The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-07-21
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON eN
Or. WILLIAM YOUNG CHAPMAN.
Subject. Churthecing Aeoiisbe<l.

nue. Presby yterian Church. Buffalo.
preached Sunday nj both services IN
the Central Presbyterian Church. In
the morning he had as his subject
"Churchgoing Abolished The text
was from Revelation NNi:22; And |
saw no temple therein" Dr. Chap
man said:
Among many things in this sublime
apocalypse of 81. 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. II 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 glass darkly.
There they see face 10 face. Here we
know in part. there they know as they
are known. John had given 10 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 uniyerse-the city OF
God. BY every sort Of figure and sym
bol are its glories set forth And we
/ learn les much about IL by what is said
negatively as 10y what is said positive
/ ~. Thus we are told IL has streets OF
! gold and gates OF pearl and sen 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 il strikes us NJ first thought as
very strange that there should be no
temple, no central place OF worship in
city which we are accustomed 10
think is altogether devoted 20 religion.
And yet the text states a great truth
which | want 10 treat broadly, and |
believe the text contains easily the sub
iect by which | have chosen 70 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 a wei
come announcement TO many a tired
churchgoer in this world who finds his
religious duties more or less irksome,
and 10 many a non-churchgocr 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
Mohnmmedan paradise, where they
may enjoy an eternal holiday. basking
in the uncreated rays, drinking from
and bathing in the waters OF the fouD-
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 one enjoying the
delights of that glorious city, counting
the towers thereof, marking well her
/, bulwarks and admring her founda-
tons of jasper and sapphire and chal-
ced0ny 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 of TO
prayers.
Let such one be comforted, for
/ John says he saw no temple there. and
we dare 10 infer from that statement
that there is no synagogue nor meet
ing house, nor Sunday, nor formal re
ligious exercise "f0r 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-
phant, IL the conditions he saw were
the perfection 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 and more on earth that
heavenly condition.
| believe that condition is illustrated
by the progressive church of Christ on
earth. Think for n moment Of the adj
vantagcs we have over the ancient
Jewish worshiper. He had his central
place OF worship. Three times u year
he must make his pilgrimage TO Jeru-
salem, from even the remotest corner
OF the land. Over many 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 10 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 ofYcr
his sacrifice and present his confession
the most holy place. the locus Of the
Jewish worship. Even in far of 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 a most elaborate cererno-
nial. There were divers washings, as
there were multifarious causes OF un-
| cleanness. There were fittings and
manifold offerings. There were sin Of
/ fcrings and peace offerings, all asso-
! ciated with infinite trouble 10 the wor-
shipper. These minute requirements
were infinitely multiplied 10y the Jew
/ in the time Of Christ and His apostles
/ so that Peter spoke Of IL as yoke
which neither oUr fathers nor we
were able 20 bear"
Now IL was immunity from these in
tOlerablc burdens that was the first
/ great practical boon OF Christianity.
/ Our Lord stated the precious truth 20
the woman at the well. Said she,
Our fathers worshiped In this noun
| tain (Terczim), ana ye sny that In Je.
| rusalem II the place where men ought
| 20 worship" Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh
\ when ye shall neither In this mountain.
nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the
\ Father. But the hour cometh and now
I is, when the true worshipers shall wor-
ship the Father In spirit and in truth.
I God In spirit. and they that worship
I Him must worship Him In spirit and
/ in truth" II was one OF the frst mean
I ings Of Christ's sacrifice, TO abolish the
Il IN l..