Daily Republican., 1883-10-18
RELIGIOUS. r

No let my life like the ivy be,
A help to man and q wreath for Thee
RELIGIOUS
SKEPTICAL INCONSISTENCY.
The skeptical philosopher laughs com
placently at both the illiterate rustic
and the cultivated Christian. He laughs
at the former because he refuses to be.
lieve what he does not understand in
nature-the revolution around the sun
for example. He laughs at the latter
because he insists on believing what he
does not understand in religion--the
doctrine of he Trinity, for instance. He
conteInptuously regards both these men
as weak and inconsistent simpletons.
But they may, with az much propriety,
laugh at him for he is as weak and
Inconsistent as either of them, and far
more so than the Christian. He accepts
the fact ofnature, but rejects that Of re-
ligion, while he understands the philos-
ophy of neither. For he really knows
no more of the mystery of grayitation
than the Christian does of that connec :
ted with the Trinity.
He may lie satisfied nationally that
tie earth, under the influence of gravi-
tation, moves regularly in its orbit
around the sun, but can he tell us what
gravitation is, and how and why it op
crates in this way? No more than til 9
christian can tell, from observation,
what God is, and how and why he ex.
lists in and works through Trinity of
persons. The truth is, that the chris
tian Is the only wise and consistent one
Of the three for he accepts both facts
without waiting for the philoso-
ply or mystery OF either He accepts
them both on testimony-one on the
testimony of philosophers of observa-
tion, the other on that of God and men,
and, as some think, that of conscious
ness--a God consciousness.
THEY KNEW HIS VOICE.
A writer in the London Field, giving
An account Of his experiences in Ameri.
ca, speaks of a couple Of valuable meri-
no sheep whom he had christened Jack
and Tommy, and trained to come at
call. Spending Christmas with a friend
on his return he could find nothing of
the sheep. A month passed away, and
he obtained information which led him
to take search-warrant and travel
with an officer some twenty miles to
settlers farm, and requested the return
Of the sheep. The settler laughed at
him and denied the theft, but he with
his companions insisted on visiting a
flock of sheep that were grazing on the
prairie little way off. When about
a hundred yards off, he commenced
calling, Jack Jack Jack Tom
my Tommy Tommy !" when to the
delight and surprise of the by-standers,
the two sheep detached themselves from
the herd and came up to him at gal
lop.
The whole affair was so evident that
restitution and consequent punishment
of the thieves followed in due course.
The poor animals had been changed, as
to appearance, in every possible way,
but memory and the hope of oats,
brought the animals to their master in
spite of the thievish tricks that had
been played upon them.
SO long as Christ's sheep know the
Good Shepherds voice, they will not
go far astray. He that keeperh Israel
never slumbers or sleeps, and we are
never beyond reach Of his call, if our
ears are open to hear his voice, Alas !
that so many other voices confuse and
mislead us.
q NOT now
A story is told, among the Russian
peasants, of An old woman who was at
work in her house when the wise men
from the East passed by on their way to
find the infant Christ, guided, as they
were, by the star going before them in
sky. "Come with u.s." they said
" we are going to find the heavenly
child come with us, " Il will come"
he replied, "but not just now. But
3 will follow very soon and Overtake
on and find him. But when her
ywork was done the iwise smen had
gone and the star in the heavens had
disappeared, and she never saw the in
fant Saviour.
1t is but story, but one that is full of
instruction and warning for similar
story can be told Of thousands of human
hearts, and confirmed by the character
and destiny of thousands of human
beings. The call to come to Christ sounds
in our ears, but we are too busy with our
daily work to heed it now. We have no
time just yet for the Bible or the closet,
or the serious thought,or for hearkening
to the voice of conscience and the whis-
pers of the Holy Spirit. We are like
the Duke of Alva, wkO, when asked to
look at remarkable appearance in the
skies, replied l am too busy with
things on earth to take time for looking
to the heavens" We are pressed with
our business, or building our homes, or
looking after the needs of our children,
or laying up wealth for the future, aud
the time for seeking Christ Is delayed,
and by the delay we have missed him
forever.
"I REST IN THE PROMISES"
She writes my good friend. Shs ID
the widow Of . clergyman, of four
score years. Her husband and her
children all, long ago, went before her
to the unseen world. She is far away
from her loved native county. She
lives in her humble cottage all alone,
and yet she is not alone, for the Father
is with her She is denied the privileges
of the sanctuary, for which her soul
longeth and yet she Is by no means
com fortress. She is one OF the most
happy persons with whom it is my lot
to be acquainted. 1t is my pleasure to
receive frequent letters from her, all of
which are written In a cheerful strain.
She speaks Of the loving kindnes ses and
the tender mercies of the Lord towards
her. In her last she says: " "Surely
there is nothing equal to the consola-
tions of the gospel. rest in the promi
ses, and say with the PsaImist, 1 will
trust and not be afraid.
A good foundation indeed to rest
upon, as all who have made trial can
testify, The divine promises are tex