The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1892-02-11

as he who rattles the keys of . bank and
could abscond with a hundred thousand
hard dollars.
There are those prominent IN the
churches who seem to be on public &C.
casiOns very devout. who do not put the
principles of Christ's religion into Drac-
tice They are the most memorable of
creditors. They are the most grasping
of dealers. They are known as sharp
ers On the street. They fleece every
sheep they can catch. A country mer-
chant comes in to buv spring or fall
goods and he gets into tie store of one Of
these protested Christian men who really
have no grace in their hearts, and he is
completely swindled. He is SO overcome
that he cannot get out of town during
the week. He stays in town over Sun
day, goes into some church to get Chris
tian consolation, when what is his amaze
ment to find that the very man who
hands him the poor box in the church is
the one who relieved him of his money!
But never mind, the deacon has his black
coat on now. He looks solemn and goes
home talking about 1.-THE blessed SER
mon."
If the wheat in the churches should be
put into hopper, the first turn of the
crank would make the chaff fly, l tell
you. Some of these men are great stick
lers for Gospel preaching. They say:
''YOu stand there in bands and surplice
and gown and preach-preach like an
angel. and we will stand out here and
attend to business. Don't get business
and religion in the same bucket You
attend to your matters and we will at
tend to ours" They do not know that
God sees every cheat they have practiced
in the last six years: that He can look
through the iron wall of their tireproof
safe; that He has counted every dishon-
est dollar they have in their pocket. and
that a day of judgment will come. These
inconsistent Christian men will sit on the
Sabbath night in the house of God sing
ing at the close of the service, 'ROck of
Ages, cleft for me-" and then when the
benediction is pronounced shut the pew
door and say as they go out, ''Goodby,
religion, I'll be back next Sunday"
/ think that the Church of God and
the Sabbath are only All armory where
we are to get weapons. When war
comes, if a man wants to fight for his
country he does not go to Troy or
Spring field to do the battling, but he
goes there for swords and muskets. I
look upon the Church of Christ and the
Sabbath day as only the place and time
where and when we are to get armed
tor Christian conflict; but the battlefield
is on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday ''St
Martins" and sLenox" and ''Old Hun
dred'' do not amount to anything unless
they sing all the week. A sermon is use
less unless we can take it with us behind
the pillow and the counter. The Sabbath
day is worthless if it last only twenty
four hours.
There are many Christians who say:
eve are willing to serve God. but we do
not want to do it in these spheres about
which we are talking; and it seems so
insipid and monOtonOus. If we had some
great occasion. if we had lived in the
time of Luther, if we had been PauPs
travelling companion, if we could serve
God on a great scale, we would do it,
but We can't in this everyday life." l
admit that great deal of the romance
and knight errantry Of life have disap-
peared before the advance of this prac-
tical age. The ancient temples of ROuen
have been changed into StOrehOuSeS and
SmithieS. The residences of poets and
princes have been turned into brokers'
shops. The classic mansion OF Ashland
has been cut up into walking sticks.
The groves where the poets said the
gods dwelt have been carted out for hre-
wood. The muses. that we used to read
about have disappeared before the emf
grants AK and the trapper's gun, and
that man who is waiting for life be-
witched of wonders will never find it.
There is, however, field for endur-
ance and great achievement, but it is in
everyday life. There are Alps to scale,
there are Tablespoons to swim, there are
fires to brave; but they are all around
us now. This is the hardest kind of
martyrdOm to bear. 1t took grace to
lead Latimer and Ridley through the
fire triumphantly when their armed
enemies aud their friends were looking
on; but it requires more grace now to
bring men through persecution. when
nobody is looking on. l could show you
in this city woman who has had rheu-
matism for twenty years, who has en-
dured more suffering and exhausted more
grace than would have made twenty
martyrs pass triumphantly through the
fire. II you are not faithful in an insig-
nificant position in life, you would not
be faithful in a grand mission. If you
cannot stand the bite of nudge, how
could you endure the breath of basil
lisk?
Do not think that any work God gives
you to do in the world is on too small
scale for you to do. The whole universe
is not ashamed to take care of one little
flower. l say: "What are you dong
down here in the grass, YOU poor little
flower? Are you not afraid nights?
You will be neglected, you will die of
thirst, you will not be fed. Poor little
flower!" No" says star, "Tll watch
over it tonight" NO" says a cloud,
"I'll give it drink" NO" says the sun,
'I'll warm it in my BOSOM" Then l see
the pulleys going. and the clouds are
drawing water. and 1 say, what are
you doing there, o clouds?" And they
reply, I'VE are giving drink to that
flower"
Then the wind rises and cones bend
ing down the wheat and sounding its
oil