Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-09-19


gruity was too much for the risibilities Of
many Of the clergy in the audience. Now,
a young man coming out from such be-
dwnrfng influences, how can he enter into
tho wants and the woes and the sympa-
thies of the people who want on the
Lords day practical gospel that will
help them all the week and help them for
ever?
Young minister's arc told they must
preach Christ and him crucifcd. Yes, but
not as an abstraction. Many n minister
has preached Christ and him cruel
fed in such way that he preached an
audience of five hundred down TO two
hundred. and from two hundred to one
hundred, and from one hundred to fifty,
and from fifty to twenty, and on down
until there was but little loft save the
sexton, who was paid f. stay until the
service was over and lock mp. There is
q great deal of cant about Christ and
him cruched. 1t is not Christ and him
crucifed as an abstraction, but as an ON
nipotcnt sympathy applied 20 all the
wants and woes VI orr immortal nature
a Christ who will help us In every domes-
tic social, financial, political, national
struggled Christ for the pnrlor a Christ
y
Il Christ for the barn, q Christ for the
street, a Christ for the store, q Christ for
the banking house, n Christ for the fac
tory, n Christ for the congressional as
ssmhy, Christ for the courtroom, a
Christ for every trial and every emer-
gcncy and every perturbation
II is often tho case that the difficulty
begins clear back in the home circle
with msapprchousion as to which child
ought to he consecrnted TO the ministry.
John is keen. bright boy IIc is good
Mt bargain. When he trades at school,
he always gets 'h. best Of H. Make him
n merchant. He will soon Gather n for
tune and go right up to take his place
among the commercial princes George
has great cerebral development. Phren-
ologically, language is large. Make him
n lawyer. He viii argue his way to the
front. and he will take his place among
the Mausfcds md the Storys Henry
has large Girth at the chest and is mill
tary in his step and bearing. Send him
to West Point We shall see him yet
briCader general William Is fond OF
skctching. especially of skctchiug ships.
and he knows % much about n vessel as
an old sailor. Make him a shiphuilder.
I The vessel that he builds will success
fully wrestlo with the Caribbean whirl-
wind Aleck ia not very well. He has
never had very good digestion. Since
that last malarial attack his spleen is
/ enlarged. He has n morbid way OF look
ing at things. H. will sit for hours look
ing at one figure in the carpet His man
nors are so mild, so soft, so gentle, so
nlfcctionate. so heavenly, and he cries
easily. Make bin minister Now, my
friends, that is n great mistake If you
want to consecratr one OF your sons to
the gospel ministry. take the one widest
awake. the hravniest. the most bril-
liant, the most irresistible, the most po-
tent. A tremendous work opens before
q profession whose one object is to lift
the nations toward God and prepare
them for heaven
Meeting Public Needs.
All. my friends. churches will be large
~ attended just in proportion as we min
listers can meet their wants, meet their
sufferincs meet their bereavements and
meet their sympathies. If there be a
church with small help, small audience;
medium help, medium audience; large
help large audience II there be n fam
inc in city and three dcpots Of bread
and on, depot has 100 lonves and an
other 800 loavcs and another depot
10000 loaves, the depot that has 100
loaves will have applicants. the depot
that has 800 loaves will have far more
applicants, the depot that has 10000
loaves will have thpngs, throngs,
throngs.
oh, my brethren in the Christian min
istry, we must somehow get our shout
der under the burden Of the people on
the Lords day and give them Il good
stout Eft, and we can do it, We have il
al our own way. 1t is great pity if,
with the floor clear and no interruption,
we cannot during the course of an hour
get our hymn or our PRAYER or our ser
mon under such momentum we can, by
the help Of God, lift the people, body,
mind and soul, clear out of their SINS
temptations and troubles.
think that ministerial laziuess often
pmptics the church Of auditors. Hearers,
who are Intelligent through reading news
papers and by active association in bust
ness circles, will not on the Sabbath sit
and listen to platitudes. Hearers will
not come to sermons which have in the n
no important facts, no information, no
stirring phweT, no adaptation, no fire.
The pew will not listen to the pulpit I'M
less the pulpit knows more than the pew.
Ministerial laziness has cleared ont many
churches. Such ministers saunter around
from parlor 10 parlor under the name Of
pastoral visitation and go gaddlng about
through the village or tie city on err
rands of con plcte nothngness and wrap
their brains around a cigar and smoke
them mp and then on Saturday afternoon
put n few crude thoughts together and
on Sunday morning wonder that the
theme Of Christ and him crucifed does
not bring large audience. and on Mon
DAY sit down and write jeremiads for the
religious newspapers about the decadence
Of church attendance.
ChurchgoiDR Duty.
People will not go 10 church merely as
matter Of duty. There will not next
sabbath be n thousand people in any city
who will get up In the morning and say:
1.-THE Bible says ! must 60 to church. 1t
Is my duty to go to church, therefore |
win 20 to church." The vast multitude
Of people who 20 to church 20 to church
because they like it, and the multitude Of
people who stay away from church stay
away because they do not like it. | am
not spenking about the way the world
ought 10 be- am speaking about the way
the world is Taking things as they are