Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-08-03

talk the more am impressed with 'ths
fact that the reason sermons are long
to you Is because you do not pray
enough beforehand to prepare your
selves TO receive the messages of God
which are delivered to you week by
week from the pulpit.
Long Preachers.
You say the modern ministers preach
too long. Open the leaves of your
church history and find the biographies
OF our great preachers. defy you to
find any OF them who made n great
impression for Jesus Christ unless they
were long preachers And, further.
more, you cannot show me any church
today In America which Is noted as n
deeply spiritual church unless the serv-
ices or that church are long services.
Not only do the audiences of that
church sit through long services. but
even after the benediction Is given the
members are iOath to leave. They lin
ger In groups In the aisIes and about
the doorways, aud at last you find
those church members talking on the
street corners as though they could
not tear themselves apart.
Was this not John wesley's and
George whheheIHs experience as well
as Paursg "Oh." but you say, T
would be willing to listen for three
hours II I could hear a Wesley preach"
Would you. my brother? Eutychus fell
asleep under Parl You would fall
asleep under Wesley unless you had
change OF heart. The reason the SER
mons OF our modern ministers are stu
pid and long 20 some of you Is because
you do not pray enough beforehand
and surrender your whole heart to
Jesus Christ. The trouble with our
churches is not due entirely to poor
preaching. 1t Is also due to your hear
Ing. Too many. like Eutychus, when
they come to church. sit upon the win
dow sill OF Troas and keep their eyes
upon their bazaars across the street.
while they let their ears catch few
stray words which ring from the lips
OF modern Timothy.
But this sleeping Eutychus is the
symbol also of the theological liberal
list. His actions bring TO mind the
lives of those who do not care to what
church they are going. as long as they
are listening TO some new minister
and delving into the mysteries Of some
creed. Thus these modern Eutychuses
say. II must study all the novel creeds
and sit at the feet OF all the new
teachers. because I cannot tell but In
few years one Of these new creeds
may become the accepted creed Of my
country" Thus we find them not iden.
tifying themselves with any one Chris.
tian church. but making It a practice
to go around and investigate all
churches and all beliefs.
One Church Enough.
We are in the seaport town OF Troas.
1t Is about the year SO A. ID. We see
crowd of people hurrying along. some
OF them talking very earnestly togeth.
er. We hail one or them. whom we
find to be an old acquaintance OF ours.
We say: Hello. Eytychust What Is
the matter2 Where are you goingr"
He turns quickly and says: lis that
you. John? Why, am going up to
hear this new preacher Paul. He has
been In town about six days. He Is
Come up with us and hear him." But
we say: what is the good OF going?
You do not expect to become one OF
bis followers. do your" "Oh. no." an
swers Eutycbus. But make II q rule
TO hear all the noted men speak who
come 10 town. Last week there was
one OF the noted priests OF Ephesus
here. He was telling about his god
dess Diana. Last month there was a
soothsayer from India. A year ago
we had that Egyptian magician with
us. Two years ago there came that
disciple OF Epicurus from Athens.
Yes, l went to hear them all. / al
ways go and hear everybody who
comes to advocate some strange creed.
Come along with me and let US listen
to this Paul. We can sit in the back
OF the room. Perhaps we can sit on
the window sill. The window Is close
TO the door. and then we can slim ont
II the speaker becomes tlresome." Is
TOO much stretch OF the irnacina
hon to picture Eutychus going to hear
Paui In such n spirit as some of our
modern Eutychuses go to hear the dif.
ierent speakers OF our modern churches
In these cities OF the western bemi-
sphere?
No wonder Eutychus found the
preaching or Paul stupid IL he wor-
SHIPPED one week In the temple of a
DIANA ahd the next week studied the
teachings Of the priest Of Egypt and
the next tried TO solve the tricks OF an
eastern magicianl And yet this is the
way some attendants of our modern
churches are trying to make their pas
Tors sermons interesting. One week
they are at a Methodist church. the
next week at a Presbyterian church.
the next at q church of the Latter
Day Saints, called the Mormon church
Inc next week they are attending n
salvation Army barracks. The next
week they are in a hall filed with the
disciples OF spiritualism. Then next
week they go to the Catholic cathedral
and then to the Episcopalian service
una then 10 strict Quaker meeting.
NO service is for them too broad or
100 liberal or too strict. They attend
them all. and In attending them ALI
tney lose what little faith they ever
had In the Bible or in God. Now. NV
brother, what you need is not to ca m
dozen different churches and study n
score or more of creeds. But IL ia inn
portant, . We modern Eutychuses. to
stay In one church and sit close nm to
one altar and worship one Christ.
Too Many Creeds.
On DO not know about that" saws
some one. There is some good IN all
ereeds. Even from the most repulsiye
flower the bee can gather a little honey