The Forrest City times., 1892-05-20
, home from business;

bible and caricatured the professioh oi religion as hypocrisy, or made 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. It was a 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. you would flush up quick, and either with an indignant word, or doubled up fist, make response And yet here is our Christian religion, which has done so much for you and SO much for the world that it will take all eternity to celebrate it. and yet, when it was attacked. you did not so much as say: 'l differ. 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 auity. A man 90 years old was telling me few days ago how he put to flight a scoffer. My aged friend said to the skeptic: Did you ever read the his tory of Joseph in the Bible9" "fes, said the man, .'it is a fine story, and as interesting story as l ever read
 "Well now" said my old friend. sup pose that account of Joseph stopped half way?" "Oh." said the man, "then it would not be entertaining. Well now" said my friend, i've have in this world only half of everything. and do you not think that when we hear the last half, things may be consistent, and that we may find that God was right?" Oh friends, better load up with few interrogation points. You cannot afford to be silent when God and the bible and the things of etern- ity are assailed. Your silence gives consent to the bonn mbardment of your fathers house You allow slur to be cast on your mothers dying pillow. In behalf of the Christ, who for you went through the agonies of assassina- ton on the rocky bluff back of Jeru- salem, you dared not face a sickly joke Better load up with few questions so that next time you will be ready. Say to the scoffcr: My dear sir will you tell me what makes the difference between the condition of woman in China and the United States? What do you think of the sermon on the Mount? How do you like the golden rule laid down in the scriptures? Are you in favor of the ten commandments? In your large and extensive reading have you come across lovelier character than Jesus Christ? Will you please to name the triumphant death beds of infidels and atheists? How do you account for the fact that, among the out and out be lievers in christianity were such persons as Benjamin Franklin, John Ruskin, Thomas Carlyle, Babington Macaulay, William Penn, Walter Scott, Charles Kingsley, Horace Bushnell, James A Garfield, Robert E. Lee, Stone wall Jackson, Admiral Foote, Admira Farragut. Ulysses $. Grant. John Mil ton, William Shakespeare, Chief Justice Marshall, John Adams, Daniel Web ster, George Washington? How dt account for their fondness of th' Christian religion? Among the Il, numerable colleges and universities O the earth, will you name me three started by infidels and now supported by infidels? Down in your heart arr you really happy in the position yo' occupy antagonistic to the Christian | religion? When do you have tn
 most rapturous views of the mex world?" Go at him with few sucl questions and he will get so red in tn face as to suggest apoplexy. and he vii look at his watch and say he has an en gagement and must go. You will pu
 him in sweat that will beat a Turkis
 bath. You will put him on rout com
 pared with which our troops at Bul
 Run made no time at all. Arm your self, not with arguments but interrogs
 tion points, and l promise you victory
 Shall such man as you, shall such
 woman as you, surrender to one of tn
 meanest spirits that ever smoked u
 from the pit-ihe dumb devil spoken (
 iu the text?
 Be out and out, up and down fo
 righteousness. If your ship is afioa
 on the Pacific ocean of Gods mercy
 hang out your colors from masthead
 Show your passport if you have on'
 Do not smuggle your soul into th
 harbor of heaven. Speak out for Gos
 This morning close up the chapter (
 lost opportunities, and pitch it int
 East river, and open new chapte
 Before you get to the door on you
 way out this morning shake hant
 with some one, and ask him to joi
 you on the road to heaven. Do nc
 drive up to heaven in two-wheele
 ''sulky" with room only for on
 and that yourself, but get the bii
 gest gospel wagon you can find, an
 pile it full of friends and neighbor
 and shout till they hear yen all rp an
 down the skies. Come with us, ar
 we will do you good for the Lord hat
 promised good concerning Israel" IT
 opportunity for good which you ma
 consider insignificant may be tremel
 dous for results, as when on the se
 Capt Haldane swore at the ships ere
 with an oath that wished them all
 perdition, and Scotch sailor touche
 his cap and said, Captain. God hea
 prayer, and we would be badly of your wish were answered" Capt. Ha dane was convicted by the sailors r