The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-12-04
THE BULLET|N'S SUNDAY SERMON


mi The church of large accession
Of converts. The text is Isaiah *, S
Who are these that fly as cloud ano
as The doves 70 their windows
An axiom is Il self evident fact. al
is. The photographers say. "a PROPOSE
ton whose truth is SO obvious at first
sight that no process of reasoning OF
demonstration can make II palmer
Ii Is golden truism coined in the
mint house of maXims" with the rails
ed features of the Goddess OF Truth
stamped upon its side, even as the
English shilling bears the profile OF
King Edward, an American silver dol
lar the outstretched wings of an eagle
ms the Roman penny once bore the su-
prescription and image of Caesar and
a Grecian coin the features of Alexan-
der the Great. IL is an aphorism, an
npothegnl. Ii Is as Hippocrates once
said, "A succinct saying comprehend
Ing n complete statement" ii IL one
of the many terse sentences Of Benja-
Richards Almanac No sooner do we
read il than we say, THAT is true :"
From the moment OF reading no
amount of illustration or argument can
change MS from our original conclu
sion Ii is a strong armed charioteer.
swiftly guiding before our eyes the
chariot of conviction" 1t is truth in
nutshell. Ii is a universe of analyses
condensed In an epigram
The truth Of an axiom can he put TO
practical test Sometimes, however.
men do not take the trouble to test IL.
bur give credencc To statements an
parently contradictiug il. instead of
applying the test of experience. Some
years ago the French sayants were
asked 10 explain how ii was that a
pail of water containing dead fish
weighed more than one OF the same
size containing live fish. Dlsserta-
ton after dissertation was written
upon the subject. At last one com
mon sensed scientist, whose brain had
not been educated to the verge of i'm
beciity, saw that the question was
misleading one. "A dead fish and
living fish ought TO weigh the same"
said he. "'rhis truth Is automatic"
lie put live fish into pail Of water
ana weighed it, He killed tie fish and
put the dead body back into the same
water and weighed 1t again. The
water containing the dead fish and
that containing the live fish OF course
weighed the same. All the ingenuity
expended in writing the dissertations
had been wasted. The writer's had
been trying 10 find reasons for phe
nomcnon that did not exist.
Church's Power Not waning
Hundreds Of men are simply doing
the same thing in trying to lind the
reasons for the phenomenon stated by
shallow observers. that the church OF
Jesus Christ Is losing its power over
men. Long lists of reasons for this
waning influence are cited, whereas
The writers lave only to open their
eyes 10 discover that the church of
Jesus Christ is not losing its power |
over men. The church of God was
never so powerful as ii is today. More |
strong men and strong women are |
bowling before It's affairs than ever |
before More are the church's teach |
ings respected by statesmen and in |
the homes and daily lives of our citi- |
zens than ever before | have not I
time to go into argument TO prove this /
assertion | would not today do so i
II | had the time. Why; Because It /
Is self evident fact that the church /
OF the Lord Jesus Christ is the most 1
vital and essential influence in the
world today. 1t is self evident state
ment All intelligent people who have
looked boldly and impartialy at the
facts are ready TO coneede that the
assertion is true.
But though The church OF the Lord
Jesus Christ is growing more ana
more powerful day by day. yet we
believe that still greater triumphs are
before il IN the future. The victories
already won are small compared with
those which are yet 10 be won. when
nations Shall be born in day. Josiah
Strong recently wrote a book entitled
'The Next Great Awakening" | am
not going to find my theme in the lat
ast book of the famous author of ''Our
Country" am going to look through
The inspired spectacles OF prophet
who lived nearly 5000 years ago
isaiah took the picture of tie doves
lying 10 their home cotes in great
LIQUIDS MS The symbol of the church OF
he future gathering I'm its members.
so shall try TO show that the com
ng awakening Of the church is not
My going to be a worldwide evangel-
site movement. but also that the
conquest Of the world for Christ may
,e near yes, very near-at hand.
Gospel TriumDhs.
In the first place. let me say that
Iuch movement as this. foreseen by
lie prophet and prefigured under the
ynibol of fight of doves. is in ac-
ord with the record of history. Again
md again rhere have been revivals
which have brought into the church
'ast numbers at one time Since the
lay of Pentecost, when 5000 were con
-erted under the preaching of the apos-
lie Peter. there have been such great
movements. How many were won TO !
he truth by the teaching of Lutheri |
yhat vast multitudes were gathered
Inder the preaching of Wesley. a