Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-02-12

ems, old men and children, lot them
praise the name Of the Lord" Then
John Wesley took the old Bible. the Bi-
BILE of Martin Luther. He took that
Bible out Of the chanccl and the clois-
ter. lie gave it to the people, the COM
mon people. He said to them as Paul
said unto young Timothy: preach the
word. Be instant in season, out Of sea-
son. Reprove, rebuke, cxhort!' Then
John Wesley placed his hands upon the
commonest Of men in ordination. BE
took the cobbler from off his stool, the
miner from the dark caverns of the
earth. the farmer from the field and
the clerk from the store. He said unto
these men who had been studying the
word of God: brethren, you do not
need a theological training. Preach
Jesus Christ; preach; everywhere
preach, preach, preach!"
The older denominations of England
Mt that time snccred at the Wcsleyans.
In dcrision they called them "Mctho-
dists'' because they did everything I'M
intellectually. What was the result?
Was Wcsley's a foolish plan? Oh, no.
When Charles Wesley started the peo-
pie singing instead OF RELOCATING that
duty to a trained choir, as many of our
churches do today; when John Wesley
started his people praying and pleading
in the barns, in the homes, on the street
corners, Charles and John Wesley. by
the power of the pew, reused all Eng
land for Christ. And today the great
est danger of the Methodist church is
that she is developing too much an in
tellcctual pulpit instead of a pleading,
praying. testifying pew. John Wesley
believed in that pew; John Wesley. by
the grace of God. compelled that pew
TO speak. oh. thou deaf and dumb
spirit of the church pew. in the name
of Christ l command thee to come out
and be zone into everlasting darkness!
The caverns of the black inferno alone
are suited to thy whitening and blast
ing and accursed silence. Let the sill
yer tongue of Christian testimony here
after speak from the pew. This plea,
oh, Christian women, is spoken to you
as well as to your brother.
NO'it 'Aial az lpht w Va th' buiib
spirit Of Christian testimony might be
Embossed and begin to speak for Christ
in the homes. | am not now abiding
to the Christian testimony which ought
TO be heard among our children by our
own 1iresidc. | am referring to the
word of gospel invitation. which should
be addressed to the sinful and goddess
Io,1o, IL, thn ,,iIC+ 90 NV Cbricti,o
community.
The Present Condition.
A noted southern educator some time
ago bluntly said, ut is often far easier
for n man to sign n thousand dollar
check for foreign missions than it is
for him to speak a Christian word Of
encouragement to the %bootblack boy
cleaning his shoes on the street cor
ner.' That is a very wise saying. But
l carry the principle still further. II
is often far easier for a Christian lady
to get up q church fair in the interests
before that society upon the Filipinos
or the Chinese or Siamesc thar it is IT,
go to the family which lives in the flas
above her and ask them if they low
the Lord Jesus Christ. Ought such a
condition ever to exist? 1t is about
time for some Of us to learn TO sing
with the right spirit Bishop Hcber's
grand old gospel hymn:
II you cannot cross the ocean
And tho heather lands explore,
You can find the heather nearer,
Nnn can holm them "A ynli- IpOr
Ny brother living in Chicago, do you
not know that there are within n radius
of three blocks of your house scores
and scores of families who never hear
the name of Jesus spoken in tEeir
homes except in blasphemy? Do you
not know that within Il radius OF six
blocks of this church, every Sunday
night while am preaching, scores and
scores Of young men n women pass
In aud out of the fatal doors of the si-
looms and places of evil resort: Some
of us are foolish enough TO think that
the haunts of Satan are open only six
days of the week; that on the seventh
day Satan rests and shuts up shop and
says TO his hirclings, "My agents and
servants. let US allow God To open his
churches on the Sabbath, and we will
rest" No. The churches may be open
cd one day of the week, but the Satan
&c hauntS are never shut. Night and
day the busy fingers of death are reach
ing, always reaching, after more vie
Tins. Like the quicksands Of the far
cast, this Satanic destroyer keeps swal-
lowing down the unfortunate, and he
never seems to have enough. More,
more, more continually cry the evil
spirits. Give us more human blood
to quench our unquenchablc thirst
Now, my Christian friends, while |
fjoice in foreign missions and would
not abate your interest in them | want
" ask you this pertinent question: Ir
you think we should allow our concern
for souls 10000 miles away to mouopo.
lizc our efforts? While we are seeking
them do not let us overlook the danger
of those who are living in sin by our
own door. DO you think that the H.
means II the Au~stralasians and the
Maoris and African negroes should be
any more precious in Gods sight and
In ours than the man or the woman
about whose personality you never care
until you see n black Grape hanging
you had the true love Of Jesus Christ
In your heart, you would act differently
toward your unknown neighbor. You