The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1896-09-23

blessed time Tor tac bargain mahers.
ann not talking al abstraction. lam rot
mak:ug a guess. / arm telling you Gods
sterDal truth.
In that day CT which speak taxes
will be mere nothing. Now our busl-
ness men are taxed for everything. City
taxes, county taxes, state taxes, United
States taxes, stamp taxes, license taxes,
manufacturing taxes - taxes, taxes,
taxes! Our business men have to make
d small fortune every year to pay their
taxes. What fastens cn our great indus
tries this awful load? Crime, Individual
ard official. We have to pay the board
of the villains who are incarcerated IN
our prisons. We have to take care Of the
orphans of those who plunged into their
graves through sensual indulgeEces. We
have to support the municipal govern
ments, which are vast and expensive,
lust in proportion as the criminal pro-
clivities are vast and tremendous Who
support the alnsEouses and police sta
tions, and all the machinery of munich
pal government? The taxpayers.
No More Crime.
But in tie glorious time Of which I
sneak grievous taxation will all havo
ceased. There will be no Eccd of sup
rortins criminals; there will be no
criminals. Virtue will lave taken the
place of vice. There will be 10 orphan
asylums. for parents will be able TO
leave a competency to their children.
There will be no voting Of large sums
of money for some municipal improve
ucnt, which money, before they get to
the improvements, drops into the pock-
cts of those who voted it. No oyer and
terminer kept mp at vast expense to the
people. No imparcling Of juries to try
thctt and arson ana murder and slandcr
and blsckmsil. Better factories. Grand
er architecture. Finer cquipage. Larger
fortunes. Richer opulerce. Better
churches.
In that better time, also, coming to
those cities, Christ's churches will be
more numerous, and they will be larger,
and they will be more devoted to tho
gospel Of Jesus Christ, and they will
accomplish greater influences for gccd.
Now, it is often the case that churches
are envi JUS of each other, and Genoml-
nations collide with each other, and
even ministers Of Christ sometimes for
get the bond of brotherhood. But III the
time of which speak, while there will
be Just as many differences ct opinion
as there are now, there will be no acer-
bity, no hypcrcriticism, no exclusive
ness.
In our great cities the churches are
not today large enough 20 held more
than a fourth of the population. The
churches that are built-ccmparatlvely
few of them are fully occupied. The
average attendance in the churches CT
the United States today is rot 400.
Now, in the glorious time OF which !
speak, there are going to be vast
churches, and they are going to DO all
thronged with worshipers. Oh, what
rousing songs they will sing! Oh, what
earnest sermons they will preach! Oh,
what fervent prayers they will oferi
Now, in our time, what Is called q
fashionable church is place where
few people, having attended very care
fully to their toilet, come and sit down
they do not want to be crowded; they
like O whole seat to themselyes-and
then, if they have any tine left from
thinking of their store and from exam
ining the style Of the hat in front OF
them, they sit and listen to a sermon
warranted to hit no mans sins and lis
ten to music which IS rendered by a
choir warranted to sing tunes that no
body knows. And then, after an hour
and half of inGolert yawning, they go
home refreshed. Every nan feels bet
ter after he has had sleep.
In many Of the churches Of Christ in
cur day the music is simply mockery.
1 have rot cultivated ear ncr cultl-
waited voice, yet no man can do my sing
irg fer me. l have nothing to say
against artistic music. The 50 or 50
+ pay to hear any CT the great
queens of song arc 4 good investment.
But when the people assemble in reli.
gious convocation, and the hymn is read,
and the angels of God step frcm their
throne to catch the music on their
wings, do not let Us drive them away
ty cur indifference. have preached IN
churches where vast sums Of money
were employed to keep up the music,
and it was as exquisite as any heard on
earth, but thought, Mt the same time.
for all matters practical would prefer
the hearty, outbreaking song of back
woods Methodist camp meeting.
Let one Of these starveliIg fancy
songs sung in church get up before the
throne of God, how would it seem stand
ing amid the great doxologies CT the re-
deemed: Let the finest operate air that
ever went up from the church ct Christ
get many hours the start, it will be
caught and passed by the hosanna Of
the Sabbath school children. know
church where the choir did all the sing.
ing, save one Christian man, who,
through perseverance Of the saints"
went right On, and afterward a CON-
mittee was appointed to wait on him
and ask him if he would not please stop
Gnsing, as he bothered the choir.
Let these refuse to sing
Who never knew our God,
But children of tho heavenly King
Should speak their joys abroad.
"Praise ye the Lord. Let everything
with breath praise the Lord" IN the
glorious time coming III our cities aid
in the world hosapna will meet hcsan-
La, and halleluiah, halleluiah.
How 1t Will Be Done.
In that time also of which l speak
ell the haunts of iniquiry and crime aid
suualor will be cleansed and will be H.
Illuminated. How is it to be done? You
sag, perhaps By one influence. Perhaps
say by another. will tell you what
is my idea, and l know I am right in it:
The gospel cf the Sen Of Gcd is the only
agency that will ever accomplish this.
A gentleman in England had theory
rLL 20 ~. s,tr,,I forooC If mind aud