Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1913-08-14
A DISCOURSE.
There II Be a Hot Time in the Old
Town.


ped from "Our Church Visitor. "
which is printed at New Albany.
Ind. The discourse is by Rev.
F.. Meusch, who is brother of
Mrs. II. C. Nagcl. at Rush Hill.
this county:
In the good old summer time
when the roses bloom again, and
a young mans fancy lightly turns
to thoughts of love, when all birds
are sweetly singing and the sun
beats fiercely down, all nature gets
indolent, that means lazy. Have
you ever made study of heat and
its effectsg It's interesting, and
sometimes surprising. Heat Gre
ates life and also kills it. Heat
developes and also retards. Heat
Expands and shrinks, too. Heat
hardens and also softens. 1t all
depends on the kind of heat and
the object against which it is di-
rected, also the location or local
ity of the heat.
Let us explain by a few exam
pies. Heat will expand a steel rail
and shrink a piece of ice, just as
PERSONS laziness will shrink his
devotional feelings. Heat creates
life and business for the base ball
park, the moving-picture show and
the summer vaudeville, and kills
or mains the life of the church.
For instance: heat and crowd and
the odor Of extinct onions, chew
ing gum, perfume - and the per
spiration of erstwhile clean human
lanatomies and moving pictures
equal pleasure. Heat and cool
dim interior of a church and good
music and Gods Word equals in
sufferable weariness.
Heat and close base ball game
creates frenzy. Heat and IN hours
devotion in church produces slum-
ber, that is, if you are not engag-
ed in an intresting discussion with
your seatmate. Heat sOftens as
phalt and potatoes and hardens
eggs and human hearts. So we
could adduce and produce examples
ad infinitum, that means without
end, but in the words of the ancient
classic: What's the use!
What we wish to impress on
your minds and hearts is this:
The decrease of church attendance
and spiritual activity prevalent in
all churches of all denominations
during the summer months is a
mighty poor way of showing devo-
ton and love to God.
A funny thing about church at
tendance is that many people
think they come to church to please
the preacher. Bless you, no. 1t
is not as if the preacher were an
actor who caters to the desires OF
hisaudience, or an entertiner to helI
them while away the time. lie
is simply the eNpounder of Gods
Word, and if the people do not
come to take part in the public
worship, that's their lookout anC
their loss. Salvation is every
body's personal concern, and al
the preachers in the world, yes
| God Himself, cannot save a mar
unless he is willing to be saved.
Put it up to yourself, and see il
you are giving God a chance to dc
something foryou. If it's too hot
for you to go to church at ten a
m. and it's not too hot for you Il
take long stroll at 2 p. M, or tC
swell the rooter's chorus with YOU
gentle voice, or to swelter while
you watch Deadwood Dick or some
! other hero of the moving film, theI
there's something out of Joint il
your spiritual anatomy. Think i
over, and be willing to stand
p a little heat now rather than a 10
of heat later, in a place wher,
there are no electric fans or re
frigerators or ice-cold drinks!