Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-06-19

admixture. Spent no time on bns
mysteries You. man only hve or
six feet high, ought not to try to wade
an ocean a thousand feet deep. MY own
experience has been vivid. L devotei Tue
most of my time for years in trying to I'M
lerstand Gods eternal DEGREES, aud was de-
termined to find out why the Lord let sin
come into the world, and set out 10 explore
the doctrine of the Trinity, and with yari-
stick to measure the throne OF the Infinite.
rs with all my predecessors, the attempt was
q dead failure For the last thirty years l
have not spent two minutes in studying the
controversial points of theology, and IL live
thirty years longer | will not spend the thou
sandth part of a second in such exploration.
know two things, and these | will devote
all the years of my life in proclaiming-iod
will through Jesus Christ pardon sin, and
He will comfort trouble.
Creeds have their uses, but just now the
church is creeled to death. The young men
entering afhe ministry are going to be
launched in the thickest fog that ever set
tie on the coasts As am told that in all
our services students of Princeton AM I'm
ion and Drew and otter theological semi
nares are present, an as these words will
come to thousands OF young men who are
soon to enter the ministry, let me say to
such and through the n to their associates,
Keep out OF Tue uC-
s.roying and an sry controversies abroad.
The questions our doctors OF divinity are
trying to title will not b, settlel uatil the
day after the day Of iu1gn ent. 1t is su,h
DOOR economy OF time TO spenl ye1rS an |
years in trying to fashom ths untathonable
when in five minutes in heaven We will know
all we want TO knOy. Wait till Wa get o IT
throne Wait till the light Of eternity
flashes upon our newly assembled
spirits. II is useless for ants on different
sides of mole hill to try t. discuss the COM
p1rative hei ghts of Mount Blanc and Mount
Washington. Let M say to all young men
about to enter the ministry that soon the
greatest novelty in the world will be the I'M
adulteratei religion OF Jesus Christ. Preach
that and you will have a crowl. The world
is sick to regurgitation with the modern
quacks in religion. the world has been
swinging off from the oh Gospel, but it will
swing back and by the time you young men
70 into the pulpits the cry will be coming up
from al the millions of mankind, Give us
the bread of life; no sweetenel bread, no
bread with sickly raisias stuck here AMI
there into it, but old-fashione bread as Col
our mother mixed AMI baks1 it"
Now, what is the simple fact that you in
the pew and S'b5ath-scho)l class and re-
formatory association and we in the pulpitS
somewhere, and it matters no. WHERE but
som ewhere. provided great heaven, great
for quietness for tloss wl) want quiet; great
for vast assemblags for those who like null
tltu les: great for architecture for those who
ike architecture; great for beautiful lant-
scape for those who like beautiful lan1scape;
great for music for thOsS WAC like music
great for PROFESSIONS for taoSe who
like armies on white hOrss3 and great
for anything that ons especially desires in
such a rapturous dominion; AMI through th3
doings Of one who was born about
Ave miles south OF jerusalem AMI died
about ten minutes walk from its east
ern gate all may enter that great heaven
for the earnest aud HEARTFELT asking. Is
that all: That is all What, then, is your
work and mine? Our work is TO persuade
people to face that way an start ththor-
ward and finally go In. But has not reli-
gion something 70 do with this world as well
as the next? On, yes; but do you not SEQ
that il the people start for heaven on their
way there they will do all the COOL they can?
They will at the very start OF tho journey
get 50 much of the spirit OF Christ, which is
q spirit Of kindness and self sacrifice and
generosity aud burden bearing and helpful
ness, that every step they take will resOun1
with good deeds. Oh, get your religion OF
of stiltsl Get it down oIt Of the high tow
ersl Get il Oh a level with the wants AMI
woes of our poor human racei Get it out OF
the dusty theological books that few people
read, aud put it in their hearts and liveS
Good thing is it to profess religion when
you Join the church, but every day, so11e-
how, We on ght to profess religion
A peculiar patchwork quilt was, during
the Civil Var, made by Lady and sent to
the hospitals at the front She had boy in
the army, and was naturally interested in
the welfare of soldiers But what patch
work quilt she sent On every block OF this
1uilt was passage OF Scripture or a verss
of hymn. The months and years of tho
war went by. On that quilt many woundel
man had lain anil suffered AMI del But
one morning the hospital nurss saw patient
under the blanket kissing the figure OF ale1t
in the quilt, AMI tho nurse supposed he was
only wandering in his min But no; he was
the son Of the IN )tner who had mlde thu
quilt and h. recognized that figure OF Leaf
as part Of g0wl his mother used TO wear,
and it reminded him of homo. 40 you know
where this quilt came from" he asked. The
nurse answered, II eau find out, for thers
was card pinned fast to it, and | will find
that Sure enough. it confirmed what he
thought. Then the nurse pointed to passage
OF Scripture in the block Of the quilt, the pas
sage which says, when he was yet great
ways of his father saw him and ran and fell
on his neck and kissed him." YES" said the
dying soldier, IL was great way off, but
God has met me and had compassion on me-"
"Shall [ write to your mother and tell her
that the lost one is found and the dead is
alive AGAIN. He answered, Il wish you
would, il it would not be too much trouble"
Do YOU suppose that woman who made that
quilt and filled il with scripture passages had
any trouble about who Melchize1ek was or
how the doctrine Of Gods sovereignty can
be harmOnized with mans free agency, or
who wrote the Pentateuch or the inconsis-
tencies of the Nicene creed? No, no; go TO
work for God and suffering humanity and
all your doubts and fears and mysteries and
unbeliefs put together will not be heavy
enough TO str the chemists scales, which
is accustomed TO weighing one-iftieth part
of grain OF chamomile flowers. Why stop
n moment to understand the mysteries when
there are so many certitudesS Why spend
our time exploring the dark garretS and coal
holes OF n great palace which has above
groun one hundred rooms foode with sun
shine? II takes all my time to absorb what
has been revealed. so that have no time TO
uDtlirn aud root out and drag forth what
has not been revea ed The most of the eff
fort to solve mysteries and explore the mex
picable aud harmonic things is an attempt
10 help the Lord out Of theological difficult
ties. Good enough intention. my brother,
no doubt but the Lord is not anxious tohave
YOU help Him He will keen Pts throne with
ont your assistance Don't be afraid that
the Bible W fall apart from inconsistencies.
1t hung together many centuries before you
were born and your funeral sermon will be
preached from text taken from its undis-
tIrbel authenticity.
Do ycu know that I think that IL all min
listers in all denominations would stop this
nonsense Of ecclesiastical strife and take hold
the word of God. the only question with each
of us being how many souls We can bring TO
Christ ard IN how short time, the Lord
would soon appear for the salvation OF all
nations? Why not all at once light all the
torches OF Gospel invitation Why not ring
all the bills of welcome. Why not light ~
the long night of the worlds sin aul suffer
ing with bonfires of victory? Why not I'M
lumber all the Gospel batteries and let them
boon across the earth. and boon into
the parting heavens The King is
really to land if We are ready to receive
Him. Why cannot we who are now living
see His DESCENT Mist 1t nll be postponed
to later eyes; Has not our poor wo9l1
gronnei long enough in moral agonies!
Have there not ben martyrs enough, and