The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1902-09-11

put Singing her song as she ought the lost
could be saved, and if one had a song 9TH
ers would join. with it. On the battlefield
OF Shiloh falnting and suffering Christian
soldier began to sing, when I can read
my title clear" In a few moments an
other soldier with weak voice Joined in
and then another until q score of voices
We're taking up the song, Oh, if we could
but set on fire one church for God the
wno I city might soon be under the touch
of His mighty life
Second, what did Hezekiah do? We
have only to read the story to find out.
~. He opened the doors, as indicated
| in the third verse.
(2) The priests were santifed, the 18th
verse.
(3); They went into the inner part of
the house and made it clean, the 10th
= a.: They sanctifed the entire house.
the 18th verse
| ~. They restored the vessels which
had once been used in the temple.
(6l. And Hezekiah commanded to of
fer the burnt Offering upon the altar. And
| when the burnt offering began the song of
the Lord began again, also with the trum-
pets and with the instruments ordained by
David, king of Israel. And all the congre-
CATION worshiped, and the singers sang
and the trumpeters sounded, and all this
continued until the burnt offering was
| finished"
Third, all this is typical. We have no
song In the church to-day as once we had
do not wish to be pessimistic in my view
| OF the condition of things; it is my great
desire to inspire the church with new
hope and conception of better things,
but no one is SO blind to-day but what he
| can see that the church is without the old
| song she used to have, and beyond all Ques-
ton it is because the temple must needs
| be cleansed. Why should not the work be-
| gin now?
| o.. Tt ought to begin with the priests
| themselves as in the Old Testament story.
Christian Evans tells of the time when
one day riding through wood he dis
mounted from his horse, hitched it to the
| tree and made his way into the darkening
| shadows and stayed upon his face before
| God for hours waiting for his special bless
| ing or his special work, and when he re-
| turned to his horse and mounted it and
| the next day began his preaching service a
revival was started which swept the whole
country. Maze spent a day and night in
| New York hotel asking for Gods special
| blessing because he needed it, and at last
must needs rise and say, ooh, Lord, stay
Thine hand I can hold no more" Murray
McCheynne was so filled with God that as
he laid his hands upon a. boys head and
said, Il am very much concerned about
when he forgot McCheynnes sermons he
felt the touch of his loving hand upon his
head, and it pushed him into the kingdom.
(2l. And the inner part of the house
needs also to be cleansed. There is in
every church circle into which God has
seemed to call certain persons. TO these l
now direct my message, to the officers of
the church of whatever name, to the Sun
day-school teachers and to those who have
become nod 1c ba
question, rs thine heart right in the sight
of God?" In the SD chapter of Isaiah
and the 18th verse the prophet says, "Be
We clean that bear the vessels of the Lord"
God pity the man whose life is unclean,
while his office is one the angels might
covet to fill. The searching power of Gods
word ought to touch the Sunday-school
Chicago was dying of consumption He
must leave his Western home and return
to the home of his boyhood in the East,
but before he would leave, entering a car
riage he drove to every home and besought
the members of his class to yield to God,
and said Mr.. Moody, .When the time
came for him to leave Chicago his whole
class, every one of them saved, gathered
at the platform of the station to wave him
| farewell, and they all sang, 'Blest be the
tie that binds our hearts in Christian
love-" In Galatians, the 9Th chapter and
the lst verse, it is commanded, eye which
are spiritual restore the wanderers in the
spirit of meekness," and alas, it is true that
men have wandered in multitudes from the
church, and we have done nothing to re-
strain them, let the work of cleansing go
on.
(3). The church as whole ought to be
set right with God In Zechariah, the Sd
chapter and the first seven verses, we have
the picture of Joshua, the high priest,
standing before the angel of the Lord.
He was clothed with filthy garments, and
the word of the Lord came saying. "Put off
the filthy garments and I will clothe thee
garments upon the high priess are like the
habits which cling to some of US. They
have sapped our spiritual life, and we are
powerless in the presence Of the world.
We ought to put them off and then put on
Christ, so that Lying among men we
might win them to Him by the very way
we live: This will not be easy, for the pic
ture of Joshua is with Satan resisting
him. l doubt not he is resisting Us now
in the presence of God, doubtless calling
attention to the way we have sung our
hymns this morning and uttered our pray
ers, but this picture in Zechariah also
tells us that Joshua, the high priest, had
fair mitre set upon his head, and the
bands showed that service was hard. That
falr mltre is ike the descent or the Holy
Ghost, for which there is great need to-
day. Then Hezekiah saw that the vessels
of the temple were restored. The church
has had certain vessels committed to her,
as, for example, the Bible: We have
picked it to pieces until the faith of some
has been shaken. "Will you pray for a
theological student?" said woman to me
this week, who used to be one of the most
consistent Christians I ever knew and one
of the most Jealous. "He doubts much of
the Scripture, and as consequence his
life is not only Indifferent but inconsist-
ent." The time has come when the Bible
ought to be put in the church in the place
it once occupied.
Preaching is another vessel entrusted to
the church. As matter of fact, do you
believe that men would know they were
lost from much of the preaching they hear
to-day. The time has come for the old
time spirit of the church fathers to pre-
vail.
Prayer is still another vessel. Prayer is
not performance with which men may be
either pleased or displeased. Prayer is
talking to God. Will our prayers stand
this test?
Music is still another vessel, and that
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