Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-01-24

lltIts loI iuSluHCe, are IN OH ulnlblpT
and an old church which for years
have occupied the most influential posi-
ton in the religious life of u small city.
Most of the wealthy and prominent
men of that town go to that church
One day there comes into that town a
young minister who t8kes a broken
down church upon side street. 1t Is
almost mission. Suddenly the power
OF the Holy Spirit comes down upon
that little congregation. 1t grows and
grows. 1t widens its influence. 1t be-
gins to gather in the young people by
scores and hundreds. The little church
Is now packed to the doors The grow
Ing congregation has to move into a
larger building. Its influence grows
wider and wider until 1t spreads out
over the state and the nation. Do that
old minister and that old established
church clasp hands and rejoice at the
multtudes which are being saved In
the church just around the corner1
Perhaps so. But as a rule, such old
established churches act very much as
Jonah did when Nineveh was being
saved. They act Just as did most of
the old conservative churches of Lon
don when Charles II. Spurgeon started
his work there, and when Joseph Par
ker started his work. and when Row
land Hill started his work, and when
John Wesley started his work. These
old conservative churches wanted sin
ners to be saved in their own way or
they did not wish them saved at all.
Selhshnesa In Churches.
Oh, that we could one and all so sink
our selfish personalities In gospel work
that we did not care by what means
the sinners should be led to the cross,
as long as the hayward and the lost
We're able thereby to find Christ! Hen
ry Ward Beecher once gave this beau
tful parable of how we should all get
above our own selfish contentious and
live only that Jesus might be glorifed:
zone day three nature philosophers
went out into the forest and found
nightingale's nest. Immediately they
began to discuss the habits of the bird,
its size and the number of eggs 1t lays.
One pulled out of his pocket treatise
Of Button. and another one Of Cuvier
read and they disputed till at length
the quarrel ran so high over the empty
nest that they got red in the face and
the woods rang with their conflict
when, 10, out of the green shade OF
n neighboring thicket the bird itself,
reused and disturbed by these noises,
begins to sing. At first It's song is soft
and low; then it rises and swells, and
waves of melody float up over the trees
and fill the air with tremulous music.
/, Then the entranced philosophers, sub
dued and ashamed of their quarrel
shut their books and walk home with
out word. So men around the empty
sepulcher of Christ have wrangled
about the forms Of religion, about
creeds and doctrines and ordinances
when Christ himself disturbed by their
dscords, sings to them out Of heaven
of love and peace and Joy in the Holy
Ghost till they are ashamed of their
conflicts and go quietly and meekly to
. their duties" May we we'll heed the
message Of the great poet-preacher Of
Plymouth pulpit. May we be enabled
to cease our sectarian conflicts. May
we not strive to lift our sectarian
creeds above the cross. May we cease
, to be bigoted and selfish Jonahs. May
our one joy be TO see men and women
come to the cross. May we care not
by what means sinners come as long
as they are saved. Lord God, teach us
to sink self that thy Son, our Saviour,
may be glorified before men.
why Jonah Fled.
But why was it that Jonah fed away
, from Nineveh. and why did he sail for
Tarshsh? | want to show you why
he shirked his duty To show the cause
or why sin is committed is often to
show us how we may fee the results
of that sin. Jonah wanted to be Cod
prophet, but he wanted to be a gospel
soldier without having to meet the
dangers and trials and sacrifices of q
gospel warrior. l believe all this can
be substantiated by studying the geo.
graphical position of the great capital
Of Sennacherib, whose palaces in near
by Kuyunjik were one of the wonders
Of the world
Jonah was then living at the beauti-
full seaport town of Joppa. the present
entrance to the Holy Land. The town
sits upon the high cliffs. 1t is one Of
= tue most beautiful spots Of the world.
t To the west are the broad waters Of
, the Mediterranean. The waves were
/ hashing over the rocks and tumbling
in spray at his feet. TO the east rose
the mighty mountains. There We're the
, gardens and the vineyards and the or
l chards. There were the ships coming
} and going. There was everything at
t Joppa to make life pleasant and happy.
/ Lovely people, Edenic surroundings,
, ALL all were there for, as the poet
Q wrote, Joppa was
Oldest of cities, linked with sacred truth
And classic fable from thy earliest dawn.
BY name The Beautiful"
In other words, Jonah was Gods SOL
, der doing barrack duty. His barracks
, were In one of the most delightful sea-
port towns of the world. But after he
, had stayed there awhile and made his
, circle of friends and was just begin
ming to enjoy himself the word of the
!, Lord came to him and said, Arise, go
, TO Nineveh, that great city, and cry
inc hot tab. "a ts.