Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-05-07

chapel has become the kitchen, where
the church does it's sloppy work. There
are hundreds and thousands Of churches
in this country-gorgeously built and
supported-that, even on bright and SUI
shiny days, are not half full of wor-
shippers, and yet they arc building mis-
sion chapels, because by some expressed
or implied regulation the great masses
+, of the people are kept out Of the main
audience room.
Now say that any place of worship
which is appropriate for one class is ap-
propriate for all classes. Let the rich
and the poor meet together, the Lord
! the maker of them all. Mind you that L
say that mission chapels are necessity,
the way churches are now conducted,
but may God speed the time when they
shall cease to DO necessity. God will
rise up and break down the gates of tho
church that have kept back the masses,
and woe be to those who stand in the
way They will be trampled under foot
by tho vast populations making SIAM
pede for heaven.
saw III some paper an account of
church III Boston in which, it is said,
/ there were great many plain people.
The next week the trustees Of that
church came out in the paper and said
it was not so at all they were elegant
people and highly conditioned people
that went there. " Then laughed out
right and when laugh l laugh very
loudly. "Those people, said, "are
afraid of tho sickly sentimentality Of
the churches. Now, my ambition is
not to preach to you SO much. 1t seems
to me that You must he faring sumptu-
ously evory day, and the marks of COM
fort are all about you. You do not need
the gospel half as much as do some who
never como here. Rather than be prid
ing myself OH church in front of which
there shall halt 90 splendid equipages
OIL tho Sabbath day, would have a
church up to whose gates there should
come long procession of the suffering,
and the stricken, and the dying, beg
cling for admittanco. You do not need
the gospel as much as they. You have
good things in this life. Whatever may
be your future destiny, you have had a
pleasant time here. But those dying
populations of which l speak, by reason
of their want and suffering, whatever
may be their future destiny, are in per-
dition now, and if there be any COM
fort in Christ's gospel, for Gods sake
give it TO them
Revolution The pride of the church
must come down. The eXclusiveness Of
the church must come down. The finan-
cial boastngs of the church must come
down! If monetary success were the
chief idea in the church, then say that
the present mode of conducting finances
is the BEST If it is to see how many
dollars you can gain, then the present
mode is the best. But if it is the saving
of souls from sin and death, and bring
ing the mighty populations of our cities
to the knowledge of God, then l cry,
Revoluticnl 1t is coming fast feel it
in the air. l hear the rumbling Of an
earthquake that shall shake down, in
one terrific crash, the arrogance of our
modern Christianity.
The sea is covered with wrecks and
multitudes are drowning. We come out
with the church lifeboat, and the peo-
pie begin to Chamber in, aud we shout:
"Stop. stop! You must think it costs
nothing to keep lifeboat Those seats
at the Prov are 81 apiece, these in the
middle 80 cents, and those seats in the
stern 2 shillings. Please to pay up, or
else founder Oh little longer till the
mission boat, whose work it is to save
you pcnniless wretcheS, shall come along
and pick you up. We save only first
class sinners in this boat -
The talk is whether Protestant
churches or Roman Catholic churches
are coming out ahead. 1 tell you, Prot
estunts, this truth plainly, that until
your churches are as free rs are the Ro-
man Catholic cathedrals they will beat
you. In their cathedrals the millionaire
and the beggar kneel side by side. And
until that time comes in our churches
we cannot expect the favor of God or
permanent spiritual prosperity.
Revolution 1t may be that before the
church learns it's duty to the masses
God will scourge it and come with the
whip of omnipotent indignation and
drive out the money changers. 1t may
be that there is to be great day of up
setting before that time shall come. If
it must come, 0 Lord God let it come
now
Day of Great Rovvals.
In that future day of the reconstruct
ed church of Christ the church building
will lie tie most cheerful of all build
ings. Instead of the light of the sui
strained through painted glass until an
intelligent auditory looks green and
blue and yellow and copper colored we
will have no such things. The pure at
mcsphere of heaven will sweep out the
fetid atmosphere that has been kept in
many Of our churches boxed up from
Sunday to Sunday. The day of which l
speak will he day Of great revivals.
There will be such time as there was
a. the parish of Shotts where 800 souls
were born to God il one day; such
times as were seen in this country when
! Edwards gave the alarm, when Tennent
preached and Whitefield Numbered and
Edward Payson prayed; such times as
some Of you remember IN 1857, when
tho voice Of prayer and praise was
heard in theater, AID warehouse, and
blacksmith shop, and factory, and en-
CINE house, and the auctioneer cry OF
"a half, and a half, and half was
drowned out by the adjoining prayer
meeting, in which t!,s people cried out,
"Men and brethren, what shall we do?'
In those daysof which am speaking
the services of the church of God will
be more spirited. The ministers of
Christ, instead of being anxious about
whether they are going to lose their
place in their notes, will get on fire
! with tho theme and Dour the living