The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-09-19

papers anu Dy hctive ase0cfhtlOn IN Dusi-
ness circles will not on the Sabbath sit
and listen to platitudes. Hearers will not
come to sermons which have in them no
important facts, no information. no stir
ring power, no adaptation, no fire. The
pew will not listen to the pulpit unless at
least on the subject that day under dis
cussion. the pulpit knows more than the
pew. Ministerial laziness has cleared out
many churches. Such ministers saunter
around from parlor to parlor under the
name OF pastoral visitation and 40 gad-
ding about through the " ilaae or the city
Oh errands Of complete nothingness and
wrap their brains around cigar and
smoke them M and then on Saturday af
terpoon put few crude thoughts together
and on Sunday morning wonder that the
theme of Christ and Him crucihed does
not bring a large audience. and on Mon
day sit down and write jeremiads for the
religious newspapers about the decadence
Of church attendance.
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 morning and say:
The Bible says ! must go to church It
is my duty TO 90 10 church; therefore 1
will 90 to church" The vast multitude Of
people who 90 to church 40 to church be-
cause thev like it, aud the multitude Of
away because thay do not like It. am
not speaking about the way the world
ought to be; I am speaking about the way
the world is. Taking things are they arc,
we must make the centripetal force of the
church mightier than the centrifugal. We
must make our churches magnets to draw
the people thereunto, so that man will
feel uneasy il he does not go to church,
saying: II wish had gone this morning.
! wonder il can't dress yet and get there
in time. II is II o'clock; now they are
singing. It is hall. f.past IL; now they are
preaching. 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
we will want twice as many churches 40
we have now. twice as large. and then
they will not half accommodate the peo-
Pile
Therefore, nv brother Christian worker,
if you and find two illustrations for a
religious subject, and the one is a Bible
Illustration and the other is outside the
Bible, / will take the latter because l
want to be like my Master. Looking
across TO a hill, Christ saw the city Of
Jerusalem.
AmhiuB 10 lnt peODit dDOut lne COu-
spicuity Of Christian example, He said:
The world is looking at you; be careful.
A city that is set on hill cannot be hid"
While He was speaking of the divine care
OF Gods children a bird few past. He
said, Behold the ravens" Then, look
ing down into the valley, all covered at
that season with flowers, He said, Con
slider the lilies"
Oh, my brother Christian workers,
.uLak i The 1f nn,no Of II.
some obscure part OF history or on the
other side of the earth to get an illustra-
tion 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 find an
illustration of the victorious Christian
deathbed when my personal friend, AL
fred Goodman. few years ago went away
in as imperial grandeur as did Edward
Payson?
Is it any less an illustration to me and
to you because met him a few weeks be-
fore in front of Trinity Church, Broad
way, and i said; Goodman, you look as
If you were working too hardT Where
in all the classics is there such story as
that of Goodman. when in his last moment
he cried: IL 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 up 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 to
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 q tired horse to
eat the oats you throw in his manger.
Yes, we must fresaen up in our Sunday
schools and in our prayer meetings and in
our pulpits.
1t is high time that the church of God
stopped writing apologies for the church.
Let the men who are on the outside, who
despise religion, write the apologies. II
any people do not want the church, they
need not have it. II is free country If
any man does not want the gospel, he
need not have it. 1t is free country.
give the gospel to the millions OF America
who do want it.
1t is high time we stop skirmlshing and
bring on general engagement. ] want
to live to see the Armageddon, all the ar
mics OF heaven and he'll in battle array,
for l know our Conqueror on the white
horse will gain the day. Let the church of
God be devoted to nothing else, but go
right on to this conquest.
When Moses with his army was trying
to conquer the Ethiopians profane history
says it was expected that he would 20 in
roundabout way and come by the banks
of the river, as other armies had done,
because the straight route was infested
with snakes, and no army and no man
had dared to go across this serpent inlest-
ed region. But Moses surprised them.
He sent his men out to gather up ibises
The ibis is a bird celebrated for serpent
staying, and these ibises were gathered
into crates and into baskets, and they
were carried at the head OF the army OF
Moses, and coming up to the serpent in.
tested region the crates were opened and
the ibises flew forth, and the way was
cleared, and the army of Moses marched
right on and came 50 Unexpectedly on the
Ethiopians that they few in wild dismay
o church Of God, you are not TO march
70 roundabout way, but to go straight
ences to clear the way Hosts Of the liv.
ing God, march on, march onl Church
attendance, large now. is going to be
larger yet. The sky is Frightening in
every direction l am glad for the boy
and girl fve years old; think they may
see the millennium. The wheel Of Chris
tian progress has never made one revolu.
tion backward. The world moves. the
kingdom advances. All nations will yet
salute the standards of Prince Emmanuel
To Him be glory in the church throughout
all ages. Amenl
A Stream Has Disappeared.
The residents Of East Grinstead, al