Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1901-09-20
and soul clear out of their sins, tempta
tinnr and trouhles

new VIII rot NsbeN 10 tHe V'ibit hi'cs" Nv
least on the subject that day under dis
pew. Ministerial laziness has cleared out
MANY churches Such ministers saunter
around from paror to narior under the
rame of pastoral visitation and 20 CAD
ding about through the VILLAGE or the city
on crraros OF complete nothlnQness ana
wrap their brains around . cigar ana
smoke then, w and then on Saturday al
ternoon nut few crude thoughts together
aid on Sunday morrin" wonder shat the
theme of Christ and Him cruci6ed does
rot bring large audience. ard on Mon.
dav sit down and write jereriads for the
religious newspa Ders about the decadence
OF church attendance.
People will not go 10 church merely ~
a matter of duty. There will not next
Sabbath be Thousand people in any city
who viii get up in the morning and say:
"Tbe Bible says | must go TO church. IL
is nv duty to 90 to church; therefore !
will 90 to church" The vast multitude OF
people who 90 to church 70 to church BE-
cause thew like it, and the multitude of
people who stav away from church stay
away because they do not like it. am
not speaking about TIE wav tn" world
ought to be: I am speaking about the way
the world is. Taking things a~e they are.
we must make the centripetal force OF the
church mightier than the centrifugal. We
must make our churches magnets TO. draw
the people thsreunto. 50 that man will
feel uneasy il he does not ~ to church,
saving: "J wish ] bid gone THIS morning.
[ wonder if can't dress vet and get there
in time. 1t ia II o'clock: now they are
singing. Tt is ha'f II; now they are
preaching I wonder when the folks viii
he home to tell us what was said, what has
been goinc on"
When the impression is confirmed tbac
our churches. nv architecture, by music.
bv socialitv and by sermon, shall he made
the most attractive places on earth: then
we will want twice as manv churches rs
we have now. twice as large. and then
they will not half accommodate the peo-
pie.
Therefore, nv brother Christian worker,
il YOU and find two illustrations for a
religious subject. and the one is a Bible
illustration and the other is outside the
Bible. I will take the latter because
want to be like my Master. Looking
across to a hill, Christ saw the city OF
Jerusalem.
Talking to the people about the con
spicuity OF Christian example, lie SAID:
"The world is looking at you; be careful;
A CITY that is set on hill cannot be hid.
Wb;,e He was speaking of the divine care
of Gods children a bird flew past. lie
said "Beho,d the ravens" Then, look
inc down into the valley, all covered at
that season with flowers, He said, Con
slider the lilies"
Oh. nv brother Christian workers,
what il the use OF our going away OH IN
some obscure part of history or on tine
other side of the earth to get an illustra-
ton when the earth and the heavens are
full of illustrations?
Oh. Christian workers, we have got to
| freshen up. What is the use OF our going
back in the Christian classics to ind an
| illustration of the victorious Christian
6eathbed when my personal friend, Al
fred Goodman. a few years ago went away
| in as imperial grandeur as did Edward
Payson?
Js it anv less an illustration to me and
| to YOU because I met him few weeks be-
| fore in front Of Trinity Church, Broad
| wav. and I said: Goodman, you look as
| il YOU were working too hardy Where
| in all the classics il there such story as
| that of Goodman. when in bis last moment
| he cried: II am sweeping through the
gates washed in the blood Of the Lamb.
Oh. fellow Christian workers. what Is
the use of our being stale and obsolete
and ancient when all around us are these
evidences OF Gods grace, Gods deliver,
ance. Gods mercy and Gods wisdom
We have got to freshen uup in our sermons,
freshen up in our songs freshen up IN our
zeal. freshen up in our conservation, and
If we do it, my brethren and sisters. we
| will no more have to coax people te
come to church than if you throw
corn on the ground you have to coax
pigeons to come and eat it, no more than
you would have to coax tired horse to
eat the oats you throw in his manger
Yes, we must freshen up in our Sunday
schools and in our prayer meetings and IN
our pulpits.
1t is high time that Che church OF God
stopped writing apologies for the church
| Let the men who are on the outside, who
despse religion, write the apologies. II
any people do not want the church, they
need not have it. 1t is free country. Ii
any man does not want the gospel. he
need not have it. 1t is a free country
But you 60 ont, oh, people Of God, an(
give the gospel to the millions of America
who do want it.
1t is high time we stop diminishing ant
bring on a general engagement. l want
to live to see the Armageddon, all the at
mics of heaven and he'll in battle array
for I know our Conqueror on the white
horse will gain the day. Let the church o.
God be devoted to nothing else, but 81
right on to this conquest.
When Moses with his army was tryir;
to conquer the Philippians profane histor!
says it was expected that he would 90 II
a roundabout way and come by the bank
of the river, as other armies had done
because the straight route was INFESTED
with snakes, and no army and no MAJ
had dared TO 60 across this serpent infest
ed region. But Moses surprised them
He sent his men out to gather up ibises
The ibis is bird celebrated for serpen
Staying, and these ibises we're gathered
into crates and into baskets, and the.
were carried at the head OF the army o
Moses, and coming up TO the serpent in
tested region the crates were opened AM
the ibises few forth, and the way wa
cleared, and the army Of Moses marche'
right on and came so unexpectedly on tn
Philippians that they flew in wild dismay
o church of God, you are not to mare
| to a roundabout way, but to go stralgh
forward, depending upon winged inhu
ences to clear the way. Hosts of the liy
ing God, march on, march on! Churc
attendance, large now, is going to b
larger vet The sky is frightening il
every direction. I am glad for the bo
and girl five years old; think they ma
see the millennium The wheel OF Chris
tian progress has never made one revou
ton backward. The world moves, th
kingdom advances. All nations will We
salute the standards Of Prince Immanue
TO Him be glory in the church Throughout
all ages. Amen!