The Brookhaven leader., 1890-05-15

lul ueabnE Il nave letter, sent me by
one who has rejected the Christian re-
ligion. Itsays: II am old enough to
know that the joys and pleasures of life
are evanescent, and TO realize the fact
that 1t must be comfortable in old age
to believe in something relative TO the
future, and TO have faith in some sys-
tenn that proposes to save. am free to
confess that / would be happier il l
could exercise the simple and beautiful
faith that is possessed by many whom l
know. | am not willing out of the
church or out of tho faith. My state of
uncertainty is one of unrest Some
times l doubt my immortality, and look
upon the dcath-bcd as the closing scene,
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. IL it be false, we are as we'll
off as you; if it be true, then which of
us is safe?
Let me also ask whether your trouble
has not been that you COMPOUNDED
Christianity with the inconsistent
character of sOmo who profess it. You
are lawyer In your profession there
are mean and dishonest men. Is that
any thing against the law? You are a
doctor. There are unskilled and con-
temptible men in your profession. Is
that any thing against medicine? You
are merchant. There are thieves and
defrauders in your business. Is that
any thing against merchandise? Be-
hold, then, the unfairness of charging
upon Christianity the wickedness of its
disciples. We admit some of the
charges against those who profess re-
ligion. Some of the msot gigantic
swindlers of the present day have been
carried on by members of the church.
There are men standing in
the front ranks in the churches
who would not be trusted for
five dollars with good collateral security.
They leave their business dishoncsties
in the vestibu9e of the church as they
go in and sit at the communion. IIav-
ing concluded the sacrament, they get
up, wipe the wine from their lips, go
out, and take up their sins where they
left off. To serve the devil is their reg
ular work; to serve God, sort of play
spell. With a Sunday sponge they ex-
pect to wipe off from their business slate
all the past weeks inconsistencies.
You have no more right to take such
mans life as specimen of religion
than you have to take the twisted irons
and split timbers that lie on the beach
at Coney Island as a specimen of an
American ship. 1t is time that we draw
a line between religion and the frailties
of those who profess it.
Do you not feel that the Bible, take it
all in all, is about the best book that
the world has ever seen? Do you know
any book that has as much in it? DO
you not think, upon the whole, that its
influence has been benefcicnt? ! come
to you with both hands extended toward
you. In one hand have the Bible, and
in the other | have nothing. This
Bible in one hand | will surrender for
ever just as soon as in my other hand
you can put book that is better. To-
day invite you back into the good, old
fashioned religion of your fathers-to
the God. whom they worshipped, to the
Bible they read, to the promises on
which they leaned, to the cross on
which they hung their eternal expecta-
tions. You have not been happy day
since you swung off; you will not be
happy a minute until you swing back.
Again: There may be some of you
who, in the attempt after Christian
life, will have to run against powerful
passions and appetitcs. Perhaps it is
disposition to anger that you have to
contend against; and perhaps, while in
a serious mood, you hear of something
that makes you feel that you must
swear or die. | know Christian man
who was once so eXasperated that he
said to mean customer: Il can not
swear at you myself, ford am member
of the church, but if you will go down
stairs my partner in business will
swear at you" All your good resolu-
tions heretofore have been torn to tat
tiers by explosions of temper. Now,
there is no harm in getting mad if you
only get mad at sin. You need to bride
and saddle those hot breathed passions,
and with them ride down injustice and
wrong. There are a thousand things in
the world that we ought to be mad at
There is no harm in getting red-hot if
you only bring to the forge that which
needs hammering. A man who has no
power of righteous Indignation is an
imbecile. But be sure it is a righteous
indignation, and not a petulancy that
blurs and unravels and depletes the
soul.
There is a largo class of persons in
mid-life who have still in them appe-
tites that were aroused in early man
hood, at a time when they prided them
selves on being a little fast "high
livers," free and easy" ''hale-fellows
we'll met" They are now paying, in
compound interest, for troubles they
collected twenty years ago Some OF
you are trying to escape, and you will
yet very narrowly, ''as with the skin OF
your teeth" God and your own SOU
only know what the struggle is ON
nipotent grace has pulled out many a
soul that was deeper in the mire than you
are They line the beach of Heaven
the multitude whom God has
rescued from the thrall of sui
cidal habits. If you this day
turn your back on the wrong and start
anew God will help you. Oh, the weak
ness of human help! Men will sympa'
thize for awhile, and then turn you off.
If you ask for their pardon they will
give it, and say they will try you again
but, falling away again under the power
of temptation, they cast you off forever.
Rut God fOroiynS seventy times seven;