The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-08-17

are huOWu. JOIN LAO given 10 l1m q
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 glories set forth. And we
learn as much about it by what is said
negatively as by what is said positive
~. Thus we are told it has streets of
gold and gates Of pearl and 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
city which we are accustomed to
think is altogether devoted to religion
And yet the text states a great truth
which l want to treat Broadly, and l
believe the text contains easily the sub
ject by which l have chosen to entitle
this discourse, "Churchgoing Abol-
ished." 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 well
come announcement to many a tired
churchgoer in this world who finds his
religious duties more or less irksome,
and to many non-churchgoer. who
10 orto III ,,, u Sc
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
a place where this ceaseless round of
ecclesiastical duties should go on for
ever. Imagine such one enjoying the
delights of that glorious city, counting
the towers thereof, marking we'll 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 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-
ligioEs exercise, ''for the Lord God Al
mighty and the Lamb are the temple
of it,
1t becomes us to inquire more closely
into the truth involved here And if
what John saw was the church trium-
plant, If the conditions he saw We're
the perfection OF what Is rudimentary
here ii the Holy City, New Jerusalem,
is continually coming down from God
out Of heaven, then we ought to be re-
alizing more and more on earth that
heavenly condition.
| 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 a year
he must make his pilgrimage to Jeru-
salem, from even the remotest corner
Of the land. Over many a rugged mile
he must travel with his family and his
sheep and oxen for sacrifice and his
tent and provision for his journey, in
order to perform his religious duties.
There at Jerusalem was the temple
There he expected to meet God, or at
least there God would be propitious.
There was the priest who could offer
his sacrifice and present his confession
to God. There was the holy place and
the most holy place, the locus Of the
Jewish worship. Even in far off lands,
when he worshiped he turned his face
toward the temple, as if his heart were
there, in any case.
Then, too, his daily devotions found
expression in most elaborate ceremO-
NAL. There were divers Washings, as
there were multifarious causes of I'M
cleanness. There were fittings and
manifold offerings. There were sin Of
ferings and peace offerings, all asso-
ciated with infinite trouble to the wor-
shipper. These minute requirements
were infinitely multiplied by the Jew
in the time of Christ and His apostles,
so that Peter spoke of it as a yoke
(which neither our fathers nor we
were able to bear"
Now it was immunity from these In
tolerable burdens that was the first
great practical boon of Christianity.
Our Lord stated the precious truth to
the woman at the we'll. Said she,
Our fathers worshiped in this noun
tain (Terezim). and We say that In Je-
rusalem is the place where men ought
to worship" Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, believe Me, the hour eometh
when We shall neither In this mountain.
nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the
Father. But the hour cometh and now
is, when the true Worshipers shall Wor
ship the Father In spirit and in truth.
God Is spirit, and they that worship
Him must worship Him in spirit and