The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-19

And the only trouble with these trifiing members
of the church is that we get them from you, and
they are still just like you but If we
could nave reformed them they would have made
good members But they just like you,
and you may have them all back tomorrow
ifyou want them every one of them. ! will tell
you what dsgusis me-to old sinner call
ing himself decent, and he will come into the
church and pull an old, no-acceunt. pigmy mem
Der Of the church out in the big road and he
says; Boys, | am good as this member of
the church; am as long as he is" Aud he will
lay down and measure up with him. and he says:
Boys. amt just as long as he is| Why don't
yon go into the church and pull out some grand
man of God and lay down and measure with
him2 You would look like rat terrier lying by
an elephant. Laughter Here. | am waiting
for the church to get right l say 1T Is your
fault the church is not right. Here is a father;
he has got four sons. The father is going off on
a journey He says: BILL and John ard Henry,
and Tom, now here is this field want you TO
put all of it in and that field in cotton, and
this in wheat" Father takes his journey
Bill and Tom say: John. you and Henry
come on now let's go to work.
"Ah," john and Henry say, ooh, / don't be-
lieve will begin at all: if do l will be under
obligations to continue. and don't believe will
do anything
The other two boys go on and plant the crop.
and about the middle of May either the or
cotton is full of grass and running away for want
of work Them two idle boys get up on fence
In the shade, and say to these working boys:
Look at your crop, boys; would be ashamed
to have such a crop as that just look at the
grass in there"
These two working boys say: John, you and
Henry, you know, father told you to work in
here just like he did US, and we have done
best and just look how grassy the crop is; but II
you boys had been In here, and worked like you
ought to have done, would have had this
worked out long before this Now you boys get
off that fence and help US work 1t out, instead of
sitting up there in the shade criticising us when
we doing our best"
Now, old fellow, you get down out of the
shade, and jump into Gods vineyard, and pick
I'D hoe, and go to work with 1t, and we will
clean this thing out some of these days. But.
instead of that, you are sitting zap in the shade
criticising God told you to go to work in
His vineyard. just like He told me- and this
crop would have been worked out long ago if
you had done like | have tried to do. How can
we get the church right when you trifng old
sinners in this town sticking your bars on
every corner, and your lewd houses on every
square, and all other devilment to catch our
members, and degrade them, and damn them!
1t is your fault. You make hypocrites QUITO our
members. and then make their hypocrisy the
the reason why you don't serve God and do right.
Amt you nice specimens Laughter. / am
waiting for the church to get right Its just
about like some of these old red-nosed drunk
ards about this town waiting for their neighbors
to get sober
''Now," says another 81 am not waiting for
time to consider, nor am | waiting for the
church to get right; but will tell you what
am waiting for. l am waiting for better terms.
/ tell you, they are too hard on poor fellow |
want easier terms" Well. 1 hear there is
church in this town that will take you on most
any terms-around the corner here. They just
take anything that comes along. and they don't
whether they believe in religion at all or
not They can be atheists infdes, Jews, gen.
tiles-anything they want to be. They say they
never refuse anybody. Well, old fellow, IT You
are waiting for better terms, why don't you
rack around there and join now,
when it comes to talking sense. Waiting
for better terms. That man out there
says: when it gets so that can be religious
and drink whisky. and play cards. and live
llcentiously and tell les and cheat my neigh
bor-when / can do all these things and be relig
ious too am going to pitch in and be religious"
AS much as to say whenever a fellow can be
hog and an angel both at the same time want
to be an angel and hog Laughter. Now,
you have got to be one or the other There amt
no mixing of that sort am waiting for better
terms. j am waiting so it will be easy to be re-
ligious l don't want to Join the church
and have preachers going for me like
they are. The truth is, don't like to belong to
anything no how; | want to be free man.
Many fellow goes around in this country talk
ing about freedom. He is free man. Yes sir,
he is free to get drunk and free to tell lies, and
free to have half dozen wives! God bless you,
that's freedom, isn't 1t! Ii is kind OF slavery
Jnat QOOmS, ana OaunS, anu OlSSrdcoS IHore
is many fellow running around talking about
freedom, and whenever you get within ten feet
of him you can hear his chains rafting He be-
longs to the devils Changing already
believes he is free man! l believe in
being a free man; / am waiting for
terms of Christianity these: Cease to do
evil; learn to do we'll. Do you want any easier
terms than thatl God don't ask you to Quit any
thing except those things that degrade you in
he al oh of ma r1iU
soul at last God don't want you to do any
thing but to love mercy, and do justly, and walk
humbly before Him. Easier terms! Why,
brother, God has made the terms as easy as any
gentleman could ask. just quit your meanness,
and 60 to doing right. That is the terms.
Waiting for better terms God wants me az
Christian man simply to live so that
will be a good example to my children. Isn't
that sort of terms easy enoughg Set
good example to your children; set good
example to you home; love mercy. do justly, and
walk humbly before God. Do you want any
thing easier than that? It is right to do right
and it is best to do right; it is wrong to do wrong
and the worst thing man can do is to do wrong.
l am waiting for better terms / am waiting
until the day comes when / can do as please
and be religious
mo" says another one II know that sort Of
doctrine will not do" and it WON'T as God is my
judge. I am so glad the terms are just what
they are. If God had said to me, You can be
a Christian and drink whisky" l would have
been in my grave, or in drunkards grave this
moment. / am SO glad God said You
have got to quit it. sir, if you want to be
my child and enter the home of the good"
l am so glad He said it in thunder tones, mo
drunkard shall enter the kingdom of heaven"
1t gave my wife sober husband, and it gave my
children a sober father. 1t gave my neghbors
a sober neighbor. and it gave to the world sober
man instead of drunkard. Don't you say
waiting for better TERMS" II am waiting so
can do as please and be religious" That is
like fellow saying, u am going to wait until
twice three are eight and then / am going to
study mathematics, but will never study it I'M
til twice three are eight" One proposition is
about as decent as the other.
Another fellow says: mo; am not waiting
for better terms; the terms all right, and
any honest man will say that; all God asks of
His children is to quit their meanness, and give
Him thu hornaoa of THAR haarks and live right