The Penn's Grove record., 1905-07-21
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. WILLIAM YOUNG CHAPMAN.
Subject: ChurchgOing Abolished.

oAOOhAJ0 Az I'LL lllldM 4Ouh6 |
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 |
saw no temple therein" DR.. Chap
man said:
Among many things in this sublime
apocalypse of st. John hard to be IN
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
aid 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 uniyerSe-the city of
God. By every sort of figure and sym
Dol are its glories 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 l want to treat broadly, and l
believe the text contains easily the sub
iect by which 1 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 a well
come announcement to many q 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 a 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 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 nd sardius and emerald and
s%ardonyx 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,"
1t becomes us to inquire more closely
into the truth involved here. And ii
what John saw was the church trium'
plant, if the conditions he saw were
the perfection of what is rudimentary
here, if the Holy City, New Jerusalem
is continually coming down from Goo
out of heaven, then we ought to be re
alizing more and more on earth tina
heavenly condition.
/ believe that condition is illustrated
by the progressive church of Christ OF
earth. Think for a moment of the ad
vantages we have over the ancien
Jewish worshiper. He had his centra
place of worship. Three times a yea
he must make his pilgrimage to Jeru
salem, from even the remotest corner
of the land. Over many a rugged mill
he must travel with his family and hi
sheep and oxen for sacrifice and hi
tent and provision for his journey, il
order to perform his religious duties
There at Jerusalem was the temple
There be expected to meet God, or a
least there God would be propitious
There was the priest who could one
his sacrifice and present his confession
to God. There was the holy place ant
the most holy place, the locus of TIL
Jewish worship. Even in far off lands
when he worshiped he turned his fac,
toward the temple, as if his heart wer,
there, in any case.
Then, too, his daily devotions foun'
expression in a most elaborate ceremo
NAL. There were divers washings, a
there were multifariouS causes of IN
cleanness. There were fittings ant
manifold offerings. There were sin OF
ferings and peace offerings, all asso
ciated with infinite trouble to the wor
shipper. These minute requirement
were infinitely multiplied by the jew
in the time of Christ and His apostles
so that Peter spoke of it as a yokt
(which neither our fathers nor W,
were able to bear"
Now 1t was immunity from these in
tolerable burdens that was the frs
great practical boon of Christianity
Our Lord stated the precious truth t
the woman at the well. Said she
"Our fathers worshiped in this noun
tain (Terezim), and We say that in Je
rusalem is the place where men ough
TO worship" Jesus saith unto her
Woman, believe Me, the hour cometl
when We shall neither in this mountain
nor yet at Jerusalem, worship tn
Father. But the hour cometh and nov
is, when the true worshipers shall wor
ship the Father in spirit and in truth
God is a spirit, and they that worship
Him must worship Him in spirit AM
in truth 1t was one of the first mean
ings of Christ's sacrifice, to abolish tn,
temple. When He bowed His head il
death on Calvary and said 1T is fin
ished, . ''the veil Of the temple was rem
in twain from the top TO the bottom.
and the whole significance of the TEN
pie service passed away. The tempt
itself did not long survive the death o
Christ, and the ecclesiastical capita