Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-02-09

dead: II is the pew which refuses to
speak and therefore has lost its power
TO listen.
wesley and tho Dumb Pew.
John Wesley, one Of the greatest men
who ever lived, no matter how you take
him. realized. and profoundly realized,
that a dumb pew invariably meant an
ineffective pulpit and a dead church.
What did he do? John Wesley. by di-
vine inspiration, made his pulpit one
of the Tsightiest thrones of the ages
when be kindled the pew into articu-
late life. John Wesley also harncssed
TO the pulpit the power of Christian
song. lie started his brother Charles
writing hymns. He gave those hymns
to the people, the common people, and,
like David, he cried: Praise We the
Lord: praise We the Lord from the
heavensl Both young men and maid
ems, old men and children, let them
praise the name Of the Lordr' Then
John Wesley took the old Bible, the BIZ
BILE of Martin Luther He took that
Bible out of the chancel and the clois-
ter. He 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, eXhOrtw Then
John Wesley placed his hands upon the
conmonest of men in ordination. He
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
| at that time sneered at the Wesleyans.
| In derision they called them "Metho-
| dists" because they did everything I'M
methodically. What was the result?
| Was Wesley's foolish plan? Oh, no.
| pie singing instead of RELOCATING that
duty to q 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
tellectual 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 | command thee to come out
and be gone into everlasting darkness
The caverns of the black inferno alone
are suited to thy whitening and blast
ing and accused silence. Let the sill
YER tongue of Christian testimony here
after speak from the pew. This plea
OH, Christian women, is spoken to yol
as we'll as to your brother.
Would that the tongue of the dumb
spirit of Christian testimony might bt
Embossed and begin to speak for Chris
| in the honest | am not now alludins
to the Christian testimony which ough
to be heard among our children by Ga
own fireside. | am referring to TIT
word of gospel invitation, which SHOULD
be addressed to the sinful and goddess
homes in the midst of every Christian
community.
The Present Condition.
A noted southern educator some tim
| ago bluntly said, 1T is often far easle
| for a man to sign a thousand dolla
| check for foreign missions than it
! | for him to speak a Christian word O
encouragement to the boOtblack DO
cleaning his shoes on the street col
| | ner." That is very wise saying. Blu
, | carry the principle still further.
> is often far easier for a Christian lad
to get up church fair in the interest
2 of foreign missions or to read pape
before that society upon the Filipino
/. or the Chinese or SiameSe than 1t is
go to the family which lives in the fl
: above her and ask them if they loy
the Lord Jesus Christ. Ought such
n condition ever to exist? 1t is abo'
Y time for some of us to learn to sir
il with the right spirit Bishop Heber
. grand old gospel hymn:
n If you cannot cross the ocean
:, And the heather lands explore,
" You can find the heather nearer,
J. You can help them at your door.
II My brother living in Chicago. do "
L not know that there are within radi
r of three blocks of your house scor
g and scores of families who never he
the name of Jesus spoken in the
q homes except in blasphemy? Do y
Il not know that within radius of
e blocks OF this church, every Sund
IL night while am preaching. scores a
II scores of young men and women pa
I'm and out of the fatal doors of the
" looms ard places of evil resort? Sol
$ Of us are foolish enough to think I'll
re the haunts of Satan are open only {
III days OF the week; that on the seven
Ut day Satan rests and shuts up shop q
g says TO his hirelings. My agents a
IL ! carvopts lct uS allow God To omen