Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-08-02


he fell asleep for the same reason that
so many business men become drowsy
when they try to sandwich a sermon
in between the ledgers of their temporal
business While the sermon Is going on
some OF them upon the fly leaf Of
hymn book or upon the church leafet
are trying to estimate how much profit
they can make upon some real estate
deal or how much they can cut down
their employees wages without having
them quit for good or go out on q pro
longed strike.
But some merchant says to me.
"the reason I get tired In church is not
because our ministers do not talk
sense, but because they preach so
everlastingly long. Now, if Paul had
only quit ut reasonable time, la all
probability Eutychus would never have
fallen asleep" You say: II agree with
Emperor William Of Germany. lie
never allows any OF his court chap
lains to prea Oh over fifteen minutes
A fifteen minute sermon Ia a good
length. 4 half hour sermon Is an
abominatlon. A thrce-quarter Of an
hour sermon Is a horror. An hours
sermon Is an inferno And yet somo
of our ministers 60 on and on, and
they never seem to know when to
stop" Oh, yes. my friends, I know
that line of protest. But the more you
talk the more l am impressed with the
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. l 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
deeply 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
those church members talking on the
street corners as though they could
not tear themselves apart.
Was this not John Wesley's and
George Whitefield's experience as we'll
as Paul's? "Oh," but you say, Il
would be willing to listen for three
hours if could hear a Wesley preach"
Would you my brother? Eutychus fell
asleep under Paul. You would fall
asleep under Wesley unless you had
change of heart. The reason the ser.
mons Of our modern ministers are stu
pld and long to 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 ,>,.Ie 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 q few
stray words which ring from the lips
Of modern Timothy
But this sleeping Eutychus is the
symbol also of the theological liberal
ist. Ills 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 l cannot tell but in
a few years one of these new creeds
may become the accepted creed of my
country" Chus 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. u. We see
q crowd of people hurrylng along, some
of them talking very earnestly togeth-
err We hail one of them, whom we
find to be an old acquaintance Of ours.
We say: Hello, Eytychus. What is
the matter? Where are you soing?"
He turns quickly and says: rs that
you, John? Why, l am going up to
hear this new preacher Paul. He has
been in town about six days. He Is
going to leave for Asses tomorrow.
Come up with us and hear him." But
we say: What Is the good Of going?
You do not expect to become one of
his followers, do you?' "Oh, no." an
swers Eutychus. But make it rule
to hear all the noted men speak who
come to town. Last week there was
one of the noted priests of Ephesus
here. He was telling about his god
dess Diana. Last mouth 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, 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