Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-06-18

religious services more vlvaclty II we
want the people to come. You look into
Il church court of any denomination of
Christians. First you will find the men
IF large common sense and earnest look.
The education of their lsinds, the piety
IF their hearts, the holiness of their
lives qualify them for their work. Then
you will find in every church court of
every denomination a group of men
who utterly amaze you with the fact
that such semi ilnbecility can get any
pulpits to preach in. Those are the men
who give forlorn statistics about church
Gecadence Frogs never croak in run
ring water, always in stagnant. But I
say to all Christian workers, to all Sun
Cay school teachers, to all evangelists,
TO all ministers of the gospel, if we
want orr 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. Reli-
Gious humdrum is the worst Of all hum
drum 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 minutes:
You say that all Sunday school teachers
and all eyaneelists and all ministers
must bring their Illustrations from the
Bible. Christ did not when he preach
cd. The most Of the Bible was written
before Christ's time, but where did he
get his illustrations? He drew them
from the lilies, from the ravens, from
salt, from candle. from :; bushel, from
long faced hypocrites, from gnats, from
moths, from large gates and small gates,
from Il camel, from the needles eye,
from yeast i'll the dough Of bread, from
q mustard seed, from a fishing net from
debtors and creditors. That is the rea-
son multitudes followed Christ. His il
Illustrations were so easy and so under
standable. Therefore, my brother Chris
tian worker, if you and find two illus
trations for religious c..t::ect, and the
one is Bible illustration and fhe other
is outside the Bible, will take the lat
ter because I want to be like my mas
ter. Looking across to hill, Christ
saw the city of Jerusalem.
Talking to the people about the con-
spicuity of Christian example, he said:
1.-The world is looking at you. Be care
full y city that is set on hill cannot
be hid (" While he was speaking of the
divine care Of Gods children bird flew
past. He said, "Behold the ravens. "
Then looking down into the valley, all
covered at that season with flowers, he
said "Consider the lilies" Oh, my
brother Christian workers, what is the
use of our going away off i'll some OBJ
scure part of history or on the other
side of the earth to get an illustration
when the earth and the heavens are full
Of illustrations? Why should we go
away off to get an illustration Of the
yicarious suffering of Jesus Christ
when as near us as Bloomfield, N. j.,
two little children were walking on the
rail track, and train was coming, but
they were on a bridge of trestlework,
and the little girl took her brother and
let him down through the trestlework
as gently as she could toward the wa
ter, very carefully and lovingly and
cautiously, SO 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
hardly enough of her body was left to
gather into funeral casket. What was
that? Vicarious suffering. Like Christ.
Pang for others. Woe for others. Suf-
fering for Others Death for others.
Help In Prayer.
What is the use Of our going away off
TO find an illustration in past age when
during the sr'at forest f:-cs i'll Michigan
IL mail carrier OH hor,a back. riding on,
pursued hy these flames which had
swept over 100 miles, saw an old man
by the roadside, dismounted, helped the
old man Gu the horse, saying, "Now
whip up AID get away" The old man
got away, tut the mail carrier persisted.
Just like Christ disnounting from the
glories of heaven TO nut us on the way
of dcliverance, then falling back into
the flames of sacrifice for others. Pang
for Others. Woe for others. Death for
others. vicarious suffering.
Again, remark that sanctuary help
ought TO come through the prayers of
all the people The door of the eternal
storehouse is hung on one hinge, gold
hinge the hinge of prayer, and when
the whole audience lay hold of that
door it must come open. There are
many people spending their first Sab
bath after some great bereavement.
What will your prayer do for them?
How will it help the tomb in that mans
heart? Here are people who have not
been in church before for ten years
What will your prayer do for them by
rolling Owe, their soul holy memories?
Here are people in crises of awful temp
tation. They are on the verge Of despair
or wild laundering or theft or suicide
What will your prayer do for them in
the way of giving them strength to re-
sist: Will you be chiefly anxious about
the fit of the glove that you put to
tour forehead while you prayed? Will
YOU be chiefly critical of the rhetoric OF
the PASTORS petition? No, no. a thou
sand people will feel, "That prayer is
for me, " and at every step of the prayer
chains ought to drop off, and temples Of
sin ought to crash into dust and jubilees
of deliverance ought to brandish their
trumpets. In most of our churches we
have three prayers-the opening pray
er, what is called the "long prayer"
and the closing prayer. There are many
people who spend their first prayer in
arranging their apparel after entrance
and spend the second prayer the "long
prayer, in wishing it were through
and spend the last prayer in preparing
to start for home. The most insignifi-
cant part Of every religious service is
the sermon. The more important parts
are the Scripture lesson and the prayer.
The sermon is only man talking to
man The Scriptllre lesson is God talk