Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-01

utter the prayer which Rowland Hill so often
uttered in the midst of his sermons: master,
help!" How are you to trust in Christ? Just
as you trust anyone. You trust your partner
in business with important things. If a COM
mercial house gives you a note payable three
months hence you expect the payment of
that note at the end of three months. You
have perfect confidence in their word and in
their ability. Or, again, you go home expect
ing there will be food on the table You
have confidence in that Now, ask you to
have the same confidence in the Lord
Jesus Christ. He says: ''You believe I
take away your sins and they are all
/ pray any more? Before read my Bible
any more? Before cry over my sins any
mOres" Yes. this moment Believe with all
your heart and you are saved. Why, Christ
is only waiting to get from you what you
give to scores of people every day. What is
that Confidence. II these people whom you
trust day by day are more worthy than
Christ, if they are more faithful than Christ,
if they have done more than Christ ever did,
then give them the preference; but If you
really think that Christ Is as trustworthy as
they are then deal with him as fairly "Oh, p"
saws some one in a light way, 81 believe that
Christ was born in Bethlehem, and believe
that he died on the cross" Do you believe
it with your head or your heart? / will IL
lustrate the difference. You are in your own
paper and you read how Capt Braveheart
on the sea risked his life for the salvation of
his passengers. You say: What a grand
fellow he must have been! His family de-
serve very well of the country" You fold
the newspaper and sit down at the table and
perhaps do not think of that incident again.
That is historical faith.
But now YOU are on the sea, and it is night,
and you are asleep, and you are awakened
bV the shrek of "Eirei" You rush out on
the deck. You hear amid the wringing OF
the hands and the fainting the cry '.No
hopei no hope We are lost! we are lost!
The sail puts out its wings of fire, the ropes
make a burning ladder in the night heavens,
the spirit of wrecks misses in the waves and
the hurricane deck shakes out its banner
of smoke and darkness. down with the
life boatS!" cries the captain. ''Down with
the life boatS!" People rush into them.
The boats are about full. Room only
for one more man. You are standing
on the deck beside the captain. Who
shall it be? You or the captain? The
captain says, ''You." You jump and are
saved. He stands there and dies. Now, you
believe that Capt. Braveheart sacrificed him
self for the passengers, but you believe it
with love, with tears, with hot and long con-
tlnued EXPLANATIONS, with grief at his loss
and joy at your deliverance That is saving
faith. In other words, what you believe
with all the heart and believe in regard to
yourself On this hinge turns my sermon
aye, the salvation OF your immortal soul.
You often go across bridge you know
nothing about. You do not know who built
the bridge, you do not know what material 1T
is made of, but you come to it and walk over
1t and ask no questions. And here is an
arched bridge blasted from the Crock of
Ages" and built by the architect of the
whole universe, spanning the dark gulf be-
tween sin and righteousness and all God
asks you is to walk across it, and you start
and you come to it and you stop, and you go
a little way on and you stop and you fall
back and you experiment. You say, How
do know that bridge will hold me?" instead
of marching on with firm step, asking no
questions, but feeling that the strength of
the eternal God is under you. Oh, was there
ever a prize proffered so cheap as pardon
and heaven are offered to you? For how
much? \ million dOllars2 1t is certainly
worth more than that. But cheaper than
that you can have it. Ten thousand dol
lars? Less than that. One dollar? Less
than that One farthing? Less than that.
without money and without price" No
money to pay. No journey to make. No
penance to suffer Only just one decisive
action of the soul: believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved