Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1901-02-28
NEW SERIES--VOL Xxx Nj

as say: differ. l object. = am sorrv to
hear YOU say that. There is another side
such times as these go armed, not with
earthly weapons, but with the sword OF
the Spirit. You ought to have four or fva
questions with which you could confound
any man who attacks Christianity A man
ninety years old was telling me how he
said to the skeptic, s:Did you ever read
the history of Joseph in the Bible?"
eyes," said the man. "it is fine story
and as interesting a story as I ever read"
"Well; now said my old friend, "sup-
pose that ..ae account Of Joseph stopped half
would not be entertaining eWen, now
said my friend, 1--WE have In this world
only half of everything, and do you not
think that when we lear the last half
things may be consistent and that then
we may find that God was right?''
interrogation points. You cannot afford to
things of eternity are assailed. Your ST.
lence gives consent to the bon,bardment
of your Fathers house. You allow slur
to be cast on your mothers diving pillow.
through the agonies of assassination on
the rocky bluff back of Jerusalem, you
dared not face sickly joke. Better load
up with few questions, so that next time
you will be ready. Say to the scoffer.
ssMy dear sir, will you tell me what makes
woman in China and the United Statese
What do you think of the sermon on the
mount? How do you like the golden rule
laid down in the Scriptures? Are you in
favor OF the Ten Commandments In
your large and extensive reading have you
Christ? Will YOU please to name the
triumphant deathbeds of infdels and athe-
lists?
But then there are occasions when this
particular spirit that Christ exercised
when He said, "I charge thee to come out
of him" takes people by the wholesale.
In the most responsive religious audience
/ sing at all? They have a book, and they
| have voice, and they know how to read.
| They know many Of the tunes and yet are
silent while the great raptures of music
pass by. Among those who sing not one
| out of hundred sings loud enough to
give sort Of religious grunt. They make
the lips go, but it is inaudible. With
a voice strong enough to stop street car
| one block away all they can afford in the
praise of God is about half whisper.
| With enough Sopranos enough altos.
enough bassos to make small heaven be-
tween the four walls, they let the oppor.
tunity go by unimproved. The. volume Of
voice that ascends from the largest au,
| dience that ever assembled ought to be
multiplied two thousandfold. But the
| minister rises and gives out the hymn, the
| organ begins, the choir or preceptor leads,
| the audience are standing SO that the
| lungs may have full expansion, and a
| mighty harmony is about to ascend when
the evil spirit spoken of in my text-the
| dumb devil-spreads his two wings over
the lips Of one-half the audience, and the
| otner wing over the iDs of the other hall
| of the audience, and the voices roll back
into the throats from which they started,
| and only here and there ANYTHING is
heard, and nine-tenths of the holy power
is destroyed, and the dumb devil, as he
flies away, says, s'l could not keep Isaac
Watts from writing that hymn, and
| could not keep Lowell Mason from com.
posing the tune to which it is set, but
smote into silence or half silence the lips
from which it would have spread abroad
| to bless neighborhoods and cities and
then mount the wide, open heavens" Give
of Chrstendom and those four lines would
take the whole earth for God.
This is the way l account for the fact
that the stupidest places on earth are
some prayer meetings. do not see how
a man keeps any any grace if he regularly at.
tors. Religion kept on ice. How many OF
| us have lost occasions of usefulness!
In a sculptor's 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,
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 1t comes,
and the wings Of the feet show that OPP
portunity is swiftly gone"
But do not let the world deride the
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 to build platforms for the
each party is appointed to make the plat
form. After proper deiberation the COM
| mittees come in with ringing report,
whereas and whereas and whereas"
Pronunciamentos all SNAPPED with the one
idea of getting the most votes. All ex-
of the country ignored. No expression in
behalf of temperate living, for that would
lose the vote of the liquor traffic. No ex-
preston in regard to the universal attempt
at the demolition OF the Lords day. No
recognition of God in the history of ns-
atheists. But whereas and whereas"
and whereas" Nine cheers will be given
for the platform. The dumb devil of the
text puts one wing over the one platform
| and the other wing over the other Plat
form. Those great conventions are opened
with prayer by their chap'ains. If they
avoided platitudes and tea the honest
truth in their prayers tihy would say:
30 Lord, we want to be rsst< 1as5ers and
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 bet
ter than the church on this subject of si-
lence at the wrong time. In other words,
is it not time for Christianity to become
pronounced and aggressive as never be-
fore2 Take sides for God and sobriety
and Righteousness.
"If the Lord be God, follow Him; il
Baal, then follow him" Have you oppor-
tunity Of rebuking a sin? Rebuke it.
Have you chance to cheer disneartened
soul? Cheer it.. Have you useful word
to speak? Speak it.
Be out and out, up and down for right
eousness. If your ship is afoat on the
Pacific Ocean of Gods mercy, hang out
your colors from the masthead. Show your
passport if you have one Do not SNUG
gle your soul into the harbor of heaven.
Speak out for God! Close up the chapter
af 1nof