00B.44 Chapter 37. Desultory Descanting

XXXVII. Desultory Descanting

(Poems and paragraphs written by the author of this book for the bulletins of the churches with which he has labored. They illus­trate the type of teaching he has done and which he wishes to con­tinue to do even after his tongue has been hushed and his pen stilled by death.) When a physician is called to a case, he is not so much concerned about the seriousness of the patient’s condition as he is in the way the patient responds to treatment. If the patient is not serious, he will get serious if he does not respond to treatment; and if he is serious, he will get better if he responds. So the way he responds to treatment is the thing that the good doctor looks to most anxiously. This is also true with a preacher. When a church responds to treatment, there is hope even for the most indifferent. If a church does not respond, the case is alarming. What shall we do? Change doctors? Change the treatment? Yes, that can be done, but it does not avail except where the wrong treatment has been given. But in some diseases there is a certain, definite remedy and a universally recognized course to pursue, and any doctor who is called in will only agree in the treatment and continue the course. This is absolutely true with a church. There is but one thing that can be done: teach the word of the Lord and try to persuade the members to obey it. If they do not respond, the case is hopeless.

COMMITTEES Your present preacher does not like committees and does not often appoint any. Why? Does he have a good reason? Yes, several of them. We will here mention two: first, when a committee is appointed to do a special work then that eliminates all the other members from that work, and often it is a work that all should do—like visiting sick and helping the poor. But where there is a committee others let them do it. And if they do not, the committee gets horribly hurt! Second, committees that are sometimes appointed for a work for a special occasion or under special circumstances sometimes arrogate to themselves permanent and official authority and will insist upon "bossing" certain functions forever! In England they cry: "The king is dead: long live the king." Thus in one breath they announce the death of one ruler and hail the accession of another. So we no sooner recognize that the old year has gone than we face the fact that a new year is upon us. It is here, and even while we are welcoming it a part of it is passing us by. It brings its new obligations, opportunities, and sufferings as well as its joys. It is well for us to wish each other a year of joy and happiness, but for most of us, if not for every one of us, the year will bring some hardships, heartaches, and suffer­ing. We must take the bad with the good and face the future with a stout heart, knowing that "all things work together for good to them that love God." When we think of the unknown future with all its possi­bilities for success or for tragedy, we naturally feel a little weak at our own helplessness and tremble before the thought of what may come. But our faith should help us here. In William Cullen Bryant’s poem, "To a Waterfowl," there is a stanza that many people love. It has been beautiful to us for many years:

He who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight; In the long way that I must tread alone, Will lead my steps aright. CAN YOU PRAY JOB’S PRAYER?

If I have withheld the poor from their desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, And the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; . . .

If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, Or any poor without covering;

If his loins have not blessed me, And if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, When I saw my help in the gate:

Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, And mine arm be broken from the bone.

(Job 31:16-22.)

All the servants of God that we read about in the Bible combined prayer and work without confusing them. If ever an enterprise was begun, continued, and ended in prayer, it was Nehemiah’s reconstruction of Jerusalem. Hear him tell of it:’

I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king.(Nehemiah 2:4-5.) We made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night. (Nehemiah 4:9.) Remember the Lord . . . and fight.(Nehemiah 4:14.) Call unto me, and I will answer thee. (Jeremiah 33:3.) Ask, and it shall be given you.(Matthew 7:7.) All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. (Matthew 21:22.) THE MAN WHO HAS A BOY To you who have a boy to train, You’ve work to keep you night and day.

There’s much to him you must explain, And many a doubt to clear away; Your task is one which calls for tact And friendship of the finest kind, Because, with every word and act, You mold the little fellow’s mind.

You must be careful of your speech, For careless words are quickly learned;

You must be wise enough to teach Which corners may be safely turned. Your habits then give constant thought, For with the child they are no joke; With cigarettes be never caught Unless you want the boy to smoke.

Doing things you can’t commend, Or teach the little tike to do To the little mind you can’t defend, It will be hypocrisy in you. Be careful then no offense to give In making the path for him to tread, And he’ll make you glad while you live, And honor you more when you are dead.

— Written for Perry Mason by the Grandfather of His Boy.

OSTARA, OSTERN, EASTER This is Easter and all the man-founded and man-gov­erned churches will be celebrating the day in great style. Excellent music, special costumes, and elaborate programs will characterize their services. And eloquent sermons will be preached on the resurrection of Christ—whether the preachers believe that he rose or not. The resurrection will be the motif of all the programs. But with some of them it will be like Easter, a myth with a beautiful allegorical meaning: the coming of spring; a time for the bursting of the buds and the opening of the flowers; new life is coming forth from the barren and bleak tomb of winter. So we should burst out of the dead past and rise from under the debris of shattered hopes and feel the urge and glory of new life in our souls! Selah. Bla, Bla! When a Christian thinks about the resurrection he wants the real thing, not an allegory by an infidel. "But i n vain they d o worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments o f men."(Matthew 15:9.) Our word Easter and the German name of this day, Ostern, come from the name of the goddess of spring in the Teutonic mythology. Ostara. A spring festival was always held in honor of this goddess, but we at Broadway do not worship this mythical lady, and therefore we have nothing special in our service today. Our Lord said: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Luke 4:8.) But if anyone should deny that our celebrating the res­urrection has any connection with the heathen festival, he could not deny the origin of the name Easter, and he would still have to admit that this special celebrating is of human origin and based entirely upon the commandment of men— the decree of council. Our Lord was raised from the dead on the firs t day o f the week —no one knows what day of the year (Matthew 28:1-4; Mark 16:9)—and the early Chris­tians, under the teaching of inspired men, met for worship and remembered the Lord in his own appointed way upon the first day of each week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). We follow their example and celebrate our Lord’s death and resurrection and proclaim his coming each Lord’s day.

Decades after the last inspired man had delivered his divine message to the church, uninspired men began to appoint feasts and fasts and celebrations and ceremonies that the Lord’s church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit never heard of. In the fourth century there was much dispute about when Easter should come, and the first creed-making body that was ever assembled settled the question by a decree—by legislation—hence, by a command­ment of men. "Controversy over the exact date of Easter was settled by the decision of the Council of Nice under the emperor, Constantine, in 325, fixing Easter day on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the spring equinox."

PURE RELIGION

James says: "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." (James 1:27.) The religion of our Lord means more than merely be­lieving in the existence of God, the divinity of Christ, and the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. It means more also than merely keeping certain commandments and ordinances, such as the Lord’s Supper and baptism. It means more than living up to just certain standards of righteousness. While all of these are needful and indispensable, the very heart of pure and undefiled religion is:

UNSELFISH SERVICE

Lending a helping hand, visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction, gladly bearing each other’s burdens is the spirit that must master our souls if we are to have the religion that the one who died that we might live brought to this old world. H e "went about doing good." So must we, if we are to be indeed his disciples.

Note the following facts: (1) The only kind of fast that God would accept required that his people remember and provide bread for the poor. Read Isaiah 58:6-7. (2) Neb­uchadnezzar was commanded to break off his sins and iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. See Daniel 4:27. (3) Don’t fail to read the special blessings God bestows on those who consider the poor. (Psalms 41:1-3.) (4) One of the evidences that Jesus was the divine Son of God was the fact that, in his preaching, he did not fail to go to the poor. (See Matthew 11:2-5.) (5) The Bible declares that God will not listen to us when we pray if we stop our ears to the cry of the poor. (Proverbs 21:13.) (6) When Paul was sent to the Gentiles with the gospel of salvation, special instruction was given to him to remember the poor. (See Galatians 2:9-10.) (7) John says: "But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (1 John 3:17.) Suppose you answer this question. And with it study Matthew 25:31-46 and ask yourself the ques­tion: Can I be ready for the judgment to come and be indifferent to the poor and those in trouble?

Solomon says: "The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it." (Proverbs 29:7.) And how well has Ruskin said: "How often it is difficult to be wisely charitable—to do good without multiplying the sources of evil. To give alms is nothing unless you give thought also. It is written not ’blessed is he that feedeth the poor,’ but blessed is he that con­sidereth the poor." A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money. (Study Job 29:11-16.) Massillon well says: "I would have none of that rigid and circumspect charity which is never exercised without scrutiny, and which always mistrusts the reality of the necessities laid open to it."

WAITING FOR GOD

I read a story of a little boy "Waiting for God" to come and take him home to love, provide for, and protect. An epidemic had taken all but this little lad. Father was taken, then the little brother, and last to go was this darling boy’s mother. She was a Christian, and believed with all her heart in God, the God that lives, loves, and sees us every moment. Her mind had been continually on her boy. This mother knew that she too must go. "What is to become of my child?" she thought. Not a friend on earth that she knew to whom she could now give him, so she told him not to worry, to be sweet and good and God would come and take care of him after she left him. An angel took her home, leaving her dear boy all alone, so far as earthly friends were concerned. A short time thereafter, a man unusually kindhearted and in whose heart Jesus had found a place to dwell was walking along the street and noticed a little ragged, sick, but bright-eyed and intelligent-looking boy reclining against a building. He gently laid his hand upon the boy’s shoulder and asked him what he was doing there.

"I am waiting for God to come for me," he answered.

"What do you mean?" kindly asked this good man.

"God has sent for father and mother and little brother," said the lad, "and he took them to heaven. Mother told me while she was sick, and just before she left, that God would take care of me. I have no home, nobody to love me, no­where to go, nothing to eat, so I am just waiting for God to come to me, like mother told me he would. Now, he will come too, won’t he? Mother never told a lie." These words were said as the child looked up through his tears into the man’s face.

"Yes," said the man, with tears also in his eyes, "mother was right about it, and God sent me to you to take you home with me and care for you."

Then he took the ragged boy into his arms and hugged him and started home with him, and the little fellow put his arms about the man’s neck and said: "I knew God would come for me or send someone. "

Come to Broadway, friend of mine, Come to worship, be on time;

Join with ours your voice in praise, And sing to God in joyful lays;

Let melody flow from your heart, And in each hymn have a part.

Come to Broadway, friend of mine, Come to worship, be on time;

All our worship must be right, For each act his word we cite; Your service then is incomplete If you miss a tone or beat.

Come to Broadway, friend of mine, Come to worship, be on time; Be in the worship at the start, Nothing’s whole without each part. Your tardiness our peace destroys, Besides your sin, you disturb our joys.

Come to Broadway, friend of mine, Come to worship, be on time;

How can we have an hour of prayer If praying hearts are never there? And your heart is not praying, sure, When you stand outside the door.

Come to worship, friend of mine, Come to Broadway, be on time.

It will surely be fine when we get that nursery prepared where our babies can be taken care of in comfort, while the mothers worship God in peace and reverence. Babies cannot worship God any more than they can be baptized. If a mother is going to be baptized she gets someone to care for her baby, of course. How about when a mother wants to pray or partake of the Lord’s Supper? Are these things less important than baptism? They are not. Nor can a mother or father do these things acceptably while caring for a baby any more than they could be baptized while caring for a young hopeful. There is nothing on earth sweeter than a baby, but a baby cannot worship God. Therefore, we mean to provide a place where the little innocents may sleep or play while the parents worship.

"But we did not have no such things when I was a baby or when my younguns wus babies, nuther." No, and we did not go to church in automobiles then, and we did not have electric lights then, and we did not have baptismal suits for the preacher and robes for the subject. No, things were sometimes crude as well as hard then, but must they continue so?

Furthermore, if you and I had been taught in early life what worship is, what devotion is, what reverence is, and that such things must be in the heart and that, of course, they require an atmosphere of quietude and solemnity, we would today have more respect for the beginning hour and more reverence in the presence of God.

A PSALM OF THE MORNING The morning cometh with great glory;

It bringeth a flood of golden light;

It gladdens the heart of the watchers and filleth the earth with beauty. The messengers of brightness announce its appearing, And the creatures of darkness see its signal in the heavens;

Yes, they stealthily steal away into their hiding. The sun cometh up in silent splendor, The gates of day open quickly before him, And he entereth softly upon the wings of the morning. The fear and darkness of the night flee before him, Yea, joy cometh with the morning, The flowers wet with the tears of night raise their heads to greet him. The birds sing aloud in the trees, The squirrel also playeth joyously in their branches, The hills and valleys ring with gladness for the sunrise.

O, my God, my life is but a day. The evening shadows make haste to fall upon me, Dispel them, I beseech thee, and let me stand in thy presence as in the glory of eternal morning.

ONCERS Lord, I thank thee for the love that makes my life so bright: for this I praise thee Sunday morn, but not on Sunday night. am glad to hear our singers chant my pure and deep delight; on Sunday morn I hear them sing, but not on Sunday night.

I love to hear our preacher speak; his views are sound and right; they feed my soul on Sunday morn, but not on Sunday night. At 11:00 A.M. I stroll to church—in Sunday garb bedight; but, Lord, I crave my easy chair and slippers Sunday night.

Lord, bless our church and help to fill our preacher’s soul with might, to charge the sinful ramparts of my empty pew at night.

Yes, a broken home is sad, inexpressibly deplorable! For children to see parents torn asunder and fighting each other is a damaging experience that their lives can never overcome. It is a scar in their characters. Nor can their parents ever atone for their sin against each other and against their children. They can never balance their own lives with complete self-respect and happiness. They are among the most unfortunate people of earth. No true Chris­tian will wish in any way to punish such people. No, but they will feel an unutterable pity for them. When a child sees its father and mother alienated from each other and then going into conjugal union with another woman or another man, what can be that child’s reaction? If he is old enough to think at all, his thoughts must be in this vein: What caused my parents to come together to produce me? Was it love that united them and made the union sacred and holy? Or was it a mere physical desire and am I an accident of lust? If so, why should I respect myself or try to regard life as sacred or any relationship as holy? Or if they were once united by love and their union consecrated by an honorable purpose, what has happened in their hearts? Have they lost their ideals? Do they now find life unworthy of such a high purpose and do they think that physical attraction for another person is after all suffi­cient reason for throwing overboard their ideals, their rule of life, and severing the strongest ties known to mortals? Is lust their law? Then I will not make the mistake of start­ing with the ideals they once held? I will order my life on the plain of lust from the beginning. That seems to be the dominant thing and the only worth-while thing in life. A PSALM OF THE LORD’S DAY I will sing of the blessings of the Lord’s day. In it the dead come forth from the tomb—

Yea, the Redeemer came forth victorious. In it the people of God assemble for worship;

They come together with joyous heart; In songs of devotion they mingle their voices.

They fill the courts of Jehovah with praise;

They offer to him the incense of grateful hearts; In thankfulness they surround the table of communion.

Quiet also taketh hold of all the earth; The sounds of industry are not heard in the streets; The workshops sleep, and their whistles wake not to scream at dawn. The men of toil remain with their families; Their children are very glad of their company.

Yea, they talk pleasantly together. The horse is also glad of its return; His master cometh not with whip and bit! In the pasture he runneth to and fro and prounceth proudly. The beasts of burden rest in the stalls;

They lie down gladly upon their hay;

Drowsily they munch their provender till the morrow.

How merciful art thou, O God, to all thy creatures.

Thy earth is full of thy loving-kindness—

Yea, the creeping things share thy goodness. Did you ever sing, "Sweet Hour of Prayer"? Well, did you really mean that such an hour is sweet to your soul or were you just saying what someone else thought of that hour? If you say it is or was sweet to you, how d o you know? You must have experienced (tested) it. You know by experience that such an hour is blessed and sweet— unless you sing a falsehood and engage in mockery and a hypocritical performance. Then there is no reason why you should deprive yourself of that which is sweet to your soul. Attend prayer meeting. Does not your church have an hour of prayer each week? If not, you invite the spiritual mem­bers to your home and have a "sweet hour of prayer" each week or oftener.

We have many additions to our congregations by "trans­fer of membership." This means that they come from some other congregation. No strength has, therefore, been added to the forces of righteousness. But one community has gained, while another has lost. The more additions a church has the stronger it should become; the more work it should do; the more help it should lend to the weak places and to the workers in the new fields. To boast of such additions and then not use the added strength is a double sin. It is a sin to boast and it is a sin not to use these forces. These additions left the fellowship of one group of Christians and entered the fellowship of another group. But fellowship means a joint participation or sharing together. They once shared the joys and benefits, the burdens, and responsibil­ities of one church and now they, by "putting in member­ship," express the desire and make a request to share these things with another church—to participate in the affairs of another church. But how many members of any congre­gation really participate in the affairs of that congregation? In what sense are they in the fellowship?

If all the members—nay, if half the members of our con­gregation would actively participate in the duties and bur­dens and responsibilities as well as the blessings and benefits of the congregations, we would have a far different situation in the land.

We have more than a thousand churches in Tennessee. We have fifteen hundred churches in Texas. Several of these churches boast of more than a thousand members. Many of these churches have six or seven hundred members. What a combination of forces, what a unit of strength, what a source of supplies each one of these churches should be! But what are we doing?

If each church would take a measure of its strength— form an estimate of its resources—and then outline a pro­gram of work worthy of its strength, we could do a thousand times more work than we are doing.

We should remember that a church as such has respon­sibilities according to its size and opportunities just as an individual has. But how can the elders know what the strength of their church is? They can know the numerical strength by keeping a correct membership roll and by keeping up with the Hock "allotted" to them as a charge. As to financial strength, if all the members would prayer­fully purpose in their hearts to give as the Lord teaches them to do, there would be money available for every need and even new needs would have to be found. If the mem­bers would sign a card expressing to the elders what they had purposed to do, the elders could make their plans and engage their workers.

One reason some people object to signing the purpose card is not that they do not want the elders t o know what they are giving, but they do not want to know themselves. They just give without thought and without a record. If they really put down in figures what they are giving and then compared the figures with their income or even with what they spent foolishly, they would be so ashamed they would either do better or quit altogether. For they would see that they are not obeying the Lord and they would quit the pretense and sham. Examine yourself and see what you are doing.

Also examine your congregation and see what it is doing. What is the size of your membership? What is your weekly contribution? How much is this per capita? What is your yearly contribution—assuming that you have some special donation for special purposes? What would this be per capita?

Money is not everything, you say. No, indeed, it is not. If we had no money at all and had no income, we could worship God more acceptably than most of us do now. We would not then be disobeying God in the matter of giving, for we would not be expected to give.