102 lines
5.7 KiB
Plaintext
102 lines
5.7 KiB
Plaintext
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EMPTY SEATS
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. "No, I made jelly yesterday, and I'm tired. I'm faithful enough
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to stay at home this cloudy morning." Mrs. Clark curled up on the
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couch with the Bible she had not opened for a week, but it soon
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dropped from her hand. She was aroused by a strange voice saying:
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. "Now, my good imps, what have you done today the weaken the
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kingdom of God?" The voice came from a suspicious looking personage
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seated on a throne of human skulls. Around him was gathered a crowd
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of terrible beings, each with a crown of fire, in which gleamed some
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name, such as malice, envy, pride, hatred, and kindred passions.
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. "We have been busy today, making empty seats in churches," began
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one.
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. "Nothing could please me better," answered their king.
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. "I persuaded one man that he had a headache, and kept him from a
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sermon that might have changed his whole life," said one.
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. "I induced one good man to slip to his store and fix up his
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books," said another, with a horrid grin.
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. "Good!" said the king. "He'll soon give up the Sabbath
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altogether."
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. "I was able to get one devoted young man to visit old friends,
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"said one imp.
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. "I worried a good sister about her old bonnet until she decided
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to stay at home until she got a new one," spoke up the imp labeled
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"Pride."
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. "And I made several poor women who were hungry for God's Word
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stay home to repine over their trials. I just said to them, 'Oh,
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these rich people don't care for you; you can't wear fine clothes so I
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wouldn't go where I was looked down upon.'"
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. "I induced a good many men and women to think they were not
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strong enough to go out," said one called "Indifference." "Of course,
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all these men will be at their business tomorrow, even if they feel
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worse. But they could not go to church, where they would have no
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special mental or physical strain. And the ladies would have been
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able to clean house or go calling; but I made them think they couldn't
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walk to church unless they were perfectly well."
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. "Very good," said the king, with a sulfurous grin. "Sunday
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headaches might often be cured by getting out in the air, and
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backaches forgotten by thoughts drawn to higher things. But you lying
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imps must use every weakness to the flesh to help make empty seats."
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. They all smiled, for in their kingdom "lying" was a great
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compliment.
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. "I'm the weather imp," said one gloomy fellow. "I go around
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persuading people it is going to rain, or it is too cold, too damp or
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too hot to venture out to church. It is enough to make even your
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gloomy majesty laugh to see these same people start out the next day
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in wind and weather. One would think it a sin to carry umbrellas or
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wear coats to church."
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. "I have a better scheme than that," said another, "I have a plan
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that empties seats of the workers in the church."
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. "I make these people overwork on Saturdays. For instance, I make
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some good man the preacher depends upon, or some devout Sunday school
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teacher, make Saturday the busiest day of the week. I just keep him
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rushed with neglected things till late at night, and then he
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oversleeps or is sick the next day, and can't get out.
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. "Splendid plan!" cried Satan.
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. "Yes, it works well with delicate women. If they clean house, or
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have Saturday company, they can be kept at home without knowing they
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have broken the Sabbath the day before. A church party late Saturday
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night helps with empty seats."
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. "You are doing fine, my imps," his majesty said warmly - for his
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breath was a flame of fire. "Preachers may work and pray over their
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sermons all week, but there will be no results in preaching to empty
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seats. One of the most important things we have to consider is how to
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keep people away from churches on Sunday. Your plans are excellent,
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but I might suggest another good point. All preachers have human
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imperfections -- some fault of manner or speech. Get Christians to
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criticize their pastor, especially before their children. If you can
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stir up a spirit of fault-finding against the preacher, or among the
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members, it will help empty seats. People who get mad at each other
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do not care to go to church together. If the seats are empty, the
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minister may be a saint and preach like an angel to no purpose."
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. "See the result of your labor on High Street church today. Not
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only did the 200 people who stayed at home lose a blessing, but each
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empty seat did its work against the Lord's kingdom. The preacher made
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unusual preparation, and went with his heart on fire, but the empty
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seats chilled him, and he did poorly."
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. There was a special collection, but the best givers were away, so
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it was a failure. It isn't a smart preacher, nor a rich congregation,
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nor a good location, nor a paid choir, that makes a successful church.
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It is the church members always being there that draws in the
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unconverted, and makes an eloquent preacher. As soon as a Christian
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begins to stay at home, from one excuse or another, I know I have a
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mortgage on his soul which if he does not shake off, I will foreclose
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on the judgment day."
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. "You have none on mine!" cried Mrs. Clark, who had been listening
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with baited breath; "I'll go to church, if only to defeat you."
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. "What's the matter, dear?" asked he doctor. "Have you been
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dreaming?"
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. "Perhaps so; but I'm going to church if I get to my seat just in
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time for the the benediction. I'll cheat Satan from this day out of
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one empty seat." She has kept her word, and influenced many others to
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let nothing trifling keep them from God's house; and one "downtown"
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church has begun to grow, and will soon be a great power for God,
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because of no "empty seats."
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FAITH PRAYER AND TRACT LEAGUE
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GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
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Computers for Christ - Chicago
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