Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-10-18
CLOSING OF The CHURCHES
Strange Event Must Have a Deep
Meaning.
HELPFUL MEDITATIONS BY A MINISTER
Unusual Situation Seems to Be Full Of
Meaning to All Mankind In General
and to Every Individual In Partic-

BY Rev. J. T.. Mahaffcy

| "CdnHl9 " MI SS'S' a.
and to Every Individual In Partic.
| ular.
by Rev. J. r.. Mahaffcy.
How strange it all seems this holy
sunny. sabbath day. No sound of ring
inc church bells send forth their peal
ing chimes. The doors are closed and
all above the vacant pews deep silence
rcigns supreme. No gathering multi
tudrS invade the sacred grounds. No
waiting congregation looks out for tar
dy pastor delayed by faulty spark-pluG
or puncturcd tire, nor listens with en-
raptured SOUL to swelling anthems OF
the choir The pipe organ in the city
church. like the hand organ in the lit
tie brown chur" in the wild wood, Is
silent on this ideal autumn Sabbath.
city streets and country highways are
alike deserted No fiutter Of auto Is
heard, save now and then as the hur-
rying, over worked doctor speeds forth
TO visit his own and the patients OF
others who are gone. or the hearse
makes its way to the cemetery. Never
before in our history was there day
like this.
What does it mean? This unusual
break in the course of things? These
thousands of churches with doors clos
cd in silence: The voice Of their pas
tors, teachers and singers silent? Their
members at home, save now and then
a& one walks over to see how his
Ineighbor Is. For even the phone IN
some homes is muffied in silence, only
to he used in emergency. What does
1t mean?
After indulging little while IN
these mcditations, ! walked out to the
church and finding the Bible lying on
the pulpit. my eye fell on these words:
"Would to God ye could bear with me
a little in my folly: and indeed bear
with me-" So, am asking the editor
land his readers to bear with me in un-
dertaking to offer some answers that
come in response to the foregoing
Question.
First of all, out of this scene OF 81
lent solitude and closed doors. comes
the answer: BE still and know that !
am God" Many of us had almost for
gotten about God, or were not duly
Impressed with his Importance. Amid
the noise and hurry of this busy life
We had almost come to think that God
and his way might be dispensed with.
Many had their own ideas (and boast
ed Of it,, about how to use Gods holy
day, his word and his church. They
thought they could go to church or
not, Just as they pleased, but today
they find that they cannot. There
stands the church just where 1t was.
but the door Is shut. The sheriff says
it must remain shut until further or
dcrs. SO there are millions of people
who cannot go to church today. even
if they wanted to. And that reminds
me of Christs saying: But from every
one that hath not (uscd properly
what he hadD, shall be taken away.
even that which he hath" All. that Is
what is coming to pass. Opportunities
wasted are being taken away. Many
will never enter church again. 9th
ers may have the opportunity later.
What will they do with it?
Some years ago conducted Il meet
ing in nearby mill town Of 500 peo-
pie. / hired the best organist and
singer l could get and posted the VII
lage with invitations to the services.
thought the little chapel would not
hold the people. The music was unus-
ually good. Some said the preaching
also was good, but the largest attend
ance we had out of that 500 popula-
tion was G7. They were occupied with
other things at night. and like some OF
old, they said: What have We TO do
Il with church and Worship and preach
ing? What have we To do with Jesus
Why art thou come hithcr to torment
us before the time" We are not cN-
pcctcd to die now. We will attend
church later"
But some of them misflgured 'thc
time, and because of the very things
they persisted in doing instead of 60
ing to church, two men met each other
on the street few days later and one
began firing. The other fell, and see
ing that he was getting up and draw
ing his pistol, the first ran upon him
took the pistol from the wounded man.
crushing him to the earth and holding
him down. he empticd that pistol into
his expiring body. Then he walked of
holding up the empty pistols. one in
each hand. saying to the policeman:
Don't let anybody hurt me-Dont lei
anybody hurt me-" And thus over zoe
people were partly to blame for it.
But listening again. I hear another
note Of the answer to this question
God says: II will be exalted among the
heather. All. that is 1t. Go ye into
: all the world. But men said. I'VE viii
not 60 to save. 1t costs too much tc
send n missionary with 30-cent Bi-
BILE and pay him 5000 year, and
there's no sense in 1t any way. We
. have heather at home. Yes, my friend
but how comes it that we have heath
en- at home? Have we no Bible? nc
churches? No preaching? No Sab
bath schools TO go to? We certainl!
must carry to others no less than We
have ourselves. whether we use then
or not and whether they use them oil
not. II is not for us to figure who viii
or who will not
But men persisted in saying the,
would neither send nor go to save thu
heather. Now they must go to kill
and my. how it costs. Look at the cos
in money. Two billion dollars month
is the estimate for the United States
= alone next year. But look at the cos
in blood, in tears. in broken hearted
, parents and children. We talk muci
1 about Freedom. but many time 1t Ii
freedom to choose between two al
ternatives. Do this and live. Do th'