the press,
through the pulpit through the platform,
you must assault It. Would 20 God that
all our American Christians would hand
together, not for crack Drained fanaticism,
but for holy Christian reform. think II
was In 1898 that there went out from
Lucknow, India, under the sovereign, the
greatest hunting party that was ever pro-
| jcctcd. There were 10000 armed men In
that hunting party. There were caincls
and horses and elephants On some princes
rode and royal ladies under exquisite
housings, and 500 coolies waited upon the
train, and the dcSolatc places Of India were
invaded by this excursion, and She rhi-
noccros, the deer and elephant fell under
the stroke Of Sabcr and bullet. After
awhile the party brought back trophies
worth 80, 900 rupees, having left the will
derncss Of India CHASTITY with the slain
bodies Of wild beasts. Would to God that
instead Of here and there n stragglcr going
out Ia fight these great monsters Of iniq-
uity In our country the million member
ship of our churches would band together
and hcw In twain these great crimes that
make the land frightful with their roar
and arc fattcning upon the bodies and
souls of immortal men. Who Is ready for
such party rs that: Who will lie n mighty
hunter for the Lord:
Bring In the Game.
remark. again. II you wanted Ia be
successful in spiritual archery, you need
not only 10 bring down the game, but
bring IL in. think one of the most beau
tiful pictures Of Thorwnldscn Is his "Au-
tumn" IL represents sportsman com
ing home and standing under "a grape
vine. He has staff over his shoulder,
and on the other end Of that staff nrr hung
n rabbit and brace of birds. Every hunt
or brings home the game No one would
think Of bringing down reindeer or
whipping up II stream for trout and let
ting them lie In the woods At cventide
the camp is adorned with the treasures Of
the forst-heak, and fin, and antlcr. II
you % out To hunt for Immortal souls not
only bring them down under the arrow Of
the gospel, but bring them into the church
Of God. the cncampmcnt we have pitched
this side Of the skies. Fetch them in Do
not let them lie ont in the open field
They need our prayers and synpathcs and
help. Tint Is the meaning of the church
of God-hclp- O yc hunters for the Lord,
not only bring down the game, hut bring
it in,
II Mithridatcs liked hunting 81 well
that for seven wears he never went indoors,