The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1899-11-24
ing, and I looked at him and thought:

lustrations that will bring 10 mind the
ghastler sacrifice OF Him who in the
high places OF the field. on the cross.
fought or battles and endured our
struggle aad l..d our deith.
A Geriaan sculptor made an Image OF
Christ. and he asked his little child. Two
wears old, who IL was. ard she said;
"Taat mus, be some very great man."
The sculptor YVES dispensed with the
criticism, 80 he got another block OF
marble and ch!seled away on ii Two or
,hree years. and then he brought in his
little child, four or five 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 mag
isterial Christ, but loving Christ,
spreading out His arms OF sympathy TO
press the whole world to His loving
heart!
But remark also that the religious
discourse OF the future of which Ispeak
will be u popular discourse. There are
those in these times who speak of pop
ular sermon as though there must he
something wrong about il. As these
critics arc dull themselves, the world
gets the impression that a sermon Is
good in proportion rs it is stupid. Christ
was the most popular preacher the
world ever saw and, considering the
small number of the worlds popula-
tion, had the largest audiences ever
gathered. He never preached anywhere
without making great sensation. Peo-
pie rushed out in the wilderness TO hear
him reckless of the.F physical necessi-
ties. So great was their anxiety 10
hear Christ that, taking no food with
them, they would have tainted and
starved had not Christ performed n
miracle and fed them. Why did so
many people take the truth ut Christs
hands? Because they all understood
IL. lie illustrated his subject by hen
and her chickens. by bushel measure,
by handful OF salt. by birds fight
and by a lily's aroma. All the people
knew what he meant. and they fiocked
to Him. And when the religious dis
course OF the future appears II will not
he Princetonian. not Rochesterian, not
Andoverian. not Middletonian, but Oil
yetic--plain, practical, unique, earnest,
comprehensive Of all the woes, wants.
sins and sorrows OF an auditory.
But when the cXhortation or dis
course does come there will be thou
sand cleaning scimeters 10 charge on
IL. There are in so many theological
seminaries professors telling young
men how 10 preach, themselves not
knowing how, and I am told that IL n
young man in some Of our theological
seminaries says anything quaint or
thrilling or unique faculty and students
fly at him aud set him right aad
straighten him out and smooth him
down and chop him of until he says ev-
erything just as everybody else says IL.
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 20 be i'm
mortal, and they want TO hear about
the great future. tell you, my friends,
IL 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 a street in Washington or
New York or any other city which
would be passabe on the Sabbath day
il there were n church on II. for all the
people would press 10 that asylum of
mercy, that great house of comfort and
consolation.
A mother with a dead ba1e in her
arms came to the god silva and asked
10 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 ! will restore your child to life"
So the mother went out, antsshe went
from house TO house and from home 20
home looking for 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 a failure. You
see, / haven't brought the mustard
seed. ] can't find place where there
has been no sorrow and no death"
"Oh!" said the god silva. understand.
your SORROWS are no worse than the
SORROWS of others. We all have our
griefs, and all have our hcartbreaks."
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 Some say it is be-
cause Christianity is dying out and be-
cause people DO not believe in the truth
of Gods Word, and all that. The rea-
son is because our sermons and en-
hortations are not interesting and
practical and helpful. Some one might
as well tel the whole truth on this sub
iect, and so will tell ii. The religious
discourse Of the future, the Gospel SER
mon to come forth and shake the ma
tions and lift people out Of darkness,
will be popular sermon, just for the