Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1880-01-16
Balloon Religion.

and et ~ make three tabcrnasles, one
9rhees one for Nose and che for
Mas. let Us put up three tents, and
We six can have a heaven all 10 orr
selves Peter forgot the otherdiseip!e5
the great world beneath. and the gen
erations yet TO come lie was willing
to have a. heaven that you'd contain
only Fhalf-dozen. Ho~ narrow and
insignificant this proposed heaven COIN
pared with the one that the Petmos
exile saw, wherein was gathered a
Northumberland. no man could mum
berw But Peter is not the only fol
lower Of Christ who would be satisfied
withs ~ little three-tent heaven. In
fact il is tie position OF many.
IA Ii makssthree tabcrnaclcs, one
for Thee, one for Noses and Elias, not
knowing what he said" IN religious
matters how much there Is Of this mot
knowing what he sail There Is
more downright nonsense talked re-
garding religion than concerning any
other theme. You will observe this ia
our Sunday-schooi literature. Some
little boy or girl is protrayed as All
angel, never disobeyed parents, never
told lie, never did anything wrong.
If we read such u story III the New
York Ledger We say il Is a lie, and
hurl anathema at Bonner who will
persist IN publishing fctionl When
the same narrative appears III a Sun
day-school book We say, Well it may
be lie, but it il pious lie, anyway,
and let it 60.
This tendency is seen III our tall; Of
special providence. a child Is taken
very sick, and the father, instead Of
employing Q physician, secures the ser
vices of' d quack The treatment il
opposed to all medical science. The
child dies. The minister standing over
the little collin, says "a mysterious
providence hath done this 1t il a
lie; quack hath done this.
No other public teachor is permitted
to say 50 many manifcstly absurd
things unclallcnged as is the preacher
When nonsense finds its way ia the
editorial column, into our courts, on
the platform. it meets with exposure
When Known absurdities como from
the sacred desk decorum forbids q re-
ply. The congregation say: ooh,
that is religion; let it go" by q tacit
understanding between pulpit and pew
the audience feel in duty bound to
AwnpoN everything the minister says
R4Ad step ttlkiiE, onreligious themes
ksfHd 1fEks not knowing what he
Learn from this subject that the
arousing Of religious emotions is not
all there is Of Christian life Peter
is in ecstacy amid these surroundings
He is DESTROYS to remain on the mount
forever He says in rapture: ut is
good for US to be here" He would
rather remain there thango down from
the mountaina and engage in the prac
teal duties of life. But his request
is denied him. Sometimes in revival
meetings you have felt the Same way.
Sermon, song and prayer have stirred
your religious nature toits very depths.
Yd1fbsves saN s"Oh; that this meet.
irH might always continue; oh, that |
might live forever amid these surround
ings, and in this frame of mindm But
religion involves more than that.
There are duties outside Of the revival,
Lonsfsllow ii one of his poems pict-
Yres a youth who in Winter seizes a
Ahhhfs aha sbegins the ascent Of a
mountain. He gradually leaves be-
hind him the fields the workshops,
tho dwellings,, the neighbois. As he
rises higher and higher he shouts ''Ex
celsiorl' His voicegrows fainter and
fainter until heard no more. He has
gone 30 high that the atmosphere in
which he moves is so thin il will not
sustain life, and he dies. So it is no
uncommon thing to see professed
Christians taking the banner Of tho
cross in revival, aud crying "Halle-
lujah!" "Amen" rise higher aud high
or emotionally, until they leave behind
thApraetioal world, They lose sight
Oddities appcrtaining to everyday life.
They are too high up to give much at
tention to such matters as telling the
trqth. keeping their temper, restrain,
ing the tongue from Islander, and pay
HtAelr debts. They have become
too religious to give attention to these
things. But this class OF persons soon
reach am altitude where thoatmosphere
Btoo thin for them to live, and they
INA s. A
1t is not the emotional, but the prae.
ticl, part ofrehgioh that is most diff.
bcul. to observe II is easier to shout
m gsgisal thon to so home aud put
up Stove and lit the pipa without ut
least thinking swear, 1t is related Of
a deacon in one Of the New England
Sstatesthat he would, III prayer meeting
pronounce the words, blessed Jesus
IN tone SO pathetic that it moved the
congregation to tears That same
slnan has recently been arrested for
Stealing sheep. 1t is one thing to say
ssbfpSSpti ,IeStiSn IN SupIav a,aaoNsk...