The Gospel Day Part 36

Misseldine wanted me to stand on my head, but found I could not do this, so added up fifty columns of figures, for which I received 50 cents.

"February 21.-Carried can of milk to restaurant of J. G. Walters, 10 cents.

"February 22.-Delivered head of cabbage, which afterward on a 'banter' was thrown at Mr. Walters, 10 cents.

"February 23.-Young lady paid me 5 cents to call on her; polished shoes for George Arras, 5 cents.

"February 24.-Swept pool-room of J. E. McKee, 10 cents; delivered hardware to Mr. Boyers, $2.00.

"February 26.-Wheeled M. W. Watson from store of J. C. Walters to shop, 25 cents.

"February 27.-Shaved Henry DeGrange, the barber, for which I charged him 10 cents.

"Mrs. Hamilton, a well-known society woman, sold bread and laundered the gentlemen's ties. She also presented a report in rhyme at the 'pledge meeting' on last Tuesday night. One item of the report was:

"First I peddled chestnuts and met with success, And to-day I raked in nickels is the truth, you better guess.

Say, I must tell a secret, those chestnuts were alive, But what of that, when I realized one dollar thirty-five.

"Mrs Hamilton returned about forty dollars as the result of her labors.

Miss Fannie Siebold, a vivacious young woman with auburn hair and with eyes that sparkle, was visiting friends in the place. She never lost an opportunity to show her interest in the little church. Her host, curious to see if she could not be made to retract from her offers, told her he would give her fifty cents if she would ride one of his spirited horses without, a saddle.

"She was told that she might ride any fashion. Miss Siebold made all the male portion of the family promise to remain indoors, where they could not observe her during the performance. They agreed to this, but people pa.s.sing along the road were surprised at the sight of a handsome young lady galloping over the fields on the flying charger in a manner that would do credit to any man.

"As a result of all the industry, $208.54 was raised, the sheriff's placard was taken down from the church-door, and a thirty days' extension secured on the $2,500 remaining to be paid."

The following article, recently published in a G.o.d-fearing, religious paper, contains weighty and powerful truths, and should awaken the reader to the present condition of things in this dark, seducing, and soul-deluding, sinful world.

"There has been for many years a rapid decline among the Protestant churches of the spirit of revivals and of the manifestations of the power of the Holy Spirit. Not only is there great ignorance on the doctrines of the Bible, but almost universally a positive antagonism to anything like the supernatural in religious experience.

"Just as Jesus was rejected and crucified by the professed church at the close of the Jewish age, so the Holy Spirit is being despised and crucified by the professed church at the close of the Gentile age. Just as Jesus was rejected from the nice homes of Bethlehem, and had to go into a stable to find a place to be born, and where he could utter his infant cries, so the Holy Spirit to-day is utterly rejected from thousands of Protestant churches, and he has to go into rented halls, slum missions, canvas tents, and woods meetings to find a place to utter his voice through the lips of those who know and feel him. Just as there were a few who had supernatural discernment to recognize and worship the infant G.o.d, so there are now a few who discern the personality and operation of the Holy Spirit, and pour out to him their gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Just as the people of Bethlehem, who had turned the unborn Savior from their door were soon made to wail by the king's order of a.s.sa.s.sination, so the thousands of nominal churches which now reject the work of the Holy Spirit from their doors will soon wail under the awful tribulation that is rapidly coming on all the earth. Oh, if the Protestant churches could only see the day of their visitation, and that the history of the way the Jews treated Jesus is being exactly repeated over and over again in the way the modern churches treat the Holy Spirit, and that the same doom that overtook the Jewish church for rejecting Christ, will speedily overtake the modern churches for rejecting the Holy Spirit!

"Another feature of the present crisis is, G.o.d is working mainly through individuals, and not so much through machinery. Thousands of individuals in Europe and America have been called of the Spirit to launch out into soul-saving work along lines of personal enterprise more than ever in past ages.

"There never was a time in the world's history when Christian men and women felt so led of G.o.d not to wait for committees nor the red tape of ecclesiastical authority, but to hurry forth under a personal call from G.o.d and do what they could with their individual means and talents for the saving of souls, the sanctifying of believers, and preparing the chosen few to meet Jesus. There never seemed a time when anything like church machinery would run to seed so quick as now. Even if an enterprise that is started definitely as a holiness work gets a few officers and committees in it, in a few days or months it gets just as churchly and high-headed and dictatorial as an old popish inst.i.tution. For this reason G.o.d is utilizing individuality in his kingdom as never before.

"Another feature of the present crisis is, that G.o.d will test the faith of his waiting ones, and all those persons who are making almanacs for the Lord, and fixing dates for the fulfilling of certain prophecies, are going to be disappointed. We are living a life of faith in every particular, clear down to the last moment of his appearing in the sky. The Scriptures are very clear in setting forth two facts concerning Christ's coming. On the one hand we are told of the signs that would precede his coming, and we are told to watch those things, and they will indicate his coming as near; on the other hand we are expressly told that the day and hour of his appearing will never be made known beforehand, and our wisdom lies in not forgetting the signs on the one hand, nor in fixing dates on the other.

Hence Jesus commands us to keep in the att.i.tude of a watcher, always ready, always expecting, yet not knowing. In the parable of the ten virgins, our Savior clearly intimates that the bridegroom will tarry beyond the time that his people expected him. The picture is that of a crowd of pa.s.sengers sitting in a station and waiting for a night train which is behind time, and while they are yet waiting they get drowsy and nod. The sentence, 'They all slumbered and slept,' should more properly be, they became 'drowsy and nodded.' This applies to the very elect, who will be taken into the wedding, and indicates a crisis of the trial of the faith of the sanctified ones.

"But the most significant of all things in the present crisis is the testing of true faith in all points of doctrine. There never was a time since the fall of Adam when the human race was so drenched with the muddy waters of heresy. Everything moves with lightning rapidity. The principles that lie hidden in every system of government, education, social life, and manifold forms of religion, are swiftly pushing themselves to prestige and open manifestation. Sin is not only working out every species of wickedness that can be invented, but the intellect of the so-called Christianized world is showing signs of decay in its ability to grasp st.u.r.dy Bible truth, and is largely turning from the Bible to old worn-out heathen ideas. Every doctrine of the Bible is being twisted into fanciful theories. The scriptures teaching of sin and the need of broken-hearted repentance is practically ignored by thousands of ministers and church-members. The absolute divinity of Jesus is growing weaker in the faith of many who claim to teach his gospel, and some who profess to be very orthodox say they do not pray to Jesus. The literal resurrection of the body taught by the Scriptures is caricatured and treated lightly by professed theologians, ministers, and professed Christians. The immortality of the soul and its conscious existence, either in heaven or h.e.l.l, during the sleep of the body in death, is being rejected for the old heathen notion. The experience of justifying and sanctifying grace, attested by the personal Holy Spirit, is rejected by millions of church-members. Everlasting reward and punishment is laughed at as an old tradition instead of a serious doctrine of the Bible.

"It is well nigh impossible to enter a single professed Christian family in Europe or America in which some member has not a new patent on Scripture truth and holds some fanciful notion concerning the serious teachings of the Bible. I find a great many pa.s.sages in which the last form of testifying for G.o.d's saints will be that of their faith in the simple plain old doctrines of G.o.d's Word. Jesus warns us that just before his coming every possible heresy and every variety of false Christ will appear to deceive the people, and that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect. And John in Revelation tells us of an era of the going forth of frogs, which are evil spirits, to seduce the people from the true faith. We are living in the frog era. In nearly every city in the land there are from one to three persons who claim to be G.o.d, or an incarnation of Christ, or the Holy Spirit. Thousands of religious people think it is too tame and uninteresting to accept all of the plain old doctrines of the Scripture, so they want something original and startling."

In the past two years the popular religious bodies, including an aristocratic ministry, have turned to worldliness at a rapid and unprecedented rate, and what will be seen of proud formalism, socialism, and rejection of divine truth in the circles of denominationalism within the next ten years would now appear incredulous.

The following poem selected from a recent religious periodical is vividly descriptive of the present-day religious denominations, commonly known as churches. However the true church of G.o.d is an entirely different inst.i.tution, and just as far separated from the world, and just as bitterly hated by her as when she imprisoned, stoned and martyred her devoted followers.

The Church Walking With The World.

"The Church and the World walked far apart, On the changing sh.o.r.es of time; The World was singing a giddy song, And the Church a hymn sublime.

'Come, give me your hand,' cried the merry World, 'And walk with me this way;'

But the good Church hid her snowy hand, And solemnly answered, 'Nay, I will not give you my hand at all, And I will not walk with you; Your way is the way of endless death; Your words are all untrue.'

"'Nay, walk with me but a little s.p.a.ce,'

Said the World with a kindly air; 'The road I walk is a pleasant road, And the sun shines always there.

Your path is th.o.r.n.y and rough and crude, And mine is broad and plain; My road is paved with flowers and gems, And yours with tears and pain.

The sky above me is always blue: No want, no toil, I know; The sky above you is always dark; Your lot is a lot of woe.

My path, you see, is a broad, fair path, And my gate is high and wide- There is room enough for you and for me To travel side by side.'

"Half shyly the Church approached the World, And gave him her hand of snow: The old World grasped it and walked along, Saying, in accents low, 'Your dress is too simple to please my taste; I will give you pearls to wear, Rich velvet and silks for your graceful form, And diamonds to deck your hair.'

The Church looked down at her plain white robes, And then at the dazzling World, And blushed as she saw his handsome lip With a smile contemptuous curled.

'I will change my dress for a costlier one,'

Said the Church with a smile of grace; Then her pure garments drifted away, And the World gave in their place, Beautiful satins, and shining silks, And roses and gems and pearls; And over her forehead her bright hair fell Crisped in a thousand curls.

"'Your house is too plain,' said the proud old World, 'I'll build you one like mine: Carpets of Brussels, and curtains of lace, And furniture ever so fine.'

So he built her a costly and beautiful house- Splendid it was to behold; Her sons and her beautiful daughters dwelt there, Gleaming in purple and gold; And fairs and shows in the halls were held, And the World and his children were there; And laughter and music and feasts were heard In the place that was meant for prayer.

She had cushioned pews for the rich and the great, To sit in their pomp and their pride, While the poor folks, clad in their shabby suits, Sat meekly down outside.

"The angel of mercy flew over the Church, And whispered, 'I know thy sin.'

The Church looked back with a sigh, and longed To gather her children in; But some were off in the midnight ball, And some were off at the play, And some were drinking in gay saloons; So she quietly went her way.

The sly World gallantly said to her, 'Your children mean no harm- Merely indulging in innocent sports.'

So she leaned on his proffered arm, And smiled, and chatted, and gathered flowers, As she walked along with the World; While millions and millions of deathless souls To the horrible pit were hurled.

"'Your preachers are all too old and plain,'

Said the gay old World with a sneer; 'They frighten my children with dreadful tales, Which I like not for them to hear: They talk of brimstone and fire and pain, And the horrors of endless night; They talk of a place that should not be Mentioned to ears polite.

I will send you some of the better stamp, Brilliant and gay and fast, Who will tell them that people may live as they list, And go to heaven at last.

The Father is merciful and great and good, Tender and true and kind; Do you think he would take one child to heaven And leave the rest behind?'

So he filled her house with gay divines, Gifted and great and learned; And the plain old men that preached the cross Were out of the pulpit turned.

"'You give too much to the poor,' said the World; 'Far more than you ought to do.

If the poor need shelter and food and clothes, Why need it trouble you?

Go, take your money and buy rich robes, And horses and carriages fine, And pearls and jewels and dainty food, And the rarest and costliest wine.

My children they dote on all such things, And if you their love would win, You must do as they do, and walk in the ways That they are walking in.'

The Church held tightly the strings of her purse, And gracefully lowered her hand, And simpered, 'I've given too much away; I'll do, sir, as you have said.'

"So the poor were turned from her door in scorn, And she heard not the orphans' cry; And she drew her beautiful robes aside, As the widows went weeping by.

The sons of the World and the sons of the Church Walked closely hand and heart, And only the Master who knoweth all, Could tell the two apart.

Then the Church sat down at her ease and said, 'I am rich, and in goods increased; I have need of nothing, and naught to do But to laugh and dance and feast.'

The sly World heard her, and laughed in his sleeve, And mockingly said aside, 'The Church is fallen-the beautiful Church- And her shame is her boast and pride!'

"The angel drew near to the mercy-seat, And whispered, in sighs, her name; And the saints their anthems of rapture hushed, And covered their heads with shame.

And voice came down, through the hush of heaven, From Him who sat on the throne, 'I know thy work, and how thou hast said, I am rich; and hast not known That thou art naked and poor and blind And wretched before my face; Therefore, from my presence I cast thee out, And blot thy name from its place!'"-_Sel._

To-day the proud, fashionable sectarian churches are lovingly folded in the arms of the giddy world, and in her mad, drunken, l.u.s.tful craze she is crying, "On with the dance, let joy be unconfined."