The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1899-07-21
faCa Of church services today Is not
too much vivacity, but too much

faCn Of church services today Is not
too much vivacity, but too much
somDolence. The one is an Irritating
gnat that may be easily strained out,
the other Is Il great. sprawiing and
sleepy eyed camel OF the dry desert.
In all our Sabbath schools, in all our
Bible Glasses, in all Our pulpits we
need to brighten UP our religious mes
sage win such Christlikc vivac!ty as
we find ia the text.
Uit aE:d Iiunor.
l take down from my library the
biographies Of ministers and writer's
OF the past ages, Inspired aha unin-
spircd, who have done the most TO
bring souls to Jesus Christ. and find
that without Il single exception they
conSccToted their wit and thci. humor
% Christ. Elijah used it when he al
viscl the B2altoS, us they could not
make their god respond. to call louder,
as their god might Ee sound asleep or
gone a-huEtiug. Job used it whelf he
said TO his self couceitcd comforteys,
Wisdom will die with YOU" Christ
not only used it in the text. but when
he ironically complimentcd the cor
rupt Pharls2Cs, saying. The whole
need not Il physician." and when by
one word lie described the cunning of
Herol, saying, go yc 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 Bunyans writings are as full
of humor rs they arc Of saving truth.
md there is not an aged man here who
has ever. read "Pllgrim's Progress"
who does not remember that while
reading 1t he smiled us often us he
wopt. ChrySoStom, George Herbert.
Robert South. George Whitcficld. .Tcre.
my Taylor. Rowland Hill. Ashael Net.
Teton, Charles c.. rinncy and all the
men Of the past who greatly advanced
the kingdom of God consccratcd their
wit and their humor TO the cause Of
Christ SO ii has been in al the ages,
and | say to all our young theological
students, sharpen Your wits until they
are rs keen as ScimItVrs ana then take
them into this holy war. 1t is 4 very
short bridge between smile and
tear, Il suspension bridge from cye 10
lip. ana IL is soon crossed over, and 4
smile is sometimes just rs sacred as 4
tear. There is rs much religion. and
think little more, in a spring morn
ing than in staricss midnight. r..
ligious work without any humor or wit
in it is Il banquet with side Of beer
and chat raw and no condiments ani
no dessert succeeding. People will not
sit down to such Il banquet. Ry all
means remove all frivolity and all
battles and all lightness and Vuiga!ity;
strain them out through tie sieve of
holy discrimination; but, on the other
hand. beware OF that monster which
ovcrshadows the Christian church TO-
clay. convcntionality, coming up from
the Great Sahara desert OF Cccles!.
asticsm. having on it's back hump
OF sanctimonious gloom, and vehement
~ refuse to swallow that camel.
Particular About Small Things.
Oh, how particular great many peo-
pie are about the infnitcsimals, while
'fx are quite reckless about the mag
Mary could notE Cnr.st say? Dfd
y >" 71Gs.tinued: people in his time
"a, 2Ns.r son n,, &ul to wash their
hands Deio!i Hc -:aifil, but did not wash
their hearts? 1t is Il bad thing to have
unclcan hands; it is worse thing to
have an unclean heart How many
people there are in our time who arc
very anxious that after their death
they shall be buried with their face
toward the east and not at all anxious
that during their whole life they
should come UP in the resurrection Of
}hher{tjSs,. VIII SbGiaIahiTG bGiaIahiG ue able to wurn u