Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1898-06-23

speaking about the way the world
| ough, to be. am speaking about the
way the world is Taking things a.
they are, we must make the
centripetal force of the church
mightier than the centrifugal,
We must make our churches mag.
nets to draw the people thereunto, so
that mau will feel uneasy Il he does
not so to church, saying: Il wish
had gone this morning, wonder IL
can't dress yet and get there in time
1t is IL o'clock; now they are singing.
1t is 1880; now they are preaching. /
wonder when tho folks will be home
to tell us what was said, what has been
going on" When the impression is con-
trmed that our churches, by architec
ture, by music, by sociality, and by ser
mon, shall be made the most attractive
places on earth, then we will want
twice rs many churches as we have
now, twice as large, and then they will
not half acc ommodate the people.
l say TO the young men who are en-
tering the ministry, we must put on
more force. more energy. and into our
religious services more vivacity, IL we
want the people to come. You look
into a church court of any denomina.
ton of Christians. First, you will find
earnest looks. The education of their
minds, the piety of their hearts, the
holiness Of their lives qualify them for
their work. Theu YOU will find in every
church court of every denomination q
group of men who utterly amaze you
with the fact that such semi-imbecillty
can get any pulpitS to preachinl Those
arc the men who give forlorn statistics
about church dccadeuce. Frogs never
croak in running water; always
in staguant. But say to all Christian
workers, to all Sunday-school teachers,
TO all evangclists to all ministers of
the Gospel, il we want our Sunday
schools, and our prayer meetings, and
our churches to gather the people, we
must freshen up. The simple fact is,
the people are tired of the humdrum OF
religioniSts. Religious humdrum 10 the
worst Of all humdrum. You say over
and over again: Come to Jesus, until
the phrase means absolutely nothing.
Why do you not tell them story
which will make them come to Jesus
in five minutesp You say that all
Sunday school teachers, and all
evangelists, and all ministers, must
bring their illustrations from the
Bible. Christ did not when He
preached. The most of the Bible was
written before Chrsts time, but
where did He get His illustrations? He
drew them from the lilies, from tho
ravens, from salt, from candle, from
a bushel, from long faced hypocrites,
from gnats, from moths, from large
gates and small gates, from camel,
from the needles eve, from yeast in the
dough Of dough bread, from II mustard
seed, from fishing net, from debtors
and creditors. That is the reason null
titudes followed Christ. HIS illustra-
tons We're SO easy and so understands
BILE Therefore, my brother Chri stian
worker, If you and fad two illustra-
tions for a religious subject, and the one
is Bible illustration and the other is
outside the Bible, He will take the lat
ter because want to be like my Master
Looking across to Il hill, Christ saw the
City of Jerusalem. Talking to the people
about the sconspicuity OF Christian ex.
ample, lie said "The world is look.
sng at you; be careful. A city that is
set on hill can not he hid" WhileH
was speaking of the divine care OF
Gods children bird few past. He
said Behold the ravens. Then,
looking down into the valley, all COW
araH Mt TINT with Antuara
he said: Consider the lilies" Oh, my
brother Christian workers, what IL the
use of our going away off in some OBJ
scure part of history, or on the other
side the earth, to get an illustration,
when the earth, aud the heavens are
full of illustrations. WHY should we
GO away off to get an illustration of
the vicarious suffering of Jesus Christ,
when AS near rs as Bloomfield, ".
j., two little children were walk
ing ON the ran track, and a
train was coming; but they were
on :bridge of trestleworI. and the
little girl took her brother and let him
down through the trestlework as gently
as she codld toward the water, very
carefully and lovingly and cautiously,
80 that he might not be hurt in the
fall, and might be picked up by those
who were standing near by. While
doing that the train struck her, and
hardIy enough OF her body was left to
gather into funeral caskct. What
was that2 VIcarIous suffering. Like
Christ Pang for others. Woe for
others Suffering for others Death
for Others.
What IS the use Of our going away off
to find an illustration in past age, when
during the great forest fires in Michi-
gan, "A mai carrier on horseback, rid.
ding on, pursued by those flames which
had swept over a hundred miles, saw
an old man by the roadside, dismouut.
ed, hetpcd Tue Qua man on the horse,
saying: Now whip up aud get away
The old man got away but the mail.
carrier persisted. Just like Christ dis.
mounting from the glories Of Heaven
TO put us on the way of deliverance,
then falling back into the flames of