Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-07-27
A VERY BAD POLICY
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
An Elegant Discourse by Rev. VIM.
Young Chapman.

Brooklyn, N. Y.-Dr. William Young
Chapman, pastor of the Lafayette Ave
nue. Presbyterian Church. Buffalo,
preached Sunday at both services in
the Central Presbyterian Church. In
the morning he had as his subject
"Churchgoing Abolished" The text
was from Revelation xxi:22: ''And l
saw no temple therein DR.. Chap
man said:
Among many things in this sublime
apocalypse of st. John hard~to be un-
derstOod there is one thing that stands
out with clearness and certainty. and
that is the vision of the perfected
church, the ideal society. 1t is the
same church triumphant and perfect
there that is militant and defective
here. The same souls that struggle
and suffer here are they that walk in
white and wave palms of victory there
Here we see as in a glass darkly.
There they see face to face. Here we
know in part, there they know as they
are known. John had given to him a
divine horoscope, revealing the consum-
nation and absolute perfection of the
essential characteristics of the kingdom
of God concentrated in the imperial
capital Of the universe-the city Of
God. By every sort Of figure and SYM
Dol are it's gfories set forth. And we
learn as much about it by what is said
negatively as by what is said positive.
ly. Thus we are told it has streets of
gold and gates of pearl and a sea Of
glass and all the most costly and beau
tiful things of this world, while all
that is disagreeable - pain, sickness,
sorrow. sin, DEATHS wanting there.
There is nothing to hurt or annoy, no
night, no more sea, no temple.
And it strikes us at first thought as
very strange that there should be no
temple, no central place of worship in
a city which we are accustomed to
think IS altogether devoted to religion.
And yet the text states a great truth
which I want to treat broadly, and 1
believe the text contains easily the sub
ject by which I have chosen to entitle
this discourse, "Churchgoing AboE
tshed." The end being attained, the
means are discontinued. Hence there
are no more churches. no times, nor
places, nor forms; no liturgies, nor rit-
uals; no ecclesiastical machinery such
as we know here.
And, surely, this must come as a well
come announcement to many tired
churchgoer in this world who finds his
religious duties more or less irksome,
and to many a non-churchgoer, who
does not feel quite comfortable in his
neglect Of formal religious exercises.
Many there are who indulge an indif-
ferent hope of heaven as sort of
Mohammedan paradise, where they
may enjoy an eternal holiday, basking
in the uncreated rays. drinking from
and bathing in the waters of the foun-
tain Of life, eating the twelve manner
of fruits and sailing on the CLASSY sea.
But they would hardly be attracted to
place where this ceaseless round Of
ecclesiastical duties should go on for
ever Imagine such a one enjoying the
delights of that glorious city, counting
the towers thereof, marking well her
bulwarks and admiring her founda-
tons of jasper and sapphire and chal-
/ cedony and sardius and emerald and
sardonyx and chrysolyte and beryl and
topaz and chrysoprasus and jacinth
| and amethyst, when suddenly there
comes a peal from the golden bells and
poor soul. he must take himself off to
! prayers.
Let such a one be comforted, for
| John says he saw no temple there, and
| we dare to infer from that statement
that there is no synagogue, nor meet
ing house, nor Sunday, nor formal re-
! ligious exercise, "for the Lord God Al
| mighty and the Lamb are the temple
| of it,
It becomes us to inquire more closely
into the truth involved here. And if
what John saw was the church trium-
! phant, if the conditions he saw were
| the narfectiOn Of what is rudimentary
here, if the Holy City. New Jerusalem,
is continually coming down from God
out of heaven, then we. ought to be re
alizing more ana more on earth that
heavenly condition.
1 believe that condition is illustrated
by the progressive church Of Christ on
earth. Think for a moment Of the ad-
vantages we have over the ancient
Jewish worshiper. He had his central
! place Of worship. Three times year
! he must make his pilgrimage to Jeru-
salem, from even the xemotest corner