Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-12-07
F. Christian frame. and then We preach

itor has 50 much capacity OF attention. ana
| when that is exhausted He Is restless. Inal
| accident On the Long Island ralitoao 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, ana
| hence the casualty was terrific. In ali re-
ligions discourse we want locomotive power
and propulsion. We want az me Sa-ne .in0
atout brakes to let down az the right 10
slant. 1t is a dismal thing. aftera nearer
has comprehended the whole suDlece. 70
hear a man say. Now to recapituiate,.
and "a few words by way Of Application,
and "Once more" ana 'flnaiis' auu
Now to conclude.
Paul preached until midnight, and Euty-
chus got sound asleep and FELL out Oh a
window and broke his neck. some "ouio
saw. GOOD for him" would rather be
sym pathetic, like Paul, and resuscitate
him That accident Is often quoted now in
religious circles as a warning against SOM
noleace In church. It is just as much a
warning to ministers against proii1lty.
EutychJs was wrong In his sonnoiehce,
bur Paul made a mistake when lie 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 d'scourSe'
or ought to be, and that In our time We
have no apostolic power Of miracles. Ma
noIeon in an address OF seven minutes
thrilled his army and 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 "a
thunderbolt and hurled, and it is not reliS-
ious truth scattered over and spread out
over a vast reach OF time, but religious
truth projected In compact form that
i flashes light upon tho soul and rlves It's
Indifference.
When The religious discourse OF the
future arrives in this land and in the
Christian church, the discourse which lsto
arouse the world and startle the nations
and usher in the kingdom, it will be q 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 Tor
Christ and the salvation Of immortals-
brevity, brevity!
But remark also that the religious
discourse OF the future Of which l speak
, will be q popular DISCOURSE. There are
those in these time s who speak Of a popular
=. sermon as though there must besomething
wrong about It. AS these critics are dull
, themselves. the world gets the impression
: that a sermon is good in proportion as 1t Is
: stupid. Christ was the most popular
5, preacher the world ever saw and, con
. sidering the small number OF the
worlds population. had the largest au-
+ dience ever gatheHed. He never preached
: anywhere without making q great
+ sensation People rushed out in the Wild
erness to hear Him reckless OF their phys
o icai necessities. SO great wac 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
g the truth at Christ's hands? Because they
all understood it. He illustrated His sub.
:no& -, m ln. ,,I hnr ohioEarS Iy q tyJoh q
a measure, by n handful OF salt. by a BIRDS
;, Qight and by a lily's aroma. All the people
n knew what he meant. and they nocked tC
Him. And when the religious discourse OF
g the future appears. it will not be Prince.
4 tOnian, not Rochesterian, not AndOverian
not Middletonian but Oliyetic--plain
practical, unique, earnest, comprehensive
!, Of all the woes, wants, sins and sorrows o.
an auditory.
But when that exhortation or discourse
= does come there will be a thousand CLEAN
i ing scimiters to charge on it. There are il
q so many theological seminaries professors
" telling young men how to preach, them
selves not knowing how, and l am told thai
q il II young man In some OF our Theological
a seminaries says anything quaint or thrill
ing or unique faculty and students fly a
I him and set him right and straighten hin
out and smooth him down and chop hin
i off until he says everything just as every
body else says it. Oh, when the future re
n lElOuSliStO3IL - oL JIG III SIHuICh IL
"a rives all the churches of Christ in our grea
cities will be thronged! The world want!
~ spiritual help. All who have buried thei
dead want comfort. All know themselve
to be mortal and to be immortal, and the,
want to hear about the great future. Itel
you, my friends, if the people Of cur Srea
A. cities who have had trouble only though
ne they could get practical and ~sympathett
t: help in tho Christian church, there woul'
not be a street in Washington or New YorI
= or INV ~ ar ,ifv yvt;nl, u-pu1l no NaECoht
"a on the sabbath day if there were Il churcI
on it, for oil the people would press t
D. that asylum of mercy, that great house Q
n comfort and consolation.
mother with a dead babe in her arm
is came to the god silva and asked to hav'
~ her child restored to life. The god Sivi
r. said to her, You so and get Il handful o
" mustard seed from a house in which thcr
;a has been no sorrow and in which there ha
- been go death, and I will restore you
i child to life" 50 the mother went out
er and she went from house to house an
il from home to home looking for a plac
a where there had been no sorrow and wher
10 there had been no death, but she foun
an none. She went back to the god silva an
tie said: My mission is q failure. You see,
ls haven't brought the mustard seed. can
hnd 4 place where there has been no So
row and no DEATH OH says the go
H. silva. "Jnderstand, your sorrows are Il
As worse than the sorrows OF others. We a
1l t AoN't WI NIitlS, huo Al Il IVA iICai
- breaks.
on "I.augh. and the world laughs with you;
lie Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow il
lie mirth.
us But has trouble enough Of its own
US We hear q great deal Of discussion no
10 all over the Land about why people 10 NJ
II 70 to church. Some say il is becau:
:, Christianity Is dying out and because pc,
4 pie do not believe in the truth OF God
II word, and all that. They are false reason
"a The reason Is because our ons and e.
a, hortations are not interesting and pract
Try caltani helpful.
ed Some one might as we'll tell the who
truth on this subject, and SO | Will tell
or The religious discourse Of the future, Il
gospel sermon to como forth and SHAKE Il
I'd nations and lift people out 81 darknes
; will be 4 popular sermon. Just for the sin
ok pie reason that it Will meet toe woes ~
'ed the wants and the anxieties OF the peopl
There are in all our denominations q
l. cie>iastieal uummies sitting around
u n ii r - =. >. - ,1. F~A-j ,,.- 49,.