Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-02-13

keep silent about it, No" said Yves
ley, If you had ten thousand tongues
you had better use them for Christ" And
then that angel of hymnology penned the
words:
oh, for a thousand tongues to sing
My dear Eeocemer's praise.
The giories of my God and King,
The triumph of his grace!
Jesus, the name that Gains our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
IT'S music in the sinners ears;
lis life and henlth aud peace.
While much of the modern music is
religious doggerel. consecrated nom
sense. sacred imbecility. | would like to
see some great musician Of onr time lift
the baton and marshal "I.uther's Judg-
ment Hyma." Yarmouth Dundee
Ariel" Brattlestreet." "Uxbridge,'
"Pleyers Hymn, 'HarwelI," Antioch
Mount Pisgah" Ind Coronation" with
a few regiments of mighty fumes made in
our own time, and storm Asia, Africa
and America for the kingdom Of God. But
the first thing to do is to drive out the
dumb devil of the text from all our
churches.
DO not, however. let us lose ourselves
in generalties. Not one of us bul has
had our lives sometimes touched by the
evil spirit OF the teSf-this awful lumb
devil. We had just one opportunity of
saying a Christian word that might have
led man or woman into Christian life.
The opportunity was fairly put before
ms. The word Of invitation or consolation
or warning came 10 the inside gate of the
mouth, but there il halted Some hinder
ing power locked the jaws together SO
that they did not open. The tongue Law
flat and still in the bottom of the mouth
as though struck with paralysis. We
were mute. Though God had given us
the physiological apparatus for speech
and our lungs We're filled with air which
by the command of our will could have
made the laryngeal muscles move and the
vocal organs vihrate, we were wickedly
and fatally silent. For all time and
eternity we missed our chance, or it was
prayer meeting, and the service was
thrown open for prayer and remarks,
/ and there was dead halt-everything ST
| lent as a graveyard at midnight. Indeed,
| it was a graveyard and midnight An
! embarrassing pause took place that put
! wet blanket on all the meeting. Men,
| bold enough on business exchange or ID
! worldly circles, shut their eyes as though
| they were praying in silence, but they
were not praying at all. They were busy
| hoping somebody else would do his duty.
! The women flushed under the awful
| pause and made their f. rs more rapidly
| fiutter. Some brothe. with no cold,
couGh'l by that sound trying to fill up
| the tim, and the meeting was slain. But
| what killed it? The dumb devil. This
| is the way / account for the fact that
| the stupidest places on earth are some
| prayer meetings. | do not see how a man
keeps any grace if he regularly attends
| them. They are spiritual refrigerators
Religion kept on ice. How many of US
| have host occasions of usefulness? In a
| sculptors studio stood figure of the god
| Opportunity. The sculptor had made
the hair fall down over the face of the
statue so as to completely cover it. and
| there were wings to the feet. When
asked why he so represented Opportunity
| the sculptor answered, The face of the
| statue is thus covered up because we do
not recognize Opportunity when it comes.
and the wings to the feet show that OPP
portur,ity is swiftly gone"
! Out ub tibt TT Aht NNlih hNttNt lit
church because of all this, for the dumb
devil is just as conspicuous in the world.
| The great political parties assemble at
the proper time 10 build platforms for
the candidates to stand on. A commit
tee of each party is appointed to make
the platform. After proper deliberation,
the committees come in with ringing re-
port. Whereas and "Wherea So and
/ Al 81 eha
ed with the one idea of getting the most
votes. All expression in regard to the
great moral evils of the country ignored.
| No expression in behalf of temperate liv-
ing, for that would lose The vote of the
liquor traffic. No expression in regard to
the universal attempt at the demolition
of the Lords day. No recognition of God
in the history of nations, for that would
lose the vote of atheists. But Where
as and Whereas and Whereas"
Nine cheers will he given for the plat
form. The dumb devil of the text puts
one wing over the one platform and the
other wing over the other platform.
! Those great conventions are opened with
prayer by their chaplains. If they avoid
ed platitudes and told the honest truth
in their prayers they would say: 20
| LORD, We Whit 70 ne IOStlidsleTS anu
| consuls and foreign ministers and United
| States district attorneys. For that we
are here, and for that we will strive till
the election next November. Give us
Office or we die. Forever and ever,
amen" The world, TO say the least, is
no better than the church ON this sub
ject of silence at the wrong time. In 9th
er words, is it not time for Christianity to
| become pronounced and aggressive as
never beforet Take sides for God and So
briefly and righteousness. IF the Lord
| be God. follow him; if Baal, then follow
him." Have You opportunity Of rebuking
a sin? Rebuke it. Have you a chance
to cheer a disheartened soul? Cheer it.
Have you a useful word to speak? Speak
it. BE out and out, up and down for
righteousness. Do something for God,
and do it right away or you will never
do it at all.
Time flies away fast,
The while we never remember;
How soon our life here
Grows old with the year
That dies with the next December.
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