Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1899-07-01


beautiful candicsticks. The candle
sticks that God ordered for the ancient
were something exquisite.
They were dream of beauty carved
out OF loneliness. They were made OF
hammered gold. stood in foot Of gold
and had six branches of gold blooming
all along in six lilies OF gold each. and
lips Of gold. from which the canoies
lifted their holy fire. And the best
houses in any city ought 20 be. the
churches--the best built, the best ven
tilated, the best swept. the best win /
fowed and <he best chandeliered. log .
cabins may do ;n neighbodhoods where +
most OF the people live In log cabins.
but let there be palntial churches for
regions where many Of the people live
In palaces. Dc not have better place
for yourself than for your Lord and
King. Do not live in a parlor and put
your Christ in n kitchen.
These seven candlesticks OF which
speak were not made Of pewter or iron.
they were golden candlesticks, and
gold is not only a valuable. but a bright
metal. Have everything about your
church bright-your ushers with smsl-
ing faces. your music jubilant. your
handshaking cordial, your entire serv-
ice attractive. Many people feel that
in church they must look duh. in or
der 60 be reverential. and many whose
faces In other kinds OF assemble, p show
all the different phases OF emotion have
in church no more expression than the
back wheel OF "A hearse. brighten up
and be responsive. II you feel ike
weeping. weep. ~ you feel like smil-
ing. smile. II you feel indignant at
some wrong aSsailed from the pulpit,
frown. Do not leave your naturalness
and resiiiency home bccausc IL Is Sun
day morning. II "a officers of a church
you meet people AZ the church door
with black look. and have the music
black and the minister ia black preach
black sermon. and from invocation TO
I benediction have the impression black.
few will come. and those who do come
will wish they had not come at oil.
Golden candlssticksi Scour up the
six lilies on each branch and known that
the more lovely aud bright they are the
more m they are 10 hold the light. But
a Christless light Is damage 20 the
world rather than a good. Cromwell
stabbed his cavalry horses in St. Paul's
cothedral. and many now use thechurch
in which 20 stable vanities and worldh-
ness. A worldly church Is a candlesticL
without the candle. and il had it, proto
type "a ST Sophia. I'm Constantinople
built 10 the glory OF God by Constantine
but transformed 20 base uses by Mo
hammed the second. Bull, out of col
ored marble. cupola with 20 win
dows soaring 20 a height of $50 feet. tn,
ceiling one great bewilderment OF mo
sale. galleries supported by eight col
umns OF porphyry and 81 columns O
green jasper, nine bronze doors will
alto relieve work fascinating 10 the ey
OF any artist, vases and vcstments in
crusted with all manner OF preciou
stones. Four walls on fire with inde
scribable splendor.
Though labor was cheap. the building
/ cost 81. 500 900. Ecclesiastical structure
almost supernatural ia pomp and majes
: ". But Mohammedanism tore dow
5 from the walls Of that building all IN
2 sanity and Christiy images, and hig
1 up in the dome the figure of the eros
20 was rubbed out that the crescent of IN
barbarous Turk might be substitute,
: a great church. but no Christ!
a gorgeous candlcsticlS. but no candle
5 Ten thousand such churches would nS
( give the world Us much light as OF
4 Aomemads tallow candle by which Ia,
2 night some grandmother Ia the eight,
( put on her spectRcles and read Il
c Psalms of David in large type. Up wit
= the churches by all means. Hundre,
v of them. thousands OF them. and Il
J. more the better. But let each one be
i blaze of hsavenly light. making Il
e world brighter and brighter, till Il
5. last shadow has disappeared and Il
h last of the suffering children of G'
Is shall have reached the land where th'
e have no need of candlestick or ''of ca
e die. neither light of the sun. for q
Is Lord God giveth them light. and tn
shall reign forever and ever" Sew
e candlesticks the complete number
le lights. Let your light shine befo
,e men, that they seeing your good worl
$. may glorify your Father which is
e Heaven.
II Turn now in your Bible to the sew
ID stars. We are distinctly told that IN
e. are the ministers of religion. Some a
n large stars. some of them small sta
h, some of them sweep a wide circuit a
in some of them a small circuit, but so 4
ht as they are genuine they get their lg
n, from the great central sun arou
OF whom they make revolution. Let ea