Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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W ; *‘. 'I fyMi HI : ~ ’ \' ■ Py *tev. RArK DE V/ITT TALMAGE, D.D., P&_tor of Jcfferion Park Prjsby* ;_ria.n Church, Chic&go ns nre aocurouK d to do evory Sunday morning? ^ llon u hen tli'“ clock's min ute hand is pointing to ;t <juartor of 11 would wo st'irt to dress and at tbe last moment tw^n tin* house upside down and empty all the bureau drawers be- ca .so we could ik t liud our gloves or mu >1 ■ t< som Los Angeles, Cal., March 13.—This sermon is a good natured rebuke to the prevalent lack of Veorum among the worshipers In our American churches and a plea for the observance of a S irtain reasonable etiquette, equal at ast to that which we observe in our worldly relations. The text Is I Tim othy ill. lo, ’‘That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God.” Are you a parent? Have you ever I dressed up your little children and ►sent them forth alone to visit when they were about ten or twelve year's of age? Then you have known the anxieties of a mother or father as to their social behavior, lb-fore they go you say: ‘‘Now, son, he careful about your manners. When you enter Mrs. So-and-so’s home take off your hat and place It upon the hall rack. Be care ful and don’t handle the vases in the parlor, and don’t squirm on your chair. When you are at dinner be sure and keep your hands off the table, and don’t spill the food upon the table cloth, and don’t ask for a second help ing of anything or talk with your )uth full. When Mrs. So-and-so tsses you a plate say ‘Thank you.’ temember, my boy. that your mother’s tome is to he judged by your table ^manners.” Wb a tbe cbild leaves tbe ’house your mind follows him and stays with him all day long. And, oh, the pride that sweeps into the parental heart when, next day, you meet your friend, at whose home your little- chil dren dined, and she congratulates you in tjiese words: “We had such a lovely children’s party yesterday. And. Mrs. So-and-so, I want to tell you how well your children behaved. Your boy was a perfect little gentleman, and your daughter a little lady.” Ah, such con gratulation as that Is as a sweet savor to the maternal heart. Reflneiii<-i I In the Church. If refined social manners are essen tial in the home, they are equally im- irtant in the house of God. So essen- are they to a consecrated Christian rUfe that Paul wrote a long epistle to his young lieutenant, Timothy, con cerning them. In this letter, wherein are found the words of the text, the great apostle tells how bishops and their wives should act, and also how deacons and deacons’ wives. But to day, instead of my showing how our ministers and church officers should be have in the house of God, I would preach a sermon on church manners directly to the pew. I would try to In culcate the reverential spirit with wlilgb our congregations should assem ble for worship. I would try to teach this reverence because more and more In this irreverent age there is a tend ency to look upon church buildings as places fitted for secular enjoyments rather than as sanctuaries consecrated to the presence of Jesus Christ. ‘‘The Lord lovetb tbe gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.” No man ought to place foot in (tod’s sanc tuary unless he can do it with the sol emn feeling of Habakkuk, who de clared, “The Lord is In his holy temple; let all tbe earth keep silence before him.” First the church building Is the tryst- Ing place where God promises to meet his children at certain times. That means it is a place of rendezvous, where you have an appointment to commune with Christ at least twice every Sunday and perhaps once or twice during the week. One inference from that fact is that when a congre gation assembles on the Sabbath day the worshipers should always he on time and he ready to lift their voices In praise at the first word of the first line of the doxology, us well as with bending head to listen to the last word of the last line of the benediction. We once read how a young artist lost an opportunity to win immortal fame by not being on time. He had an ap pointment with (Jueen Victoria at 10 a. m. to paint her picture, and he de layed his coming until ten minutes aft er 10. The result was the British queen was gone and, as far as his opportuni ty was concerned, gone forever. In a spiritual way many a church member has lost a great opportunity for spirit ual blessing by not being on time at the beginning of u church service. God does not turn his hack upon his re pentant children as did the earthly queen upon the young artist, hut we may be sure that he marks the implied lack of respect which is indicated by chronic tardiness and habitual unpunc- tuulity and that many a blessing is lost thereby. CTardlm-MM I)lar«-aite<-tful. There is not one tardy church mem ber in a thousand who would show the implied disrespect In not keeping an appointment with an earthly ruler which they frequently show to their Heavenly King. Suppose we should take a trip east and stop in the capitol at Washington. Suppose while so journing there one of the California senators or congressmen or a member of the cabinet made an appointment for us with the president of the United States. Suppose that a polite note was sent to us by the president’s private secretary informing us that we might be received tomorrow morning at the White House at 11 o’clock. What would-we do? Would we sit up tonight until very late, as some of us are ac customed to do every Saturday night? Would we arise very late tomorrow hatpins or a cica: some '*f us arc* aceusiomc< Sunday morning? Then rush across Laf; the White- lions'- minutes late, as end systematic. \y <•11!tvh service late, m -i- God? till* illOll! Of 1 III* Ch, no! Tin t is not th should act if V - had an a; i-rehief, as to do every would we v squan* over to •*t tluue twenty of us regularly s loiue to the en- v c* are to Temple. > way we ). (ointment a nt >ck, th :v a- tomorrow morning. 1 p< .duveiy see that our »v ad : i, !:t before we went >:iigl. t . Then we would go ly. so that our minds would : d iiiert and we could re- i 1 that the president might won! \ not only be on time, ahead of time. At ten mln- in dc i of ten minutes after would he standing be- . nt’s private secretary c-iirds for an audience with the chief (executive of the* Amer- hv.n people. In the same way if you wish to get your chief spiritual bless ings from Christ you must keep your tryst with him. You must start your public worship on time. You must, in your church in; liners at least, show to your Heavenly King the same re- spei t you would accord to an earthly potentate. A spiritually live church is one whose worshipers always as semble on time. One of the surest signs of a spiritually dead church is the tardiness of the church members, who always expect their seats to he saved until at least the second hymn has been sung, and often until the col lection plate has been passed. The pews should be filled on time, just as the organist at the hour sharp should he in her place at the ivory keys and the minister in his place behind the sacred pulpit. Behaving yourself aright In church implies a second act, which is just as Important as promptness at church service. A church member should be in Ids place when the service starts as surely as he should he at his seat when the train starts. But he should do more than sit down when the piinister takes ids place. He should, first of all, kneel and render obeisance and homage to the Heavenly Father, whose tryst ho. the worshiper, has come to keep. The very first act of a guest in a home is to go and pay his respects to the host or hostess. The very first not a worshiper should perform when In church is to pay his respects to the - Christ, who, in a spiritual sense, is the head of the temple in which the church member has come to worship. Cliurrlt No 1’lai-e For Levity. The Episcopalian rector begins his service in this wise: “Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honor dwelleth.” When we enter the house of God, do we one and all feel that we are com ing into the presence of the Lord? If we do, would we come laughing and talking and nodding to each other, like a lot of schoolgirls entering their class rooms? If we do, would there be so much whispering among the members, both in the pews and in the back of the church? If we do, would there be so much turning around to watch others who happen to come in late, and a dis position to laugh when anything goes wrong? People who have visited Euro pean courts write that there the king is first and last In the thoughts of all the waiting courtiers. As soon as the king enters the room, all the waiting nobles arise and bow. When the king speaks, the waiting nobles listen. When a messenger enters, lie not only kneels, hut when he leaves the throne room he never turns his hack upon the seated king. Yi’lien we enter the sanc tuary of God, which is filled with the presence of God, do we how :fs before a king? J>o we try to keep our face al ways toward the divine face? Do we earnestly try to make the prayers of the psalmist our prayer? "Let the | words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart he always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” The church of God ought | to he something more sacred than a concert hall or a theater. It ought to be a place where a Joke and a cachin- nation and a chitchat should be just as much out of place as a minstrel show would be at a funeral, by the casket of tin* dead. In Ike llouMtr of (toil. O man and woman, ever keep the face of Jesus Christ before you when you are In the house of God! Every church building dedicated to the wor- sliip of God is in very truth his house, in which his presence is manifested as I surely, though not so visibly, as In the 1 Shekinah of the tabernacle. Always enter the house of God in the su*ne spirit that the little child of Uev. Charles T. Brady, an American mis sionary, showed when he entered a ; great European cathedral. The father was compelled to return to his board ing place for something he had for gotten. He left his little boy In the nave of the church to await his return. When the father came back he found his child standing In the middle of the groat church in awe, looking around as though he was expecting some one. The mellow sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows fell upon his curly head and made him look like a little angel. When the child heard his father’s returning footsteps he turned his inquiring eyes upon his parent and said: ‘‘Papa, where is Jesus? Where is Jesus?” Childlike, j he felt that the house of Gol implied the presence of Christ. So, with child- ; like faith, when we assemble to wor ship Christ, we must come with this In a spirit a great deal of the ir- xhibiteil by some of our modcru congregations would forever c-(-ase. Behaving oneself aright in church implies not only due respect to the four wall i of the < lifice or to the hab itation of the divine presence, but also dm- respect to God’s ministers who preach in the sacred pulpit and due respect to God’s musicians who sing in the church choirs. When the mem bers of a church choir arise to sing the praises of God they become part of that mighty host who In every Christian land on earth and in the heavenly mansions are occupied with the same theme. When the minister rises to preach he comes as a messen ger from God to ytter the words that the Holy Spirit lias commissioned him to speak. The truly consecrated Chris tian minister is a representative of the Most High and is entitled to the defer ence that was paid to the representa tives of the European kings when they entered the United States senate and were given tin* foremost seats, ns I saw them file in when Vice President Gar ret A. Hobart took the oath of office preceding the inauguration of Presi dent McKinley. They were not wel comed as men. They were honored in their official capacities as personal representatives of the British, the German, the Italian, the Russian and the Austrian thrones. Never forget when you criticise the preacher’s mes sage that you may he criticising the very words that God has given him to deliver to you. Avoid Flippant CrltlcfKin. Honor God’s representatives in the Christian pulpit and in the Christian choir loft if you would honor Christ In the church. Mr. Champion, the botanist, tells us that in his explora tions through Panama some of the most beautiful flowers growing there immediately die and become withered, shriveled, brownish weeds as soon as plucked by th * human hand. The beautiful truths of the gospel as floral treasures will lose their power to help and* serve us If with rude, irreverent hands they are torn from the pulpit and choir loft and submitted to harsh tie happier?” Oh, no; you would rath- »r say: “What Is good enough for my mother and my children is good enough for you when you are In my house. When you are rude to my kith and kin and loved ones, then you dishonor me." So the members of a congregation can not honor God un, f.s at tin* same time they are read;. U> , t b-ome and honor all of God's ' • a. no matter to what social ca a- they may belong. Honor the fhnrch. But, though Christian etiquette In i!a* house of God should mean much, how many churches are sinfully trying to become the oiurcbes of class instead of the churches of a great Christian democracy? Can we not, one and all, be large heart d enough to know that there is only o; r* true gospel aristocra cy, and that belongs to the noble serv ing class which Jesus described when h'* said, “Whosoever will he chief among you, let him be your servant?” As you would never he rude to my child because you love me, so may we in our church etiquette never cast a slur upon God’s children. May we nev er jostle or push any one away from us! We should all belong to the gospel clan. We should feel that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ and that, therefore, by the gospel fireside there shall be plenty of room for all the members of the gospel family. Lastly, refined and consecrated church behavior is demonstrated as much in the way a congregation dis perses as in the way it assembles. If 1 make a social call upon you and you . are polite and respect me, you do not try to show your Impatience even though I do stay a little longer time 1 than 1 ought. You do not gape and yawn and take out your watch again and again to look what time it may he. You do not get up and go out into the hall and put on your overcoat and then hold your hat in your hand as though you were ready to run away at the first opportunity. If you acted thus I would i certainly take the hint and leave as soon as possible. Neither should you he rude in church etiquette. During the 1 ist part of the sermon ; you should not he sighing and turning I around to watch the clock. During the #1 [y BEGINS WORK with the first dose, cleansing the blood of all the poisonous acids that produce RHEUMATISM, driving out all the dangerous germs that infest the body—that is the way cures are effected by _ HHb Other medicines treat symptoms; Rheumacide removtt tbi cause, and, therefore, its CURES ARE PERMANENT. Helps the digestion, tones up the system. Sample bottle free on application to Bobbitt Chemical Co., Pro prietors, 31G West Lombard St., Baltimore, Md. •o’ and flippant criticism. The minister- last hymn and the Inst prayer you should remember that you are there to sing the praises of God, to hear his message or to commune with him, and you should not meanly steal that time away from him to button up your coat and fix your wraps and put on your gloves. From the beginning of the service to the end you should honor the church, the church altar, the ser mon and the music, because In so do ing you are honoring Christ. As we began with the words, “That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,” let us close with the psalmist’s words which he wrote for the temple when David gang, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” He meant it. Ix*t us prove by our actions and our observ ance of church etiquette that public worship Is not a drudgery and a repul- | she slavery, but a joy, a happiness and an opportunity for continuous gos pel pleasure. Let us worship “the Lord In the beauty of holiness” with refined and consecrated church manners. [Copyright. 1901, by Louis Klopsch.] morning, about half past !*. and have , holy question upon our lips: “Where is b> •eakfast about 10 o'clock, as some of Jesus? Where Is Jchub?’’ If we come ing hands of the church service, scat tering tin* good seed which may be sown in our sinful hearts, may not he perfect hands: but. for the time being t !< ast. such Irmi’.s should be consid- | “• 1 s i ’ resenting the hand of God. I !;n >!<•> ( ill, the Scottish evangelist, ! i . I . a . ress illustrated the impor- | t. iico of the iv.qtect which should be sh >vn in churches lo God’s ministers as his representatives. He said. “One j of tin* greatest powers of spiritual I strength which came to Scotland in the days that are gone was due en tirely to the respect which the Scottish j congregations gave to their Scottish pastors.” When all Edinburgh went i forth with tears and lamentations to bury Thomas Chalmers the people did not feel they were honoring Thomas Chalmers so much as the Christ of-j whom he was the earthly representa- ! tive. “Not criticise the church music or the minister’s preaching! Why,” some one says, "that is almost an impossibility. Some church choirs smash every law of musical harmony. Some ministers are absolutely stupid. They are im practicable men— men of no force, with out any two logical, consecutive thoughts." That is true, my brother. Some choirs are noted more for their discords than their musical perfections. Some ministers’ mental depth It does not take a very long line to fathom. But I can give you this as my own per sonal experience—I never entered any church with the spirit of God in my heart, to try to consider the leaders of that service, God’s representatives, without receiving great spiritual good out of that service. In contrast to this statement I never entered a church building with the spirit of criticism in my heart hut 1 found something to crit icise about the minister and the service before I got through with it. and, fur- thermore, when I did enter a service in the spirit of 'criticism I always found that 1 received more harm from that service than good. If William E. Glad stone, with the greatest brain in all England, could sit Sunday after Sun day in the little church of Hawqrden and get spiritual food from young, in experienced rectors who came there to break for him the “bread of life,” sure ly you can afford to honor the minis ters of Jesus Christ as God's represent atives. It«‘Hi(t*i-t Gotl'a Preseuoe. But behaving yourself aright in church implies not only due respect to God's presence, in whose sanctuary you assemble, and to his representa tives there, hut also due respect to the strangers who come in to worship with you at your church altars. It not only means that we should bow before God’s altars and in reverential tones say, “Our Father,” hut It also means that we should give a warm, loving, Christian welcome to God’s children who would sit by our side. It menus that no church Is a consecrated Chris tian church unless all the men and wo men alike, whether cloth<*d in silk or In homespun, whether rich or poor, whether master or servant, shall he cordially greeted with an open church door and an open church pew, Christian etiquette should run exact ly along parallel lines with social eti quette. Suppose I am Invited to your home to visit for a week. Supposing ; at. this country house party you should have ten or fifteen guests, Including some of your own children. Suppos ing at this house party I should be rude to one of your guests or make fun of your old mother because she mur dered the king’s English or because she once did her own washing. What would you do? Would you consider me one of your friends? Would you say, “Well, If you don’t like my mother or my children I will tu-n them out of doors In order that you may feel a lit- . J.. >' J i .j *.-1jl fm V mm •L-i. mms mm ••••• ••••• Ireve q eta LI e Superior to all others It is sold every-wheref ^ MESSON CO. $ d SAVANNAH NOTICE Inflammatory Rheumatism Cured. William Shaffer, a brakeman of Dennison, Ohio, was confined to his bed for several weeks with inflamma tory rheumatism. “I used many rem edies,” he says. “Finally I sent to McCraw’s drug store for a bottle of Chamberlain’s Pain Balm, at which time I was unable to use hand or foot, and in one week’s time was able to go to work as happy as a clam.” For sale by Cherokee Drug Co, Gaff ney; L. D. Allison, Cowpens. 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The Gaffney Cify Land and Improvement Co, Offer* for sale liulliiiug Lots In this llourishlnK town, (iaffney; also I',nir- m a* by au<I in reach of the Hcbool* of Limestone Spriiiy*> and of place, in oto of •<» to 100 acres on liberal time rates; (il/Jo AKrlculturul Lands to rent for l .irni pu> p » For full particulars apply to J. V. SABBATT. Agent N. B.—All persons are forbidden to enter on, walk or ride throush or over "• i , - <u<,f ii,i* company, cutting and removing timber, fishing or hunting, under penalty of li,«. nfl' i C ;