The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-09-01

sitting with hook and line; but, like ths
fishermen Of Newfoundland, sailing OF
and dropping net away outside forty or
fifty miles from shore. Yes, there are
non.church. goers here who will come in.
Next Sabbath they will again 10 In the
religious service. They are this moment
being swept into Christian associations.
Their voice will be heard in public prayer.
They will die in peace, their bed sur.
rounded by Christian sympathies, and
be carried out by devout men to be buried,
and on their grave be chiseled the words:
Precious in the sight OF the Lord is the
death of Ills saints
And on resurrection day you will get
up with the dear children you have al.
ready buried, and with your Christian
parents who have already won the palm.
And all that grand and glorious history
begins now.
Other sheep have, which are not OF this
fold.
l remark again: The Heavenly Shep-
herd is going to find great many of his
sheep among those who are positive re.
jecters of Christianity. ! do not know
how you came to reject Christianity. 1t
may have been through hearing Theodore
Parker preach, or through reading Re.
mans "Life of Jesus" or through the inf.
del talk of some young man in your store.
1t may have been through the trickery of
some protested Christian man who dis
gusted you with religion. do not ask
you how you became SO; but you frankly
tell me that you do reject it. You do not
believe that Christ is a divine being, oil.
though you admit that he was a very
good man. You do not believe that the
Bible was inspired Of God, although YOU
think that there are some very fine
things in it. You believe that the Scrip.
tural description Of Eden was only an al.
legory. There are fifty things that l be-
lieve that you do not believe.
And yet you are an accommodating
man. Every body that knows you says
that of you. If should ask you to do a
kindness for me, or IL any one else should
ask of you kindness, you would do it.
Now have kindness to ask of you to.
day. 1t is something that will cost you
nothing and will give me great delight.
want you, by experience, to try the
power of Christ's religion. II should come
to you, and you were very sick, and doc
tors had given you up and said there was
no chance for you, and / should take ou'
little bottle and say:
"Here Is medicine that will cure you;
It has cured fifty people and 1t will cure
you." a..
You would say: 81 have no confidence
in it,"
would say: "Won't you take 1t tc
oblige mey" a.f.t
SWELL" you would say, "if it's any &C.
commodation to you I'll take It,"
My friend, will you be just as accommo'
dating in matters of religion?
There are some of you who have found
out that this world can not satisfy YOU
soul. You are like the man who told mt
after the service was over:
~ have tried this world and found II ar
insufficient portion. Tell me of something
BETTER"
You have come to that. You are sict
for the need of Divine medicament. Now
come and tell you Of physician who
will cure you, who has cured hundred.
and hundreds who were sick as you are.
"Oh," you say, ~ have no confidence IL
himw
But will you not try him? Accommodate
ME in this matter; oblge me in this mat
ter; just try him. lam very certain h,
will cure you. You reply: ~ have NJ
special confidence in him; but If you asl
me as matter of accommodation, Introduce
him." So introduce him-Christ, the
physician who has cured more blind eyes
and healed more CHASTITY wounds, ant
bound up more broken hearts, than all tn
doctors since the time Of 4Esculapius.
That Divine physician is here. Are 70,
not ready to try him! Will you not as
pure matter of experiment state your cas-
before him now? Hold nothing back fron
him. II you can not pray, II you do no
know how to pray any other way, say:
"Oh, Lord Jesus Christ, this Is strang
thing for me to do! know nothing abou
the formulas of religion. These Christian
people have been talking SO long abou
what thou canst do for me, am ready t
do whatever thou commanded me to do.
am ready to take whatever thou command
est me to take. If there be any power i
religion, as these people say, let me hav
the advantage of it." ~
Willyou try that experiment. I do no
at this point Of my discourse say thu
there is anything 10 religion; but l simpl
say try it-try it. Do not take my cour
sci, or the counsel of any clergyman,
you despise clergymen. Perhaps we ma
be talking professionally; perhaps we ma
be hypocritical in our utterances; perhaI
our advice is not worth taking. The
take the counsel of some very respectful
laymen-as John Milton, the poet; q
William Wilberforce, the statesman; q
Isaac Newton, the astronomer; as Robel
Boyle, the philosopher; as Locke, til
metaphysician. They never preached {
pretended to preach; and yet putin
down-one his telescope, and another hi
Parliamentary scroll, and another hi
electricians wire-they all declare til
adaptedness of Christ's religion to til
wants and troubles of the world. If 70
will not take the recommendation of tl
ministers Of the gospel, then take ii
recommendation Of highly respectab
laymen. Oh, men skeptical and struc
through with unrest, would you not lii
to have some Of the peace whic
broods over our souls to-day know a
. about your doubts. have been throug
them all. ! have gone through all Il
curriculum. l have doubted wheth,
there is God, whether Christ is God.
! have doubted whether the Bible was tru
,, have doubted the Immortality of Il
! soul I have dnnhted my own axisfenc