Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-07-22

Illustrations, and there are hyperboles
like that of Christ in the text, that
will irradiate with smiles any intelli-
gent audience. There are men like
those blind guides of the text who ad-
vocate only those things in religious
service which draw the corners of the
mouth down and denounce all those
things which have a tendency TO draw
the corners of the mouth up. and these
men will go to installations and to
presbyteries and to conferences and to
associations, their pockets full of fine
sieves to strain out the gnats, while
in their own churches at home every
Sunday there are so people sound
asleep. They make their churches a
great dormitory. and their somniferous
sermons are cradle and the drawled
out hymns lullaby, while some wake
Tul soul in a pew with her fan keeps
the flies off unconscious persons ap-
proximate. Now. l say it is worse TO
sleep in church than to smile in church,
for the latter implies at least atten-
ton. while the former implies the in
difference of the hearers and the stu
pidity of the speaker.
In old age or from physical infirmi-
~ or from long watching with the
sick drowsiness will sometimes over
power one, but when Il minister of the
gospel looks off upon an audience and
finds healthy and intelligent people
struggling with drowsiness it is time
for him to give out the doxo1ogy or
pronounce thr i.''rdiction. The great
fault Of church services today is not
too much yivacity, but too much
somnolencS. The one is an irritat ling
gnat that may be easily strained out !;
the other Is a great. sprawiing and
sleepy eyed camel of the dry desert.
In all our Sabbath schools, in all our
Bible classes, in all our pulpits we
need to brighten up our religious mes
sage with such Christlike vivacity as
we find in the text.
Wit and Humor.
l take down from my library the
Biographies of ministers and writer's
of the past ages, inspired ami unin-
spired, who have done the most TO
bring souls to Jesus Christ, AMI find
that without Il single exception they
conSecrated their wit and their humor
to Christ. Elijah used it when he ad-
vised the Baalites, as they could not
make their god respond, to call louder,
as their god might be sound asleep or
gone a-hunting. Job used it when he
said TO his self conceited comforters,
Wisdom will die with you" Christ
not only used il in the text, but when
he ironically complimented the cor
rupt Pharisees, saying, The whole
need not a physician" and when by
one word he described the cunning of
Herod, saying. Go We and tell that
fox" Matthew Henry's commentaries
from the first page to the last cor
ruscated with humor, as summer
clouds with heat lightning.
John Bunyan's writings are as full
Of humor as they are of saving truth,
and there is not an aged man here who
has ever read Pilgrims Progress
who does not remember that while
reading it he smiled as often as he
wept. Chrysostom, George Herbert,
Robert South, George Whitefield, Jere-
my Taylor. Rowland Hill, Ashael Net
Teton, Charles G. Finney and all the
men of the past who greatly advanced
the kingdom of God consecrated their
wit and their humor to the cause of
Christ. So it has been in all the ages.
md l say to all our young theological
sharpen your wits until they
ire as keen as scimiters and then take
hem into this holy war. 1t is a very
short bridge between a smile and a
ear, suspension bridge from eye to
ip. and it is soon crossed over, and a
'mile is sometimes just as sacred as
ear. There is as much religion, and I
hink little more, in a spring morn
ng than in a starless midnight. Re-
igious work without any humor or wit |
IL it is a banquet with a side of beef |
md that raw and no condiments and |
10 dessert succeeding. People will not
lit down TO such a banquet. By all |
means remove all frivolity and all |
)athos and all lightness and vulgarity:
train them out through the sieve of
.oly discrimina ton; but, on the other
land, beware OF that monster which
the Christian church to-
lay, conventionality, coming up from
he Great Sahara desert of ecclesi
sticism, having on its back hump
# sanctimonious gloom, and vehement
7 refuse to swallow that camel
Particular About Small Things.
Oh, how particular great many peo.
lie are about the infinitesimals, while
hey are quite reckless about the mag
itudes. What did Christ say? Did
e not eXcoriate the people in his time
vho were 50 careful to wash their
andS before Il meal. but did not wash
heir hearts? 1t is bad thing to have
mclean hands. ii is II yynrSa tbipU T., |