Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-02-04


SO that l state it as simple fact that
all the time that the vast majority OF
you will have for the exclusive service
of God will be less than one year.
Sinking Responsibility.
"But," says some man, Il literally
support the gospel, and the church is
open, and the gospel is preached, all the
spiritual advantages are spread before
men. and if they want to be saved let
them come and be saved, l have dis
charged all my responsibility. Ah, is
that my Masters spirit? Is there not an
old book somewhere that commands us
to 90 out into the highways and the
hedges and compel the people to come
in? What would become Of you and me
if Christ had not come down off the
hills Of heaven, and if he had not come
through the door Of the Bethlehem car
ayansary, and if he had not with the
crushed hand Of the crucitixion knocked
at the iron gate Of the sepulcher Of our
spiritual death, crying Lazarus, come
forth:" Oh, my Christian friend, this
is 10 time for inertia when all the forces
Of darkness seem to be in full blast
when steam printing presses are pub
fishing infdel tracts, when express
trains are carrying messengers of sin,
when fast clippers are laden with opium
and strong drink, when the night air Of
our cities is polluted with the laughter
that breaks up from the 10, 600 saloons
Of dissipation and abandonment, when
the fires Of the second death already are
kindled in the cheeks Of some who only
little while ago were incorrupt. Oh,
never since the curse fell upon the earth
has there been a time when it was such
an unwise, such a cruel, such an awful
thing for the church to sleep The great
audiences are not gathered in Christian
churches; the great audiences are gath
cred in temples of sin-tears Of unutter-
able woe their baptism, the blood Of
crushed hearts the awful wine Of their
sacrament, blasphemies their litany,
and the grOans of the lost world the
organ dirge Of their worship.
Avoid Reckless Iconoclasm.
Again, if you want TO be qualified to
meet the duties which this age demands
of you you must on the one hand avoid
reckless iconoclasm and on the other
hand not stick too much to things be-
cause they are old The air is full Of
new plans, new projects new theories
of government, new theOlogies, and l
am amazed to see how so many Chris
tians want only novelty in order to
recommend a thing to their confidence,
and so they yacillate and swing to and
fro, and they are useless and they are
unhappy. New plans-secular, ethical,
philosophical religious, cisatlantic,
transatlantic-long enough to make a
line reaching from the German uniyer-
sites to Great Salt Lake city. All, my
brother, do not take hold Of thing
merely because it is new Try it by the
realities Of the judgment day. But, ON
the other hand, do not adhere to any
thing merely because it is old. There is
not a single enterprise Of the church or
the world but has some time been
scoffed at. There was a time when men
derided even Bible societies, and when
a few young men met in Massachusetts
and organized the first missionary socie-
ty ever organized in this country there
went laughter and ridicule all around
the Christian church. They said the
undertaking was preposterous, and so
also the work Of Jesus Christ was as
sailed. People cried out; "Who ever
heard of such theories Of ethics and
government? Who ever noticed such a
style Of preaching as Jesus has!" Eek
iel had talked of mysterious wings and
wheels. Here came man from Caper-
naum and Genne saret, and he drew bis
illustrations from the lakes, from the
sand, from the mountain, from the
lilies. from the cornstalks How the
Pharisees scoffedl How Herod derided
And this Jesus they plucked by th'
beard, and they spat in his face, anc
they called him "this fellow" All the
great enterprises in and out OF thu
church have at times been scoffed at
and there have been a great multitude
who have thought that the chariot o.
Gods truth would fall TO pieces If i
once got out Of the old rut And sc
there are those who have no patience
with anything like Improvement IL
church architecture or with anything
like good, hearty, earnest church sing
ing, and they deride any form u reli
eious discussion which gees down walk
ing among everyday men rather than
that which makes an excursion Cn rhe
torical stills.
oh. that the church Of God would
wake up to an adaptability Of work
We must admit the simple fact that The
churches of Jesus Christ in this day d'
not reach the great masses. There ART
so. 600 peonle in Edinburgh who nevei
hear the gospel There are 1000 OO'
people in London who never hear th'
gospel. The great majority Of the in
habitants of this capital come not un
der the immediate ministrations o
Christ's truth, and the church Of Coz
in this day, instead of being place ful
of living epistles. known and read o
all men, is more like dead letter post
office.
Work Is Needed.
"But, say the people, the world i
going to be converted. You must be pa
tient The kingdoms Of this world ar
to become the kingdoms Of Christ.
Never, unless the church Of Jesu
Christ puts on more speed and energy
Instead of the church converting tn
world the world is converting tn
church. Here is a great fortress. How
shall il be taken? An army comes an'
sits around about it. cuts of the sup
plies and says, "Now we will just wal
until from exhaustion and starvation
they will have to give up" Weeks an'
months, perhaps a year, pass along an'
finally the fortress surrenders through
that starvation and exhaustion. But
nv friends, the fortresses Of sin ar
never to be taken in that way. If the.
are taken for God, it will be by storm