The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-06-24

OF her own apparel. The other came
from great prostration before God in
earnest supplication, asking that Gods
mercy might come upon the school and
that in the afternoon she might gain
the attention of those five or six immor-
tails that would be around her. The |
one teacher has no control over her |
class. The other sits as with the |
strength of the Lord God Almighty.
Another word of counsel L have to
give Be faithful in Bible research. A |
great many good books are now coming |
out We cannot read half of them. At !
every revolution of the printing press |
they are coming. They cover our par
lor tables, and are in our sitting rooms
and libraries. Glorious books they are.
We thank God every day for the work
of the Christian printing press. But l
have thought that perhaps the follow
ers of Christ sometimes allow this re-
ligious literature to take their attention
from Gods Word, and that there may
not be as much Bible reading IS there
ought to be. How is that with your
own experience? Just calculate in
your minds how much religious itera-
ture YOU have read during the
year. and then how large portion
of the word of God you have read, and
then contrast the two and answer with
in your own soul whether you are Civ
ing more attention to the books that
were written by the hand Of man or
that written by the hand Of God. Now,
you go to the drug store and you get
the mineral waters; but you have no
ticed that the waters are not so fresh
or sparkling or healthful as when you
get these very waters at Saratoga and
Sharon-getting them right where they
bubble from the rock. And l have no
ticed the same thing in regard to the
truth of the Gospel; while there is
good deal of refreshment and health of
the Gospel of God as it comes through
good books, find it is better when l
come to the eternal rock of Gods word
and drink from that fountain that bub-
bles up fresh and pure to the life and
the refreshment and the health of the
soul.
Read the Bible and it brings you into
the association of the best people that
ever lived. You stand beside Moses and
| learn his meelzness, beside Job and learn
his patience, beside Paul and catch
something of his enthusiasm, beside
Christ and YOU feel his love. And yet,
how strange it is that n great many
men have given their whole lives to the
| assaulting of that book. l cannot un-
| derstandi it. Tom Paine worked against
that book as though he received large
wages and was inspired by the very
powers of darkness, confessing all tn e
time that he was writing he did not
have the Bible anywhere near him
How many powerful intellects have en-
deavored to destroy n. Ten thousand
men now are warning against the truth
of Gods word. What do yoR think OF
them? / think it is mean and will prove
it. l will prove it is the meanest thing
that has ever been done in all the GEN.
turies-
There is a ship at sea and in trouble.
The captain and the crew are at their
wits end. You are on board. You are
an old seaman. You come up and give
some good counsel, which is kindly
taken. That IS all right. But suppose,
instead of doing that, in the midst OF
the trouble you pick up the only COM
pass that is on board and pitch it over
the taffrail? o, you say, that is bastard
". But is it as mean as this? Here is
the vessel of the world going on with
1 600, coo, 600 of passengers, tossed and
driven in the tempest, and al the time
we want help the infidel comes and he
takes hold of the only compass and he
tries to pitch it overheard. 1t is con.
temptible beyond everything that is
contemplate. Have you any better
light? Bring it on if you have. Have
you any better comfort to give us
Bring it on if You have. Have you any
better hope? Bring it on if you have
and then you may have this Bible and
shall never want it again.
But 1 can think of meaner thing
than that, and that is an old man going
along on the mountains with staff il
one hand and n lantern in the other
Darkness has come on suddenly. He i:
very old, Just able to pick his way out
amid the rocks and precipiceS, leaning
on his staff with one hand and guiding
himself with the light in the other. You
, come up and say: You seem to be lost
; You are long wag from home" Yes,
he replies. And then you take him by
the hand and lead him home. That is
very kind of you. But suppose instead
of that You snatch the staff from hi:
hands and hurI it over the rocks, ant
, snatch the lantern and blow it out
That would be dastardly, contemptibl'
until there is.no depth of contempt be
: meath it. If you have a better stat
give it to him
You see, my friends, have not tries
, to hide the fact that 1 have large ex
, pectation of you who have entered tn
{ Christian life Do not be discouraged
, Press on toward the prize; God besid
/, you and Heaven before you KeeI
, your courage up. Look in thirty year
, from now upon this church. Anothe
man in the pulpit. Other faces in tn
pews Another man leading the song
, Others carrying around the aims boxe
of the church. All changed Thirt
2 years have gone and l look into tn
, faces of the people, and 1 say
, why. it seems to me / have see
: these people somewhere, but | canno
{ exactly say where. o, yes, now begi
to think. These were the converts i
D 1892 and 1890. Why, how you hav
i changed"' 20, yes" they say, sc
/ course we have changed Thirty year
: make a great change" 1 say: "Ho'
, many wrinkles there are in your faces
? 80, yes" they say, thirty years max
a great many wrinkles" Have 20
@ kept the faith?" Eyes, we have keI
= the faith where are those peopl
t who used TO sit in the pew with you;