Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-09-16

gadding about through the village OF
the city on erralGs of complete moth
ingness and wrap their brains around
a cigar and smoke them up and then
on Saturday afternoon put few crude
thoughts together and on Sunday
morning wonder that the theme of
Christ and him crucified does not bring
a large audience and on Monday sit
down and write jeremiads for the re-
Hgious newspapers about the deca-
dence Of church attendance.
Advice to Young Preachers.
People will not go to church merely
as a matter of duty. There will not
next Sabbath be a thousand people in
any city who will get up in the morn
ing and say: ''The Bible says l must
go to church. It is my duty to go to
church; therefore l will 90 to church"
The vast multitude of people who go to
church go to church because they like
it, and the multitude of people who
stay away from church stay away be-
cause they do not like it, 1 am not
speaking about the way the world
ought to be; [ am speaking about the
way the world is. Taking things as
they are, we must make the centripetal
force of the church mightier than the
centrifugal. We must make our church
eS magnets to draw the people there
unto, so that man will feel uneasy if
he does not go to church, saying: 81
wish l had gone this morning. | won
der if I can't dress yet and get there in
time. 1t is IL O'clock; now they are
singing. 1t is half past IL; now they
are preaching. I wonder when the
folks will be home to tell US what was
said, what has been going on" When
the impression is confirmed that our
churches, by architecture, by music,
by sociality and by sermon, shall be
made the most attractive places on
earth, then we will want twice as
as large, and then they will not half
accommodate the people.
l say to the young men who are en-
tering the ministry, we must put on
more force, more energy, and into our
religious services more vivacity if we
want the people to come. You look in
to a church court of any denomination
Of Christians. First you will find the
men Of large common sense and ear
nest look. The education of their
minds, the piety of their hearts, the
holiness of their lives qualify them for
their work. Then you will find in ev-
cry church court Of every denomina-
ion group of men who utterly amaze
you with the fact that such semi-imbe-
,ility can get any pulpits to preach in!
Those are the men who give forlorn
statistics about church decadence.
Frogs never croak in running water;
always in stagnant. But 1 say to all
Christian workers, to all Sunday school
eacherS, to all evangelistS, to all min
sters Of the gospel, if we want our
Sunday schools and our prayer meet
ngs and our churches to gather the
people we must freshen up. The sim
DE fact is the people are tired Of the
Of religionists.
You say that all Sunday school teach +
rs and all evangelists and all minis
ers must bring their illustrations from
he Bible. Christ did not when he
reached. The most Of tie Bible was
written before Clrist's time, but where
id he get his illustrations? He drew
hem from the lilies, from the ravens,
rom salt, from a candle, from a bush
|, from long faced hypocrites, from
mats, from moths, from large gates
nd small gates, from q camel, from !
he needles eye, from yeast in the
Ough Of bread, from a mustard seed,
rom a fishing net, from debtors and
redftOrS. That is the reason multi
Ides followed Christ. His illustra-
ons We're so easy and so understand
BILE. Therefore, my brother Christian +
yorker, if you and 1 find two illustra-
ons for a religious subject, and the
ne is a Bible Illustration and the 9th
= is outside the Bible, will take the
alter because I want to be like my
faster. Looking across to hill, Christ
aw the city Of Jerusalem. Talking to
le people about the conspicuity of
hristian example, he said: THE world
) looking at you; be careful. A city
hat is set on a hill cannot be hid"
While he was speaking of the divine
are of Gods children a bird flew
asst. He said, Behold the ravens"
hen, looking down into the valley, all
overed at that season with flowers, he
aid, consider the lilies" Oh, my
rother Christian workers, what is the
Sc of our going away off in some Oh
cure part of history or on the other
de Of the earth to get an illustration
-hen the earth and the heavens are
Ill of illustrations?
Modern Christianity.
Why should we go away to get an il
lstration of the vicarious suffering of
esus Christ when at Bloomfield, \. j.,
NO little children were walking on the
Ill track and train was coming, but
2ey were on bridge Of trestlework,
nd the little girl took her brother and !
It him down through the trestlework /