The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-11-23

put raul maze mistake When lie kept on
until midnight. He ought TO have stopped
at II o'clock, and there would have been
no accident II Paul might have gone on
to too great length, let all those OF us who
nre now preaching the gospel remember
that there Is II limit to religious discourse,
or ought to be, and that In our time VIZ
have no apostolic power OF miracles. Ma
poeon In an address OF seven minutes
thrilled his army and thrilled Europe.
Christs sermon on the mount tho 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
thunderbolt and hurled, and It is not rellg-
tous truth scattered over and spread out
over vast reach OF time, but religious
truth projected in compact form that
flashes light upon the soul and rives Its
Indifference.
When the religious discourse OF tho
future arrives In this land and In :, the
Christian church, the discourse which Is 20
arouse the world and startle the nations
and usher In the kingdom, 1t will be II brief
discourse.
Hear 1t, all theological students, all ye
just entering upon religious work, all ye
men and women who In Sabbath schools
and other departments arc toilng for
Christ and the salvation OF immortals-
brevity, brevityl
But remnrk also that the religious
discourse OF the future OF which l speak
will bo popular discourse. There are
those In these times who speak OF n popular
sermon rs though there must be something
wrong about 1t. AS these critics nre duli
themselves, the world gets the impression
that a sermonis good In proportion as It is
stupid. Christ was the most popular
preacher the world ever saw and, con-
siderlng the small number OF the
worlds population, had the largest au-
dience ever gathered. He never preached
~, -knen r,Ifh
sensation. People rushed out in the Wild
erness to hear Him reckless OF their phys
teal 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 II miracle and
fed them. Why did so many people take
the truth at Chrlst's hands? Because they
all understood 1t. Ho illustrated His sub
ject by hen and her chickens, by u bushel
measure, by handful OF salt, by "a birds
Eight and by lily's aroma. All the people
knew what He m can't and they hocked to
Him. And when the religious discourse OF
the future appears 1t will not be Prince
tontun, not Rochestetian, not Andoverian,
not Middletonlan, but Ollvetic--plain
practical, unique, earnest, comprehensive
OF all tho woes, wants, sins and sorrows OF
I'm auditory.
But when that exhortation or discourse
does come there will be thousand glcam-
ing scimiters 10 charge on II. There are In
30 many theological seminaries professors
telling young men how to preach, them
selves not knowing how, and am told that
IL young man in somo OF our theological
seminaries says anything quaint or thrill
ing or unique faculty and students fly Mt
him and set him right nnd stralghten him
out and smooth him down and chop him
Off until he says everything just rs every
body else says it. oh, when the future re-
llgious discourse OF the Christian church ar
rives all the churches OF Christ in our great
cities will be throngedl 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. Itell
you, my friends, II the people of cur great
cities who have had trouble only thought
they could get practical aud sympathetic
help In the Christian church, there would
not be q street In Washington or New York
or any other city which would be passape
on tho Sabbath day II there were church
on it, for all the people would press to
that asylum OF mercy, that great house of
comfort and consolation.
A mother with dead babe in her arms
came to the god silva md asked to have
her child restored to life. The god silva
said to her, "You so and get handful OF
mustard seed from house In which there
has been no sorrow and In which there has
been no death, and / will restore your
child to life." So the mother went out,
tHu Suo WtuL lTOul uOUSb To uOuSb anu
from homo to home looking for II place
where there had been no sorrow and where
there had been no death, but she found
mono. She went back to the god silva and
sald "My mission is failure. You see, 1
haven't brought the mustard seed. can't
find place where there has been no sor-
row and no death" "Oh!" says the god
silva. Understand, your sorrows are no
worse than the sorrows of others. We NIL
have our grlefs, and all have our heart
breaks"
Laugh, and the world laughs with you;
Weep, and you weep alone;
For the sad old earth must borrow Its
mirth
But has trouble enough OF its own"
We hear a great deal OF discussion now
all over the land about why people do not
go TO church. Somo 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 rensons.
The reason is because our sermons and ex-
hortations are not interesting and practi-
cal and helpful.
Some one might as we'll tell the whole
truth on this subject, and so l will tell 1t.
The religious discourse OF the future, the
gospel sermon to come forth and shake the
nations and lift people out of darkness,
will be popular sermon, just for tho sim
ple reason that 1t will Meet tho woes and
the wants and the anxloties OF tho people.
There are in all our denominations oc-
clesiustlcal mummes sitting around to
frown upon the fresh young pulpts OF
America to try to awe them down, to cry
out: "Tut, tut, tut! Sensatlonall" They
stand to-day preaching In churches that
hold thousand people, and there are II
hundred persons present, and II they can
not have tho world saved in their way 1t
seems as II they do not want 1t saved at
all.
do not know but the old way OF making
ministers OF the gospel is better-a col
legate education and an apprenticeship
under the care and home attention OF some
earnest, aged Christian minister, the young
man getting the patrlarch's spirit aud as
sisting him In his religious service.
The printing press is to DO tho great
agency OF gospel proclamation. 1t Is high
time that good men, instead OF denouncing
the press, employ e 10 scatter forth tho
gospel of Jesus Christ.
The vast majority OF people in our 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.
The time will come wien all the village,
town and city newspapers will reproduce
the gospel OF Jesus Christ, and sermons
preached on the Sabbath will reverberate
all around the world, and, some by type and
some by voice, oil nations will be evange-
lized.
He Was His Own Dentist.
A FoXcraft man who was suffering