Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-04-28
sARcAsTIcALLY TELLS
HOW TO BREAK CHURCH
Lays Down the Rules Many Follow
Who Want to Be the "whoIe Show"
in Every consresation-says You
Are skinflint and scaIawas If You
Don't Pay Your Church Debts.

day. An audience of 400. majority
of whom were women, listened to the
great evangelist.
Holding up to scorn the Pharisee,
and his kind-the self righteous, and
the -am-better- than-thee kinds
both in and out of the church, but es-
pecially in it, he took them to task
and compared them with the publican
and his kind, those who are meek and
lowly, and who realize their wickedness
and seek forgiveness and mercy.
Sermon Telling and Funny.
The sermon was both impressive and
telling, and at the same time humor-
GUS. In places Sunday stopped for a
time to drop the thread Of his dis
course to take occasion to Grip up" in
his characteristic manner those who
wear their religion as cloak Of van
ity and who use it for show purposes
solely.
From the same text, and as a part
of his sermon, he showed why the
prayers of some people We're answered
and also why the prayers of others We're
not 1t was, he said, because some ap-
preached God in prayer with the spirit
of II am better than thee" while 9TH
ers came with a contrite heart, know
ing their Wickedness and asking for
giveness.
His Sermon on tho Parable.
| Mr.. Sundays sermon was in part as
! follows:
1.-THE Pharisees were sticklers for
outward forms and ceremonies. They
attended vigorously to the little things,
but neglected the big things. But after
all they were as far away from God
as they could be.
81 believe one reason why the ma
jority of people who are not religious
are so is because the religion Of the
average church member is not of the
why some peoples prayers are an
swered and why others are not.
IS Two Men Went to Pray.
/ 'Two men went to the temple to
pray One was a Pharisee and one
was a publican. Both went for the
same thing, and both got what they
| meetings to find fault you will find 1t.
!
use the language women and men
are using every day. I have no excuse
to make for using the vernacular Of
the street corner. If can save men by
it I don't care a turn Of my hand what
others think.
'You will get here just what you
come for. If your heart is hungry for
Cod you will be satisfied. If you come
here in your prejudice to listen criti-
cally you will go away with your
prejudice, and I shall take pains not to
go out of my way to please you.
"a preacher of Iowa once said to me,
why don't you preach as do?' If
did would be no better preacher than
1 he is.
You Must Be Consistent.
Referring to the absolute necessity
Of being consistent in religion, Mr..
Sunday said: ''You can't thank God
with one breath and lie about your
neighbor with the next; you can't
thank God with one breath and look at
the throne Of God thru a beer mug the
next moment.
Referring to the savior the evangel-
list said vehemently: 81 am tired Of
people picturing Jesus Christ as a
mild, wishy-washy sort of man. What
would Jesus do if he were here? He
would shoot it into you. He would not
let the devil back the crowd up in the
corner and choke the gizzard out Of
them.
Why Prayers Arc Not Answered.
4 "The Pharisee began his prayer by
saying 4 thank God that am not as
4 other men are. He began by lying.
His prayer was eulogy Of himself and
Of his virtues and his feelings. It
|hoesn't do any good for a man to know
church ordinances. They alone will
not save him.
eff the Pharisee had been a true
4 christian he would have gone to those
people who We're not>as they should be
and have helped them to become what
they should become. But he did norh-
4 ing. He confessed no sins. That was
why his prayer was not answered.
srhe publican stood far off He did
not SO much as life up his eyes. But
he smote his breast for he knew he was
wrong in his heart. GIe said: God q am
a. sinner but be mercicful to me- He
was sinful and 'hei knew and, confessed
lat That was why. his prayer was
answsed.s l,
Hits AT Church members.
AS an, incident Of his sermon -Alr.
Sunday stopped long enough to lay
verbal hands on certain classes Of
4 churchmen, and shake, them a bit. The
following are some Of the many rules
4 he prescribed with the keenest, of saf-
casm for their guidance df they wanted
Ito break up the church:.
'Don't take q front seat
sDon't criticise the preacher.
''Let the preacher do all the, work, he
has. nothing else to do. 5
always see that his salary Is in
larrears.
+ sDon,t ever ask any one to go TO
church: you might offend them, for
they might get converted. r
Try to run the church.
Il "Trysto run the revival. II 4
1 'gnsistson your view being Observed
\ IT everything is working Harmonious
Iins the church butt in and break itsup.4,
4 The Curse Of; q Church.
5'sYou know every church is cursed
BY few old but tinslsies who waIltTto
run everything. You ares miserable