The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-23
SAM SMALL AT CHICAGO.
Morals and Religion-The Reckless Man
Who Spurns Repentance.


Morals and Reiigion-The Reckless Man
Who Spurns Repentance.
Extract from Sundays Sermon
What is it that troubles men about repent
ancef Its because they are getting along very
well the way they are. A man who refuses to
repent has only three reasons why he won't do il
He is either satisfied perfectly with his past
with his position in the geesent and is content to
go on in the future we'll as he has ia the past
But no man knows what a dav will bring forth
Repent today-there is no tomorrow To-mor-
row you may be hurryine to the cemetery with
hundreds of others who dying daily But
you all want good ready to repent He is either
satisfied perfectly with his record in the past be-
cause if his record in the past was troubling him
agitatng his soul if his record in the past was
one which, if he looked back over il, would con-
denim him in every particular, how could he be
content to go on adding to the record and piling
1t up against the Judgment, when he knew the
additional weight of infamy and sin by
which he would be judged would down him.
or he is content with the present and he feels
perfectly restful and quiet in the course he is
going. He feels that he is doing very we'll II
am going to live out my seventy wears l am q
sane man. am tolerably healthy and prosper
GUS in business. My moral nature is undis-
turbed by any particular sins I'm doing aboub
the square thing and the best know how be-
tweer man and man. and I'm getting along very
well as it is" He says man must be perfectly
contented with the present if he finds in his soul
no demand or necessity for repentance or prepa-
ration, or else he must be wonderfully hopeful
for the future, or reckless with regard tc it, He
is either hopeful from the fact that he Is salts
fed with the past, that he has committed it en-
trely through a true and sincere repentance to
Jesus Christ his Savior, or he is contented with
the present because he is endeavoring with. the
help of the Holy Spirit to discharge all his duty
faithfully and truly to God. He is hopeful of
the future because his trust is in God, and no
matter what may supervene. he is satisfied the
promises of God will be fulfilled. Here's
moral man:
II am doing my duty to my fellow-men.
am not committing any Of the keinous crimes
against which people cry out have behaved
myself decently and orderly in the community.
don't frequent the slums or the gilded palaces
outrages against common morals. behave my
self Ia my business affairs. pay my debts to
the last dollar and to the last cent act hon.
estly and squareiy with my fellow men and do
verything that is required of man to do IN or
der to be an honorable, upright gentleman among
his fellowmen. Here what's the use Of talking
repentance to me; what can it do for me? lam
doing my whole duty. and, anyway, am better
than Mr.. Soand-so who is a leading light in the 1
church. He does things wouldn't do.S
man may get along that way. Morals Is q
good thing. moralst is good man so far as
he goes. The only trouble is he doesn't 60 a.
great way. You noticed that little dog on the
corner as you came to church this morning; the
owner loves him greatly. | have no doubt he
puts costly harness on him and hangs iingling
bells around his neck. and the dog trots along at
his heels contentedly. Rub him, and smooth
him. and coddle him and you can have lots of fun
out of him. That dog behaves himself; he doesn't
60 proving about at night and doesn't run at
every dog he sees to have fight He is good
dog, and he doesn't do many things you do to de-
baueh character. He's very good dog in his
way. but if you scratch him where he Is
sore. interfere with his interests. or
s ss heart him is Sc. something os It, any . ehsl
dog come into the yard and take away his bone.
he is on the war path at once. He is going to
fight, and all his goodness disappears in an
instant His goodness is the result Of his con-
tentment and his good treatment. IL is only
that he may be treated WELL and fed we'll, and
we'll cared for and the moral man is good for no
higher reason than that. He's good only for the
reputation that's in it. He's honest TO keep out
of jail. He's probably sober because of the ex-
pense of getting drunk, or the fear that while
drunk he might tell some of his Utmost secrets.
You cannot tell what the objects are that are in
fuencing purely moral man. nor can you tell
at what moment the repressed tide of that mans
Utmost nature may, through some let-dowH of
the food gate, overwhelm you or the cemEaxr~~
ity with his immortality and with his meanness.
like moral man just as far up as he goes
Then there is another class of nen-the reck-
less man. he says he is not going to repent.
Repentance is good thing for old men and
women and little children, but repentance is no
good for strong manly man like myself" And
he's perfectly reckless. He doesn't care. He is
free to day. There are no meshes of the law
around him. There is no indictment hanging
over him; no case pending in court in which he
is the principal He is In no danger Of being
punished by the laws Of man, and he is walking
about free and healthy, and no visitation
of God has come upon him to make him
bow meek and humble before men, He is
entirely reckless with reference to the past He
is perfectly content with what he has done in
the past. He is perfectly contented with his
present condition, and hopeful, SO far as tbs
future will De concerned, that he will be as
lucky in the future as in the past So he is
entirely reckless about it. He doesn't care to be
preached to about repentance If you begin to
calls you hypocrite, a crank, or fool. You can
leave him alone. He can tend to his own affairs.
He's twenty-one years old. free. white. and can
take of himself. He is we'll able to take
care of himself in his very recklessness. and
curses with temerity and audacity before God;
but some day he will fill himself up with some
poison of wrath, attack neighbor and be stricken
to the heart with dagger. or be shot down in
his tracks and die miserable death, and leap Off
the precipice of this life into the everlasting
flames of hell. How many of these reckless
men, day after day. all over this country, are I.
going to their death without a moments time
left them for repentance9
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