The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-04-28

=
not understand it Neither can I
They cannot understand why holy
God lets sin come into the world
Neither can l. They say: "Here is ;
great mystery; here is a disciple O
fashion. frivolous and goddess all he
days-she lives on to be an octogenarian
/ Here Is Christian mother training hel
children for God and for Heaven. self
sacrificing, Christianlil1e. indispensable
seemingly, to that household-she take:
the cancer and dies" The skeptic says
Il can't explain that" Neither can |.
On, can see how men reason them
selves into skeptieism. With burning
feet have trod that blistering wav.
know what it is to have a hundred
nights poured into one hour. There
are men IN this audience who would
give their thousands of dollars if they
could get back to the old religion of
their fathers Such men are not to be
caricatured but helped.
Ii. therefore, stand this morning be-
fore men and women who have drifted
away into skepticism. I throw out no
scott; rather implead you by the MEM
DRY of those good old times when YOU
knelt at your mothers knee and said
your evening prayers. and those other
days OF sickness when she watched all
night and gave you the medicines at
just the right time-by all these mem
cries l ask you to come and take the
same religion 1t was good enough for
her-it is good enough for you.
Aye. | make a better plea; by the
wounds and the death-throe of the Son
OF God. who approaches you this morn
ing with torn brow and lacerated hands
and whipped back. crying: Come unto
me, all ye who are weary and heavy
laden. and I will give We rest
Other persons apologize for not enter
ing the Christian life because of the in
corrigibility OF their temper. Now. we
admit it IS harder for some people to
become Christians than for others; but
the grace OF God never came 10 n
mountain that it could not climb. or to
an abyss that it could not fathom. or to
. bondage that it could not break.
Good resolution. reformatorv effort.
viii not effect the change. 1t takes a
mightier arm and a mightier hand to
bend evil habits than the hand that
bent the bow OF Ulysses. and it takes a
stronger lasso than ever held the buff
falo on the prairie. A man cannot 20
forth with any human weapons
and contend successfully against
these Titans armed with uptorn
mountain. But you have known men
into whose spirit the influence Of the
gospel Of Christ came until their dispo-
sition was entirely changed. SO il was
with two merchants in New York
They were very antagonistic They
had done all they could do to injure
each other. They were in the same
line of business. One OF the merchants
was converted to God. Having been
converted. he asked the Lord to teach !
him how 20 bear himself toward that |
business antagonist. and he was i'm |
pressed with the fact that II vas his |
duty when = customer asked Cor 4 GER
tain kind of goods which he had not. |
but which ne knew that his opponent |
had. to recommend him to 90 to tina: |
store. suppose that Is about the hard |
ast thing the man could do: but. !
being thoroughly converted to God. ne |
resolved to do that very thing. and. be-
NC asked for 4 certain kind of goods |
which he had not. he said: You go to
uch and such store and you viii get
L" After awhile merchant No : found
heSe customers coming, so sent, and
IL found also that merchant No. had
zen brought to God. and he sought
ne same religion. Now they are good
riends and good neighbors. the grace
# God entirely changing their DISPOSE
ion.
oh. says some one. Il have rough.
jagged. impetuous nature. and religion
ont do anything for me" Do You
NOW that Martin Luther and Robert
Newton and Richard Baxter were i'm
'etuous. all-consuming natures. vet the
race OF God turned them into the
lightieSt usefulness?
Peter. with nature tempestuous as
he sea that he once tried to walk. at
ne look of Christ went out and wept
Rich harvests of grace may
row on the tip-top of the jagged steep.
nd iocks of Christian graces may find
asturage in fields of bramble and rock.
'hough your disposition may be all
brisJle with fretfulneSs. though you
ave temper a-gleam of quick light
ings, though your averice De like that
the horse-leach. crying: Give
hough danna5Ie impurities have
trapped you in ail-consuming fire
cd can drive that devil out of Your
oul. and over the chaos and the dark
ess he can say: Let there be light
Converting grace has lifted the drunk :
ri from the ditch. and snatched the
nife from the hand OF the assassin. and
lie false key from the burglar. and in
lie pestiferous lanes OF the city met the
aughter of sin under the dim lamp
ght and scattered her sorrow and her {
uilt with the words: Thy sins are
and sin no more" For '
,arlet sin scarlet atonement.
Other persons apologize for not enter
e the Christian life because of the in I
of those who profess re-
gion- There are thousands of poor I
They do not know the nature I
soil nor the proper rotation OF crops.
heir corn Is shorter in the stalk and T
mailer in the ear. They have ten less I
1shels to the acre than their neigh '
us. But who declines being farmer
ecause there are so many poor farmers? I
There are thousands OF incompetent o
erchants- They buy at the wrong [
me. They get cheated in the sale of o
.eir goods Every hale OF goods X n ! Z
em bale Of disaster. They fail after
While and go out OF business. But q
no declines TO be merchant because .
ere are 50 many incompetent mer- '
ants? q
There are thousands of poor lawyers. {
1Ar cannot drar- a da..Iara ton HAT | Q