The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-11-10


vites conducted it. The second was
simple and democratic in the sense
that all the people took part in 1t.
There was only one temple and that
was located In Jerusalem, but there
was synagogue in every town where
as many as ten male Jews resided. Its
order OF service consisted merely in
the reading of portion of the law and
the prophets, the chanting of psalm
and an extempore prayer. Then the
meeting was thrown open, as we now
say, and the people (the men at least)
were at liberty to take part.
The Christian church is built, not
IN the model of the temple but the
synagogue, as we see from Pauls first
Epistle to the Corinthians where, at
chapter IA, he is correcting certain
disorders that had crept into the as
sembly because Of the liberty thus
granted to the people.
A Popular Gathering.
Our text applies to such gathering
as this. That is to say, the writer has
In mind not formal service, such as
Is represented at a Sabbath gathering
In one of our present churches, but a
popular gathering Of the people where
the meeting is thrown open for all to
exercise their spiritual gifts. 1t Is
meeting always ought to be.
~. He enjoins such an assem-
bling of ourselves together as duty
to be obeyed. We ought not to for
sake it, just as In other places God
tells us not to commit murder, not to
steal, not to be guilty of adultery. not
to bear false witness, so here we are
not to forsake the assembling of cur
selves together. In other words 1t Is
n command that Christians cannot es-
cape.
(2). 1t is a privilege to be enjoyed,
for the context tells us that thus by
prayer we have "boldness to enter into
the hottest by the blood of Jesus" and
that we have IAN High Priest over the
house of God" This being the case,
what blessings are we being denied II
we thus forsake the assembling of our
selves together
Some of these blessings are of a
very practical everyday sort. The
Continent tells of business house in
Chicago which asked country CORE
spondent to recommend man for
responsible position. The reply was,
"a young man passes my house every
Wednesday evening on his way TO
prayer meeting at precisely quarter
Of eight. 1 like the looks Of that.
Shall l inquire further about him"
The result was a position at salary
larger than the young man ever
dreamed of receiving. The editor add
ed what is entirely true, that the pray
er meeting habit is good asset. The
prayer meeting young man is likely to
have the right basis of character.
There are hypocrites there, but that Is
an evidence Of the genuine.
(0. 1t represents need to be sup
piled, for the context says, "Let us
hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering and let us consider
one another to provoke unto love and
to good works." The relation of our
Christian experience In the prayer
meeting aud the exhortation and ap-
peal that accompany 1t. express our
consideration for one another as breth-
rem In Christ, and the result is stimu-
lating unto love and to good works. 1t
Is thus that we are able to hold fast
the profession of our faith.
There was a man, the father of q
family that attended my church at one
time, who resisted all my appeals to
win him to the Savior, and his wife
told me he had resisted similar appeals
from her former pastors. BY and by
on his death bed he accepted Christ
and witnessed good confession be-
fore his family and friends.
One day l asked him what was the
cause of his conversion, and found
that he attributed IL to no sermon he
had ever heard, but to the testimony
Of an elderly woman in prayer meet
ing In the country town where he lived
more than 40 years before.
He resided with an aunt who COM
| PEELED him to go because she would
not leave him alone in the house dur
ing her absence. He hated to go, but
he had to go, and there he heard the
testimony of this woman from which
he had never been able to get away.
Now that he was facing eternity it
had moved him to receive and confess
Christ.
Let me urge you to stand by your
church prayer meeting, and to do your
4