The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-12-06

say, "Good Cor him." would rather bd
sympathetic, like Paul, and resuscltate
him. That accident Is often quoted now In
religious circles as warning against som.
nolence In church. 1t is just as much q
warning to ministers against prolixity.
Eutychus was wrong In his somnolence,
but Paul made mistake when he kept on
until midnight. he ought to have stopped
at II O'Clock, and there would have been
no accident. II Paul might have gone on
to too great length, let all those OF us who
are now preaching the gospel remember
that there Is q limit to religious discourse
or ought to be, and that In our time we
poleon In an address OF seven minutes
thrilled his army and thrilled Europe.
| Christ's sermon on the mount, the model
| sermon was less than eighteen minutes long
at ordinary mode of delivery. 1t Is not
electricity scattered all over the sky that
strikes, but electricity gathered into a
thunderbolt and hurled, and 1t Is not relig.
ious truth scattered over and spread out
over vast reach OF time, but religious
truth projected In compact >form that
flashes light upon the soul and rives Its
indifference.
When the religious discourse OF the
future arrives in this land and In tho
Christian church, the discourse which Is to
arouse the world and startle the nations
and usher in the kingdom. It will be brief
] discourse.
| Hear it, all theological students, all ye
just entering upon religious work, all "
men and women who In Sabbath school.
and other departments are toiliDg fol
Christ and the salvation OF immortals-
brevity, brevityl
| discourse Of the future OF which ! speak
will be popular discourse. There are
those in these times who speak OF popular
sermon as though there must be something
wrong about 1t. As these critics are dull
themselves. the world gets the impression
that q sermon is good In proportion as 1t 1!
stupid. Christ was the most popular
preacher the world ever saw and, con.
sidering the small number OF the
worlds population. had the largest au.
dience ever gathered. He never preached
anywhere without making q great
sensation. People rushed out in the wild.
ical necessities. So great wac their ankle.
| ty to hear Christ that, taking no food With
them, they would have tainted and starved
had not Christ performed a miracle'and
| fed them. Why did so many people take
the truth at Christ's hands2 Because they
| oil understood 1t. He illustrated His sub.
ject by hen and her chickens, by bushel
measure, by handful OF salt, by BIRDS
aight and by lily's aroma. All the people
knew what He'meant, and they facked to
Him. And when the religious discourse OF
| toniaD, not Rochesterian, not AndoverlaD,
not Middletonian, but Olivetic---plafD,
practical, unique, earnest, comprehensive
| OF all the woes, wants, sins and sorrows oil
an auditory. ...-. -.
But when that exhorta.lon or DISCOURSE
does come there will be thousand CLEAN.
| ing scimiters to charge on II. There are IN
80 many theological seminaries professors
telling young men how to preach, them.
selves not knowing how, and am told that
| II young man IN some OF our theological
seminarIes says snything quaint or thrill.
| ing or unique faculty and students ny at
him and set him right and straighten him
out and smooth him down and chop him
of until he says everything just as every
| body else says 1t. Oh, when the future re.
| licious discourse OF the Christian church ar
riyes all the churches Of Christ In our great
cities will be thronged! The world wants
spiritual help. All who have buried their
dead want comfort. All know themselves
to be mortal and to be immortal, and they
want to hear about the great future. 1tell
you, my friends, II the people Of cur great
cities who have had trouble only thought
they could get practical and sympatheticc
help in the Christian church, there would
or any other city which would be passable
on the Sabbath day II there were church
on 1t, for ull the people would press to
| that asylum OF mercy, that great house Oh
comfort and consolation.
Another with dead babe in her arms
came to the god silva and asked to have
her child restored to lie. The god silva
said to her, "You SO and get O handful OF
| mustard seed from house In which there
has been no sorrow and in which there has
been no death, and I will restore your
child to life." SO the mother went ont,
and she went from house to house and
from home to home looking for place
where there had been no sorrow and where
there had been no death, but she found
none. She went back to the god silva and
said: "My mission Is u failure. You see, j
haven't brought the mustard seed. can't
fnd place where there has been no sor.
row and no DEATH" ooh" says the god
Sivu. Understand, your sorrows are no
worse than the SORROWS OF thers. We all
have our grlefs, and all have our heart
BREAKS"
"Luugb, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow Its
mirth,
But has trouble enough Of its own."
We hear great deal Of discussion now
all over the land about why people DO not
20 10 church. Some say 1t Is because
Christianity ia dying out and because peo.
pie do not believe In the truth OF God'e
word, and nll that. They are false reasons.
The renson is because our sermons and eX'
hortations are not interesting and practi.
cal and helpful.
Some one might as we'll tell the whole
truth on this subject, and 80 will tell 1t.
The religious discourse OF the future, the
pospel sermon to come forth and shake the
nutions and lift people out OF darkness,
will be a popular sermon, just for the sim.
pie reason that It will meet the woes and
the wants and the anxieties OF the people.
There are in oil our denominations &C.
clesiustical mummies sitting around to
frown upon the fresh young pulpits OF
America to try to awe them down, to cry
out: "Tut, tut, tut! Sensational" They
stand to-day preaching IN churches that
hold u thousand people, md there are
hundred persons present, and II they can.
not have the world saved IN thelr s & way IL IL
seems as II they do not want 1t saved at
all.
I do not know but the old way OF making
ministers of the gospel is better-a col.
legiate education and an apprentices hip
under the care and home attention OF some
earnest, aged Christian minister: the young
man getting the patrlarch's spirit and as.
sisting him In his religious service.
The printing press Is to be the great
agency Of gospel proclamation, 1t Is higo
time that good men, instead OF denouncing
the press, employ 1t 10 scatter forth the
gospel OF Jesus Christ.
The vast majority OF people In our cities
do not come to church and nothing but the
printed sermon can reach them and call
them to pardon and life and peace and
heaven.
Young lawyers study with old lawyers,
young physicians with old physicians, ana
hoI;nv, Il would ho N oreat helm ~ eyery