The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-05-12

~
- the masses are moi
relegatsd to mis-.
sion chapels. He takes his text from
Acts xvii. 8. These that have turned
the world upside down are come htthss
also" .--.t ,tr r'
There 10 q wild. believing mob around
the house OF Jason In Thessalonica.
What has the man done 30 greatly 70
offend the people? He has been enter.
taining Paul and his comrades. The
mob surround the house and cry:
Bring out those turbulent preachers!
They are interfering with our busi-
ness! They are running our religion!
They are actually turning the world
upside down."
The charge was true. for there Is
nothing that SO interferes with sin.
there Ia nothing so ruInous to every
form Of established iniquity. there ia
nothing that has such tendency to turn
Christianity. The fact is that the
world now Is wrong side up. and II
needs to be turned upside down in order
that II may be right side up. The time
was when men wrote books emitting
them Apologies for Christianity"
hope that day has passed. We want
no more apologies for Christianity.
Let the apologies be on the part OF
those who do not believe in our religion.
We do not mean to make any COM
promise in the matter. We do not
wish to hide the fact that Christianity
is revolutionary and that its tendency
is to turn the world upside down.
Our religion has often been misrep-
resented as a principle Of tears and
mildness and fastidiousness. afraid Of
crossing peoples prejud!ces, afraid Of
making somebody mad, with silken
gloves lifting the people UP from the
church pew into glory, as though they
were Bohemian glass. so very delicate
that with one touch II may be demol-
ished forever. Men speak of religion
as though 1t were a spiritual chloro-
form. that the people were to take un-
til the sharp cutting Of life were over.
The Bible, so far from this represents
the religion of Christ as robust and
brawny-ransac,ting and upsetting
10000 things that now seem to be settled
on firm foundations. hear some man
in the house say. II thought religion
was peace" That is the final result.
A mans arm Is out of place. Two
men come, and with great effort put 1t
back to the socket. 1t goes back with
great pain. Then It gets WELL Our
world is horribly disordered and out Of
JOINT. 1t must come under an omni-
potent surgery, beneath which there
will be pain and anguish before there
can come perfect health and quiet. I
proclaim. therefore. in the name of my
Lord Jesus Christ-revolution!
The religion of the Bible will make q
revolution in the family. Those things
that are wrong in the family circle will
be overthrown by it, while justice and
band will be the head of the house
harmony will take the place. The hus-
hold only when he Is ft to be. / know
n man who spends all the money he
makes in drink as we'll as all the money
that his wife makes, and some times
sells the chidrens clothes for rum. Do
you tell me that he Is to be the head
of that household? If the wife have
more nobility. more courage, more
consistency, more of all that Is right,
she will have the supremacy. You say
that the Bible says that the wife Is to
be subject to the husband. ] know it.,
but that is a husband, not masculine
caricature. There IN no human or di-
vine law that makes woman subor-
6inate to a man unworthy Of her When
Christianity comes into domestic cir
Gle, it will give the dominancy to tha'
one who Is the most worthy OF it.
AS religion comes in at the from
door, mirth and laughter will not g,
out of the back door. 1t will not hop,
pie the children's feet. John will laugh
Just as loud, and George will jumI
higher than he ever did before. l.
will steal from the little ones neithe
ball not bat nor hoop nor kite. 1t will
establish a family altar. Angels will
hover over 1t. Ladders OF light will
reach down to II. The glory Of HEAVIER
will stream upon it. The books Of re
membrance will record it, and tides OF
everlasting blessedness will pour from
II. Not such family altar as you may
have seen where the prayer Is long ant
a long chapter is read. with tediou,
explanation, and the exercise keeps OF
until the children's knees are sore. ant
their backs ache, and their patience 1.
lost, and for the seventh time they
have counted all the rungs In the chair.
but / mean a family altar such as
may have been seen In your fathers
house. You may have wondered far
of in the paths Of sin and darkness, but
you have never forgotten that family
altar where father and mother knelt
importuning God for your soul. That
In a memory that man never gets
over. There will be a hearty. joyful
Fav,,ilv altar In eyarv dofneatic circle