The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-09-27

| Twice as many SchurCheS as W0 have
know, twice MS large, and thon they
will not half accommodate the people,
| say TO the young men who aro on.
| tcring the ministry, we must put on
moro force, moro energy and into our
| religious services moro yiyncity II wo
want tho people to como. You look
into church court Of any denomi-
nation Of Christians. First you will
find the men Of large common sense
ind earnest look The education of
their minds, tho piety Of their
hearts, tho holiness Of their lives,
| qualify them for their work. Then
you will find in every church court
Of every denomination group OF
men who utterly amaze you with tho
tact that such semi-imbocility oan
are tho men who give forlora sta
tistics about church dccadcncc. Frogs
never croak in running water; al
ways in stagnnnt. But I say to all
Christian workers, to all Sunday
school teachers, TO all evangclists, to
all ministers OF tho Gospel, II we
want our Sunday schools and our
prayer meetings and our churches
to gather tho people wo must fresh
en- up.
Why should wo go away to get an
illustration Of the vcarious suffering
Of Jesus Christ when at Bloomfield,
N. j., two little children were walk
ing on the rail track and train was
coming; but they were on bridge
of trestlcworle, and tho littlo girl
fnoL ho h,-nt 1n&
through tho trestlework as gently as
sho could toward the wator, very
carefully and lovingly md cautious
ly, SO that ho might not bo hurt in
the fall aud mlght DO picked up by
those who wero standing nenr by;
while doing that the train struo;f
her, and hardly enough OF her body
WAS left TO gather into funeral
caskct? What was that7 Vicarious
suffering. Lilto Christ. Pang for 9TH
ers. Woo for othors. sufforing for
others. Death for others. What is
tho use Of our going away OF 70 Hnd
an Illustration in pass ages when in
Michigan q mail cnrEicr on horse
back. riding on, pursued by thoao
flames which had swept over o hun
| dred miles, saw nm old nen by tho
roadside, dis1nountcd, helped tho old
man on tho horse. saying; "Now,
whip up and got nwHy?" Tho old
man got away, but tho mail carrier
perished. Just lil5o Christ dismount-
ing from tho glories OF Heaven ia
put us on the way Of delivcrsnco,
then falling back in tho Aameo OF
sacrifice for othcrs. Pang for others.
Woo fer others, Death for othors.
Vicarious suffering. What Ia tho uso
Of our going away off In anotent hiss
tory 10 6nd ON illustration Of the
when in tho Adirondack I saw q
nash Of lightning and bolt 30 vivid
said: "rhat struck something very
near?" A few hours aftorward wa
found that two farmers that Monday
morning had been seated under q
trae. the ono hoAsling how that tho
day bcfore-on Tho Lords 6ay---ho
had got his hay IN and so cheated
the Lord out Of that part Of tho timo
anyhow, and both OF them laughing
over the achievement by which thoy
had wronged tho Lerd of Isis holy
day, when the lightning struck ono
dead instantly, and tho othor had
been two weeks In he'd whom we loft
the Adirondaeks and has become an
invalid, suppose, for life. Ne did
not make es muck out Of tho Lord al
ho thought ho did. Was 1t any losr
an illustration for nay soul because
! met the clergyman on his way home
from the funeral, and he told mo Oh
tho facts and said tho body Of tho
man who had been destroyed wac
black with the electricity?
o Christian workers, we have rot
to freshen up. Whist Is tho uso OF
our going back in the Christian clas.
sizes to find an illustration Of tho vic
torious Christian dcathbed whom my
personal friend, Alfred Coekman, o
few years ago went away in as i'm.
perial grandeur rs did Edward Pay
sonT Is it any less m illustration to
nc and to you because l met him q
few weeks before in front Of Trinity
church, Broadway, and sold:
"Cookman, you look as II you were
working too hard?" Whore In all
tho classios is thero such story as
that OF Cookman when, in his last
moment. he cried: II am sweeping
! blood OF tho l.amb?"
Oh, fellow Christ tian W worltors, VIII q 10
the use OF our being stale and obsolete
and ancient when all around us are
these evidences OF Gods grace, Gods
dcliveranoo, Gods mercy and Gods
wisdom? Wo have got to frcshen up
in our sermons, freshen up in our
songs, frcshen up in our zeal, frcshan
up in our conservation, and II we do It,
my brethren and sisters, we will no
more have to coax people to como to
church than II you throw corn on tho
ground you have To coax pigeons to
come and eat 1t, NO more than you
would have to COAX Il tirod horse to cot
oats you throw in his mangcr. Yoa,
we muss freshen up In our Sunday
schools and in our prayer meeting rs
and in our pupits.
! It is high time that the church Of
God stopped writing apologies for the
church. Let the men who are on the
outside, who despiso reli igion, write the
apologies. / any people DO not want
the church, thoy need not have it.. II
Ia q FREQ COUNTRY. II any man does
not want the Gospel, he need not have
1t. 1t Is free country. But you 70
out, Q eople OF God, ond give tho Cos
pei to the mil.ions OF America who do
want IL! 1t is high time 10 stop skir-
mishing and bring on n general engage
ment. | want to 1.-Two to see the Ar.
magsddon, all tho armies Of Eeayen