The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-08-10

want to know whether he's a good husband or

want to know whether he's a good husband or
father. and good neighbor.
l want a religion that will keep me straight,
and not one that keeps my mouth shut and
makes me look pious. and enables to cover
up my meanness with my looks The matter
with the church is it is hidebound. Some Of
you don't know what that expression means.
1t means your hide gets full and wants loosen
ing up, and You have got down in your coffin
and need shaking up These Methodists are
like patent medlcineS-to be we'll shaken before
taken.
We have disguised the world with our rei gion
Its not attractive to the race because our
religion Is without Joy, gladnesS, smiles and
songs L want every man to go with a quick
step to prayer meeting. and the first song let
them break out on ''All hail the power of Jesus
name. with rush, and call on some brother to
pray with rush and let him drop on his knees
and fray with a rush. and let him stand up and
sing with rush, and talk with a rush, and go
home with a rush.
Let's get little more get up and git in our
religion. Amen y" It'll! do good. This three
mile an hour lick won't keep ahead of the devil.
Don't he slang" they say. Yes these slang
phrases are the strongest we have. can use a
slang phrase, and not only cut a fellows head
OH, out can cut clear through his heart AID
most any sort of a stone is rough to the dog you
hit It's whether you hit a fellow not is the
way 1t is with your talk.
adapt myself to my crowd. That's not q re-
Hectlon on you All. Give me the right kind of
men and Ill never use a Slang phrase again.
The only objection | have to YOU is, you're like
the people in Georgia and Kentucky. You pre-
tend to be religious, but YOU amt half way
hglous, and 1t takes heap of slang to work you
up. l say hog to a hog, and you know it is
adapted to the thing am going for. | like
personal religion. The best way to brag on
doctor Is to tell folks what he has done for you.
I'll say this much. from the day II started I've
been joyous, contented and cheerful Christian.
l have. JOY to Christian is like oil on the
journals of his ife--it keeps down friction and
makes him run smooth.
Commit yourself to God, and He will bring
1T to pt IS" That's the biggest promise in the
book How will you get all thingsa Commit
yourself to God. So it is with man. You go to a
stable and you get Il horse and buggy and you
can drive and guide the horse az you please. He
wants to go everywhere. but will go anywhere he
is guided. Pull on his left ren he goes left;
pull on the right, he goes to the right; say
whoa, he stops: knock the lines on his back,
and he goes forward. That's the way With re-
ligion.
God has lines and guides you by them, but
sometimes you are balky and won't 60 and He
pulls on the lines. and your mouth gets away up
under your ear, like the old mule that IS balky
and wont go; and the mule will point his head
IN the wrong direction. but the body goes the
way the mule goes. Stand here some night and
see that sister headed for the theater on
Wednesday night God wants her to go to
prayer meeting, and He will pull on that line;
and the devil wants her to go to the theater, and
he pulls on the line.
It's like the dog following the two men on the
street-you can't tell who the dog belongs to.
But YOU follow them out to the forks of the road,
where the two men separate, and you'll know
who the dog belongs to. Stand in Gin
cnnat1, Wednesday night at the forks of
the road, with the prayer meeting here and the
theater there. and as she comes along and
reac hes the forks then you'll know whose dog it
is If you go to the theater Wednesday or any
other night you are the devils dog. This faith
of believe everything, do nothing is worth moth
ing to a man.
Don't critcise me. bnt criticise yourself You
can pick thousand flaws in my sermon, but
don't care whether my sermon goes to heaven
or not. You look out for yourselves You can:
say anything worse about me than can about
you. If there's anything despise it's dull
time. like to see things move up.
You cannot harm me at all Some men open
their mouths to laugh, and you can drop great
big brickbat of truth right in. It's the biggest
thing man has-a laughing mouth. A man
can be pious and laugh.