The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-08-05


who in church keep one eye on the ser
mon and the other on business or pleas
ure, this sermon has a direct applica-
ton. The text selected is Act Xxx. 3,
And there sat in a window a certain
young man named Eutychus. being fallen
into a deep sleep"
No class of men work harder for Christ
than do the travelling evangelists. When
such men as John Wesley and George
Whitfield and D. L. Moody have a world
for a parish, they realize how large that
field is, and they do everything in their
power to travel over 1t before they die.
The true evangelist breaches on Sunday.
He also breaches on Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sat
urday. He not only breaches at night,
but in the afternoons and in the morn
ings. He breaches at all times and under
all conditions. He seems to say to him
self: 1.-The harvest is plenteous, but the
laborers are few. o God, give me strength
to WELD thy sickle with superhuman
power and gather thy sheaves by the
multtudes into the gospel granary."
No work is too great for the true gospel
evangelist IL he can only get an audience
to hear him preach. Turn to the letter
which Daniel Baker wrote to his son in
1854. He was then an aging man of sixty
three. Yet he wrote these words: My
speaking amounts to some three or four
sermons a day. and this for some three
or four months past. Many persons ex-
press their establishment. Why, Mr.
Baker, how can you stand it, You can
break down six preachers. confess 1t
does seem a little strange, but so 1t is.
When I finish one meeting, I begin an
other the very next morning. sometimes
the very same evening My Master sus-
tains me, and is 1t not written, They
that walt upon the Lord shall renew
their strength"
John Wesley, the travelling evangelist,
always began his days work at o'clock
in the morning Many were the times he
preached TWO sermons before breakfast.
On an average he used to travel every
year nearly 5000 miles. He preached from
two to four sermons every day of his
life. Not only that. but he everywhere
disseminated his printed appeals for
Christ. Truly Tyerman was right when
he eulogized John Wesey's herculean
labors in these words: Looking at his
travelling the marvel is how he found
time to write, and, looking at his books,
the marvel Is how he found time to
preach" But preach he did. He kept on
preaching under all conditions. He
seemed to say: MY life is slipping away
so fast that I must carry the gospel to
as many people as possible before | die
Wesley preached in the early morning
to the miners of Cromarty. He preached
In the market places at noon. He
preached in the fields in the afternoon.
He preached in the churches at night.
He preached at all times. under all con-
ditions, to all who would hear the mes
sage of the atoning love of Jesus Christ.
Paul the Early Wesley.
Now. if I might not seem irreverent I
would say that the Apostle Paul was the
John Wesley among the early disciples.
In all probability he was not an i'm
FASHIONED speaker like Peter. Peter al
ways seemed to me to be the George
Whitfield of the apostolic band. 1 can
imagine him preaching on the day OF
Pentecost as George Whitfield so often
stood before his audiences, with flaming
eyes and earnest gestures and resonant
voice. Oh, what power Peter must
have been. But. though George Whitfield
had his work to do. John Wesley had
his work also, and a far greater work.
John Wesley went from place to place,
not only preaching, but also organizing
churches and collecting money for his
evangellstic work Such was the work
of Paul He was the John Wesley of the
apostolic band.
Now, today we find this ancient John
Wesley on one of his great missionary
tours. He wants to make the most of his
trip, SO he stops only short time at
Troas. I think I hear him say to his
travelling companion: Luke, do you
think we can get through with our work
here in a week?' "I do not believe So"
answers DIR. Luke "a week is a very
short time" 'I know it." says Paul.
"but If we wait for the sailing of an
other vessel there is no telling how long
we will have to remain here. I would
like to preach to these friends for months
instead Of a week. But we must hasten
on. 1 want to present the gospel to as
many different cities as l can before [
die. I think If we get up early in the
morning and preach before breakfast and
keep on preaching during the day and
preach late in the evening / can SOW q
good many seeds. Our time is very short.
We must hasten on to Asses and Nifty
lene and thence go to Chos and Trogyl-
lium and Miletus,"
Sleeping Christians.
Thus we see Paul hard at work in
Troas. Six days slipped by only too
quickly. on the last day before he sails
he has so much to say that he continues
his talks far on toward the midnight
While he is exhorting the Christians of
Troas to be true to their faith a young
man who is sitting on the window sill
of the room dozes, loses his balance and
falls out and breaks his neck. And
there sat in q window a certain young
man named Eutychus, being fallen into
a deep sleep and as Paul was long
preaching he sunk down with sleep and
fell down from the third loft and was
taken up dead" Now, l would like to
consider with you the reason why this
young man fell asleep during the preach
ing of Paul and why his somnoence
should be a rebuke to all Christians
sleeping In our church pews
In the first place I believe that this
sleeping Eutychus is type of that large
class of young men who think 1t is smart
to act disrespectfully and obnoxiousy In
the house of God. When these young
men attend church they always go I'M
der protest. While in the church pew
by their actions they try to advertise
the fact that they do not want to be
there. When you go up to them and
say: well, Mr.. So-and-so, ] am glad
to see you here" they say with shrug
while. You know. my mother and ia
Their and my sister and sweetheart are
members of this church, and where they
go | have to go. But, to tell the TRUTH
/ have not as much interest in these
matters as I used to have 1 have out
grown Sunday school teachers and that
sort of thing" When the minister
breaches a little longer than he might
these young men yawn and twist and
talk with their seat mates until they put
themselves out of all touch with the
service. and the preaching to them be-
comes stupid because they do not listen
to it intelligently. They become like Eu-
tychus of Troas who under the preach