The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1904-03-18
respect the Head of the Temple.


clothes We're all right before we wer
to sleep tonight. Then we would G
to bed early, so that our minds woul
be clear and alert and we could re
member all that the president Nigh
say. We would not only be on time
but little ahead of time. At ten mir
utes of II, instead of ten minutes afte
IL o'clock, we would be standing be
fore the presidents private secretar.
presenting our cards for an audienc,
with the chief executive Of the Amer
lean people. In the same way if yol
wish to get your chief spiritual bless
ings from Christ you must keep you
tryst with him. You must start you
public worship on time. You must, il
your church manners at least, show
to your Heavenly King the same re
spect you would accord to an earthly
potentate. A spiritually live church
is one whose worshipers always as
semble on time. One of the surpst
signs of spiritually dead church il
the hardness of the church members
who always expect their seats to be
saved until at least the second hymn
has been sung, and often until the col,
lection plate has been passed. The
pews should be filed on time, just as
the organist at the hour sharp should
be in her place at the ivory keys and
the minister in his place behind the
sacred pulpit
Behaving yourself Alright in church
implies a second act, which is just as
important as promptness at church
service. A church member should be
in his place when the service starts as
surely as he should be at his seat when
the train starts. But he should do
more than sit down when the minister
takes his place. He should, first of
all, kneel and render obeisance and
homage to the Heavenly Father, whose
tryst he, the worshiper, has come to
keep. The very first act of a guest in
home is to go and pay his respects
to the host or hostess. The very first
act a worshiper should perform when
in church is to pay his respects to the
Christ, who, in q spiritual sense, is the
head of the temple in which the church
member has come to worship.
Church No Place For Levity.
The Episcopalian rector begins his
service in this wise: Lord, l have
loved the habitation of thy house and
the place where thine honor dwelleth."
When we enter the house of God, do
we one and all feel that we are COM
ing into the presence Of the Lord? II
we do, would we come laughing and
talking and nodding to each other, like
q lot of schoolgirls entering their class
rooms? If we do, would there be so
much whispering among the members,
both in the pews and in the back of the
church? If we do, would there be 50
much turning around to watch Others
who happen to come in late, and q dis
position to laugh when anything goes
People who have visited Euro
pean courts write that there the king
is first and last in the thoughts of all
the waiting courtiers. AS soon as the
king enters the room. all the waiting
mobiles arise and bow. When the king
speaks, the waiting mobiles listen.
When a messenger enters, he not only
kneels, but when he leaves the throne
room he never turns his back upon the
seated king. When we enter the sane
tuary of God, which is filed with the
presence of God, do we bow as before
/ king? Do we try to keep our face al
ways toward the divine face? Do we
earnestly try to make the prayers of
he psalmist our prayer? "Let the
words of my mouth and the meditation
If my heart be always acceptable in
by sight, o Lord, my strength and my |
3edeemer." The church of God ought |
o be something more sacred than a
oncert hall or a theater. 1t ought to |
,e a place where joke and cachin-
lation and chitchat should be just as
much out OF place as a minstrel show |
would be at funeral, by the casket of |
he dead.
In the House of God.
o man and woman, ever keep the
ace of Jesus Christ before you when
ou are in the house of God! Every
hurch building dedicated to the wor-
hip of God is in very truth his house.
n which his presence is manifested as
urely, though not so visibly, as In the
of the tabernacle. Always
inter- the house of God in the same
pirit that the little child of Rev.
,harles T. Brady, an American mis-
ionary, showed when he entered Il
reat European cathedral. The father
7as compelled to return to his board
1g place for something he had for
often. He left his little boy in the
ave of the church to await his return.
When the father came back he found
is child standing In the middle of the
reat church in awe, looking around as
hough he was expecting some one.
he mellow sunlight streaming through
he stained glass windows fell upon
little angel. When the child heard
is fathers returning footsteps he
urned his inquiring eyes upon his
aren't and said: Papa, where is.
esusi Where is Jesusp' Childlike,
e felt that the house of God implied
be presence of Christ So, with child
Ike faith, when we assemble to wor-
hip Christ, we must come with this
oily question upon our lips: where is
esus? Where is Jesusr If we come
n such a spirit great deal of the ir.
'everence exhibited by some of our
modern congregations would forever
lease.
Behaving oneself Alright in church
IMPLIES @)t only due respect to the
our walls of the edifice or to the hab-
tation of the divine presence, but also
lue respect to Gods ministers who