The Penn's Grove record., 1899-11-24

ItllHtOQS ClIDttS as u II Iuluk ubhtii9h 49,
Violence in church. 1t is just as much a
warning to ministers against prolixity.
Entychus was wrong IN his somnolenee,
but Paul made a miatake when he kept on
until midnight. He Ought to have stopped
at IL O'Clock, and there would have been
no accident. II Paul might have gone on
to too great length, let all those OF us VINO
are now preaching the gospel remember
that there is a limit to religious discourse,
or ought to be. and that in our time we
have no apostolic power Of miracles. Ma
poleon In an address OF seven minutes
thrilled his army md 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 u
thnnderboit and hurled, and 1t is not rellg-
ious truth scattered over aud spread out
over a vast reach Of time, but religious
truth projected In compact form that
flashes light upon the soul and riyes its
Indifference.
When the religious discourse OF the
future arrives In tli5 land and In tue
Christian church, the discourse which Is to
arouse the world and taftle the nations
and usher In the kingdom. 1t will be a brief
discourse.
Hear it, all theological students, all ye
just entering upon religious work, all ye
men and women who in Sabbath schools
and other departments are toiling for
Christ and the salvation Of immortnls-
brevity, breyityl
But | remark also that the religious
discourse OF the future OF which l speak
will be a 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
hat a on is good In proportion as IL Is
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 n great
sensation. People rushed out In the Wild
erness to hear Him reckless OF their phys
ical necessities. So great waa 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 hands? Because they
all nnderstood 1t. He Illustrated His sub
ject by a hen and her chickens, by a bushel
by a handful OF salt, by a birds
eight und by a liiy's aroma. All the people
knew what He meant, and they focked to
Hin. And when the religious discourse of
the future appears II Will not be Prince
~tonian, not Rochesterian, not AndoveriaD,
not M~iddletonian, but 0livetic-plain,
practical, unique, earnest, comprehensive
OF all the woes, wants, sins and sorrows OF
an auditory.
But when thai exhortatIpn or discourse
does come there will be a thousand gleam-
ing scImiters to chargeoh it. There are In
so many theological ~seminaries professors
telling young men how to preach, thep-
selves not knowing how, and / am told that
II a young man In some OF our theological
seminaries says anything quaint or thrill
irr nr r,pinfIa faculty md afndpnta HV mt
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 IT.. Oh, when the future re-
ligious discourse OF the Christian church ar
riyes all the churches OF Christ In our great
spiritual help. All who have buried their
dead want comfort. All know themselves
to be mortal and to be immortal, n 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 sympathetic
help In the Christian church, there would
not BIO a street IN Warrington or New York
SSaa1hitl u Fyl III the bs 8 > M.ilfsg { sasEf to
that asylum OF mercy, that great house of
comfort and consolation.
A mother with a dead babe In her arms
phuit u III EJi DAWN uuA ~ hoFb
her child restored to lie. The god silva
said to her, "You so and get n handful OF
mustard seed from a 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 out,
and she went from house to house aud
from home to home looking for a place
whdfe 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 a failure. You see, l
haven't brought the mustard seed. l can
find n place where there has been no sor-
row and no DEATH" "Ohl" says the god
silva. "Understand, your sorrows are no
worse than the sorrows OF o theirs. We all
have our grlefs, and all ave our heart
breaks"
'Lnugh, md the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow its
mirtb,
Tut has trouble enough OF Its own"
We hear a great deal of discussion now
all over the lane about why people do not
go to church. Some say 1t Is because
Christianity is dying out and because peo-
pie do not believe In the truth OF Gods
word, and nll that. They are false reasons.
The reason is because our rmo and ex-
hortations are not interesting and practi-
cal and helpful.
Some one might rs we'll tell the whole
truth on this subject, and SO l will tell it.
The religious discourse OF the future, the
gospel sermon to come forth and shake the
nations and lift people out OF darkness.
will be q popular sermon, just for the sim
Pile reason that 1t will meet the woes and
the wants and the anxieties OF the people.
Tbese are In all our denominations &C.
cleslas Heal mummtes sitting around to
frown upon the fresh young puipits of
America to try to awe them down, to cry
out: Tut. tut, tutl Sensationall" They
stand to-day preaching III churches that
hold u thousand people, and there are a
hundred per ons present, and II they cam
not have the world saved In their way 1t
seems as IL they do not want 1t saved ut
all.
l do not know but the old way OF making
ministers OF the gospel is better--a col
legiate education and nm apprenticesh hip
under the care and home attention OF some
earnest, aged Christian minister. the young
maj getting the patriarch's spirit and as
sisting him In his religious service.
The printing press Is to be the great
agency OF gospel proclamation. 1t is high
time that good men, Instead OF ~denouncing
the press, employ 1t TO scatter forth the
gospel OF Jesus Christ.
The vast majority OF people In orr 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, and
i believe 1t would be a great help II avery
Young mnn studying for the gospel minis
try could put himself In the home and
heart aud syapathy and under the bene-
diclion and perpetual presence OF a Chris
tian minister.
-But, | remark again. the religious dis