The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-05-21

casm; blow for blow. stroke for stroke;
but when ! come and knock At the door
Of your heart You open 1t and say:
Come in, my brother. and tell me all
you know about Christ and Heaven"
Listen to two or three questions: Are
you as happy as you use to be when you
believed in the truth OF the Christian
religion? Would you like to have your
children travel on in the road
in which you are now travelling?
You had relative who professed to be
. Christian, and was thoroughly consist
ont, living and dying in the faith of the
Gospel. Would you not like to live the
same quiet life and die the same peace
full death? have letter sent me by
one who has rejected the Christian re-
ligion. 1t says: II am old enough to
know that the joys and pleasures of life
are evanescent, and realize the fact that
it must be comfortable in old age to be-
lieve in somthing relative to the future,
and to have faith in some system that
proposes to save. i SIN free to confess
that would be happier II could ex-
excise the simple and beautiful faith
that is possessed by many whom ] know.
I am not willingly out Of the church or
out Of the faith. My state of uncertain
ty is one of unrest. Sometimes doubt
my Immortality, and look upon the
death-bed as the closing seems,
after which there is nothing. What
shall / do that have not done?" All!
skepticism is dark and doleful land.
Let me say that this Bible is either true
or false. If it be false, we are as well
off as you; il it be true then which Of us
is safer?
Let me also ask whether your trouble
has not been that you COMPOUNDED Chris
tianity with the inconsistent character
of some who profess it? You are law.
yer. In your profession there are mean
and dishonest men. Is that any thing
against the law? You are doctor
There are unskilled and contemplate
men in your profession. Is that any
! thing against medicine? You are 9
merchant. There are thieves and de-
frauders in your business. Is that any
thing against merchandise? Behold
then, the unfairness of charging upor
Christianity the wickedness of its dis
ciples. We admit some Of the charges
against those who profess religion
Some Of the most gigantic swindlers o.
the present day have been carried on b,
members of the church. There are mer
standing in the front rank OF the
churches to-day who would not be trust
ed for S. without good collateral secur
ity. They leave their business dishon
estes In the vestibule of the churche.
as they 60 in and sit at the commun
ion.
Having concluded the sacrament, they
get up, wipe the wine from their lips
60 out, and take up their sins where
they left off. To serve the devil is theil
regular work; to serve God, q sort O
play-spell. With Sunday sponge they
expect to wipe of from their business
slate all the past week inconsistencies
You have no more right to take such ;
mans life as specimen of religion thai
you have to take the twisted irons an(
split timbers that lie on the beach at Co
ney Island as specimen of an American
ship. It is time that we draw line be
tween religion and the frailtY of those
who profess it.
Do you not feel that the Bible, taxi
1t all in all, is about the best book tina
the world has ever seen? Do you know
any book that has as much in 1t? ID,
you not think, upon the whole, that it
influence has been beneflcent? CONF
to you with both hands extended towart
you. In one hand have the Bible, ant
in the other have nothing. This Bibl'
in one hand l will surrender forever jus
as soon as in my other hand you can pu
a book that is better To-day invit'
you back into the good old-fashione'
religion of your fathers-to the Coz
whom they worshiped, to the Bible the.
read, to the promises on which the,
leaned, to the cross on which they hun!
their eternal expectations. You hav'
not been happy day since You swung
of; you will not be happy minute unit
you swing back.
Again; There may be some Of yo1
who, in the attempt after Christian
life, will have to run against powerful
passions and appetites. Perhaps it is
disposition to anger that you have t.
contend against; and perhaps, while il
a very serious mood, you hear of some
thing that makes you feel that you mus
swear or die. l know a. Christian ma
who was once so exasperated that h
said to a mean customer, II can no
swear at you myself, for l am membc
of the church; but if you will 60 down
stairs my partner in business will swea
at you" All your good resolutions here
tofore have been torn to tatters by OK
plosions Of temper. Now there is n
harm in getting mad IL you only &c
mad at sin. You need to bride and sad
die those hot-breathed passions, an
with them ride down injustice an
wrong. There are thousand things i
the world that we ought to be mad al
There is no harm in getting red-hot
you only bring to the forge that whic
needs hammering. A man who has n
power of righteous indignation is an in
beetle. But be sure it is righteous II
dignation. and not petulancy tina
blurs and unravels and depletes tn
soul.
There is a large class of persons
mid-life who have still in them appetite
that were aroused in early manhood, a
time when they prided themselves o
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