Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1889-08-22

nave LIE investments uuaccumul06lv0.
II you invest dollar you expect that
dollar to come home bringing another
dollar ON its back. What would you
think OF man who should invest ten
thousand dollars in . monetary institu-
ton, then go of for five years, make no
inquiry in regard to the investment,
then come back, step up to the cashier
OF the institution and say: Have you
kept those ten thousand dollars safely
that lodged with you?" but asking no
question about interest or about divi-
dend. Why, you say, That is not COM
mon sense Neither is it, but that is
the way we act in matters of the soul.
We make far more important invest
ment than ten thousand dollars. We in
vest our soul. Is it accumulative? Are
We growing in grace? Are We getting
better? Are We getting worse? God de-
clares many dividends, but We do not
collect them, We do not ask about them,
We do not want them. Oh that in this
matter of accumulation We were IS wise
in the matters of the soul as we are in
the matters of the world
How little common sense in the read
ing of the Scriptures! We get any other
book and We open it and we say: Now.
what does this book mean to teach me?
1t is book on astronomy; it will teach
me astronomy. 1t is O book on political
economy; it will teac b me political econ
omy." Taking up the Bible, do we ask
ourselves what it means to teach? 1t
means 10 do just one thing: get the world
converted and get us all to Heaven.
That is what it proposes to do. But in
stead of that, we go into the Bible as
botanists to pick flowers, or we 60 as
pugilists to get something to fight other
Christians with, or we 60 as logicians
trying to sharpen our mental faculties
for better argument, and We do not like
this about the Bible, and we do not like
that, and We do not like the other thing.
What would you think of man lost on
the mountains? Night has come down;
he cannot find his way home and he sees
light in a mountain cabin; he goes to
it, he knocks at the door; the noun
taineer comes out and finds the traveller
you can take it and it will guide you on
the way home;" and suppose that man
should say: Il don't like that lantern,
don't like the handle of it, there are
ten or fifteen things about it 1 don't like;
if You can't give me better lantern than
that 1 won't have any,"
Now, God says this Bible is to be
lamp to our feet and lantern to our
path, to guide us through the midnight
of this world to the gates Of the celes-
tial city. We take hold of it in sharp
criticism, and deprecate this, and dep
recate that. Oh, how much wiser we
would be if by its holy light We found
our way to our everlasting home!
Then we do not read the Bible as We
read other books. We read it perhaps
four or five minutes just before we re-
tire at night. We are weary and sleepy,
so somnolent We hardly know which end
of the book is up. We drop our eyes
perhaps on the story of Samson and the
foxes, or upon some genealogical table,
important in its place, but stirring no
more religious emotion than the an
that somebody begat some-
body else and he begat somebody else,
instead of opening the book and saying:
Now must read for my immortal life.
My eternal destiny is involved in this
book"
How little We use common sense in
prayer! We say: oh, Lord, give me
this. and oh, Lord, give me that, and
oh, Lord. give me something else, and
We do not expect to get it, or getting it,
We do not know We have it. We have no
wait for its coming.
write to some other city for bill of
goods. You say: Send me by such cx-
press, or by such a steamer, OF by such a
rail train" The day arrives. You send
your wagon to the depot or to the wharf.
The goods do not come. You imme-
diately telegraph: What is the matter
with those goods? We haven't received
them. Send them right away, We want
them now. or We don't want them at all.
And you keep writing and you keep tele-
and you keep sending your
wagon to the depot, or to the express
Office, or to the wharf, until you get the
goods.
In matters of religion we are not SO
wise as that. We ask certain things to
be sent from Heaven. We do not know
they come or not. We have not
any special anxiety as to whether they
come or not. We may get them and may
not get them. Instead of ut Z o'clock in
The morning saying: Have I got that
blessing?" at IL o'clock MONDAY, ask
ing: Have 1 got that blessing?" at z
o'clock in the evening saying: Have
that blessing?" and not getting
it, pleading. pleading-begging, beg
ging- asking until you get.
Now, my brethren, is not that common
sense? If we ask thing from God,
who has sworn by his eternal throne |
that he will do that which we ask, is it
not common sense that we should watch |
and wait until We get it?
But remark again: We want more |
there are who want to do |
good and vet are dead failuresi Why is
it? They do not exercise the same tact, |
The same ingenuity, the same stratagem,
The same common sense in the work of |
Christ that they do in worldly things. |
Otherwise they would succeed in this |
direction as we'll as they succeed in the |
other. There are many men who have |
IN arrogant way with them. although |
hey may not feel arrogant. Or they |
have patronizing way. They talk to o |
nan of the world in a manner which |
seems to say: Don't you wish you we're |
is good as 1 am? Why, I have to look
clear down before l can see you, You are |
10 far beneath me-" That manner al
ways disgusts, always drives men away
from the kindom of Jesus Christ in |
'tead of bringing them in. When l was
/ lad was one day in a village store, land
here was a large group of young men
here full of rOllicking and fun. and
Christian man came in. and without any |
Of the subject, and while
hey were in great hilarity, said to one
If them, George, what is the first
itep of wisdom?" George looked up
md said: Every man to mind his own
business" Well, it was very rough
answer, but it was provoked. Religion
lad been hurled in there as though it
we're bOmbshell. We must be adroit |
n the presentation of religion to the
world.
Do you suppose that Mary in her con-
with Christ lost her simplic-
ty? or that Paul, laundering from
Mars Hill. took the pulpit tone? Why
s it people cannot talk as naturally in
prayer meeting and on religious subjects
IS they do in worldly circles? For no
me ever succeeds in any kind of Chris
ian work unless he works naturally.
We want to initiate the Lord Jesus
Thirst Who Dlucked pOem from the