The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-11-01
tn. Church ma It's Mission..

In order that q church may become a.
soul winning institution 1t must real
lie that there iss0fhething TO sdSe hieH|
from. We hear a great deal about the
something to save men~t0; to q life OF
responsibility, TO home. to heaven. We
hear very little these days that there IL
something to. save men4from.
A friend Of mine tells this story: "In
Jersey Cityta family was at the break
fast table n morning when1 suddenly
there was a cry of fire and the whole
family rushed ont into the yard. When
they were safe ia the ward the wife
seEd: 'Oh, there Is that old sideboard.
I don't mind losing the house and
everything tn It but do hate to lose
that si"eboardp
"'W-., said her hasbald, I think
we can get that OUT and he and the
son went back into the dining room.
The husband got on the front side OF
it, and the son on the rear. and they
pulled and pushed until, finaily.s they
got it to the front door, and then tifey
wedged it iinnthe deossSo that mo- one
could eithersgefi 1t outs0Ein. Thespoor
boy ~asgblocked by.sit insises0f the
house, and there was nps IAhce for
him to escape. The father. realizing
the sud situation, Jumped of the front
porch and ran around to the back OF
the house. As he came to the window,
over which there were severa. bars OF
iron, he saw through it his boy stand
ing there and heard him screaming.
Do you know what that father did,
he seized those. bars of iron, jerke6
them of and reached, in and pulled him
ont OF the window-and delivered hiHB
to his mother"
This friend of. mine said he told q
preacher that story. and this preacher
one Sunday nightsconcluded lie would
use 1t at the close Of his sermon as an
appealSt to the unconyerted. Thinking
Of the fitness Of the illustration he for
got to tell one important thing about 1t.
He described a family sitting at the
breakfast table, when suddenly they
all Jumped up and ran out of the house
and all at once the wife said: 4Oh,
there is my sideboard." He told how
the father and son went back to get #,
and how they got that sideboard
wcdged tight in the door. blocking the
boy on the inside. Then, how the faith
or ran around to the back Of the house,
jerked off the iron bars, rushed in, got;
his boy and pulled him out and delfy-
cred him to his mother. When the,
preacher finished, everybody was look.
ing at everybody else. everybody was
looking strange, and everybody felt
strange, and he was greatly surprised
Returning home he said to his wife:
"Wife, why was it that story of mine
didn't hit?& IrneYer agapeopleY act 80
strangely in my life under as good q
story as that. Not n single solitary.
soul moved" i'.Why." she said, You
told the story all right, only you forgot
to say the house was on fire."
You think that is a very ridiculous
picture. Well, it Is. Yet / want to tell
you that just such things as this are
occurring in a large number of pulpits
Sunday after Sunday. We talk to peo-
pie about salvation. and e press
upon them the great fact that there is
something to save them from. Breth-
rem, I believe that the preaching Of the
+ future is to be a preaching of law as
well as Of loYe..,I belieYe that 1t is
necessary to make mensfee the awful
ness Of sin before you8can ever make
men feel the need of the love and sal
walton Of Christ.-From "a Soul Win
ming Church." by Dr. Len G. BrouSh-
ton.