The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-11-26
els OF mercy fresh from the throne of

gels OF mercy fresh from the throne OF
God.
Yes. | have to tell you the sermon Of
the future will be a reported Sermon If
you have any idea that printing was in
vented simply to print secular books, and
stenography and photography were con-
trived merely to set forth secular ideas,
YOU are mistaken The printing press is
to be the great agency of gospel procla-
nation. 1t is high time that good men
| instead of denouncing the press employ
| it to scatter forth the gospel of Jesus
Christ The vast majority of people in
our cities do not come to church, and
nothing but the printed sermon can
reach them and call them to pardon and
life and peace and heaven.
So | cannot understand the nervous
ness of some of my brethren of the min
istry When they see a newspaper man
coming in, they say, ALAS, there is a
reporter -" Every added reporter is
1000 or $4,000 or 200, 900 immortal
souls added to the auditory. The time
will come when all the village, town
and city newspapers will reproduce the
gospel of Jesus Christ and sermons
preached on the Sabbath will reverber-
ate all around the world and, some by
type and some by voice, all nations will
be evangelical.
The practical bearing of this is upon
those who are engaged in Christian
work, not only upon theological stu
dents and young ministers, but upon all
who preach the gospel, and that is ali
of you, if you are doing your duty.
The Gist of Preaching.
Do you exhort in prayer meeting? Be
short and be spirited. Do you teach in
Bible class? Though you have to study
every night, be interesting. Do you ac-
cost people on the subject of religion in
their homes or in public places? Study
adroitness and use common sense The
most graceful, the most beautiful thing
on earth is the religion of Jesus Christ,
and if you awkwardly present it it is
defamation. We must do our work rap
idly, and we must do it effectively. Soon
our time for work will be gone A dy-
ing Christian took out his watch and
gave it to friend and said: "Take that
watch. have no more use for it. Time
is ended for me, and eternity begins
Oh, my friends, when our watch has
licked away for US for the last moment
and our clock has struck for us the last
hour, may it be found we did our work
way, and whether we preached the gos-
pei in pulpits, or taught Sabbath classes,
or administered to the sick as physicians,
or bargained as merchants, or pleaded
the law as attorneys, or were busy as
artisans or as hqsbandmen or as me-
chanics, or were like Martha called to
give a meal to hungry Christ, or like
Hannah to make coat for prophet, or
like Deborah to rouse the courage of
some timid Barak in the Lord S conflict,
we did our work in such way that it
will stand the test of the Judgment.
And in the long procession of the re-
deemed that marches round the throne
may it be found there are many there
brought to God through our instrument
tality and in whose rescue we are exul-
tant. But, oh, you unsaved, wait not
for that coming sermon. 1t may come
after your obsequies. 1t may come after
the stonecutter has chiseled our name on
the slab so years Eefore. Do not wait for
great steamer of the Cunard or White
Star line to take you off the wreck, but
hail the first craft, with however low a
mast, and however small hulk, and
however poor il rudder, and however
weak a cal l~in. Better a disabled
schooner that comes up i'll time than a
full rugged brig that comes up after you
have sunken. Instead of waiting for that
coming sermon-it may be 20, so years
off-take this plain invitation of man
who, to have given you spiritual eye
sight, would be glad to be called the
spittle by the hand of Christ put on
the eyes of a blind man, and who would .
consider the highest compliment of this
service if at the close 500 men should
start from these doors, saying: "Wheth-
er he be sinner or no | know not.
This one thing | know-whereas | was
blind, now | see. " Swifter than shad-
ows over the plain, quicker than birds
in their autumnal flight hastier than
eagles to their prey, HE you to a sym
pathetic Christ. The orchestras of heav-
en- have already strung their instru-
ments to celebrate your rescue.
And many were the voices around the throne:
Rejoice for the Lord brings back his own.