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