Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-08-04

missionary tour
The Fifteen Minute Sermon.
O We merchants and manufacturers
and professional men, is there no lesson
for Won to learn in this Troas Tragedy
You have often said, IF these ministers
were only brilliant speakers ana woulu
preach interesting sermons we wouiu
come TO church and stay awake ana
Iiston 70 their discourses. Is that trueE
Was not Eutychus listening to a Drill
liant discourse? Was he not listening
to the most brilliant pulpit orator the
world has ever seen? All, no, Euty-
cbus did not fall asleep because he was
listening to a stupid preacher DeheVe
ne fell asleep for the same reason lhat
so many business men become uro"sy |
when they try to sandwich a sermon
in between the ledgers of their temporal
business. While the sermon is gong Oh
some of them upon the fly lear OF
HYMN book or upon the church leanet
ore irving to estimate how much pront
thev can make upon some real estate
deal or how much they can cut down
tbelr employees wages without having
them anti for good or go out on pro-
longed strike
"Rut" some merchant says TO me-
"tbe reason I get tired in church Is not
because our ministers do not laik
sense. but because they preach SO
eyerlastingly long. Now, If Paul nau
only ouit at reasonable time, IN all
probability Eutychus would never nave
fallen asleep" You say: Il agree with
Emperor William Of Germany. lie
never allows any Of his court chap-
lains to preach over fifteen minutes.
4 fifteen minute sermon Is a good
length. A half hour sermon IS ah
abomination. A three-quarter OF an
hour sermon is a horror. An hours
sermon is an inferno. And yet some
of our ministers 90 on and on, ana
they never seem to know wnen 70
stop." Oh. yes, my friends, l know
that line of protest But the more you
talk the more | am impressed WIN lhe
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 Goa
which are delivered to you week by
week from the pulpit.
Long Preachers.
You say the modern ministers preacn
foo long Open the leaves OF your
church history and find the biographies
Of our great preachers. l defy you to
find anv of them who made a 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
deeDly spiritual church unless the serv-
ices Of 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 loath to leave. They lin
ger in groups in the aisles and ABOUT
? the doorways, and at last you ma
, those church members talking on the
street corners as though they could
, not tear themselves apart.
t Was this not John Wesley's and
George Whitefeld's experience as well
= as Paups? "Oh," but you say, i
: would be willing to listen for three
] hours if I could hear q Wesley preach
{ Would you. my brother? Eutychus fel
| asleep under Paul. You would lai
3 asleep under Wesley unless you had
t change of heart. The reason the ser
= mons Of our modern ministers are stu
9 mid and long to some of you Is because
e Won do not pray enough beforehand
4 and surrender your whole heart t'
t Jesus Christ. The trouble with oul
r churches is not due entirely to pool
nreaching. 1t is also due to your near
ing. Too many, like Eutychus, whei
e they come to church, sit upon the Wln
i dow sill Of Troas and keep their eye
y upon their bazaars across the street
b while they let their ears catch rev
t. stray words which ring from the hp
g Of n modern Timothy.
d But this sleeping Eutychus Is th
7 symbol also of the theological llDeral
!. ist His actions bring to nina th
IL lives of those who do not care to VIVA
l. church they are going, as long as the
e are listening to some new mlnlste
i and delving into the mysteries OF soin
l creed. Thus these modern Eutychuse
e say. 'T must study all the novel creed
e and sit 1T the feet Of all the neN
u teachers because | cannot tell Dut
II n few wears one of these new creed
st NAV become the accepted creed or m
10 country" Thus we find them not ideI
y tifving themselves with any one Chrl'
~ tian church, but making 1t practic
- TO 90 around and investigate
- churches and all beliefs.
% One Church Enough.
N We are in the seaport town OF Iroa
II. II is about the year So y. ID. we Sc
,e 4 crowd of people hurrying along SON
20 Of them talking very earnestly toget
or We hail one of them, whom "
10 find TO be an old acquaintance OF our
or We say: "HeIlo, Eytychus! What
a the matter? Where are you going
es He turns quickly and says: us th'
w YOU. John? Why, l am going up
p, hear this new preacher Paul. He hi
ou been in town about six days. de
be going to leave for Assos tomorrow
Come up with us and hear him" b
he we say: what is the good OF goin;
n, You do not expect to become one
ut his followers, do youY' "Oh, no" a
swers Eutychus But | make 1t ru
TO TO hear all the noted men speak WI
he come to town. Last week there W
IN one of the noted priests OF Ephes
llu here. He was telling about his &c
ne dess Diana. Last month there was
- soothsayer from India. A year a
'h' we had that Egyptian magician WI
're U.S. Two years ago there came I'll
eli disciple of Epicurus from Athel
hB Voc wont TO hear them all. l