The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1899-11-22
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The Loving Christ.

The sculptor was displeased with the
criticism, SO he got another block Of
marble and chiseled away on it two or
three years, and then he brought in his
little child, 4 or 5 years Of age, and said
to her, ''Who do you think that is?" She
said, ''That must be the one who took
little children in his arms and blessed
them" Then the sculptor was satisfied.
Oh, my friends, what the world wants is
not cold Christ, not an intellectual
Christ, not a severely magisterial Christ,
but a loving Christ, spreading out his
arms of sympathy to press the whole
world to his loving heart!
The trouble is we preach audiences
into Christian frame, and then we
preach them out of it. We forget that
every auditor has so much capacity of
attention, and when that is exhausted
he is restless. That accident on the Long
Island Railroad years ago came from the
fact that the brakes were out Of order,
and when they wanted to stop the. train
they could not stop, and hence the casu-
atty was terrific. In all religious dis
course we want locomotive power and
propulsion. We want at the same time
stout brakes to let down at the right in
slant. 1t is dismal thing, after hear
err has >comprehended the whole subject,
to hear a man say, NOW to recapitu-
late" and "A few words by way OF APP
plication," and ''Once more" and 'Final-
ly," and ''Now to conclude"
Paul preached until midnight, and Flu
tychus got sound asleep and fell out of a
window and broke his neck. That acct
dent is often quoted now in religious
cir SOn1nOpncQ
in church. 1t is just as much a warning
to ministers against prolixity. Eutychus
was wrong in his scmnolence, but Paul
made a mistake when he kept on until
midnight.
The Popular Sermon.
When the religious discourse Of the
future arrives in this land and in the
Christian Church the discourse which is
to arouse the world and startle the ma
lions and usher in the kingdom, it will
be brief discourse. Hear it, all theo-
logical students, all We just entering upon
religious work, all We men and women
who in Sabbath schools and other de-
partments are toiling for Christ and the
salvation of mmortals-brevity, breyity.
But I remark also that the religious
discourse of the future Of which 1 speak
will be popular discourse. There are
those in these times who speak of pop
ular sermon as though there must be
something wrong about it. AS these
critics are dull themselves, the world
gets the impression that sermon is good
in proportion as it is stupid. Christ was
the most popular preacher the world ever
saw and, considering the small number
of the worlds population, had the largest
,, audience ever gathered. He never preach
cd anywhere without making a great SEN
sation. People rushed out in the wilder
ness to hear him reckless Of their physi-
cal necessities. So great was their anx-
iety to hear Christ that, taking no food
with them, they would have tainted and
starved had not Christ performed mira
Gle and fed them. Why did SO many
people take the truth at Christ's hands?
Because they all understood it. He illus
trated his subject by hen and her chick
ems. by bushel measure, by a handful
of salt, by birds flight and by lily's
aroma. ALI the people knew what he
meant, and they focked to him. And
when the religious discourse of the fu-
ture appears it will not be Princetonian,
not Rochesterian, not Andoverian, not
Middletonian, but Olivetic-plain, prac-
teal, unique, earnest, comprehensive Of
all the woes, wants, sins and sorrows Of
an auditory.
But when that exhortation or discourse
does come there will be a thousand
cleaning scimiters to charge on it.. There
are in so many theological seminaries
professors telling young men how to
preach, themselves not knowing how, and
l am told that if a young man in some
of our theological seminaries says any
thing quaint or thrilling or unique fac
ulty and students fly at him and set him
right and straighten him out and smooth
him down and chop him off until he says
everything just as everybody else says it.
Oh, when the future religious discourse
of the Christian church arrives 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. 1
tell you, my friends, if the people of our
great cities who have had trouble only
thought they could get practical and
sympathetic help in the Christian church,
there would not be street in Washing
ton or New York or any other city which
would be passable on the Sabbath day if
there were church on it, for all the peo-
pie would press to that asylum Of mercy,
that great house Of comfort and consola-
ton.
The Worlds Sorrows.
| A mother with dead babe in her arms
came to the god silva and asked to have
her child restored to life. The god silva
said to her, you go and get handful
of mustard seed from house in which
there has been no sorrow and in which
there has been no death, and 1 will re-
store your child to life" SO the mother
went out, and she went from house to
house and from home to home looking for
a 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
failure. You see. haven't brought the
mustard seed. / can't find place where
there has been no sorrow and no DEATH"
"Oh!' says the god silva. Understand,
your sorrows are no worse than the sor-
rows Of others. We all have our griefs,