The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-07-11

shnll no flesh living be Justified" Omen the
door of henven and look In. Howard 10
there. but he did not secure his entrance by
the dungeons he illumined and the lazznret-
tos into which he carried the medicines.
Paul sthere, hut lie did not earn his way in
by the ship.wr"cks and mprisonments and
scourginss. On throne overlapping per.
hapsall Others. except Chrst's. the old mis-.
sionary exclnims: BY the grace OF God
am what am"
Again: Exalted social position will be no
clouk for sin Men look through the wicket
door OF prisons, and seeing the incarcerated
wretches eXclaim: ooh, how much vice there
is in tho world" And they pnss though tho
degraded st Gets of II city, and looking into
the doors OF novels and the ,iens of corrup.
But YOU might walk alon. tho avenues
through which the orulent roll in their Hour.
ishlng pomp and into mansions elegantly
adorned, and find that even in the admired
walks OF life satan works mischief and dcuth
ihe first temptation satan wrought in IL gnr-
den, and he understands yet most thorough.
" how TO insinuate himselfinto nny door of
ease and splendor. Men frequently Judge of
sin by the places in which it is committed,
but iniIuity in sntin is to God as louthsome
as lnilnity in rugs, and in the day oi judg
ment the sins of Madison avenue and Elm
street will he driven in one herd. Men can.
not escape at last for being respectfully sin.
full. You know Dives was clothed in purple
and fine linen and fared sumptously
every day, but his fine clothes nnd
good dinners did not save him He
might on earth have drunk sonnet hing as
rich o. champagne md cognac but ut last
lie asked for ono drop of water. You can.
not trade off your attractive abodcs here
FOR house of many mansions OH high aud
your elegant shade groves here will not war.
rant you n seat under the tree of lite, When
God drove Adm and Eve out of Eden, lie
showed that merely living in a garden of de-
lights and com orts will never save a man
or awoman. By givingy you 40 much earthly
luxury and refinement, he ntimatcd that liz
would have you enjoy yourselves. but lie
would not have you wrap yourselfup in
them MS cloak to hide your sins. God now
walks in your garden as lle did in Eden,
even in the cool OF the day, aud He stands
aud lie would make your com ort on earth
typo OF Your rupture in henven.
Furthermore: Mere soumincss OF religious
belief will not hide our iniqlities There are
men whose heads are aE sound as Jonathan
Edwards or John Wesley, whose hearts are
eau'r. IT is important that we nre thco.
reiical Christians 1t is utter folly in these
days for IL man ohave no preference for any
one form OF fnith when it il 40 ensy to lie.
come conversant with the tnitl: OF the diff.
:erent sects An intoxicated man staggered
INTO my house one night leeging for lodging.
ne mhde great pietcntiuns Of religion.
asked whore he went to church. lie said:
''Nowherc; l"long to liberal Clrisiianty."
But there are those who never become Chris.
tians because their obstnncy prevents them
from ever taking n iuir view o what
religion is. They are like brute beast in
the fncs that their greatest strength lies in
their horns. They are comhatunt. and all
they IRE willing to do for their soul is to EN-.
ter an ecclesiastical fight. havo met men
who would talk nll day upon the ninth
chapter o: Romnns. who were thoroughly
helpless he.orc the nth chapter of John.
But there are those who, having escaped
from this condition are now depending en-.
tirely upon soun'lncss o! religious theo.
ry. The doctrines of mans depravity
anl Christ's atunement and Gods sover.
eighty mud theoretically received by them.
But, alas! there they stop. 1t is only the
shell OF Christianity containing no evangsli.
cal life. They stand looking over into ilrav.
ell aud admire its beauty and its song, and
are So pleased with the looks from tho out.
side that they cannot he induced to enter.
They could nuke II better argument for tho
trnth thnn ten thousand christians who
have in their hearts received it, lfsyllogisms
logical deductions could save their souls,
they would be among the best of Christians.
They could correctly define rc;entcncc and
fnith nn,i the atonement while they have
never cit ono sorrow for sin nor exercised
moments confidence in the grent sacrifice.
They are almost immovulla in their posi-.
tion. We cannot present anything about
the religion o' Christ that they DO not know.
The Savior described the fate OF such n one
in His parable: "And that servant which
knew his Lorls will, and prepared not him.
self neither did according to His will, shall
be heaten with many stripes" Theories in
religion have u beauty Of their own, but II
they result in no warmth of Christian ii q it
is the beauty of hornblende nnd rdspar.
DO not call such GOODNESS and hardness re-
ligion The river %. life never freezes over.
Ici"l"s never hing on the caves Of heaven
Sound:,ess ~ intellectual belief is IL bcnu,i-
full cloak. well woven and well cut, but in tho
hour when God shall demand our souls it
will not ofitsclf BE- sufficient to hide our inil.
uities.