The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-02-01
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shall eAt6rl into 9lat mystefions
cloud Of repentsnoe and endefgs r.
gensrated,s and hdeh with @64e
golden responsibilities which evef$
christian delights TO feel, they
shrink back alarmed md unwill-
ing. s ss 81
They are very anxious that every
one else should become religious,
but when Il comes TO be qur turn
to give up all worldly lusts We mske
. thousand ezcuseG Oar business
is exceedingly Important lust now,
and it may require . little sharp
practice, 8 taste Of Chat marvellous
Ingredient of business life called
ssshrewdness, before ~e can be
safely landed ont ofsths criGk We
are young perhaps, and sowing Wild
oats, which, while it il . vary dan
gerous occupation for most persons
is quite harmless matter with us.
We believe in religion, and when
the fitting opportunity comes we
propose to give up all these things
and become Christians. But for
the present well young men Win
be young men, you know, and they
might as well see what life is made
of before they settle down. Be
sides this, it is manly and altogeth
er the proper thing to take your
liquor when invited, and not be
compelled to say sheepishly, Il
don't drink, thank yor" and to lay
small stake on the roulette table
once in while just for the sake OF
the excitment.
How many men have talked to
me in just that way! While they
have all respect for religion, it is yet
so far off, and has SO little to do
| with every day life, that one would
think that to become Christian is
to give up everything that is sweet
and pleasant. Yet, I have heard
! a great many men talk IN this way
and 1 have had more than one op-
portunity of watching it's conse-
quences.
I became acquainted, some ten
wears ago, with o youne man whose
evident generosity of nature won nv
heart at once. The only trouble
with him was that he belonged to
a set of fellows who had all the
money they wanted, and who were
bent on spending it. He used to
say, s.Now what is the harm in a
champagne supper once in q while
or game of cards with Just enough
! of a bet attached to give it a spice
of interest :" I reasoned with him.
but in vain. He had very great
respect for religion, and never spoke
/ of it in that flippant style which
distinguishes some, but he thought
of it as a mysterious something as
far away as the stars. It had moth
ing to do with him, personally. 1t
was the best thing in the world for
other people, but he was SO fnll Of
physical self-consciousness that he
felt able to go just 80 far in his
course of dissipation, and then stop
at will. He scorned the idea of not
being able to quit his companions
at any moment. l loved him and
prayed with and for him, and he
would sometimes say, my dear
friend, don't worry about me.
am going to see what lite Is made
OF for while, and then viii come
BACK 70 you, ana we VIII talk this
matter all over again.
l lost sight OF him. l sat before
my open hre TIL late INTO the night
wlsmng tnat an MINISTER'S would
escnew theological dliferences fol
awmie at least, and unite IN com
mon effort to show the world that
rehgion Is an every day matter, and
that Its appeal Is personal 1t u
not that the world is to be saved. |.
it is you. Christ lived, suffered
and died, not for the world, but for
you That is the way to put the
subject. Religion is personal, On
it is nothing. It is not a theory
about something to which you give
your assent, as you do to the Co
pernican system, or to Darwin't
Origin of Species, and let the mat
ter end there, it is the acceptance