The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1892-05-27

some occasion when the Christian re-
ligion became target for ralllery.
Perhaps it was over in the store some
day when there was not much going
on and the clerks were In group; OF
1t was in the factory at the noon spell;
or it was out on the farm under the
trees while you were resting; or it was
In the club-room; or it was in social
circle; or it was in the street on the
way home from business; or
1t was some occasion which
you remember without my describing
it. Some one got the laugh on the
bible and caricatured the profession of
religion as hypocrisy, or made a pun
out of something that Christ said. The
laugh started and you Joined in, and
not one word of protest did you utter.
What kept you silent? Modesty? No.
Incapacity to answer? No Lack of
opportunity? No 1t was blow on
both your lips by the wing of the
dumb devil. If some one should ma
lign your father, or mother, or wife, or
husband. or child. Won would flush I'M
quick, and either with an indignant
word, or doubled up fist, make response
And yet here is our Christian religion,
which has dome so much for you and
so much for the world that it will take
all eternity 10 celebrate it, and
yet, when it was attacked, you
did not so much as say; II differ. 1
object. am sorry to- hear you say
that There is another side to this. "
You christian people ought in such
times as these to go armed, not with
earthly weapons but with the sword Of
the Spirit. You ought to have four or
five questions with which you could
confOund any man who attacks christi
anity. A man 80 years old was telling
me: few days ago how he put to fight
scoffer. My aged friend. said TO the
slseptic; Ibid you ever read the his
tory of Joseph in the Bible?" EYES,"
said the man, lit is fine story. and as
interesting a story as Il ever read"
"Well now" said my old friend. "sHp-
pose that account of Joseph. stopped
half way?' ''Oh," said the man., "then
it would not be entertaining" "Well
now" said my friend, 1--WE have in this
world cHly half of everything; and do
you not think that when we hear the
last halt, things may be consistent,
and that we may find that God was
right?" oh friends, better load up
with a1few Interrogation points, You
cannot afford to lie silent when God
and therbible and the things of etepnr
ity are assaulted. Your silence gives,
consent to the bombardment of your
fathers house. You allow a slurto be.
cast on your mothers dying pillow.
In behalf of the Christ, who forYow
went through the agonies of assassina-
ton on the rocky bluff back of Jeru-
salem, you dared not face sickly Joke.
Better loadrup with few questions So
that next time you will be ready.
Say to the scoffer: my dear
sir, will you tell me what
makes the difference between, the
condition ofwomAn in China and the
United States2 What do you think of
the sermon on, the Mount? How do
you like the golden rule laid down in
the scriptures2 Are you in favor of the
ten commandments? In your large
and extensive heading have you come
across lovelier character than Jesus
Christ? Will XoA please to name the
triumphant death-beds of infdels and
atheists? How do you account fortthe
fact that, among the out and out be-
levers in christianity were such persons
as Benjamin, franklin, John Ruskin,
Thomas Carlyle; Darlington Macaulay,
William Penn, Walter Scott, Charles
Kingsley, Horace Bushnell, James A..
Garfield, Robert E. Lee, Stone
wall jackson, Admiral Foote, Admiral
Farragut, Ulysses S. Grant, John Mill
ton, William Shakespeare, Chief Justice
Marshall, John Adams, Daniel Web
ster, George Washington? How do
account for their fondness of the
Christian religion? Among the. ili-
Vulnerable colleges and universities OF
the earth, will You name me three,
started by infdels and now supported
by infdels2 Down in your heart are
you really happy in the position You
occupy antaGonistic to the Christian
religion? When do you have the
most rapturous views of the. next
| 1Oip' 10 ak ht,,o ruy,tl, 60 Il,
questions and he will get so red i'm the
face as,tD, suggest apopleXN and he will
look at his watch and say he.has an en-,
gagemant and must go. You will put
him I'M a. sweat that will bsat Turkish
BATH. Won will put him on TOut com
pared with which our troops at Bull
Rum made no time at all Arm your
SELF, not with arguments,bnt interroga
ton points, and l promise. you victory
Shah such man as youb shall such {
woman as you, surrender TO one of thu
mRanest spirits that ever smoked vi
from the pit-the dumb devil spoken o
i'm the text?
y 4 BE out and out, mp and down fol
righteousness. If your ship is afoa
on the Pacific ocean of Gods mercy
hang out your colOTs from masthead
Show your passport if you have one
Do not smuggle your soul into tn
harbor of heaven4 Speak out for God
This morning close mp the chapter o
lost opportunities, and pitch it int
East river, and open a new chapter
Before you get to the door on you
fhfp tnOr,inD eholra ha,1